And, at the End? Serendipity.
Serendipity:
ˌsɛr(ə)nˈdɪpɪti/
noun
the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
BRIC ended a week ago. While I was preparing for my next adventure (travelling through Nepal and Myanmar by myself), Daniel, my brother, came to Kathmandu and we had the chance to have crazy adventures around the city for 5 days. As he left, I became sick. Really sick. I want to think that so many changes in diets, time zones, weather, all of that combined with few hours of sleep (and a couple of beers) weakened my immune system. But it will all be fine soon I guess. The positive thing here is that I have had a lot of time to reflect (and watch numerous movies and endless hours of sleep).
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One of the thoughts that was rumbling in my mind was basically "how the f*&k did I end up first in BRIC" and now in Nepal, a semester before graduating from an American university.
I guess it all started after my gap year, when I went back to Peru to begin my studies at a top university. I really liked the idea of being an architect. Hands-on learning is something I have praised since I was a kid. And for me, architecture was just about that. The concept of designing for real people, of understanding the ground before building on top, and the idea of creating spaces that shape how people experience the world, is something that has always fascinated me.
Yet, my idealistic view of the career clashed with my personal experience being a student there. I did not see how the professors wanted their students to be better, to aim higher, to defy the status-quo. Or even worst, to be better than the professors themselves. Whether it was because of me being impatient, snobbish, or something else, I dropped out of college at the end of my first semester with hopes that I would get all the support I needed to study in the U.S.
Long-story-short, I ended up applying to 12 universities in the U.S. of which only two offered me a welcome letter. By September 2013 I was at orientation week at Boston University ready to join the School of Communications. That first semester was full of challenges for me, especially since I came from a small Jewish school in Lima where English classes were not prioritized. Nevertheless, I had an amazing experience there: I was taking courses that really made me think, met really cool people, and met a girl whom I have been in love with for the past 2+ years.
And the story does not end there of course. While at BU, I realized that all the books I was reading, all the talks I was going to, and more, were all mentioning one mysterious word: “entrepreneurship”. A word that was very hard to understand and specially to pronounce (my sister took a long time to get it right). My interest was there, but I had no idea what that was.
A short conversation with my aunt in Miami, some visits to classes on campus, and a little bit of research, put Babson College on my sight.
And I transferred to Babson College, a business school. It is funny because I would have never thought I would study business (I have never been attracted to the idea of making money as my end goal). But there was something different with what I saw in Babson. Indeed, I cannot deny that I had goosebumps in one of my first classes when I realized that somehow I was finally in the right place. There, my concept of “business” dramatically changed.
I guess it all started after my gap year, when I went back to Peru to begin my studies at a top university. I really liked the idea of being an architect. Hands-on learning is something I have praised since I was a kid. And for me, architecture was just about that. The concept of designing for real people, of understanding the ground before building on top, and the idea of creating spaces that shape how people experience the world, is something that has always fascinated me.
Yet, my idealistic view of the career clashed with my personal experience being a student there. I did not see how the professors wanted their students to be better, to aim higher, to defy the status-quo. Or even worst, to be better than the professors themselves. Whether it was because of me being impatient, snobbish, or something else, I dropped out of college at the end of my first semester with hopes that I would get all the support I needed to study in the U.S.
Long-story-short, I ended up applying to 12 universities in the U.S. of which only two offered me a welcome letter. By September 2013 I was at orientation week at Boston University ready to join the School of Communications. That first semester was full of challenges for me, especially since I came from a small Jewish school in Lima where English classes were not prioritized. Nevertheless, I had an amazing experience there: I was taking courses that really made me think, met really cool people, and met a girl whom I have been in love with for the past 2+ years.
And the story does not end there of course. While at BU, I realized that all the books I was reading, all the talks I was going to, and more, were all mentioning one mysterious word: “entrepreneurship”. A word that was very hard to understand and specially to pronounce (my sister took a long time to get it right). My interest was there, but I had no idea what that was.
A short conversation with my aunt in Miami, some visits to classes on campus, and a little bit of research, put Babson College on my sight.
And I transferred to Babson College, a business school. It is funny because I would have never thought I would study business (I have never been attracted to the idea of making money as my end goal). But there was something different with what I saw in Babson. Indeed, I cannot deny that I had goosebumps in one of my first classes when I realized that somehow I was finally in the right place. There, my concept of “business” dramatically changed.
“Not all who wander are lost” – J. R. R. Tolkien
It might sound as if I was a lost kid, jumping from one place to another trying to find something he was not sure he was looking for. That could be true. My ignorance at the moment led me to choose architecture in Peru first and then communications in BU. But now that I think back, my goals in those three places were the same: I wanted to build things, to be surrounded by amazing people, and to create positive value to make the world a better place. I did not want textbooks (although we do have plenty at Babson as well), I wanted hands-on experience because that’s the way I learn best. So I was looking for the same thing, I just didn’t know that it was called entrepreneurship at Babson (kinda far off from “Arquitectura en la UPC” right?).
So going back to my question at the beginning ("how the f*&k did I end up in BRIC and now in Nepal?!"): I have no idea.
I had everything I wanted in Boston: an amazing girlfriend, a top top roommate, friends, a super cozy town-house, a car, a bonsai, a dog (not really, but it would have been awesome right?). And I decided to leave all of that behind to come to BRIC, and now to go to San Francisco for my last semester.
A few hours ago, I got out of the bus as we arrived to Pokhara. A guy approached me and offered me to stay in his family hostel for $4 a night with free transportation. I said yes, without knowing where it was or the quality of the offer. I jumped onto his motorcycle (I was expecting a car) and he drove me there; to the little patio at the entrance of Lake Diamond. It all ended up well.
So going back to my question at the beginning ("how the f*&k did I end up in BRIC and now in Nepal?!"): I have no idea.
I had everything I wanted in Boston: an amazing girlfriend, a top top roommate, friends, a super cozy town-house, a car, a bonsai, a dog (not really, but it would have been awesome right?). And I decided to leave all of that behind to come to BRIC, and now to go to San Francisco for my last semester.
A few hours ago, I got out of the bus as we arrived to Pokhara. A guy approached me and offered me to stay in his family hostel for $4 a night with free transportation. I said yes, without knowing where it was or the quality of the offer. I jumped onto his motorcycle (I was expecting a car) and he drove me there; to the little patio at the entrance of Lake Diamond. It all ended up well.
With the hotel owner on his motorcycle
I don’t know very well if leaving Boston was the best decision ever. But I know that I had the experience of my life in BRIC, that Nepal is proving to be an amazing place to explore, and hopefully the same trend continues in San Francisco next semester. It was hard to see the connection between architecture, communications, and business before, but now it’s clearer.
I am intrigued to see how it all ends up when I go back to Boston on May 2017 to graduate.
Serendipity.
I am intrigued to see how it all ends up when I go back to Boston on May 2017 to graduate.
Serendipity.
