"California! Here we come!" Phantom Planet - California
I can’t remember how many times I have played this song since receiving my admission offer. I am truly ecstatic to join the Anderson family as a MBA 2016 candidate and as a student blogger.
Hello everyone. Before I begin sharing about my transition from Middle East to Los Angeles, I would like to introduce myself in this post. My name is Piyush and I am originally from India. The literal meaning of my name in Hindi language is elixir of immortality. Although I am aging too, I can share some tips to live longer.
I was born in a small town in north India called Karnal, which is also home to late Kalpana Chawla, first Indian-American astronaut and first Indian woman in space. I was only one week old before I started moving because of my father's job. I’ve ventured around the world and called seven cities across five countries my home. I’ve shared rooms with students belonging to over 15 different nationalities during my university days in London. I mainly grew up in Gulf countries, which includes UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia is the only country missing on my list since my parents choose not to move there because of strict Islamic laws. I am now living in Bahrain and have seen the current Middle Eastern crisis unfold in front of my eyes.
Professionally, I am a biotech graduate with experiences in cluster development, retail, e-commerce, and oil & gas. At Anderson, I would like to explore opportunities in consulting and pharma/biotech. Outside of work, I am a big soccer fan and support local English club called Manchester City Football club (owned by UAE – that’s why affiliation). Fun for me, is spending time with friends, could be over sports or just about anything. I enjoy almost every competitive sport but personally like to play soccer and squash.
Please send any comments, burning questions, Middle East opinions, video of great soccer goals and tips to live longer to [email protected]. You can also follow me on Twitter here
