Voices from Abroad
Studying at London Business School
![](/sites/default/files/styles/480w/public/assets/images/con_038073.gif?itok=WositgwX)
![Quote icon](/themes/custom/stern9/img/bg-quote.gif)
I was very excited to land in London on September 4. It marked the beginning of new friendships, exploration and self-discovery.
MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School.
I was very excited to land in London on September 4, 2012. It marked the beginning of new friendships, exploration and self-discovery. I flew red-eye and was greeted with a warm welcome from my host, a fellow London Business School MBA 2013 student. He gave me a tour of the school, and I got my photo taken for my ID. From the grin of my face in the photo, I was extremely happy to become a part of the LBS community.
![1MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038081.gif)
London Business School has a small self-contained campus, but it happens to border one of London’s largest and most beautiful parks, Regent’s Park:
![2MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038082.gif)
London pubs offer some of the tastiest ciders around. The cider (below) is an exotic combination of apple & black current. Apparently, some ciders are seasonal, and the one pictured is a very popular summer cider:
![3MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038083.gif)
I had about 2 weeks to spend travelling before school started, so I used this time to visit my family in Paris. Immediately after getting off the Eurostar, I was lifted into a gastronomic heaven and feasted on fois gras, escargot, steak tartare, French onion soup and a whole host of wines and cheeses during my stay:
![4MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038084.gif)
Macarons are very popular in Paris – they are a staple on the McDonald’s menu (below). Although these macarons may look as good as those offered in Parisian patisseries, they did not have the same consistency or taste.
![5MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038085.gif)
From Paris, I travelled by train to Cannes, where I was greeted by fancy yachts and upscale shops. I felt a bit star-struck, and in the photo (below), I am beside Angelina Jolie’s handprint:
![6MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038086.gif)
Next, I travelled to Cinque Terre, “The Five Lands,” which comprises of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. The beauty of Cinque Terre left me speechless.
![body 7 Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business article](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038075.gif)
There is an option to travel by boat, train or hike from one city to another. I travelled by boat to the furthest city, Monterroso al Mare and spent a day soaking up the sun on the beach. That evening, I walked the “Via Dell’Amore” (the Way of Love), a pedestrian street overlooking the sea, which links the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola. This was an easy 25-minute walk on a paved road that offered some amazing costal views. On this route, young lovers, wanting to seal their love, write their names on the padlocks and attach them to wire mesh:
![8MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038087.gif)
Thinking that all hikes would be as easy as the one from the day before, I decided to hike from Monterosso to Vernazza. I was not properly equipped for this hike, as it turned out to be a fairly strenuous 1.5-2 hour hike, with steep inclines. On this route, I also found some padlocks reminding me of “Via Dell’Amore.” As the hike drew to an end, I was greeted by Vernazza’s colorful harbor:
![9MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038088.gif)
I continued with my obsession of coastal towns and took the train down through southern Italy, where I explored Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii and Capri. Positano was also very beautiful; however, its landscape was marred by a recent drought, leaving much of the land arid:
![10 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038089.gif)
I absolutely loved the coastal town of Sorrento, known for its sea cliffs and limoncello liqueur. I only had a few hours to spend here, but plan to re-visit in the near future:
![11 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038090.gif)
![12 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038091.gif)
![13 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038092.gif)
Having spent several years devoted to the study of Latin scriptures, I was very excited to explore the ruins of Pompeii, a city destructed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79:
![14 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038093.gif)
In the last leg of my journey, I took a boat to Capri, which offered spectacular views, wonderful hikes, high-end shops and delicious granite (ice-slush).
![15 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038094.gif)
![16 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038096.gif)
![17 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038097.gif)
From Capri, I took a bus to Anacapri, which sits at a much higher elevation. At Anacapri, I took a chair lift, not uncommon to those offered at ski resorts, and soaked in its beauty:
![18 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038098.gif)
I ended my trip with a glass of limoncello – it was a perfect ending to a wonderful vacation. I am looking forward to my semester at LBS!
![19 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038099.gif)
![1MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038081.gif)
London Business School has a small self-contained campus, but it happens to border one of London’s largest and most beautiful parks, Regent’s Park:
![2MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038082.gif)
London pubs offer some of the tastiest ciders around. The cider (below) is an exotic combination of apple & black current. Apparently, some ciders are seasonal, and the one pictured is a very popular summer cider:
![3MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038083.gif)
I had about 2 weeks to spend travelling before school started, so I used this time to visit my family in Paris. Immediately after getting off the Eurostar, I was lifted into a gastronomic heaven and feasted on fois gras, escargot, steak tartare, French onion soup and a whole host of wines and cheeses during my stay:
![4MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038084.gif)
Macarons are very popular in Paris – they are a staple on the McDonald’s menu (below). Although these macarons may look as good as those offered in Parisian patisseries, they did not have the same consistency or taste.
![5MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038085.gif)
From Paris, I travelled by train to Cannes, where I was greeted by fancy yachts and upscale shops. I felt a bit star-struck, and in the photo (below), I am beside Angelina Jolie’s handprint:
![6MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038086.gif)
Next, I travelled to Cinque Terre, “The Five Lands,” which comprises of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. The beauty of Cinque Terre left me speechless.
![body 7 Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business article](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038075.gif)
There is an option to travel by boat, train or hike from one city to another. I travelled by boat to the furthest city, Monterroso al Mare and spent a day soaking up the sun on the beach. That evening, I walked the “Via Dell’Amore” (the Way of Love), a pedestrian street overlooking the sea, which links the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola. This was an easy 25-minute walk on a paved road that offered some amazing costal views. On this route, young lovers, wanting to seal their love, write their names on the padlocks and attach them to wire mesh:
![8MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038087.gif)
Thinking that all hikes would be as easy as the one from the day before, I decided to hike from Monterosso to Vernazza. I was not properly equipped for this hike, as it turned out to be a fairly strenuous 1.5-2 hour hike, with steep inclines. On this route, I also found some padlocks reminding me of “Via Dell’Amore.” As the hike drew to an end, I was greeted by Vernazza’s colorful harbor:
![9MBA student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038088.gif)
I continued with my obsession of coastal towns and took the train down through southern Italy, where I explored Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii and Capri. Positano was also very beautiful; however, its landscape was marred by a recent drought, leaving much of the land arid:
![10 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038089.gif)
I absolutely loved the coastal town of Sorrento, known for its sea cliffs and limoncello liqueur. I only had a few hours to spend here, but plan to re-visit in the near future:
![11 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038090.gif)
![12 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038091.gif)
![13 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038092.gif)
Having spent several years devoted to the study of Latin scriptures, I was very excited to explore the ruins of Pompeii, a city destructed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79:
![14 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038093.gif)
In the last leg of my journey, I took a boat to Capri, which offered spectacular views, wonderful hikes, high-end shops and delicious granite (ice-slush).
![15 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038094.gif)
![16 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038096.gif)
![17 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038097.gif)
From Capri, I took a bus to Anacapri, which sits at a much higher elevation. At Anacapri, I took a chair lift, not uncommon to those offered at ski resorts, and soaked in its beauty:
![18 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038098.gif)
I ended my trip with a glass of limoncello – it was a perfect ending to a wonderful vacation. I am looking forward to my semester at LBS!
![19 student Kirsti Lee blogs from her semester abroad at London Business School](/sites/default/files/assets/images/con_038099.gif)