#3: First Quarter done! (December 2011)

"See, there's Mount St Helens over there, and that one's Mt Hood."
"Its cloudy as over there, I can't see it."
"Yes, but its there. Look above the clouds."
"Ho-ly!"

Tena ano hoki koutou ma e noho ana kei runga i to waka, to whenua, to aronga hoki. Tena koutou katoa! Greetings to all of you in the midst of your canoe, lands, and pursuits. Greetings to one and all.

This my third blog will share a bit about what I've been learning at Graduate School, and some of the other things I've been doing these past ten weeks. 

My first month in Portland

Looking back on my first month in Portland, I have to consider myself incredibly lucky. I am living in a place that is similar enough to home that it feels pretty familiar, and yet different enough that I am able to experience new things. I have come to a place where the people are adventurous, alternative, progressive and where sustainability is not a gimmick, its just what is expected. I have met the Dean of my School, the Mayor of Portland, and a former US Ambassador to New Zealand. I have been welcomed into peoples' lives and peoples' homes. For these things and for so many other reasons, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity that I have been given.

What I've been learning

I am doing the MBA at Portland State's business school as a full-time student, which takes almost 2 years, from September 2011 to June 2013.

Students are put through the MBA program as a cohort - my classmates and I will go through the two year program together. For now, we are covering the foundation courses, then in our second year we get to branch out into specific fields of interest, and top it all off with a live project with a local business.

I'm going to give you a bit of detail on two of my classes that I have found most interesting so far - leadership assessment and marketing.

The leadership class is a very unique university experience, in that the key content of the course is.... us. Rather than focusing on the key concepts and theories of leadership (we do go over some of these), the focus is on making us more effective leaders.

We have completed numerous assessments to gather data about our character, attitudes and dominant leadership styles. Myers-Briggs and 360-degree surveys were some of the assessments we did. We also buddied-up with one of our classmates to engage in peer coaching sessions - helping each other to develop and practice other styles of leadership that we may not be very confident with, but could come in handy. We are utilizing two books for the leadership class that I have found very helpful and easy to read: Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, and Quiet Leadership by David Rock.

In the marketing course we have been taken through all the key components of the marketing landscape, from understanding the need of the market all the way to identifying the best business model to use to successfully launch the business. A fantastic book we are using is Business Model Generation, edited by Alexander Osterwalder.

We worked in groups to practice what we are learning, identifying a need in Week 3 and then pitching our product concept in a sort of Dragon's Den format Week 10. The outputs required in such a short time while figuring out how to work effectively as a team was a huge challenge, but it was great to apply what we were learning straight away, and also enabled us to utilize what we were learning in our leadership class to better work alongside my classmates.

To start our marketing project, my group asked "why is child obesity on the rise?" using a "Fishbone diagram"

Exploring Portland

I have never been in a place where Autumn is so colorful and vivid. As I ride the morning bus over the river, the the central city from the riverbank to the foothills is awash in color. Its like all the trees held a conference and decided it was best to disencumber themselves for a while. They are all doing it at their own pace, but a date has been set and they will surely all get there by the agreed deadline. The leaf blowers are incessant though and deserve a repeat mention.

One of the highlights has been the natural environment here: thick forests, big hills, rugged coastlines. Reminds me of home.

One October Sunday it was a warm and sunny afternoon, and I went running up a trail through Forest Park, a hill close to the city that is forested on its northern face. We ran amongst the trees for 5km, all uphill, and arrived topside in front of this old estate called Pittock House. Walking around the other side you can look out over Portland, and I was shown the mountains of Mounts Hood and St Helens in the distance. Little did I know that Hood and St Helens can have snow all year round at their peaks. They are very impressive. Mt Hood is a only a couple hundred feet shorter than Aoraki/Mt Cook. Mt St Helens apparently was taller but it blew its top a few years ago. Dante's Peak made it famous. Kind of.

Downtown Portland with snow-capped peaks in the distance

Since this is my last post for 2011, I just wanted to wish everyone who reads this a very safe and happy New Year. Cheers and many successes to you and yours in 2012!



PLEASE NOTE:

This is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views expressed in this blog are mine alone and do not represent the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or the New Zealand government.

#2: Back to school eah! (September 15 - 25 2011)

E tipu e rea mo nga ra o tou ao
Ko tō ringa ki ngā rākau a te Pāhekā, hei ara mō tō tinana,
Ko tō ngākau ki ngā taonga a ā tīpuna Māori, hei tikitiki mō tō māhuna,
Ā, ko tō wairua ki tō Atua, Nāna nei ngā mea katoa.

Grow up and thrive for the days destined to you.
Your hands to the tools of the Pakeha [the Western world] to provide physical sustenance.
Your heart to the treasures of your ancestors as a diadem for your brow.
Your spirit to your God to whom all things belong.



Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena ano tatou katoa. Greetings to friends and family all.

This blog is about my first experiences of being a student at Portland State University, which will be my occupation, my home base, my life, my bane, for the next 18 months.

Portland State University (PSU)

The PSU campus is located in downtown Porltand, at the southern end. One of the huge benefits of this is that it sits right on the free zone for the trains, so you can get to your favorite lunch spot (or your favorite publican) pretty easy. 

The newer buildings are pretty flash, I like the Urban Center with its rooftop garden. And the basketball courts look out from the third floor of the rec center. The Park Blocks, this strip of trees and outdoor seating that stretches for five blocks through the campus, are beautiful; a bit of nature and peace in the heart of the city - except for those leaf blowers. There are trees, they have leaves, which fall. Deal with it people.  

PSU is located in the southern part of the Portland CBD

The South Park Blocks is 5 blocks of green through the PSU campus

Another huge benefit is that there are plenty of opportunities to interact with people who work in downtown businesses and organizations. An example of the benefits of a downtown campus is last weekend - PSU's Hatfield School of Government hosted the Second Annual  International Conference on Government Performance and Leadership. Over 100 international guests  attended. 

The proximity of the University to hotels with both accommodation and conference facilities, restaurants and entertainment makes that possible. I helped out at the conference as a student volunteer, and got to meet the Mayor of Portland City.

Sam Adams, Mayor of the City of Portland, speaking at PSU Oct 1, 2011

Business School orientation 

Before classes began I got to meet my classmates for the next 18 months: we are the full-time MBA 'cohort' (that word gets used a lot here) for 2013, which is when we will graduate. We will work, study, play, laugh (and probably cry a little) together for the next couple years. 

We are a diverse bunch. Around 50% come from a non-business backgrounds; 30% are international students. We are going to have a lot of fun bouncing ideas around and bringing a diverse range of experiences, knowledge and interests to bear upon our coursework.

On Your Feet

At our orientation we got to participate in a workshop delivered by a company called On Your Feet. OYF was set up in part by a graduate of the PSU MBA program. They have worked with top level executives, sales teams and whole organizations, including Nike, Disney and GE.

What they do is utilize improv to stimulate creative energy in businesses. For example, we played this game where in pairs one person had to just make up a story on the spot, and the other person would blurt out a word every now and then, and you had to incorporate that thing into your story. We also mimicked the contrast in body language between a doubtful and a confident person.

There was a lot of laughter and some lessons too. I learned about what it means to tap into one's creative energies. Here is the crux of the improv ethos they showed us - I think they are really relevant to both personal and organizational development:

• Nothing creative will emerge if people don't feel its ok to make a mistake 
• Notice more and do less
• Build on offers. Integrate whats just been said into your own idea. See where it takes you

International Student Orientation

This two day orientation was a mixed bag. The great part was meeting our international student mentors, who had a lot of insights and good tricks for getting free stuff, yeyah! It was also a great source of new friends.Last weekend I introduced a few to the Warriors. Next year boys!

Nik (Germany), Rebecka (Sweden), Amaya (Ecuador), Johannis (Germany)

Public Radio appearance

Last Monday afternoon, I'm eating my apple during the break of my first class, and I get a call: 'Hey Simon, want to go on the radio tomorrow and tell people why you chose to study in Portland?' Heck yeah. The Oregan Public Broadcasting (OPB) morning show Think Out Loud ran a story on the record levels of international students studying in Oregon. Click here to listen.

Exploring Portland

The other weekend, a few of us international's along with one of our student mentors took a ride out to the Oregon coastline. It was a real treat to see and feel the ocean again. This is the coast featured in one of my favorite childhood films, The Goonies. 

Cannon Beach, Oregon coastline

Key observations
Is that rain? Nah its more of a mist that moves downwards
Oregon has no sales tax, so no surprises when you get to the counter to pay!


Nga mihi nunui ki a tatou katoa
Kia ora tonu mai,


Simon

PLEASE NOTE:

This is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views expressed in this blog are mine alone and do not represent the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or the New Zealand government.

#1: The Journey begins! (Sept 5 - 11 2011)

Monday 5th September: its a beautiful sunny Monday morning and even though I've only had four hours sleep I'm relaxed, calm, but excited. Have I got everything I need for two years? Heck no, but I've got the essentials. 

I meet Julia Talbot-Jones - another NZ Fulbrighter - at the check-in after she gets in from Christchurch and we have plenty of time before heading to the gate. I was so glad and grateful to have a couple key family members see me off. Kia ora ra! As we walk through the lounges I hear 'Hey' and turn around to see the boys of the Gaualofa, the sailing canoe from Samoa that I sailed with for two months! (See Pacific Voyagers). They'd just returned from San Diego and were awaiting their flight back to Samoa. Man, it was a very pleasant surprise to see them.

12 hours in the air and two at LAX and Jules and I are free to explore LA for a whole day before our next flight. Sleep deprivation is there but its a sunny day and the city is a little depressing, so we jump on a train and go south to Long Beach, California. Yes, its Summertime in the LBC. 

I convinced Julia that we'd get a better view from the water, so we jumped on one of the big boats at the pier for a 30 min harbor cruise. Fresh air and sunshine, oh yeah. A nap on the grass and a bit of food and we were then ready to go. 

View of Long Beach from the water

Gateway to the USA - orientation at the University of Iowa

The next morning we were in Iowa. Where is that? Its right in the middle of America, just south of Chicago. It produces lots of corn, beef, NFL players, and University degrees. 

The University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, whereas the state capital is further South in a place called Des Moines. Iowa City is a campus town, and a really good one. The whole city is focused on and built to accommodate the University.

University of Iowa

I met 40 other Fulbright scholars from all regions and continents of the world, who like me had just arrived in the US and were about to begin their studies. It was a regular United Nations youth council.

What is Fulbright all about? J William Fulbright was a US Senator who believed that cultural exchange through study abroad was one of the best ways to engender a more peaceful international community. It is this vision that has helped to make The Fulbright Program so successful and prestigious. Tau ke! Awesome!

We learned about what it means to be a Fulbright scholar in America. But it would not be complete without Americans. Getting first hand experience of what life is like here and just how much diversity there is within America was awesome. The four lead organizers of the orientation all spoke with a different American accent and were from different parts of the country.

A 'boot'

Finally, the orientation was a great introduction to the social lives of Americans. I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of microbreweries, and the range of types and places of origin of the beer. The other thing you notice is the portion sizes, they're enormous! And so I will be too if I'm not careful!

Arrival in Portland

Since arriving in Portland it has been nothing short of one big random chain of events. Thats traveling, you just have to embrace it.

As soon as I touched down, the spirit of friendship and hospitality that is Portland came to the fore. Thank you to David Salseth, a volunteer with FOCUS, a student support group for international students, who picked me up from the airport (and then came back to drop off the bag I'd left in his car - legend!). FOCUS webpage

I stayed at the Hostelling International Portland on SE Hawthorne St for the first week. HI Portland was a great hostel for the people I met and the recycling and gardening they do. I met people and with them met other people and positive things happened. 

First impressions of Portland

Multnomah Falls

As for the vibe of the city, I've been blown away by the people here. They are extremely helpful and friendly. They also make a point of being alternative i.e. not mainstream American. 

I've had numerous offers from people who like to go hiking, camping etc if I'd like to join them I should just let them know. They want to show you all the awesome things this place has to offer because they are proud of the place that they live in.

The city is well organized, there are lots of parks, transport system is really good, lots of trees all around the streets. People are really into leading their own lives and living a purposely alternative lifestyle. 

First words to describe Portland

Active of body and mind
Alternative
Tattoos - tons of tattoos
Food carts! (over 450 in the city of Portland)

Nature highlights
Watching squirrels scurry along the power lines to get to the trees across the street.

Multnomah Falls just to the North East of Portland


Thats it for blog 1! In the next post, I'll let you know about what Portland State University is like.

Ma to atua e tiaki e manaaki. Noho ora tonu mai ra! 

May your creator protect and care for you. Be well!


Simon

PLEASE NOTE:


This is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views expressed in this blog are mine alone and do not represent the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or the New Zealand government.