In response to… Question (i) Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development.

IE Application: Express Yourself

The first thing that came to my mind when I read Question (i) was traveling. Unsatisfied with that answers though, I found myself asking: “but why?”

My response to that question was a very simple one; I enjoy all my trips because “…I enjoy the people I meet on them”.

Therefore, I decided to put together this presentation, in order to introduce you to some of the most interesting and caring individuals I have had the pleasure of meeting. Each person I’ve met has taught me something new about my self and the world around me. Their friendships keep me restless and ambitious; each shaping the person I am and want to be and helping me find my own definition of success.

So without further ado it is my pleasure to introduce you to…

In Brief…“The great difference

between voyages rests not with the ships, but

with the people you meet on them.” –

Amelia E. Barr

Where it all began… PARIS The Summer of 2009 I realized that I’ve never been “homesick” and probably never will be. If you believe that “home is where the heart is” as I do, then you will understand when I tell you that my heart is with family and friends old and new dispersed throughout the world. Therefore, my definition of “home” is not one marked by fixed geographical boundaries but by constantly expanding and changing ones.

This is by far the greatest lesson I believe living in Paris with Sophie and her dog Barbes, my host-family, could have taught me.

Sophie is a mother of three and a successful business woman that lives six months out of the year in Paris and the other six months abroad, every year in a different place.

She is an adventurous and loved woman and taught me that age would never cure my restlessness, because for us the world is too interesting a place with too much to teach us to be let go unexplored. Sophie

Where it gave me courage to go NYC….Since 2011, I have held the title of ‘Honorary Lebanese’ and been inseparable from Mel, Chase, Joya and Jess.

While Lebanon may have given them an instant connection, the experiences we’ve shared together in NYC have allowed us to establish a unique connection of our own. They have taught me that:

(1) humanity can overcome culture, political influences, economic disparities etc.

(2) if we learn to recognize the similarities we share with others, as easily as we do the differences, we will realize that we are all the same.

(3) sometimes only distance can help you realize what matters to you most

(4) change is humbling and often times necessary for growth.

(4) the comradery that exists amongst those that share the same culture is a beautiful thing that should be embraced and never twisted into a mechanism for exclusion.

(5) what excites me most about new friends from foreign places is the curiosity they spark in me to want to learn more and not just learn to know but learn to live! Jessica

MelodieChase

Joya

TomasMarcie & Nicole

Caitlin Maria

How we met: • I met Tomas while he was visiting

NYC. • I met Marcie, Nicole and Caitlin in

Argentina via a mutual friend. • I met Maria in high school in

Miami, Florida.

How we all ended up in Argentina together:

• Tomas is Argentinian and lives in Buenos Aires. All his raving about BA made me infatuated with visiting.

• Therefore, when I found out from my friend Jessica (the Lebanese) that her friends Marcie, Nicole and Caitlin were planning a trip to Argentina, I jumped on it!

• Coincidently, my best friend from high school Maria happen to be assigned to a work project in BA at this same time.

The lesson they taught me: Don’t wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect.

ARGENTINA

Magda

Eugenio “Chicho”

Los dos hermanos mas queridos:My first day in Buenos Aires I had the pleasure of meeting Magda and Chico, siblings born and raised in Buenos Aires. I could immediately tell they were genuinely nice people or as they’d put it “buena onda” .

The next few days only confirmed this; they introduced me to their family, invited me to Chicho’s birthday celebration, toured me through the city of Tigre and most fun all for me allowed me to tag along with them everywhere from grocery shopping to sharing mate with friends.

How special and lucky their kindness made me feel has made me more conscious than ever about the fact that sometimes sharing the most ordinary and simple experiences in ones lives with another can mean the world to them and give them a special feeling of belonging.

We should all seize the opportunity to impress on others the same level of kindness and generosity Magda and Chicho impressed on me. In the short period of time I was BA, thanks to them, I got to experience life as a local even if for just a few days and that’s why I love to travel.

A little taste of Italy that kept me wanting more! Stop 1: Lake Como, Bellagio

While I will never forget Lake Como’s beauty, I will be most excited upon my next visit to stop into Bar Sport and Pescallo di Bellagio to see my friends Augusto and Michele.

Augusto was born and raised in Bellagio and ran Bar Sport, a long time family business. When he heard my friend and I speaking Spanish he asked where we were from. I responded Cuban and his eye lit up with excitement! Augusto had just returned from a trip to Cuba; who would have thought!

In brief, we talked for hours as Augusto showed me pictures and videos of all the places he’s traveled.

His enthusiasm to share with me his stories and his passion for traveling and love for his home Bellagio, which he had never left but for his brief trips abroad was contagious.

Augusto gave me hope that one day I will be able to love a place, as much as he did Bellagio, despite my having a never ending desire to travel to new places and experience different cultures.

Augusto

I met Michele because he runs Bellagio Watersport and I decided to take his kayaking tour of Lake Como. This was one of the best decisions I made that trip.

I knew Michele wasn’t just an average guide when I noticed our 2 hour tour was running over and Michele was in no hurry to end it. Instead Michele continued chatting and enjoying our time on the lake and treated us like friends not clients.

It was obvious from our conversation that Michele had a passion for rowing and watersports; and therefore choose to turn his passion into a business like a true entrepreneur.

While we all want to achieve what Michele has, it sometimes takes a little reminder and some reinforcing to keep us from giving into the pressures to do something else and fear that we won’t be happy if we don’t achieve a certain “success”.

I met Michele just before my last semester of law school and I am gratful for him because he reminded me to do pursue what makes me happy and not worry about others expectations for me because in the end what we all want and admire in one another is the bravery to find what truly makes us happy.

Michele

Dani

Laura

As this presentation comes to an end, I want to introduce you to the three Spaniards that helped solidify my decision to apply for IE’s LLM in International Business Law.

I met Dani, Diego and Laura in NYC where they were working and studying temporarily. Dani and Diego are from Madrid while Laura is from Barcelona. They became not just my friends but my support and inspiration to pursue my desire to move to Madrid.

One of the greatest lessons I learned in law school is the importance of taking a step outside the legal bubble and asking the opinion of someone completely disconnected from it all. That’s where Diego, Dani and Laura come in.

The reminded me that I shouldn’t feel locked into practicing law but rather see my degree as a tool for unlocking many more opportunities.

They encouraged me to use the skills I learned in law school, most importantly perseverance, to discover something that makes me want to put all my energies into it rather than jump into a non-excited day job.

Next Stop España…

Dani

Diego

The time is NOW or never! Each and every person and trip mentioned in this presentation today serves as my motivation and guarantee that the time to make the move is now or never!

I achieved what I wanted to academically and am proud to say I am a more disciplined and educated a person because of it, but it’s time to take what I’ve learned, what I know I love to do and what I hope it will help me achieve and make it happen..

For all the lessons I’ve learned and beautiful people I’ve met (and have yet to meet) I am thankful, for they are the greatest learning tools life has offered me.

Christie Garcia