A look at HEC...

So, here are some of the pictures I have taken of HEC:

Home sweet Building H.

My room is the one to the left of the yellow towel.

My room + balcony! Yes, my desk is a little bit messy...

Shared shower between 2 people, with bathroom down the hall.

The architecture at HEC is awful. Half of the buildings all look the exact same. Luckily for you, from now on I only have pictures of the one interesting building (also the only classroom building I'm in).

The big blue archway in front of the Bat'zet (Main classroom building).

In one of the hallways.

The great hall

This is one of the more unusual aspects about HEC: your classroom changes every time you have class. 20 minutes before class starts, the room you're supposed to go to is posted online and on these screens around the Bat'zet. You get to know the building layout quickly, that's for sure!

In front is the great hall from the outside, and at the back is where professors' offices are.

The Bat'zet from another direction.

Using the shortcut to get to Jouy-en-Josas, the town HEC is in.

Looking out over the hills by HEC.

Ok, these signs just confuse me. It says "Meeting Point" but they have these signs all over the place (there's another one a couple hundred feet away) and no one ever uses them anyway?? Do the French have trouble understanding 'meet at the front of the Bat'zet' so much that they need a sign to help them?

HEC

So, I bet some of you are wondering, "what is life like at HEC?" Well, I hope I can at least try to answer that question...

To begin, it would be helpful to know the background of the students who actually choose HEC for their full degree. The French students in the program I am in, the Masters of Science in Management degree, are essentially the smartest business students in France, if not all of Europe.

No joke - after high school they spend two years intensively (and I mean INTENSIVELY) studying mathematics and economics. After the two years of doing more or less nothing but preparing themselves for the one final test are up, they are ranked in order of performance.

Numbers 1-350 come to HEC. Each year, there are maybe 4-5 that choose to go to the number two business school in France, but most clearly chose HEC. The class size is then supplemented by about 200 or so international students.

Once here, they take one year of preparatory classes, then two years of business courses to receive their Masters of Science in Management. Not surprisingly, after working so hard for two years, the students more or less take it easy here. This isn't a problem however, as by graduating from HEC you are more or less guaranteed a job. HEC has been ranked the number one business school in Europe by the Financial Times for four years in a row. The average salary of a graduate in France is 46,951 Euros (about $70,000) and outside of France 58,729 Euros (about $87,500). Obviously, this school has quite a bit of a reputation for success. Compare this to the Carlson School, which has an average starting salary of $49,169, and you can see the difference.

In any case, they seem to have done an excellent job of recruiting teachers, as all of mine are very good. Speaking of teachers, here is a list of the classes I have, or will have (all classes are two hours long once per week, except French class, Financial Markets, and Accounting which are twice a week):

1. Financial Accounting - I have essentially already taken this class at Carlson, but here they use the International Financial Reporting Standards instead of the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Thus there are a number of differences in how inventory is accounted for, etc. My teacher, ironically enough, is from America. Still trying to figure that one out.

2. French (in French, obviously) - This being a business school, we are learning quite a bit of related vocab. The teacher (along with other French teachers, evidently) doesn't speak English well. Thus, the class is conducted entirely in French but people still speak to each other in English during class.

3. Doing Business in Europe Today - Interesting, in that I don't know much about the European business environment and this course has been a good introduction so far. The professor is a very opinionated British man, and he has no qualms about sharing what he thinks of your country. He has also pointed out many of the issues with the EU, most of which I didn't really even realize existed.

4. Export and Project Finance - The professor worked for many different European banks over the course of his career in this subject. He is obviously French, so it is sometimes difficult to understand what he is saying. What's interesting is that neither export finance or project finance exist in the US at the level they do in the rest of the world for various reasons. So, I never would have had a chance to take a class like this back at Carlson. (By the way, export finance is when the government provides insurance or financing for goods being exported. Project finance consists of private companies providing funding for public projects like a bridge or dam. This is more popular in countries that don't have much public money for such projects, like Greece.)

5. Oral Expression - Techniques of Presentation (in French) - Well, you would think this class would be a breeze for me. And it would be if it was in English. But when you have to get up in front of the class and speak French instead, things like paying attention to posture, breathing, voice, etc. kind of get lost in the middle of conjugating verbs. Also, speaking English in class (even to another student) is a definitely not acceptable. Thus I would consider this my most difficult class so far. However, the professor is very good, and I also have her for...

6. French Grammar (in French) - An excellent review course of all the grammar I have learned so far. Undoubtedly we will move into things I haven't learned, but it has been useful as it has been far too long since I took my last intensive grammar course at the U. French professors at HEC also speak far faster than those in the US. Not surprisingly, this takes some getting used to.

7. Financial Markets - I don't know yet, as the class doesn't start until the first week in November. Supposed to be difficult, but we'll see.

8. Negotiation - A course that is three hours on Friday and eight hours on Saturday for two weekends in November. A friend who has the class now says that it's her favorite so far.

I have eight hours of class on Thursdays from 10:10am-7:50pm (with only a one hour break for lunch, and ten mins between classes) so they kind of stink. Not to mention all six straight hours after lunch are in French. I don't have class on Fridays (woot!) and Tuesdays not until 5:50pm, so that's good.

I took some pictures of HEC, so watch for those in the next couple of days!

More pictures

Here are some of the pictures I took while touring with Mom in France. They're on a different platform, and so should be easier to view.

Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023664&id=1607100321&l=80c17034fa

Pictures

Here is a link to some of the pictures I took in Paris and in Norway (with more to come of France, Morocco, and Belgium).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikbrecheisen/

In order to view the photos, click on the link above, and then choose a set to view on the right hand side. For example, click on the set "Various times in Paris (before HEC)."

One way to view the photos is to now click "Detail" (between "Thumbnails" and "Comments") which is located under the title of the set (which in this case is "Various times in Paris (before HEC)").

Or, you can look at them like I prefer, which means that after you choose a set to view on the right, click on the first photo (it's a fountain). From here, click on the icon that looks like a pull down screen (it's also on the right, and it says "22 items" above it) and to look through them that way. Make sure you click "Show Info" on the top right so that you can see what comments I've made about the photo if you can't already see them.

Happy viewing!

Marrakech!

In order to get to Marrakech, I had decided to use the bus. My Frommers travel guide listed the bus companies that it trusted, one of which was Supratours, and also mentioned that the buses were relatively new and safer than some other companies. This was all correct. The bus even left on schedule. What I hadn't anticipated, however, was the difference between the way Moroccans and Americans drive.

To say the least, Moroccans are aggressive drivers.

I'm fairly certain that the bus driver thought he was driving an Aston Martin, as he passed over 25 vehicles (mostly trucks) in the first half hour on roads with one lane on each side. I lost count after that. Usually, there wasn't anyone coming from the other side, however. There were a few notable exceptions to this when we missed sideswiping other buses or cars by literally inches (I was sitting near the front at a window seat on the left). The driver also seemed to think that the lines marking the different lanes were more of suggestions rather than requirements, as he frequently traveled down the center of the road rather than in just one lane. In fact, the bus spent more time in multiple lanes than it ever did in just one. This practice was not quite as accepted by other Moroccans as we did get honked at a couple of times (most cars and trucks just scooted farther over in their lane though).

One good thing was that the roads the bus was on were in excellent condition, clearly having been paved fairly recently. But when there was any construction, instead of having just one lane open and a worker letting traffic go though on that side like in the US, there would be a gravel road hastily built on the side of the real road for everyone to travel on. Inevitably, we would be smoothly coasting along and I would be just about to fall asleep when there would be a big bump and the bus would suddenly transform into an all terrain vehicle. Sigh.

Thankfully, I made it to Marrakech Supratours station alive, and was met by a taxi driver arranged through where I stayed, the Raid dar Maia. The Riad was very nice, and the owner met me with hot mint tea (a Moroccan tradition) and a map so that I wouldn't get too lost. It was located very close to the main square called Jemaa el Fna.

Jemaa el Fna is basically a large open space surrounded by cafes and vendors. Inside the space during the day, there are mostly just fresh orange juice stands (3 dirahms or $.40 per glass). However, it really transforms at night with all sorts of food stalls grilling meat, fish, vegetables, etc. along with snake charmers, and more vendors selling all sorts of merchandise.

Although I spent a good amount of time at the square, I also really enjoyed wandering around (and of course getting lost in) the souks. The souks are one of the main attractions for many visitors to Marrakech, including myself, as you can see not only an incredibly vast array of hand made pottery, leather goods, products made out of thuya wood (a local tree), but also see the people dyeing the wool, or carving the wood boxes. Parts of the souks were also filled with locals (who usually bought food and clothing there) so you could get an even better feel for what life is like for someone who lives in Morocco.

Marrakech, like in Essaouira, was an excellent place to just try to take in as much as you can by walking around. Although it is nearly impossible to keep track of where you are in the souks after a while, most roads lead back to Jemaa el Fna (and you always know you're close when the people you pass are more tourists than locals) so getting lost wasn't such a bad thing.

One other thing to note was that if you are the type of person who is easily intimidated, Morocoo is probably best explored in a group as opposed to alone or even with two people. The shopkeepers are incredibly insistent salesmen, and once you walk in a store, walking out without purchasing anything is a difficult task. I found it was easiest just to ignore the shopkeepers as they don't bother you once you've moved on from their shop. There are also many illegal guides who will try to convince you they should guide you around the souks, and who are more persistent about attempting to earn your business. After following me around for a couple of minutes and realizing that I had no intention of paying for their services however, they left me alone. Essaouira was the complete opposite, and was much more similar to the US in that assistance was offered only if you requested it, so I was definitely glad I went there first!

Unfortunately, it always seemed incredibly inconspicuous to take photos, so I don't have too many from Morocco. What I do have, should be available shortly however.

And speaking of photos, I am in the process of uploading them as I write this. As soon as I have put some comments on so that you have an idea of what you're looking at, I will post a link here to access them via Flickr. I also plan on posting the pictures to Facebook, so you can look at them there as well.

Essaouira

Sorry again for the delays in posting - the first couple of days have been pretty busy at HEC. In any case, here's what I wrote about Essaouira:

Luckily, I was able to find a direct flight from Paris to Essaouira, Morocco on Royal Air Maroc. The flight went very well, although it wasn't very full and no one was sitting in first class. Being an American, the Moroccans said I had to see the doctor before I would be allowed to leave the Essaouira airport. However, this turned out to be a simple yes or no questionnaire about whether or not I had H1N1 flu or if I had been in contact with someone who had. Certainly nothing like China!

Essaouria is a smaller town on the western coast of Morocco. I chose it since I knew that I wanted to visit Marrakech (the second city I visited), and Essaouira isn't too far from there. I arrived at the place where I was staying, called the Riad de la Mer (Riad, which is used I think to describe a converted house into a place for people to stay, and de la Mer, which means of the ocean). It was very conveniently located, as there was a square nearby with a number of cafes.

As a town, Essaouira was pretty laid back, as no one really hassled you to buy anything. Other than to walk around the city area and see the ocean, there really weren't any 'sights' to see in the normal sense, which was ok with me as I have certainly seen many in the past 3 weeks. Rather, Morocco has some of the best people watching you can imagine.

Moroccans don't usually eat at restaurants much, so those are more or less just for tourists. There are two Moroccan specialties that you can find at almost any restaurant serving traditional food - tajine and couscous. Tajine is sort of like Moroccan pot roast, only it's served with different types of cooked fruit/vegetables and meat like beef, chicken, fish, etc. Couscous, I assume you know about, and the time I had it there were also some cooked onions and chicken on top of the couscous. These two entrees made up the bulk of the menus, so if you were looking for something different you more or less had to go to an Italian restaurant, for example.

Next up will be Marrakech and my exciting/terrifying trip to get there!

More Posts are Coming!

Now that I finally have internet at HEC (the school where I am studying this semester, for those of you who don't know) I will be able to post the entries I have written...sort of.

I wrote them on my iPod touch but I don't know how the wireless internet works here yet, so I may have to retype them onto my computer, along with uploading photos.

So stay tuned!