This year at INSEAD has finally come to an end. Seems rather strange actually. There is a finality to the events of this week as though every dinner comes with a "Last Dinner with..." tagline.
This past week has been about maximising opportunities and partying like crazy.
I have seldom partied this frequently and this hard and yet it all feels natural, like this is what needs to be done and that this will bring closure to the year and end it with the bang that it deserves.
This week has also seen my final INSEAD poem go out. This poetry business is something that started out small and was written purely for my own benefit. I have been drowned in comments since this final poem went out to my class and it feels very special that something that I write for myself and to convey some of my thoughts and feelings can strike a chord with so many.
There have been shout-outs from a few that I should do the graduation speech and while I have volunteered to do so, I can only say that if I were asked, it would be terrific.
So here's the final INSEAD poem... and because it aims to summarise the entire year, its the longest of the lot.
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This final poem was written with mixed feelings of relief, because these end-of-P poems had gotten longer and harder to write, and regret because it signifies the end of what has been a fascinating year.
To all of you fellow travelers who’ve been with me on this year-long road, Thank you for the good times. It has been more than just a little fun and quite a distinct pleasure.
This poem goes out to all those hot cups of tea I was offered even if it was 1am, to the only occasion I ever drove an automobile in Fontainebleau, to badly sung songs and karaoke sessions around a winter fireplace, to shooting stars on a dark and deserted forest road, to rainy day soccer on the NUS field, to an Indian INSEAD wedding, to a memorable group Valentine's night dinner in Singapore...
This poem is dedicated to all of my INSEAD memories and asks a simple question, what are yours?
Sights, Sounds, Thoughts, Memories - Summarizing the INSEAD year
This poem is about our singular year
'Bout what we'll look back at and miss
Its also about all of the little things
That make it what it truly is
'Bout the many adventures, the dire straits
'Bout the long and winding road
'Bout those who walked this road with us
And shared some of the load
'Bout looking back at where it began
And now how far we've come
'Bout slowly retracing our steps
And doing the final sum
All this started over a year ago
With the arrival of a mail
"Congratulations", it had said, in short
And thus, we had set sail
So we left homes and comfort zones
And excitedly packed our things
Trusting logic or in some cases, gut feel
To see what the future brings
We came with expectations high
Hoped for experiences new
And hoped that at the year's end
There'd be a different world in view
We hoped for some new sights and sounds
For new travelers along the way
Or for some quiet time to compose thoughts
Before re-entering the fray
I've tried, as we've gone through this year,
To capture how things came to be
And picked a single theme to represent
The essence of every P
I could sum up P5 as I've done before
With a poem with just one theme
But this year is more than just 5 defining moments
Its about so much more in between
And so I'll turn the heat up
Under these memories instead
And get a bunch of them to pop
Like corn kernels in your head
If I told you the b-school days were fun
Would you readily concur?
Will you recall this year, have a silent chuckle
Or will these days be a blur?
Remember introductions at Outward Bound?
Remember your first champagne fine?
Remember classroom shenanigans?
Remember the glasses of wine?
Remember asking questions for class participation?
Or nodding off in post lunch sessions?
Do you remember the Welcome week
and other strange, unique traditions?
Will you remember the decadence of post P parties?
Waking the next day with a groan?
Or being slumped in a dimly lit break-out room
Working late, awake and alone?
Remember the sun reflecting off chateau roofs?
Or the pristine shores and sparkling beach?
Will you remember beautiful faces on campus
Or someone who was just out of reach?
Remember the ridiculous amount of traveling
When INSEAD resembled Club Med?
Do you remember the 8:30am classes?
Wishing for an extra hour in bed?
Will you recall the sound of the cafeteria buzz?
Between classes students rushing along
Will you recall the sound of 300 souls
Singing the same favorite campus song?
Remember the exam invigilators
Reading out those instructions curt?
Will you remember 100 voices in unison
Demanding that you "rip that shirt"?
Remember the murmur from the back rows
As yet another classmate falls asleep?
Do you remember the sounds of a camera shutter
Catching someone counting sheep?
So what are your most cherished memories?
Are the year's precious moments clear to you?
Or have you been focussed on other happenings
And on simply getting through?
With this year now being finally done
What is it that you truly feel?
Have your thoughts, hopes or ideas changed?
Are your dreams unattained or unreal?
What has this year done to your psyche?
it really changed you that much?
Have you become infinitely business like?
Or gained that extra human touch?
Do you understand other people better?
Do your own opinions matter less?
Does working with culturally different folk
Give a different definition of success?
Have you learnt to choose between choices?
Do you to procrastination tend?
Knowing you have just the final decisions
Before this school year comes to an end
Does a state of conflict stress you out
Or have you truly seen it all?
Have you experienced life's ebbs and flows?
Has this year shown you both rise and fall?
This year is ultimately about an experience
Unlike little we have previously known
And its based on what you take away from it
That you make it all your own
This year at times has divided the class
This year at most times has bound
Another year that runs a similar course
May hardly ever be found
After all has been said and done
It is time for an answer true
If asked if they had regrets about this year
Some would say they had none, could you?
Could a single answer encompass this year?
Could the emotions truly be caught?
Can this chapter ever be fully closed?
Can these memories be forgot?
On your journey through your professional life
After a work day when you unwind
When you seek some lightness and sudden comfort
May the days from this year come to mind
As the poem and this year finally draws to a close
There's just one thing left to be said
Irrespective of where you go from here
May you all have a great life ahead.
