Kicking off the start of Term 2 of my MBA here at Trinity was Phase 1 of our strategic company project, a chance for us to collaborate with a major company in the Irish market, in order to stretch our strategic legs and apply some of the learnings that we’d gained from Term 1.
My company happened to run a windfarm nearby, and so invited us on-site to give our first major presentation of the program. We prepped quite extensively, drove out, and landed on-site with time to spare… we got a quick tour from our contacts, and got down to business (over coffee and sandwiches, of course!).
It went really well, I’m happy to report – Phase 1 was an industry analysis, reviewing the field that our company competes and operates within. As the phase purely focused on the industry, and not the company itself, it was mainly a research operation – no interviews, no on-site conversations, just a lot of work on google, and a ton of reviewing of financial documents.
It was good, and the views of the windmills spinning away was definitely appreciated after our time in the board room.
Dublin is pretty all year round. But for now, here’s a few views from spring, 2025.
In full candor – this MBA was kicking my butt. Term 2 kicked off pretty well, but quickly became a bit overwhelming… constant groupwork, near-infinite readings, and constantly conflicting schedules and overwhelming deliverables took their toll.
I wasn’t able to get out of town at all, in the spring, and my time in the gym dropped down to a quick workout once a week, at best. Now, I did get my daily bike rides to and from campus… but that can only keep energy going for so long. Climbing? Nope, the trip there and back was too much – I legitimately didn’t get a single day of climbing in between February and… well, July or August.
But!
I had my phone on me, and was able to carve out a few seconds here and there to appreciate the beauty of this city that I now live in. Europe is great, even when I’m overwhelmed and busy, and it helped to remember that by snapping a few quick shots as life flew by.
One neat set that I’ll keep separate from the others: These were a series of placards on a nearby building, telling stories from some of the residents. Very neat, and nice to include in a neighborhood quickly gentrifying.
Spring, 2025 – Throughout the beginning of the year
I love cooking. Andrea loves cooking. Our classmates and friends love cooking.
And so, to the surprise of no one… we did a lot of cooking. Even as the MBA wore on, time grew short, and deadlines loomed high… we cooked. Here’s a few quick glimpses into some of the more photogenic dishes:
Banitsa! Andrea cooked this quite a few times, and even taught me how to cook it! It’s a Bulgarian dish, made with Filo dough, Bulgarian cheese, spinach, and scrambled eggs – all wrapped up, and baked in the oven. It’s amazing, and I’m continually astounded at how incredible it tastes.
Steak! I cooked steak quite a few times – even a prime rib one evening! I haven’t learned any new tricks, truth be told, but neither have I lost any of my edge on cooking an excellent meal. Seared, with veggies and bread on the side… it’s simple, but excellent.
One advancement I did make… I tried cooking Beef Wellington once! Now, granted, I did buy it pre-made… but hey. I was able to cook it right, so… that’s a partial win, right?
Vegan Bolognese! This is Andrea’s signature dish, alongside the banitsa, and ohh my god. I can’t wax poetic enough about how good this is, and how amazing the whole floor smells when it’s simmering.
Dinners out happened as well – some traditional American breakfasts, and even an evening out at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Fun, and a lovely chance to get out of the house and away from the various papers.
I made sliders! The old recipe that I adore from Boston, I’ve made this quite a few times – it’s simple and elegant, with just grilled burgers and a quail egg on top, but… mm. Simple is good.
I adore fried chicken, and Chicken Katsu is pretty close… so I was very happy to make a full meal of it with some stir fried veggies and bok-choi alongside. The rice… well, I don’t cook rice often, so thankfully I had some help with getting that part right.
Now, you can’t have busy university days without pasta. But… We don’t do boring pasta here. Combined with a nice sauce, maybe some asparagus or Soppressata or mushrooms… a burrata ball… It’s not so bad.
Last, but not least, we have my old-fashioned slow cooked recipe. Babyback ribs, mac and cheese, and some roasted root veggies… It had been a rough week, and I was feeling a bit homesick, so this was a perfect pick-me-up to restart the day. An American friend even joined me, which added that perfect extra bit of positivity into the evening.
