Introduction
Welcome people to Ana
and Simon’s blog! They have decided to go 21st century all the way
and keep you updated in a blog format – this way you can check on their news
update when you want to and they will try not to spam family’s and friends’
mailboxes beyond necessity. Since 2013 is a very special year for Ana and Simon,
they have decided to share their experiences and adventures during the one-year
“secondment in South East Asia and they have been encouraged to do so by a
number of you – now – the readers of the blog. As you can see, the story is
told in third person style – just like reading the news from Singapore J They will also share photos and encourage you
to comment and interact this way with them.
So as introduction, lets
look at Ana and Simon’s last moments before leaving for Southeast Asia. The
primary reason for this year in Singapore was their eagerness to experience
some time in Asia which had been a somewhat unspecific wish for a while. In early
2012, Simon then started to think about doing an MBA after five years of
working at Oliver Wyman. He believed that this really would broaden his
skillset, put him in touch with many more bright and inspiring people and also
be a good way to reward himself with some “time off working”. Since only a one
year program was in his set of priorities, most business schools in question
were in Europe and out of the ones with a good reputation, there was only one
with a credible presence in Asia. Long story short, he applied to INSEAD, got
accepted and received a spot on their Asia campus. In the meantime, Ana had
already talked to her company regarding a potential move to Singapore. As a
global firm, Mercer was fortunately very supportive of the idea and they could
plan their time in Singapore for 2013.
This having said,
there were still a few barriers in the way, from getting the final contract
signed (three working days before Ana’s Christmas break) or subrenting the
apartment in Munich (which they managed two days before leaving Munich). They
rewarded themselves for this last minute stress with a very relaxing Christmas
vacation in Spain and a shorter but almost as relaxing time with my family and
friends in Germany.
After some final
repacking challenges, they managed to begin their trip to Singapore, changing
planes in Dubai and stopping in Colombo, Sri Lanka. These lines are actually
written in transit and will be the first publication on Ana and Simon’s blog.
Next steps are apartment hunting in Singapore and starting the MBA program at
INSEAD and working at Mercer Ltd. Respectively. It will be an exciting year!
Many hugs from South
East Asia, Ana and Simon
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