The summer break for MBA 2020 is special. For those who previously chose online courses, this is the third week of vacation, while for those who chose both face-to-face courses and Case Elective, this is the only week for a break. If you ask what our colleagues are doing right now, the most probable answers may be either traveling or planning to travel. I originally had planned a family trip during the summer break too, but unexpectedly what I am sharing now is “How does it feel to cancel the air ticket on the first day of my summer vacation?” XD
Stage 1: Desperately waiting for someone to pick up the phone;
Stage 2: Excited to get through;
Stage 3: Happy to get partial refund but sad to officially confirm the long-awaited family trip was canceled;
Stage 4: Accept the reality and make alternative plans.
Rescheduling or using plan B seems not to be a surprise this year, and I believe many of us have gone through the similar feelings described above. There are so many events and activities, internationally or locally, canceled or delayed during the year because of Covid-19. This is the year I truly understand how we should appreciate what we have and “expect the unexpected”.
People tend to take their valuable assets for granted and did not realize how important those assets were until they lost them. The burst of Covid-19 can be a reminder for us to appreciate how blessed we are to stay healthy and safe, to have supportive families and great friends, and to have achieved many things we planned to do. Life is splendid because it is uncertain and unpredictable. Things may not all work the way we wanted, even though we have tried our best. To be fully prepared, we should not only have the confidence of achieving our objectives, but also always make a plan B and appreciate that we still have many alternatives. To expect the unexpected, we can naturally be more open-minded and discover surprisingly gorgeous scenery. Plan B can be as fabulous as the original plans.
Last but not least, I’d like to share with you some of my favorite pictures from my Plan B.
