The countdown to Beijing...

3...2...1... Only a handful of days remain before I am on a plane and off to study a semester abroad at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Given that this is something I've set my sights on from the instant I even considered applying to Babson - I'm still in disbelief that the time is drawing near. Shouldn't I be more pumped-up and excited to be off on a new adventure? In due time...

The 1st year at Babson was a thrill of a ride. So much so, that I didn't even know how to wind-down and focus on my summer internship when it first started. Having survived the 4 Modules, my wife suggested I consider my internship like "Mod V" - and to just go after it. Well, with that now completed I SHOULD be ready and focused on my 4 months in Beijing - but it still hasn't really sunk in yet. I'm sure once the plane pulls away from the gates at JFK it will finally register for me. Should I just pretend like this is Mod VI?...

I've got a ton of a questions about my semester abroad, although I wouldn't necessarily chalk them up to anxiety - perhaps more to curiosity. Ultimately, I know it's going to be an amazing experience and I wonder: how will the quality of classes compare with those at Babson? Will students there focus more on grades, and less on the "MBA experience"? How much time will I really have to take advantage of opportunities outside the classroom/curriculum?...

Again, these questions (and more) will all be answered in due time. Until then, I'm just enjoying the much needed downtime with my family - while sneaking in a few matches of the US Open in HD. Also, I vegged-out to a re-run episode of CNBC's Fast Money MBA Challenge. I learned that students from a top MBA program in NH have never heard of Steve Wynn - famous for developing casinos like the Bellagio, Treasure Island, etc; and students from two other top MBA programs can't identify the "hello" TV ad campaign with the iPhone, and don't know that Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, WA. Guess that FedEx commercial may be dead-on after all. :)

Guess if my mind is relaxed enough to watch this poor-man's MBA version of The Family Feud...then I'm more ready for the upcoming semester than I thought.

3...2...1... Ready for takeoff.