Instead of a taxi to the hotel we took a bus.  The bus was extremely empty.  There were a total of 4 people on the bus including the driver.  We were able to see beautiful scenary on the way to our hotel.  The ride took about 55 minutes however there was also traffic. 

After settling in and unpacking we decided to go exploring. We stumbled on a small market near our hotel. This market was less aggressive than the markets in Beijing.  It was also extremely small and difficult to walk through.  We also decided to get something to eat.  We saw a sign for Outback Steakhouse and decided to enter the restaurant for dinner.  We had delicious burgers for dinner.  The meal was quite pricey however definitely worth it. 

Tomorrow we will go visit the Big Buddha and Saturday we will go to Hong Kong Disneyland. TTFN!!

Jaime & Hayward

Today is our last day in Beijing so we decided to visit some markets to do some shopping before heading to Hong Kong.  We were able to visit two markets in Beijing and it was quite the experience.  Hayward really enjoyed the bargaining process.  The salespeople knew several English words like: "Hello", "Cheap price for you", "What price good for you", "How much you pay", "1st Customer today", "Ok", "Thank you", and "Bye Bye".  Sometimes they were very aggressive, even grabbing my arm at one point and not letting go.  I was quite frustrated and upset with how I was treated.  We were able to get many good deals and fabulous treasures.  We purchased so much that we needed to buy an additional small suitcase for a cheap price of course!  

We had lunch at a restaurant in the 1st market we visited.  It was on the top floor and we had a wonderful booth seat along the window with an amazing view of the city.  The buffett had everything you could imagine and the price included beer and wine.  Fantastic!  I also enjoyed the best dessert I've had thus far on the trip.  It was a little round chocolate ball with colored sprinkles.  It was super soft and very yummy.

After our shopping excursion we went back to the hotel to drop off our purchases. We grabbed a taxi to take us to McDonald's for a quick bite to eat and then we headed to the other side of town to see the Chinese Acrobat show.  The show was awesome.  There were so many people in the performance.  It was very different than I imagined.  I thought there would be a great deal of gymnastics to music however it was more of a performance with some very dare devil like tricks.  It was breathtaking and nerve wracking.  Amazingly entertaining!!

Tomorrow we fly to Hong Kong!

Jaime & Hayward   

We made it to Beijing after a 13.5 hours in a plane.  We left our home in Indianapolis on Friday, January 2 at 6am and we arrived at the airport in Beijing on Saturday, January 3 at 3:30pm.  The flight wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I was able to have an aisle seat and get up from time to time to stretch my legs.  The seat pattern on the plane was 2 - 5 - 2 (of course we were in the middle section).  

There was a television in each headrest, with GPS capabilities... so you could track the flight in real time as traveled (or watch movies).  I was surprised how much of an arch we made from Chicago to get to Beijing.  We flew almost straight north, close to the north pole, then over Siberia, and then down to Beijing.  The plane also had many movies for us to watch.  I watched a movie with Diane Lane and Richard Gere...very disappointing and then I watched "The Duchess" with Natalie Portman...very enjoyable; I highly recommend.  I was also able to get a good bit of sleep on the plane (a couple of hours) however Hayward was only able to sleep for about an hour.

The Beijing airport was amazing and HUGE!!  It was built specifically for the Olympics so as you can imagine they went all out. The city is very developed and safe.  We were both surprised to see many of the billboards feature western models rather Asian models.

We finally made it to the hotel and settled in.  We were tired but hungry so we decided to explore a little. It was 7:00pm Beijing time but 6 a.m. Indianapolis time. Instead of authentic cuisine we decided to have some American food for dinner so we went to Pizza Hut.  They don't put as much sauce on the pizza as we do in the US but still tasty. 

Hayward's friend Mr. Chen is going to take a train 10 hours from his Province (hometown) to visit with us on Tuesday. Mr. Chen and Hayward met when Mr. Chen lived in the Campus Apartments at IUPUI.  Mr. Chen was attending the IU School of Law for a special year and half program.  Mr. Chen went on the 1st Spring Break trip in 2006 to Waveland, Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina Recovery work.  Mr. Chen has many fond memories of IUPUI, Indianapolis, friends he met, and Waveland trip.  Mr. Chen will take us on Tuesday evening to a restaurant to have a "traditional Chinese dinner".   

Jaime & Hayward

Good Evening from Beijing!

After today I get to say, “I climbed the Great Wall of China”.  I also purchased a sweatshirt with this statement on the front.  I am proud to be a tourist!!

We took an organized tour to the Great Wall.  Also included in our tour were several other stops to a jade factory, Ming tombs, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) research facility, and a traditional Chinese lunch.  There were three other couples on our tour from Colorado, Orange County California, and Argentina.  It was great to converse with others who spoke English.  The Chinese individuals who speak English say they speak “Chinglish”.

The Great Wall was absolutely breathtaking!  It was also extremely unlevel and steep.  Definitely not handicap accessible!  It was very challenging however I was extremely determined.  The steps were not evenly spaced and sometimes very high for me to climb.  Needless to say we made it!  I made it to tower # 6 and Hayward made it almost to the highest tower # 8.  As he continued on I could see and wave to him.  While I waited for HG I was able to interact with native Chinese who were also climbing the wall.  Many of them gave me thumbs up for making it as far as I did and others just stared.

After we returned from our tour we rested in the hotel and then we ventured back out to a nearby Chinese market.  Hayward has learned how to barter with the Chinese salespeople.  Everyone knows how much I love to shop however I believe Hayward has purchased more than me on this trip.  HG has been entertained by the bargaining process.  I hear HG let out one of his belly laughs and I think “what deal has he found and what is he purchasing now”.  We have found wonderful treasures thus far.  We are really looking forward to visiting the traditional Chinese market on Wednesday.

We were exhausted this evening so we rewarded ourselves with an hour long massage in our hotel room.  Needless to say we are making the most out of our holiday in China.

Lots of love, Jaime & Hayward
xoxoxo

Greetings from Beijing!

Today was quite busy... we toured the Forbidden City (which is HUGE!!!!)... Even though we spent 1/2 of the day there, I do not think we got see but about half of it (although we did tour the center axis from north to south http://www.sights-and-culture.com/china/forbidden-city-map.html).  We also went to Tiananmen Square (which is right outside the south entrance to forbidden city).  After a brief rest in the afternoon, we went across Beijing (30 minute cab ride) to see the Olympic Park.  We were able to see the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.  We toured the Bird's Nest and we were able to go on the field however we were unable to go into the Water Cube since the ticket office closed quite early.  For dinner we had Peking Duck... (yummy).

Tomorrow we are signed up for a tour of the Great Wall and The Ming Tombs... it will be another full day.

For thos of you who don't know I fractured my right ankle in September and I'm still recovering.  I am using my walking boot and one crutch while on vacation.  Before leaving for vacation I was going to physical therapy 3x's a week in order to be able to walk on vacation.  Today, I was able to walk most of the day with some short breaks to rest.  I am going to ice my foot down tonight and hopefully I will be able to make again tomorrow.

Night night!

Jaime

Hi! My name is Jaime  Clougher and I'm an Academic Advisor for the Kelley School of Business in the Acade ic Programs Office in BS 3024.

I am very excited about being able to share my experiences with you as I will be visiting China with my significant other, Hayward Guenard.  Some of you may know Hayward as he is the Director of Housing & Residence Life at IUPUI.  Hayward has a conference in Hong Kong so we decided to extend the trip several days to also visit China's mainland.  We will be on our holiday for two weeks.

Please look forward to many photos and posts from China.

Jaime

 

How can this be? It’s because of Susan Cauble, otherwise known as the “best kept secret in the Kelley School”. Ms. Cauble is the Assistant Directory of Graduate Programs for Kelley Indianapolis and advises MBA students – at least those who take her up on it.

Registering for classes may have been one of most frustrating aspects in my time at Kelley. A few weeks ago at registration I had three browser windows open attempting to discern A.) what classes I wanted to take, B.) what classes are available this Spring, and C.) what classes I need to finish the program. I had planned on majoring in Entrepreneurship but that was secondary to actually scheduling classes.

I received a tip from a buddy in class to see Ms. Cauble. I placed a call and had an appointment the next day. Our appointment started with her asking a few questions: do you want to Major and if so in what? I told her “yes” and “Entrepreneurship”. I then asked her if I could finish in December `09 rather than May `10. She consulted some hard copy information and said “sure”. Next thing I know she was plotting out the requirements for Spring `09, both Summer sessions and Fall `09. A couple more questions here and there about if I’d prefer to take one class over another and I’m good to go for the rest of my Kelley Career (knock on wood), graduating when I want to and with my choice of major. Oh, and it all took about 15 minutes. It took longer to find parking.

Mark it down for Summer Session registration – see the Advisers.

At each of these events, I saw Kelley students, faculty and staff enjoying each other’s company and conversation without the usual barriers between us; barriers of grades and rank and program and level.  I saw laughter, joy, and selfless giving.  I watched surprise and pleasure wash over someone’s face because of unexpected recognition he or she received, and the wonderful gift of two relative strangers getting to know each other and the surprising common ground they share.  From blue jeans and air hockey tournaments, to formal wear and professional celebrations of accomplishment and brotherhood, students and faculty and staff put down the business of everyday life and just had fun – together.  From the warmth and welcome of a faculty member’s home, to the crazy corner of my own office, I celebrated with my colleagues and enjoyed talking about something other than work for an hour or two.

Work is what we do, and it binds us together while we are associated with Kelley.  I am proud of the work that I do as a faculty member, and proud of the work I do with the wonderful, patient and talented staff members (including our student employees) who work in the Program Office.  I am very proud of the work that our students do.  But there is a different type of glue that really holds, a tie that truly binds me to all of you.  It is that non-work moment when we share a smile or a sandwich, a handshake or a hug, a laugh, a sudden realization that we simply enjoy each other’s company and we have one or two things in common.  This is what keeps me coming back to work each day, and what I will remember when my career with Kelley is over.

Jane L. Lambert

The DSP members work Colt events to raise funds for their Kappa Sigma Chapter.  Extra funds from these events were placed in a fund to establish a scholarship with the IU Foundation.  The idea of a scholarship started in 2000 and Tuesday evening the Chapter presented a check for $10,000 to the IU Foundation. 

The dedication and spirit of giving back to the community demonstrates the awesome leadership of the Delta Sigma Pi Kappa Sigma Chapter.  I believe they are the first Delta Sigma Pi Chapter to establish such a scholarship for their school. 

I want to thank the chapter for their leadership, vision, and persistence in pursuing such a goal.  They are truly an inspiration to all of us. 

The Chapter was also included in a special segment on Fox 59 news, Hoosiers Give Back.  See the link below.

http://www.fox59.com/pages/video/?clipId=3239503&topVideoCatNo=97185&c=&autoStart=true&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=

As a subscriber to the Indianapolis Business Journal, today I received my 2009 edition of the annual IBJ Book of Lists.  The book (more like a magazine, really) is exactly what the title indicates, page after page of lists of Indianapolis-area companies sortedby industry, size, growth rate, etc.  It’s not exactly leisure reading, but it is, in my humble opinion, the most undervalued and underutilized job search resource for students and young professionals looking for local job and internship opportunities.

While it’s easy to hop onto Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com and submit your resume to hundreds of jobs, it is a serious understatement to write that finding quality positions is a challenge.  Particularly in a slowing economy, you need to be a proactive job seeker – and this is where the Book of Lists comes into play.  Along with basic information about each company (industry, revenue, # of employees, primary services, major clients, and more), you’ll find a link to each company’s website, where many organizations, lacking the time and staff to sort through hundreds of Monster-generated resumes, will post open positions to which you can apply directly.  Even if there are no open positions listed, you can learn more about the company and find contact information for you to begin setting up informational interviews. 

Alongside lists such as the Top 25 Fastest-Growing Indianapolis-Area Private Companies and the Top 25 Largest Indianapolis-Area Firms by Industry (Logistics, Public Relations, Accounting, etc.), you’ll find information on professional organizations you should consider joining, non-profits, and graduate programs.  I recommend getting your hands on a copy as soon as possible, which you can do one of 4 ways:

1. Subscribe to the IBJ and you’ll receive a copy as part of your subscription (my #1 recommendation) as well as 24/7 access to the interactive online edition
2. Order a paper copy through the IBJ website
3. Buy a copy at Northside News, or Delaware News, or any local Borders or Barnes & Noble bookstore
4. Download digital versions of individual lists (which can add up fast)

If you’d like some tip and tricks on getting the most from your copy, come see me and I’ll happily walk you through some strategies.

My last (for this current semester) final exam will be on Monday at 6:00pm for "Corporate Taxation".  This will be the last exam for this year, and after that, in four days, I and my husband will be heading to Mexico for a vacation!!  I've been waiting for this vacation since earlier this year.  A lot of things happened during this year with a lot of hard work that I've made.  But my hard work paid off, so I would say that all things happened were good for me. One of the professors said to me that my hard work now begins establishing my career.  Yes, Prof. Hassell, I've just set another goal for me.  School is almost done (one more semester to go!), and I needed another challenge.  A good thing is, when I set a goal, I am almost certain that I accomplish that goal, and I can almost visualize myself achieving my goal and cheering myself.  I know when I can make it, and I know how I will make it. 

I guess I've been this way for a quite long time, both in a good way and a bad way.  It is funny, but sometimes, I can even impress someone else by just being this way.  There was one particular occasion that made me feel so.

I had a job interview while back.  During the interview with the partner in this firm (I talked with five persons this day), a typical job interview question came to me; tell me about yourself.  So I told my quick history starting from how I've come to US in 2001, why I decided going back to school (undergrad) while working, why I chose to work for an insurance company as an insurance agent for a while after graduating, why going back to school once again and switching my field from finance to accounting, and how I came to choose my career in the assurance field.  When I finished talking, he looked like he was in a deep thought, trying to choose his words very scholastically and carefully to make a comment.  And finally, without looking at me, he started; "hmm....(silence)... Very, well planned..... (silence)".  I didn't know how to respond, and finally, I said "thank you", thinking it was a compliment to me.  It was somewhat an impressive moment for me, and I frequently recall this moment since then.  I don't know why, but something in his look and the way he made a comment about my short speech made me feel so.  I must have impressed him someway (hoping it was a good one).  After the interview, he made a comment about me to the other interviewer.  I heard him describing me as a "very determined" person.  Another person I had interview with this day also described me "very determined" coincidentally, so I guess I must be a very determined person.  It was nice to know myself objectively, because until then, I have not particularly thought that I am a determined person.  I knew I do planning a lot, and try to follow what I've planned.  I just didn't see being this way as being determined. 

Life is a full of learning opportunities.  Learning who I am is certainly one of the things I learn through my life.  Cheers!!      

Life has been extremely busy! Work is absolutely crazy, as I am sure school is for most of you, specially this time of the year with finals and such. The economic situation has made it really difficult for many companies to achieve their targets, many of them have revised their "promise" to the markets and hope for the governments to intervene to provide some stability in this turmoil time.

Now that the elections are out of the way, I think things will get better and people will commence to regain confidence in the market. This will not avoid the global economy entering recession, but it should help a bit. For my part, we are trying to finalize several contracts with different airlines before the end of the year. This is a challenge, positive and negative. Its not the best time for airlines to go airplane shopping, nor it is the time when airlines are willing to sign long term contracts as most of them are either shrinking or parking aircraft.

It is a good challenge for all of us in the aerospace industry as we have to challenge ourselves to think in different ways of approaching the airlines and we have to think of them as partners, because after all we are in this together, without them we would not be here and vice versa.

Anyway, let's help the economy a bit by going shopping this Christmas. I am going home in a few weeks and can't wait to get to Indy, see the new airport, shop and relax from the intense but exciting world of business.

Jaime

11/17/2008

Atlast! I was at work today. I looked out the window to see pecular pieces of frozen water swirling around aimlessy. Now, no need for worries, good friends. This is normal... well, unless you live in Florida.

We live in Indianapolis. Every year it gets cooler, and cooler until cooler turns to cold. Now, I know in Science class they taught us how seasons work and how the Earth tilts on its axis.... or something to that effect. You would love to believe that we could get used to these funny season things, but it seems harder and harder as you get older. Now, by no means am I old, but I do remember liking winter alot more as a child than as an adult. You could have snow days at school (well, you still can........) and meet your friends (again, you still can) and go play outside and make snow angels and snowmen and snow forts and..... and..... and..... well you get the idea. Surely, my friends, I show no enthusiasm any longer to frolic in the snow.

So, back to the Red Line. I get on the bus, half frozen. Luckily, the heater on the bus was cranked up, pre-heated and ready to defrost me! As I got on the bus, I must have been the only one on the bus. I gladly took a seat. A few stops later, a young lad got on the bus as well. He sat across from me awaiting his next destination. I looked down at my shoes and across the isle. What did I see, you ask?

I couldn't believe my eyes. Perhaps I was at work too long and was halucinatng from the long day at work. I blinked once. I blinked twice. I blinked three times to be sure. Were my eyes failing me?

[Dunt dunt dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

The nice gentleman across from me was wearing flip-flops.

Then, as to mock my disbelief, he took his feet OUT of his shoes and began to swirl them around in the air. Now, I have two theories on this.............

One: It was fun to watch the snow and his feet had to take part in the snow swirling. They were doing a happy dance!

Two: The kid doesn't watch any weather before he leaves the house for the day.

I felt silly bundled up in my gloves, scarf and wool coat. I sat in disbelief (and almost disgust from bare feet dancing around in the air). I shook my head, and got off at my stop to go home for the day.

Lesson of the day: Check the weather report. Then, you won't have to defrost your toes on the public bus.

Until we meet again, Ciao.

As the semester comes to an end, I reflect upon my first time teaching an X103 (Business Learning Community) class.  It was fun to have some of the first year students learning about the business world and seeing their reaction to some of the homework loads.  A Learning Community does not have a lot of work, but it does keep you busy throughout the semester.  I like the smaller class sizes because students really get to know the others and can really make some friends in the classroom.  One thing I have noticed is that I have some students who take the class VERY seriously, while some others do not take it seriously enough.  I think you need to have a balance.  You should take all of your classes seriously but have fun!  College is hard work, but you have got to have fun with it as well!!  So I am glad that the students get a nice break before the semester ends.  So take some time to relax and eat lots of food because when you come back, it will be FINALS!

I have several roles in the Kelley School on the IUPUI campus but I've agreed to become a blogger as a faculty member. I'm a senior lecturer in the Accounting department and I teach several undergraduate accounting courses. I've been with Kelley at IUPUI for a little over ten years. I started my teaching career at IU South Bend in the early-1980s as an adjunct or part-time faculty member. But I fell in love, so to speak, with the university and teaching so I've been doing that, more or less, since that first semester. I taught my first class only because a friend of mine was hurt in an accident and I agreed, at the last minute, to teach his A201 class for him. Kicking and screaming, I might add, convinced I would HATE it and the students would HATE me. Ten minutes into my first class, I realized how wrong I was, at least on my end. After reading my first semester teaching evaluations (that's another story for another day), I realized I might be wrong on the students' ends as well.

I started my academic career as a student majoring in English Literature, my first and most enduring love. I spent three years in the English department in Bloomington in the 1970s (now you know how old I am!!) and loved every minute of it. I wrote plays and poetry and read everything from Brecht to Brautigan, from Shaw to Shakespeare. I was in heaven. Then I realized I was going to have to get a job, that English majors were starving, and that I had better figure out what else I might be good at in a hurry! (I do not advise changing your major in your senior year unless you want to be an undergraduate student forever!) My brother told me to take an accounting class – he said that accountants always had jobs! I was convinced I would hate it. I was wrong about that one, too. Are you seeing a pattern here?

In future posts, I will fill in the blanks between the English department and Accounting, and why I find them so similar and love them both. I'll tell you why I get stressed out to the max concerning exams and grading. I'll tell you what I love and what concerns me about teaching and higher education. And I'll answer any questions or comments that you send me. I haven't quite made up my mind about this blogging thing – it seems to be a bit of a one-sided conversation. So I hope you will feel free to make it a two, three, four, or more-sided conversation.

 

Jane L. Lambert Nov. 18, 2008