Looking back on 2013, I just have one thing to say, from a travel and education point of view, this has been the single most important year of my life. I met and studied with people from over 10 different countries, visited 2 continents, tried out new kinds of food and wine and had a chance to confirm or debunk many stereotypes associated with various cultures..

After a prolonged absence from home and numerous Facebook check-ins in over 10 countries, when I finally came back home, most of my friends besieged me with questions regarding how I managed to travel to so many places. They were very interested in knowing about this course I did that seemed more like a fun world trip than a dreary management related course that everyone else did. All thanks to my school that gave me and my friends this wonderful opportunity to see so many different places and experience so many new cultures.

I travelled to the US (Visa issues not withstanding ) for a short program the University of California at Los Angeles. Trips to New York and Boston were thrown in for good measure. A short visit back to India and then we were off to Italy to our home university. And Europe is a backpacker’s dream, so there we did country hopping like we do pub hopping back in Mumbai. End of the year and I am back home for a break, thinking about the year that was, preparing for the next year that is going to be equally challenging (with placements coming up, we are all on our toes) and much more wiser.

As for the customary comments on the two continents I had been to, both places are equally good for partying!! US, a self-selecting population, is indeed a hot bed for innovation and commercialisation. Customer is truly the God there. And the market is huge. All those stories you have heard about the decline of the US manufacturing are false. That country impressed me a lot. Europe, a bit more laidback, a bit more historical and mired in its own ways, has its own charm. Try to relax and enjoy your life if you are here and forget the rat race. Catch hold of a bike and go ride on the Stelvio pass, get a tan on the beach in Cannes and enjoy the beer in Belgium.

Travelling truly gives you a wonderful perspective on life. I have been always fascinated by motion. Stillness doesn’t hold any appeal for me. Motion signifies activity, energy and new possibilities. It frees your mind. The past becomes data, the future becomes irrelevant. Motion has this unique quality of occupying your brain so you forget everything else. And travelling gives you just that, motion.

*The original article was published by Sivanand Traveller Mahapatra on MISB Bocconi students blog. Sivanand is a PGPB student that just completed the exchange program in Bocconi – Milan (Italy). Please find the complete article at http://misbbocconiblog.com/