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One of the main reasons I opened this blog (apart from the natural wish to share this amazing experience I’m going through with friends, family, prospectives and the world) is for me to be able to install stuff.

This is especially true in times of increased overload at school. After all, what’s better than adjusting a new blog template when what you really need to do is write cover letters and prepare cases.

So, I just moved from Blogger to WordPress and am experiencing the wonders of the 2.7 version. I hope I’ll like it, and I hope you do too! Just remember to update the address for the RSS feed to this new one:

http://westcoaststory.avatiach.com/?feed=rss2

Last Sunday, we lost one of the most inspiring professors in Haas - Bill Sonnenschein.

When we just arrived to Haas, we could sign up for two modules in the pre-school summer camp. One was math/finance/accounting introduction, and the second was Communication Workshop. We didn’t really know what exactly to expect from that second workshop, but I decided to take it anyway in what turned out to be one of the best experiences I could have before Haas.

Bill was the professor leading this workshop and he immediately captured us with his unique approach to communication, public speaking and people in general. The workshop was full of activities that allowed us to get to know each other better, while improving our ability to communicate regardless to our country of origin.

Bill was also our professor in the Leadership Communication course during fall A, and here too he managed to create a learning experience that was unlike any I’ve had before. He built a wonderful team of GSIs (Graduate Students Instructors), which were second-year students that practically led the class and I don’t think there is even a single person in class that didn’t become a better public speaker by the end of the semester.

Bill spent the last few months in Madagascar as a communication consultant for the government there. He was extremely excited about this opportunity and told us lots of great stories in class. unfortunately, after only few hours of intense gastric illness, Bill passed away last Sunday in the small village of Maronsetra on the East coast of Madagascar.

We will all miss him at Haas, his great sense of humor, his unconventional way of thinking, his ringtone (Hendrix’s solo in All Along the Watchtower) and most of all his genuine passion for people and for experiencing life to the maximum.

And so, after more than 6 weeks of male bonding (between me and our two cats Nimitz and Fry), the girls (Daphny, my wife and Noozie, our dog) joined us boys here at Berkeley. Yay!

This is definitely a day for celebration, and the girls found the perfect way to do so together.

Now let the real fun begin!

I’m writing this post from Amsterdam where I’m waiting for my connecting flight to San Francisco. I was just informed that the two cats traveling with me arrived to the connecting flight and seem to be in good condition. Now that’s a relief.

It’s rather strange to fly without a return ticket. Makes the entire experience more dramatic, and although I assume we will visit home quite often, it still feels like a whole different story.

Such long flights always required delicate planning in order to maximize battery life of entertainment devices (laptop, phone, MP3 player), and combining them with non-digital entertainment (books and magazines, for those of you who never heard of such media) so that there is no dull moment during this horrible commute. however, in this 24 hour trip, with my mind occupied with the cats’ safety, I completely lost track of when to do what and found myself with a full laptop battery at the end of the trip (which is inexcusable under regular conditions).

Next step - getting used to a new country.

Next week it’s happening. I’m traveling to Berkeley to pursue an MBA degree from the Haas School of business at UC Berkeley.

I guess that saying that I’m excited would be somewhat of an understatement, but hey, we love understatements, don’t we?

I’m traveling with our two cats, and my wife will join me with our dog during September. The house here is almost packed, housing in Berkeley is arranged, I registered to the necessary pre-school courses, flight arrangements are done, and yet, somehow tons of bureaucracies are still to be covered before departing. I guess changing continents is not that simple (not that it seemed so at any point, but still…)

In this blog I will share my personal MBA experience, which promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime one, along with my impressions on the culture shock which is bound to happen with such a move. You’re all more than welcome to read and comment.

Yours,

Elad