Hi! My name is Aysylu, I am Russian. Born and raised in Ural, I witnessed crash of the Soviet empire and formation of a new country. Being a third-generation MD I switched to pharmaceuticals in marketing and sales. Meanwhile, I also lived for a couple of years in Turkey. Not to forget, I am a mother of a teenager, suffering a one-year–long separation for the sake of fulfilling my dream of studying at the IMD MBA. Dual, yet integral in pursuing my vision, together with my blog teammates I will share with you “life-changing” experience in the program.
It has been a second year of an economic crisis in my country and I am in Switzerland, having made a break to work and family life. My first days in sunny Lausanne passed under a relocation flag; cheerful gulls darted around and flocks of ravens jostled on a neighboring roof. Later, while working on my online assignments, a milky, thick and palpable fog descended the city and an existential question “why?” landed my mind. Lonely flying of heavy and insolent gulls resembled mysterious patrol, whereas flapping of wings of a raven behind my window seemed surrealistic: sense of uncertainty and knowledge of having a lake in proximity evoked pictures of the imaginary Solaris planet and symbolic video of Madonna’s “Frozen”. However, decision had been taken and I looked forward to meet my new classmates and school. Then endless rain came. Is it here to clean up my mind and soul? When weather is so tightly linked to my state of mind, or vice versa, I wonder what should I expect further from them both.
My classmates are impressive, diverse and keen. Parties during the orientation week and night-paused buzzes in chats helped us connect. In our class we have already sang our first “Happy birthday”, at international hymn for individuality in a social context, directed by our wonderful MBA office. And we tried irresistible chocolate cakes, prepared by a team of careful MBA partners.
It is challenging to enter a student mood and, surprisingly, analysis of my “native” industry under detailed supervision of Prof. Ralf Boscheck, is a mix of intellectual struggle and discoveries. Discussions with my Japanese and Indian neighbors during breaks help me tackle some open questions. It appears that added value is measurable and game theory can explain capricious behavior of my child. Today we have stepped into team work. A lot of theoretical and practical learning!
Till soon,
Aysylu
