Insurance, ay ay ay

Now that our visa and residence permit applications have been sent in, Ashley and I have set our sights on the next big bureaucratic hurdle: our insurance. For us this is an especially important step, since we'll be moving to Lausanne before the baby comes. We know we'll be visiting doctors as soon as set foot in Switzerland, so it is absolutely critical that we have it all figured out by the time we leave!

Our situation is kind of unique, because Ashley is planning to continue working remotely from Lausanne next year. And right now I am enrolled as a spouse in her insurance plan through her employer. So there's a chance we can both just stay on this same plan, and then add the baby to the policy when the time comes. Simple enough, right?

I wish!

Marshmallow's pre-2014 reading list

As the time to jet off to Switzerland draws closer, I've found myself thinking more and more about what I can do to prepare for next year. I figure any knowledge I can gain to save myself time and/or stress when the baby arrives and the MBA program starts will be time well spent.

One obvious way to get ahead is to read books while I still have a bit of free time. This way I can get more familiar with some of the topics that I will be encountering next year, or at least start getting in the right frame of mind.

Here is my desired reading list for the next few months. Realistically speaking, I probably won't get to many of these, but I'll try! If anyone has any must-reads you would add to the list please let me know. Same if you've read any of these and know they will be a waste of time!

10 more things I am looking forward to about living in Switzerland

To follow up on my initial list, here are 10 more things I am excited to experience during my adventure in Switzerland:

• #1 The mild climate
Considering I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, you would think I would be all about the scorching hot weather (much like Ashley is!). The truth is I actually really enjoy milder weather. It seems Lausanne's climate stays within a pretty comfortable range. Winters don't seem excessively cold or snowy, but have enough of both to be charming and enjoyable. Summers don't seem to get too hot and sticky, but there seem to be a fair share of warm sunny days. Lausanne does seem grayer/wetter than I would like, but as a whole I think I will enjoy the milder weather there. Hopefully Ashley will be able to appreciate it too!


• #2 - More coverage and access to sports like Soccer and Formula One



Hopefully everyone will just accept that Brazil will win it all in 2014, so no friendships will be damaged.

Being Brazilian I obviously love soccer (maybe I should get re-accustomed to calling it football). But I have to say in the US it is very hard to follow it consistently. A lot of the interesting matches fall at awkward times, there's not a whole lot of media coverage, and it takes some effort and planning to stay on top of it. I also enjoy Formula One, but the races fall at even more awkward times, and the sport gets even less attention over here. Being in Europe I am excited to have more access and to be a little more informed about some of my long-lost favorite sports. You know what's gonna be really cool (and potentially problematic) next year at IMD? Being friends with people from all kinds of powerhouse soccer nations, during a World Cup year!

November 24th: our official arrival date

It's official! Ashley and I will be arriving in Lausanne on November 24th. In a way it feels like we have quite a bit of time until the big day, but then when I think about how much we have to do, it's really not that much time at all. November 24th works out well with our schedules. It's still early enough that Ashley can fly safely, but it allows me to receive a paycheck for as long as possible before the move. It will be nice to have a few weeks in Lausanne before the program begins too, to make sure we're all settled in and ready for Little Marshmallow's arrival. And perhaps we'll be able to take a short trip somewhere nearby for a couple days. The one thing that is kind of a pain is that we will need to find some temporary accommodation until our permanent place becomes available in mid-December. It's exciting that we have a definitive date marked on the calendar though! If anyone will be in Lausanne then and would like to get together for a beer, let me know!

On this day in 2014 Marshmallow will have hardly any hair left on his head. The ones that do survive will probably be grey.

I finally told the boss!

This week I finally told my work about being accepted to IMD. Even though in theory this is a situation where you go in with a "who cares what they say!" attitude, it still made me a little nervous to break the news to my managers. I've worked with these guys for a few years now and I have a ton of respect for them, so I wasn't quite sure how they would react. Thankfully it went well!

When I first started looking at applying to MBA programs (feels like forever ago!), I debated whether or not I should tell my managers about it. I thought they could be a good resource to discuss my goals and my career progression, and give me some good feedback. They also know my strengths and weaknesses very well, so they would probably write the most accurate and compelling recommendation letters. I also thought they may feel betrayed if I did get in and eventually had to tell them I had been applying to business school behind their backs the whole time.