Building the Partner community

I've been rather indisposed lately with fever and a nasty bout of the flu. I was hoping this would help me shed some much needed pounds but instead my appetite has been increasing ceaselessly and I was left feeling miserable about the cold; both health-wise & Lausanne-wise. And then I couldn't play with Noah or Maria Jose or any of the other IMD babies. To top it all, I've been feeling increasingly flustered and realized that most days when I want to blog, I am actually infuriated at a very busy and agitated MBA spouse and with the pitfalls of being the partner. But thankfully, I'm on the recovery phase; mood wise and health wise and with this positivity, decided to leave in an entry so that I'm not labelled a "constant whiner". Yes, please consider this a forewarning for any upcoming "nagging" ones! 

There's so much that's happened in the past couple of days with cooking sessions and dinners and grocery shoppings (which is nothing short of an adventure, i tell you!).

Some good news has come to the partners in the form of the knowledge that almost all of us can now enhance our professional pursuits & apply for proper jobs, instead of sifting through the options of baby-sitting & dog-walking! (not that there's anything wrong with those options... but you know :P)

The partners visited the Balloon festival and enjoyed an incredibly beautiful train ride to Chauteau d'oex. And with all of us having our residency permits, we are now looking forward to travelling around Europe. Watch this space. 

 

There was the Chinese New year marking the year of the Rabbit, which is today.. but we celebrated it yesterday at Minako's place. And it was SO MUCH FUN that we had the concierge walk in and tell us to "keep it down, sil vous plait!". What was incredible to see was how "international" this "Chinese" celebration was. People of just about every continent working on their Chinese script, struggling to write down festive slogans in a tasteful manner. The cuisine at the table was international too. Indian Chicken Masala, Japanese Tempura, Chinese Dumplings, Pakistani Pulao, Vegetarian delights and an amazing Nutella/bread birthday cake for Christina (there were some more dishes on the table, but I can't seem to remember the names). For Junko & Marcia, we also demonstrated all the wonderful routines we've picked up at the Bollywood dance sessions- I'm absolutely loving those!

 

We've had an extremely interesting and enriching communication session conducted by IMD, focusing on bridging the gap between the diversity of cultures regarding communication. There were so many stories to share & learn from; so much that you learn about yourself. Things you take for granted and consider "normal" are actually "weird" for an onlooker. I can't imagine how many minds go "whaaaaaaaaaa????" when I turn around to offer my prayers in the middle of such sessions. 

What I do admire is the community feel that we're beginning to cultivate here at IMD. It's like we're another country somewhere in Lausanne. We maybe worlds apart with our typical behaviours & customs, and it may take quite a while till we finally begin to feel completely at ease but what is common is the community feel we already seem to have. And I think kudos goes to this amazingly tolerant and understanding group of ours because it takes that kind of a mindset to bring about that community feel. Sure enough we need to work on getting accustomed to the lifestyle here and more so, to the many different ones that we're gelling with here at IMD. It might even be a nuisance at times but then there are these little tiny gestures that require no set of cultural rules but come out of the pure goodness of ones intentions and heart that are scattered somewhere during the day, that make this entire journey so much more memorable. 

Like when Maria walks back home with me to ensure my mood is elevated in those little moments we have till we get to my place; 

like when Magi covers the edge of the table when Lorenzo and the other IMD babies are running and jumping around, casting a safety net; 

like when Iyerida is exhausting all her efforts making sure I'm not sitting home alone when the MBAs have another long day at the campus; 

like when Diana is getting the dishes done when we're gathering at Magali's place; 

like when Shuvra is rushing home to get Iyerida's laundry card topped up or when she calls just to check in on me; 

like when everyone is making the effort to understand me being a Muslim (I have some amazing stories jotted down in my memory which I will share another time); 

like when Alison's always around to give you a nice, warm hug or just listen to you; 

like when Minako is feeding Sachi to keep her entertained so that Leena (the mom) can get her cooking done; 

like when everybody is volunteering to hold Loui (sp?) as Magali rushes about to get dinners prepared for the three tiny and rather impatient mouths; 

like when every other partner can be seen trying to discipline the IMD babies in their own way, as the biological moms look on without having their heads blown off... Its a wonderful community feel!

Speaking of, the rate at which M. Jose is going she'll probably be announcing everyone's name on Graduation Day as they come up to receive their respective degree (God willingly ;)). Noah has been blowing kisses and is, hands down, the sexiest man alive without his shirt on! (sorry my darling Faisal). Here's a little treat for our followers... (:

Sachi has the cutest cry on the planet- ever heard a kid go "Bow wow" while crying? We miss Daantje (who's been saying my name) & Nell. Also, we've had our first addition to the babies- a proper celebration is yet to be conducted to mark the arrival of Sophie (if my memory serves correctly). Enough baby update I guess!

All in all, we may have our religious, behavioral and many other cultural barriers to cross, but without a doubt, its such a relief being part of such a feel good, warm and intelligent set of individuals. As much as I thought that the communication across cultures session would be boring, it opened my eyes and gave me the lens to see the entire experience in a totally different perspective. How with each of us, in spite of our biases, we're struggling to understand the limitations & norms of one another, and modifying our communication style to make everyone feel at home.