October is usually my favorite month, but this year it’s been brutal for me for a variety of reasons.  Oh well, I’m determined to finish it up on a good note.  Tomorrow is Halloween, after all.

And there’s been plenty to enjoy.  Taking my kids to the pumpkin patch is always one of my favorite parts of fall.  Then earlier this month, on Friday the 13^th, my husband and I double-dated with one of my best friends from high school and her husband by trying our luck in an escape room.  I’ve been wanting to do one ever since I first heard about them.  It was great fun, although the room we picked only has about a 35% success rate, and I’m sorry to report we did not help increase that percentage.

I also made progress on a story rewrite.

And finally, I bought huge bags of Halloween candy during my lunch break today.  Way more than we’re likely to give out.  Which means, leftovers!  Muahaha…

My MBA program places a huge emphasis on team projects, and I’d like to share one recent team experience that took place in my local Powell’s bookstore.  We met up and essentially created a bonding exercise on the spot.

Here’s how it works:  Each team member picks a different aisle at random and has 10 minutes to find 2 books whose title reveals something about yourself.  Then, if there’s still time, find a copy of your favorite book (from any aisle) to share as well.  When time’s up, all come back together and sit down to discuss your selections.  It’s a literary get-to-know-you exercise applied in a team setting to establish a dynamic of trust!

My team took photos of our chosen book covers and talked about them over coffee (or in my case, a cookie). Earlier, when it came to picking an aisle, my eyes fell upon Young Adult / Star Wars & Pop Culture.

Other team members picked aisles like Self-Help and Western Religions.

Here are the titles I found:

The nighttime cemetery tour was great fun.  The graveyards definitely have a different feel between daytime and nighttime.  Observe:

In all seriousness, though, the scariest thing on the tour was actually an enormous spider we saw up close in its web in a tree!

But let’s leave on a less terrifying note.  Here are some random photos from the trip.

And finally, in honor of my Edgar Allan Poe themed Halloween decorations I’ve been putting up around the house…

Yesterday I was fortunate to get a big conference commitment out of the way early in the schedule, plus we had a rather long lunch break.  A coworker and I booked it over to Jackson Square, which was lovely (and extremely hot, with no shade cover).  We walked through the St. Louis Cathedral, a different style than the one I went to in Buenos Aires but lovely as well.

The Mississippi River was right nearby, with large ships passing each other.  Later on in the evening I saw a bit of Fulton Street.

Tonight I’m going on a flashlight cemetery tour!  Then tomorrow I fly home. It’s been a great adventure these past couple of months, but I’m looking forward to getting back to a routine and spending a lot more time with my family.

Yesterday I took a swamp boat tour and got to see some American alligators in their natural habitat!

Now, I have loved crocodilians ever since I was a Zoo Teen volunteer at the Oregon Zoo, so a highlight for me was getting to hold this little cutie (I was assured the tape on his snout doesn’t hurt him):

That evening I saw some jazz on Bourbon Street.

Then earlier today during a conference break I took a streetcar out to the Garden District and walked through the lovely neighborhood.

I ended up in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.

I finished up the day with a beignet.

Tomorrow I’ll be very busy with conference happenings.  That’s it for now!

I have arrived in New Orleans, my first time here.  A highlight for me was checking out the Hotel Monteleone, whose lobby has a neat display of books by authors who have stayed at the hotel or even mentioned it in their work.

Then my coworker and I lucked into seats at the hotel’s Carousel rotating bar!

I’ve completed a year of grad school, and to say the least it’s been a year of growth.  I’ve taken many assessments, from how I deal with conflict to my intercultural competence.  I’ve identified core values, crafted a personal mission statement, and undertaken a personal development plan designed to get me outside my comfort zone.  I’ve participated in service projects at a local food bank and at a women’s shelter in Chile.  I’ve done an interactive simulation of culture clash, honed my presentation skills, and taken on team projects with people I’d just met.  And I’ve been getting to know the most fascinating people!

A lot of times I feel like I’m just clinging for dear life to this breadth of experiences, hoping I’ll retain enough later on to reflect back with a depth that my current schedule doesn’t afford.

Also, I think it would be fun someday to use these assessments and other exercises for fictional character development.

In the meantime, off to New Orleans for work.

I’m still slogging through homework associated with my South America trip and working on a couple of story revisions.  In a week I’ll leave for another trip, but first, before I shift gears to that one, here are a few more random photos from my study abroad experience.

Chile:

Argentina:

We kept moving at a whirlwind pace, pretty much a blur of class stuff and restaurants.  For things of note from class, we went to a software company office whose vibe took me right back to my Silicon Valley intern days (disco balls, neon lights on the ceiling, and Ping-Pong and foosball tables).  Later on we toured a factory and donned this stylin’ protective footwear:

I’ve enjoyed checking out the cool interiors of some of the local restaurants.  Highlights include a steampunk bar located through a secret door in a brick wall, and a lounge-type spot with a hanging curtain made of chains!  Once I get all my photos and notes in order, I’ll have to do a separate post about all the wonderful food and décor in both Santiago and Buenos Aires, but for now here’s a glimpse of the hidden steampunk bar:

For our last night, we had a tango lesson and then saw a show.  I can now say I’ve danced the tango in Buenos Aires, and it was a blast!  Then I spent my final afternoon of the trip exploring the city on my own.  I made it to El Ateneo Grand Splendid, one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.

Finally I made it to the Centro Cultural Borges and saw the display about Jorge Luis Borges’ work.

It’s been an amazing trip.  Now to enjoy my time back home with my family!

We flew over the Andes very early on Saturday morning, then over the pampas, and into a very foggy Buenos Aires.  Here’s the view of the Andes from my plane window:

We toured the Boca Juniors soccer stadium and got to step out onto the edge of the field.  The next day we attended a match at a different stadium; I particularly enjoyed getting to cheer for the home team with a loud “¡Gooooool!”

I’ve gotten out and about in the city, such as seeing the Casa Rosada, attending Mass at the Catedral Metropolitana where Pope Francis himself used to celebrate the Mass, and enjoying a huge Argentine steak.

We’ve got a lot of company site visits this week for class.  It’s been years since I studied abroad in England, and the intensity of this experience reminds me how much room for growth each person possesses within them throughout their lifetime.