Small Treasures

So, six weeks without a post might imply that my life has been a whirlwind of excitement, too great to pause and record in a blog!

Or, it may just mean that my internet went down for three weeks, and that France Telecom could use a little work on its customer service...

I will simply lay out the facts and let you judge which of the above explanations is the primary reason for my tardiness in updates!

The newness of heading to the large Michelin complex at "Site des Carmes" has now nestled into what is a familiar routine. I head out of my little studio around 8 in the morning, and mutter the new spanish phrases I'm learning thanks to the audio lessons on my ipod as I walk past fragrant pastry-shops and bakeries, over the tram line, down some stairs and up to my office on the 4th floor of my building.

Once inside, my days have evolved from the initial weeks of collecting expatriate and then international mobility coordinator stories, to now identifying the themes and designing an internal communication platform that will attempt to improve some of the challenges that were often repeated in my interviews.

As of this morning, we had the opening page of the new intranet site fully functional - and seven full weeks are left to finish developing the whole platform! At times its overwhelming, and a little lonely, to make sense of the loads of incomplete information that I have. When the pieces start falling together, however, the work becomes quite exciting

Outside of this 8:30-5:30 world, there have been many small treasures that have enriched my days. Earlier, before the rains came, Evelyn (who's one of three other IMBA students still in Clermont) and I took to hiking in the hills around Clermont on the weekends.

Then, France somehow managed so slip back into about a month of winter, with cold, rainy days for weeks and weeks. Fortunately, a surprise opportunity to stay in a beautiful chateau/monastary outside of Paris for an International Mobility conference was able to bring some light into this time - and gourmet meals cooked up in Evelyn's kitchen, concerts and a medival festival tended to warm up the rest of that stretch.

The internet did go down for three weeks too, which led to some interesting afternoons catching up on emails and Skyping with my parents and Javier from the McDonald's wifi zone, which is always a hub of Clermont's finest characters...

What lies ahead? Summer, it seems! While it's not a "true" summer break, the heat has come rolling in, and right behind it, my friend Emily arrived to spend part of her European tour in my corner of the continent. And she's getting me out - Paris last weekend, Dijon and Avignon the next two - it really is beginning to feel like a true European summer adventure!

Michelin Vous Souhaite la Bienvenue

Having the chance to share six weeks with Javier here in Europe was a dream-come-true. Travelling around France, Italy and Greece has been an incredible way to kick off 2008.





My decision to dedicate two years of my life to obtaining an international MBA definitely took into account that I might have the chance to put that kind of icing on my "cake." But the "cake" itself had to be made of different ingredients: the mastery of my second language, the opportunity to put it to use in a professional setting, a deeper understanding of business in general and international business in particular, and the time to reflect about the next steps in my career.





So, now, we plunge into the cake.





Javier's flight to the States left two hours before I was scheduled to show up for my first day of work at Michelin here in Clermont.





Since that morning, my focus has shifted from calderas and sunsets to my new project with the "Mobility" team: How can Michelin improve the support and communication it provides for its expatriates?





Almost two weeks in, I'm already learning a great deal:





1. The structures for thinking that I learned at The Strategic Coach will always be an invaluable starting point for making sense of and organizing processes into experiences that work.





2. An entrepreneurial spirt is very useful inside of larger organizations - I was given a vauge idea of what questions the leadership team was looking to answer, and then it was entirely up to me to find best ways to answer those questions and develop a valuable "deliverable." I had expected that in hierarchical bureaucracies low-men on the totem pole (such as myself for now) would be given much more direction to execute other peoples' plans. It's been a pleasant surprise to be given this much autonomy.





3. I can conduct business in French! (Even if personal connections feel like they're still easier to establish quickly in English)





4. The best part of working, for me, is interacting with other people. When I graduate, it will be important that I find a position that has me away from my computer, in front of or on the phone with other people at least 60% of the time.

You say adio, I say yasoo!

With classes truly finished, we bid "au revoir" to our professors and classmates at a dinner in Clermont to mark the end of our first year of classes in the IMBA program.

Early the next morning, the real vacation began!

Javier and I took the train up to Paris again, where we stayed in Montmartre (literally in the shadow of Sacre Coeur!) and trapsed around the parks and museums of this beautiful city - in between delicious international dinners of Spanish and Indonesian food.

From there, we took off for Greece - on a budget that meant about 12 hours on the way there and 24 to get all the way home to Clermont at the end! But, it was well well worth it.

We said "Yasoo" to Santorini on Monday night. Fanes, who owned our hotel, met us at the airport and helped us map out some plans for our week ahead. (Note: definitely check out this hotel, Aroma Suites, if you ever get to Santorni! With only 8 guestrooms, Fanes is able to give each guest incredibly personal attention; the rooms are romantic, the views from the shared patios are amazing and the location is perfect. http://www.aromasuites.gr/)

We started off early on Tuesday morning with a trip to the black sand beaches, and from there, a steep hike up to the ancient Greek ruins that were hidden on the cliff far above us. By the time we got back to the beach, we were ready to eat, so we feasted on grilled octapus, baked eggplant, tomato fritters and stuffed mushrooms before heading back to explore Santorini's capital and our "home" for the week, Thira.

Wednesday took us on a sailboat to Santorini's volcano, hot springs, and other island, down to Oia (the Island's chic-est town, and in our opinion more polished, but much much less friendly than Thira!), and then back to Thira where we got our first of two spectacular sunsets.

Thursday was our last full day to fit everything in, so we started early on our three hour hike from Thira to Oia. The entire walk was along the top edge of the island, giving us endlessly changing, and all equally breathtaking views of the Caldera and the volcano.

A little history: some three thousand years ago, Santorini was a fairly large, volcanic island. When the volcano blew, it destroyed most of the island (and buried the Minoan civilization, which is fabled to be the true "Atlantis"). The outside edges of the island were left, and a steep cliff was formed, dividing the land from the crater in the center. The sloping far end of the island, as well as the cliff-tops were slowly re-populated, and now those cliff-top towns offer some of the most astonishingly beautiful scenery on this planet.

So, after our hike, we gratefully found the Gyros stand at the bus stop, and wolfed down our chicken and pork in pita pockets before taking the bus system to the far opposite end of the island. There, we climbed over red rocks to access the famed red-sand beaches hidden behind them. We did get in the water briefly, but in April, the water is still cold enough to knock your breath out, so we mostly just basked in the sun.

That night offered us another wonderful sunset, which we enjoyed while sipping a glass of wine on the patio of our hotel before heading out to dinner again.

Sadly, Friday came around, and it was time to say "adio". We still had most of the day to explore, so we hiked out to a more remote restaurant that came highly recommended by Fanes (and indeed was filled with nothing but locals! "Mario's" behind the airport, for anyone looking to visit Santorini - but if you do, definitely take a cab here; the hike wasn't our best idea...). We then strolled through Thira one last time, picked up a few final souvenirs, admired the Orthodox Easter flowers decorating the main church and headed to the airport.

While the trip home was long, it provided its own adventure - it is worth noting that Athens is a hopping airport, 24 hours a day; Lufthansa provides free coffee and newspapers in Munich; Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle is a crazy, modern structure with people movers that go up and down winding hills; and Uno is the best game for a train ride!

On the Go

Almost nine months of buckling down and studying - first in the Core back in Columbia and then in our language classes here in Clermont - has finally been tapering off. With my boulangerie project and final exam behind me (both turned out quite well!), April has been a month to explore France and enjoy the culture here before starting my internship with Michelin on the 28th.

Javier and I kicked off the month with a weekend in Paris. Highlights included picnicing in the garden behind the Museum of Natural History with wine, bread, cheese, olives, strawberries and a roasted chicken from my favorite market street, Rue Moufftard. :-) We also met a client of mine from Coach for dinnner, visited the Pompidou Center and met up with Philippe to sip "bold reds" at a huge independent wine-maker's salon!

Clermont is located in the Auvergne region, in the center of France, known as "the Massif Centrale." On our own and with the school, we've spent the last two weeks sampling the best that this area has to offer.

Marked by a chain of dormant volcanoes, this area is relatively difficult to access from other areas of the country. As a result, the famous art, cuisine and literature that France is so famous for are less prominent here. Instead, Auvergne offers attractions that are related to its unique volcanic landscape - healing spring waters in Vichy, beautiful scenery to hike through, delicious cheeses made from milk produced by cows that are fed on grass that has minerals that are specific to the volcanic soil, rustic, hearty meals like "truffade", a museum/theme park devoted to volcanoes, etc. etc. For the last few weeks, we've been drinking all of this in.

It's also been a chance to start saying some good-byes. So far, Kelly and I have secured internships in Clermont for the summer; the other 11 French-Trackers (as well as Javier) will be scattering to Paris, Marseille, Brussells, and the good ol' USA in just a few weeks. For our "intermediate" class, we had a Moroccoan dinner last week.

Making sure that our travel-style didn't get rusty before we head to Santorini, Javier and I decided to explore Lyon this past weekend, where we took in the bustle of the crowds, searched for "traboules" (hidden, covered passageways that the city's old silk-weavers used to use to keep their silks dry on rainy days) and enjoyed the (finally!) perfect weather.

Next on the list... Paris again and then Santorini... stay tuned!

Mangia!!

By far, one of the best parts of getting to know another culture is getting to know its food - what people eat both day to day and for celebrations, how they prepare their special dishes and how they share meals together, are all such vital (and wonderful!) elements of a place.


The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind tour of these experiences.

The highlight for me has been sharing all of these meals with Javier, who arrived on Sunday the 16th! For our first meal together, we picked up my favorite boulangerie's specialty bread, "Pain Paillasse" on our way back from the airport, and enjoyed it with French crepes that we made at home. :-) Dabbling in French cuisine was a theme for the rest of the week, with potato-leek soup, wine and cheese tastings and omlettes with salad all on the menu.

We took a break from the French theme on Wednesday, however, to participate in our school's International Food Night. While Philippe, Javier and I picked up some "American" fixin's (brownies, chips, coca cola, etc), Andy was responsible for the star dish - true Southern bbq pork sandwiches. We served these goodies to crowds of students who also sampled treats from Mexico, Morocco, Scotland, Brasil, Germany, and a whole host of other countries.

This past weekend, though, was back to Italy for the best eating there is! Javier's aunt, uncle, and godson live in Milan, and we were lucky enough to spend Easter with them.


Strolling around Milan, visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa and attending Easter Mass, where Javier's godson was the altar boy were all great moments during our trip.







The main events, however, were definitely the meals. Massive, wood-oven pizzas the first night, followed by dark choclate gelato that was like a truffle that litterally melts in your mouth. Then a Tuscan feast for lunch in Pisa, followed by charcuterie, cheeses and a smorgasboard of five different pastas with meat, pancetta, cream, pesto and spicy tomato sauces all homemade by Javier's aunt that night. And then, Easter, which included a five-course feast prepared by Javier's uncle's Italian mother and a final tasting of risotto and sausages that night. Amazing.

This week, we're re-discovering, with more pleasure than ever, what treat it can be to eat light for a change! Soups and salads are definitely in order to recover from the decadance of Milan!

Rainbow Season

Living in France for me has been a dream on many levels. On other levels it's just part of... living. This week has been mostly normal, everyday stuff - no crazy adventures to post. However, whether in France or anywhere else, it's amazing how many little pleasures can light up a "normal" week. In between going to class, grocery shopping, counting down to Javier's arrival on Sunday, and cooking dinner, little "gifts from the universe" always appear!



This week, gifts included time to go to the cheese place with my friend, Andy, and sample a plate of the owner's favorites; a free lunch as part of the student elections on Wednesday; a clear bill of health from the medical system that had to check all of us out as part of the paperwork formalities that go with our visas and... rainbows!


I thought Chicago weather was crazy, but we've been everywhere from 32 to 72 degrees this week, and several days in a row, we had rain come from practically clear skies. But check out the results!!



Oh, and in an effort to spread good things, two women from my life in Chicago have asked to have their latest works introduced around! If you get the chance to check out Tracy Coenen's book or Rebecca Parrish's short film, please do!

"ESSENTIALS OF CORPORATE FRAUD" by Tracy Coenen

The book guides executives, managers, attorneys, and auditors through the basics of corporate fraud. In order to effectively fight fraud, it is important to understand who commits fraud, why they do it, how they do it, and how it affects the company as a whole.
Essentials of Corporate Fraud is more than a primer on fraud detection and prevention. It is a real-world look at how fraud occurs from an expert who has investigated hundreds of internal frauds, including embezzlement, financial statement fraud, investment fraud, bribery, and corruption. Tracy's broad experience ranging from law enforcement to traditional auditing and finally to forensic accounting and fraud investigations brings a unique perspective to this publication.

Essentials of Corporate Fraud offers readers the opportunity to:
* Understand the root causes of corporate fraud and how to manage it * Identify red flags of corporate fraud * Become familiar with common fraud schemes and their warning signs * Learn basic fraud prevention procedures

www.fraudessentials.com

CROSSIN ALL THE BOUNDARIES
A short documentary by Rebecca Parrish and Brooke Bassin exploring race, class, gender, and power in a small Mississippi Delta town through the lens of the 2008 presidential primaries.
Crossin' All The Boundaries is a journey through Clarksdale, a small town on the Mississippi Delta. Three weeks before the 2008 Mississippi Presidential Primaries, the filmmakers, Rebecca Parrish and Brooke Bassin, travel across boundaries of race and class in this small Southern town to find out how people relate to the candidates and to national politics as a whole.
In this intimate portrait of a political process that can often seem distant and abstract, the filmmakers meet people where they're at: on the street, at work, in their living rooms, at church, and even golfing at the country club. The film ultimately goes beyond the elections to provide a window into the operations of race, class, gender, and power.

http://current.com/items/88865059_crossin_all_the_boundaries.

Pain Paillasse

It's tough work, but somebody has got to do it... With the end of our official language training just three weeks away, I have been spending a good deal of time at one of Clermont-Ferrand's best "boulangeries," taking pictures and learning all about the story of M. Riviere in order to prepare my final project en francais.

I took about a hundred pictures on two separate pre-dawn visits. (A few of them are attached, the rest you can see in my "web albums") Any American who believes what they've heard about the French being lazy simply doesn't realize the enormous amount of work, focus, dedication and love that is actually behind the French products we all appreciate the most- in this case, amazingly fresh and delicious bread and pasteries!

M. Riviere has owned this boulangerie for over thirty years. He and his wife started the business when they were 22-year-old newly-weds, and they're finally in semi-retirement, with new owners taking over.

After that much time, it's hard to just walk away, however. M. Riviere seems to have been born for this work. During their early years in the business, he and his wife worked alone, baking breads with the finest flours and the expert's touch, all night long, and then charming customers with a showman's talent all day. Their two children spent most of their "familiy time" in the boulangerie.

With the introduction of the new, patented, and exclusive "Paillasse" bread in the 1980's, the little boulangerie became a booming business. The team grew as teenagers would come as apprentices to learn under the master. Because M. Riviere insited on keeping the team very small and efficient, these apprentices became like family, literally growing up in the prestigious boulangerie.

Today, M. Riviere is still there most mornings, overseeing the final moments when the bread from the night's baking fills up the shop, and greeting the regular customers who come even from the suburbs on the weekends.

While I've had a chance to sample a good portion of M. Riviere's creations, a complete exploration is part of the plan while Javier is here! I'm counting down the days - his six week visit begins when the flight lands from China next Sunday!