Finding Neverland

Those who follow this blog (all 3 of you) may remember that one of my first posts last year was about growing up  and how I might be starting to do so at Darden. As I head into my second year I’d like to revise that though: there is no way I’m growing up, at least not this year. Simply put, I can’t do it. There’s too much time to do that later and not enough left in Charlottesville to take advantage of everything here if I’m trying to grow up at the same time.

So I’m going the opposite way and trying to make this year just like I did my senior year in undergrad (minus the frat parties. Actually scratch that, might as well try to fit in a few of those too). I’m spending this year getting to every football tailgate, going to every guest speaker on campus, working out at the Main Grounds gyms, heckling the opposing team at every basketball game, and joining in every social outing this town has to offer. I’ll end the summer with as many afternoons at the Ivy Gardens pool as possible. This fall I’ll visit a few vineyards and watch the leaves change. In the Winter I’ll dance my face off at Darden Prom and go sledding as soon as there’s enough snow. And in the Spring, well, just let me say, watch out Foxfield. Meanwhile, I might go to a few classes, do some cases, and try to figure out my future (but not really). Darden is just such a fun place that it would be borderline insane to try and prepare myself for the real world when college is right here staring me in the face.

So let me just paraphrase our good friend Peter Pan and say “I’M NEVER GROWING UP”! I’m going to try and be just like the Lost Boys, minus the green tights and pirate nemesis (friends, please don’t take this as an invitation to start calling me by a new nickname). But there will be no regrets this year, no “I wish when I had lived in Charlottesville I had . . .” Just me, my classmates, and a lot of great memories to be made. Feel free to join in.

If you would like to contact the author, he can be reached at david.a.miller4@gmail.com.

And . . . . We’re Back: How I Spent My Time Away from Darden

Alright so what do the following have in common:

·         New York City;

·         Austin, TX;

·         Princeton, NJ;

·         Jeddah, Saudi Arabia;

·         Blacksburg, VA;

·         Washington, DC;

·         Las Vegas, NV;

·         Johannesburg, South Africa;

·         Atlantic City, NJ

·         Annapolis, MD;

·         San Diego, CA;

·         Stone Harbor, NJ;

·         Lexington, VA;

·         San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Yea, those are all the places that I’ve been since classes ended in Charlottesville a mere 13 weeks ago (you read that correctly: separate trips to Saudi Arabia AND South Africa in one summer; I’ve got some serious airline miles, don’t worry about it). Now the real challenge for you is to figure out whether each of those was for a:

1.       Wedding;

2.       Weekend getaway;

3.       My internship;

4.       Vacation;

5.       hA holiday (4^th of July or Memorial Day);

6.       Bachelor party.

I guarantee the answers will really confuse you.

 

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, it was awesome. I had an incredible summer that included an extremely challenging but rewarding internship, chances to catch up with friends and family, and a lot of travelling. I felt like I was a boxcar Hobo, never knowing where I was going to be heading next. But not one of those trampy Hobos with the stick and bundle; I was one of those very classy, dignified ones (ok really the only difference was I had a small backpack instead of a bundle).  

But there are tradeoffs. Now, I don’t want to speak for all B-school students, but I feel like this is just kind of the life of anyone getting a full-time MBA. In the year since I’ve moved to Charlottesville, between job treks, spring break trips, winter break, interviews, weekend ski trips, and everything in between, I’ve always felt like I was on the move. Which is good and bad. Good because it’s interesting, exciting, and life-changing; bad because you never really feel settled. That’s why I think it is important to get yourself anchored before you really get on the move.

Personally, I had no idea that I had anchored myself in Charlottesville. But while I was out and about this summer, I realized that as great as all of the places I was visiting were, not one of them was here. So while I was enjoying every minute of my travels, at the same time I couldn’t wait to get back here. I mean to me, what’s the point of travelling if you don’t have somewhere great to go back to at the end of it? I guess all I am trying to say is, it’s good to be home.

If you would like to contact the author, he can be reached at david.a.miller4@gmail.com.