Saying goodbye was harder here in Canada. But this simply from a logistics point of view. It was tough enough to say goodbye in Coventry, but, at least, we had a great farewell dinner party there, with most of the cohort present.
Here it wasn't so, as the different electives ended in different dates (there are still people studying for an exam tomorrow) and people are leaving the program in different blocks.
Added to that, here I had to say goodbye from two different groups: the MBA colleagues and my friends at the housing co-op I lived in. It makes things a bit more complicated, for sure, but it is really good to have had so many friends to say goodbye to.
In the picture above we see the German clan in the far left and two cute co-oppers on the right. The other two didn't want to appear in the picture, so will remain unmentioned.

Tonight we meet for dinner at 8 p.m. at the Keg, in Kingston. A tabvle for 15 has been reserved, and we hope to see many of our colleagues there.
it has been a great term here at Queen's and we have been in a farewell mood for some days now. Many of the students here have already left for their own exchange courses in Europe, China, India or, even, Japan. The weather continues to be cold, but signs of spring have shown up slowly.
The last course, Managing Innovation, is getting to an end, and it has been an excellent course. our professor, Lib, has great corporate experience as CEO and as innovation champion, and she brigns her experiences effectively to class.
Life at co-op is also coming to an end. The last inspection before returning the keys is scheduled, the last kitchen duties are coming and the last party, this time at our direct neighbours, was yesterday. it was also a great experience, living with this nice bunch of diverse people.
And this is the mood today. One last presentation to practice, one last class to attend, one last exam to write. And then pack our books, clothes and hope that all will fit in the suitcases, even the pair of ice skates, my main Canadian souvenir.

Another deadline for Mannheim approaches, in this case, the course subscription. I have decided to take the following courses:

• Cross-Cultural Management
• Global Information Management
• Global Supply Chain Management
• International Finance
• International Management
• International Marketing

I might audit (visit the classes without taking the exam) HRM and Employment Relations in Europe and EC Law, as both are courses with very useful information, although not really in my immediate interest area. But we will see if I'll take them once I am again in Germany.

For now, it is back to Investments readings. The book is good, the lecture not that much. But the teacher might still be warming up, let's see how it goes.

Other than that, the day today was a good one: I managed to skate for about half an hour on the Victoria Park rinks which are really close to home, I did my dining hall duty mopping the whole floor and my house duty cleaning the bathroom. And still manage to write some here. I'll see if I upload one or two pictures to finish off.

I can't complain that my weekend in Kingston wasn't eventful. I started it by going, by bus, out of the Kingston Bubble to buy second hand ice skates. I went as far as the Gardiners Centre and discovered a new side of Kingston, which is a city with around 140 thousand residents.
And of course I had to enjoy the nice weather and test the skates right away, which I did on the City Hall ice rink, as you can see on the album on Picasa.

In the evening, living in a co-op house paid off: I was invited to an Irish dance with other co-opers, and really enjoyed it. Pity it only happens once a month. But I also found out that there is an Irish music session happening in town, which, if assignments allow, I plan to visit tomorrow. There is even a slow Irish session for those learning, and this one I will visit with my Pady Richter tuned harmonicas to give it a try.

After the Irish dancing I met Viktoria and Marc, who literally spent their whole weekend on the Mergers and Acquisitions assignment. It is really strange that some of the courses require so much extra work, while others are comparatively mild. I believe this really damages their ability to divide their attention even

After missing Sujay due to strange scheduling, we met him by chance at the Grizzly and people even played some pool.

Sunday was less interesting, but also quite nice. And Monday awoke to Kingston covered in snow, and it snowed the whole day. I guess the winter arrived again.

Co-op life means that you have to help out in the kitchen for 3 hours a week. This first week I was scheduled for only two hours today, before lunch. The menu consisted of vegetarian (right) and chicken curry (left).
I didn't do much. Chopped green and red peppers and then mixed it all in the big pans. It wasn't exactly mind blowing, but it wasn't devoid of fun.
Because I had classes already at 12, I skipped lunch which I replaced with two great sandwiches I prepared before leaving the kitchen. I also didn't like the prospect of eating curry with peppers, so I was content.


I attended the marketing class today. I am not enrolled on the course, but am happy that I am allowed to sit in on classes. Or audit, as they say over here. The class was good, the teacher is certainly great. But it was draining, six continues hours of marketing material I am already familiar with. But we had breaks and it is always good to listen to a new viewpoint by an experienced lecturer.
Tomorrow the morning is free. Or almost. There is some preparation to do for Problem Based Learning and Financing New Ventures.

I arrived tired and hungry, but safe and well, in Kingston, Ontario, my last stop outside of Germany in the globe trotting MBA.
And this is what I found in the basement:


This is surely a good start here in Kingston. Other than that, the city seems deserted, it was already dark when I arrived, quite cold (the taxi driver told me -4°C) and we have about 40 cm of beautiful snow.
And I am going to bed now. See you all tomorrow.