Success. Last night, I finished the long paper. It's not even that long, a few thousand words, but it was interesting. Perhaps I'll post it, but probably not; the ending was terrible because we ran out of time. Write to me and I'll send it to you if you want a copy; it is titled "Sun Tzu and Machiavelli: A Comparison and Possible Applications".
Also last night, I was invited to dinner at one of the well-known student houses. There are several such residences, where groups of Insead students live together, that have been passed from year to year, some for decades. Some are chateaux, some are compounds near chateaux, and some are just wicked cool houses. The dinner I attended last night falls into that last category.
This house, and I will call it a house because I don't know what else to call it, is located on top of the Loing river. A huge stone structure, you have to walk on a wooden bridge to get to the front door, over a particularly loud stretch of the river, so loud that you can't comfortably speak near the entrace. Five students live there and host dinner parties on a regular basis, when they bring in a chef (!) and invite people over to compliment them on how cool their house it. And it's a fantastically cool structure; if I can find a link to it I'll post it.
Fifteen people sat together on a long, wooden table in a long, fireplace-heated room, eating food cooked for them by a matronly French chef, drinking copious amounts of wine, and having a generally uproarious time. It was completely ridiculous, and I loved it. There were even kayaks on the back porch, so you could go kayaking into the river when struck by a sudden fancy.
I've learned that these dinner parties are an essential feature of the Insead social life. Many of my friends do nothing but eat, drink, and be merry; many others are studying day and night. I am slowing finding out how to have some balance, spending time with friends, making new ones, and learning from my courses. It is turning out to be a wonderful, special experience here, and it's only just begun!
7:48:26 PM
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