In response to a question posed by the IE LLM in International Business Law application.

1. IE Application:
Express Yourself

2. The first thing that came to my mind when I read Question
(i) was traveling. Unsatisfied with that answers though, I
found myself asking: “but why?”
My response to that question was a very simple one; I enjoy
all my trips because “…I enjoy the people I meet on them”.
Therefore, I decided to put together this presentation, in
order to introduce you to some of the most interesting and
caring individuals I have had the pleasure of meeting. Each
person I’ve met has taught me something new about my
self and the world around me. Their friendships keep me
restless and ambitious; each shaping the person I am and
want to be and helping me find my own definition of
success.
So without further ado it is my pleasure to introduce you to…

3. In Brief…

4. Where it all began… PARIS
The Summer of 2009 I realized that I’ve never been
“homesick” and probably never will be. If you believe
that “home is where the heart is” as I do, then you will
understand when I tell you that my heart is with family
and friends old and new dispersed throughout the
world. Therefore, my definition of “home” is not one
marked by fixed geographical boundaries but by
constantly expanding and changing ones.
This is by far the greatest lesson I believe living in Paris
with Sophie and her dog Barbes, my host-family, could
have taught me.
Sophie is a mother of three and a successful business
woman that lives six months out of the year in Paris and
the other six months abroad, every year in a different
place.
She is an adventurous and loved woman and taught me
that age would never cure my restlessness, because for
us the world is too interesting a place with too much to
teach us to be let go unexplored.
Sophie

5. Where it gave me courage to go NYC….
Since 2011, I have held the title of ‘Honorary
Lebanese’ and been inseparable from Mel, Chase,
Joya and Jess.
While Lebanon may have given them an instant
connection, the experiences we’ve shared together
in NYC have allowed us to establish a unique
connection of our own. They have taught me that:
(1) humanity can overcome culture, political
influences, economic disparities etc.
(2) if we learn to recognize the similarities we share
with others, as easily as we do the differences, we
will realize that we are all the same.
(3) sometimes only distance can help you realize
what matters to you most
(4) change is humbling and often times necessary for
growth.
(4) the comradery that exists amongst those that
share the same culture is a beautiful thing that
should be embraced and never twisted into a
mechanism for exclusion.
(5) what excites me most about new friends from
foreign places is the curiosity they spark in me to
want to learn more and not just learn to know but
learn to live!
Jessica
Chase

6. How we met:
• I met Tomas while he was visiting
NYC.
• I met Marcie, Nicole and Caitlin in
Argentina via a mutual friend.
• I met Maria in high school in
Miami, Florida.
How we all ended up in
Argentina together:
• Tomas is Argentinian and lives in
Buenos Aires. All his raving about
BA made me infatuated with
visiting.
• Therefore, when I found out from
my friend Jessica (the Lebanese)
that her friends Marcie, Nicole
and Caitlin were planning a trip to
Argentina, I jumped on it!
• Coincidently, my best friend from
high school Maria happen to be
assigned to a work project in BA at
this same time.
The lesson they taught me:
Don’t wait for the perfect moment,
take the moment and make it perfect.
A
R
G
E
N
T
I
N
A

7. Eugenio “Chicho”
Los dos hermanos mas queridos:
My first day in Buenos Aires I had the pleasure of meeting Magda and
Chico, siblings born and raised in Buenos Aires. I could immediately
tell they were genuinely nice people or as they’d put it “buena onda”
.
The next few days only confirmed this; they introduced me to their
family, invited me to Chicho’s birthday celebration, toured me through
the city of Tigre and most fun all for me allowed me to tag along with
them everywhere from grocery shopping to sharing mate with friends.
How special and lucky their kindness made me feel has made
me more conscious than ever about the fact that sometimes
sharing the most ordinary and simple experiences in ones lives
with another can mean the world to them and give them a
special feeling of belonging.
We should all seize the opportunity to impress on others the
same level of kindness and generosity Magda and Chicho
impressed on me. In the short period of time I was BA, thanks to
them, I got to experience life as a local even if for just a few days
and that’s why I love to travel.

8. A little taste of Italy that kept me wanting more!
Stop 1: Lake Como, Bellagio
While I will never forget Lake Como’s beauty, I
will be most excited upon my next visit to
stop into Bar Sport and Pescallo di Bellagio to
see my friends Augusto and Michele.
Augusto was born and raised in Bellagio and
ran Bar Sport, a long time family business.
When he heard my friend and I speaking
Spanish he asked where we were from. I
responded Cuban and his eye lit up with
excitement! Augusto had just returned from a
trip to Cuba; who would have thought!
In brief, we talked for hours as Augusto
showed me pictures and videos of all the
places he’s traveled.
His enthusiasm to share with me his stories
and his passion for traveling and love for his
home Bellagio, which he had never left but
for his brief trips abroad was contagious.
Augusto gave me hope that one day I will be
able to love a place, as much as he did
Bellagio, despite my having a never ending
desire to travel to new places and experience
different cultures.
Augusto

9. I met Michele because he runs Bellagio Watersport and I decided to take his kayaking tour of Lake Como. This was one of the
best decisions I made that trip.
I knew Michele wasn’t just an average guide when I noticed our 2 hour tour was running over and Michele was in no hurry to
end it. Instead Michele continued chatting and enjoying our time on the lake and treated us like friends not clients.
It was obvious from our conversation that Michele had a passion for rowing and watersports; and therefore choose to turn his
passion into a business like a true entrepreneur.
While we all want to achieve what Michele has, it sometimes takes a little reminder and some reinforcing to keep us from giving
into the pressures to do something else and fear that we won’t be happy if we don’t achieve a certain “success”.
I met Michele just before my last semester of law school and I am gratful for him because he reminded me to do pursue what
makes me happy and not worry about others expectations for me because in the end what we all want and admire in one
another is the bravery to find what truly makes us happy.
Michele

10. As this presentation comes to an end, I want to
introduce you to the three Spaniards that helped
solidify my decision to apply for IE’s LLM in
International Business Law.
I met Dani, Diego and Laura in NYC where they
were working and studying temporarily. Dani and
Diego are from Madrid while Laura is from
Barcelona. They became not just my friends but
my support and inspiration to pursue my desire to
move to Madrid.
One of the greatest lessons I learned in law school
is the importance of taking a step outside the legal
bubble and asking the opinion of someone
completely disconnected from it all. That’s where
Diego, Dani and Laura come in.
The reminded me that I shouldn’t feel locked into
practicing law but rather see my degree as a tool
for unlocking many more opportunities.
They encouraged me to use the skills I learned in
law school, most importantly perseverance, to
discover something that makes me want to put all
my energies into it rather than jump into a non-
excited day job.
Next Stop España…
Diego

11. The time is NOW or never!
Each and every person and trip mentioned in this presentation
today serves as my motivation and guarantee that the time to
make the move is now or never!
I achieved what I wanted to academically and am proud to say I am
a more disciplined and educated a person because of it, but it’s
time to take what I’ve learned, what I know I love to do and what I
hope it will help me achieve and make it happen..
For all the lessons I’ve learned and beautiful people I’ve met (and
have yet to meet) I am thankful, for they are the greatest learning
tools life has offered me.