What a last week!

Hey Guys,

What a crazy last week! Basically 3 interviews were set up in a span of 24 hours (Mon-Tues). I got an email from the Yoox Group on Monday, email from Inditex (finally) on Tuesday, and a call from LVMH Southern Europe on Tuesday. Therefore the interviews went as so:

Wednesday – Inditex
This interview was via videoconferencing in their Milan office. The first 3-4 minutes I didn’t have any audio and they couldn’t hear me, so that was a tad messy. Then they wanted to conduct the interview in Spanish and I had to tell them that my Italian has taken over my brain given since I had been immersed in Italy for the past 5-6 months. The interview was going fairly well until they explained more about how they had changed the General Management Program. This meant that instead of fast-tracking to Country Manager in 2-3 years, they were looking more at the functional level (Logisitic, Finance, HR, etc) to stay in their home office. They happened to be looking to fill their finance function and thought I would be a great candidate for the role. When they said finance, I gagged. You all know how I find it quite difficult to mask my emotions (everything is written on my face). I think they noticed it and noticed that I was a bit turned off by the thought. Anyway, the interview lasted all of 25 minutes. That’s the shortest interview I have ever had. I tried to save my behind with the follow up thank you email but I think it was too late. I haven’t heard anything from them yet. We shall see next week (either way) as they were looking to secure that position rather quickly. We will see. What I learned from that whole experience is that sometimes you have a dream company but not the dream job, or vice versa in the case of the Yoox Group. I later researched the financial track at the Inditex group and say that it had the potential to become a Country Manager after 3-4 years, which is not bad at all.

Thursday – Yoox Group
After the somewhat disastrous trial with Inditex, I was well prepared to kill my Yoox interview. I first meet with the Interim HR Director who is a Columbia Alum, so the pressure was kinda on. We spoke candidly about the role, the company, and being an MBA. We then started talking about the business and its metrics, like Average Value of Customer or conversion rates. Lets just say we were drawing graph lines on top of each others while discussing the business.. It could have been a b-school or math class, and I loved it. I then met with the commercial director who basically does what I would be doing but for the entire business. He was a definite academic who had other dreams about saving the world instead of selling discounted luxury items. He also tested my math/statistics skills for a while, and then my potential boss came in the room and it was three on one, but I held my own quite well and was giving it to them straight no chaser as my family says. It reminded me how much of a math dork I am. The downsides to this position are that 1) it is located in New York and I wanted to be in Europe after graduation, and 2) the want to start training me in March and then give me a slight 2-3 week break in June instead of the normal 3 month break for an MBA. It would totally ruin my Paris plans. Again we will see but I can say that the interview stretched me in good ways and I felt comfortable with the group.

Friday – LVMH Southern Europe
The last interview was at 10am with the HR Director for all of Southern Europe. He was actually a very cool guy, even though he was about 15 minutes late. He explained to me that 70% of open positions are not even posted to the public and that LVMH is truly a great company with great international mobility. He explained working in the stores in a way that no one else had done so which made me more excited about the opportunity. I could potentially enter as a sales manager in complete charge of a department (probably either leather goods or mens RTW and shoes) and have 15 people working for me and have actual P&L responsibility. I think I could do that for 3-6 months before becoming a Store Manager (although if I can avoid it or shorten the time, I would like to). He then explained that Milan is going to become the South Europe Headquarters for LVMH and it is a great time to join the company. Give my profile and experience with Tom Ford, they are seriously considering me for the Merchandising Manager for Mens RTW/Shoes for all of the Southern Europe territories. This includes Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Northern Africa, all of the Middle East and India. I think it would be an amazing opportunity and something I would love to do, he did however mention that he did not recommend me going straight into the position. I think once I get the offer we can discuss the nuisances of my career plan for the next 5-6 years. I definitely want to be in the Global Headquarters in Paris at some point after my stint as the Merchandising Manager. Also, I heard from the SDA Bocconi Career Director that the salaries of LVMH were somewhat low. I am hoping they respect the Columbia MBA and pay me according, also because I was actually making a good salary before Business school.

Right now I have ranked the opportunities
1) LVMH
2) Inditex Group
3) Yoox Group

Yes, I did an analysis that I learned in b-school and this is how everything turned out. I am excited about the opportunity to live and work in Europe and feel so grateful that I stayed an extra two weeks from my original plan so that these interviews could happen. Everything happens for a reason. I’m boarding the plane now. Much Love. A

I will write a last post about lasting thoughts and takeaways from the experience here.

(BTW, I just had a run in with some Italian Police who thought it was cute to stop me and have my baggage put through a conveyor belt even though I hadn’t checked in. I called them racists and idiots and they gagged, but they couldn’t do anything because I’m American. Thank the Lord for that!)

Last Week in Milan!

Wow, how time flies when you are doing lots of Italian guys and making it work in Milan. I am currently trying to get my life together which includes packing, finishing some interviews and saying bye to some friends I've made here. Last week I ditched work on Wednesday because I am completely over and not really doing anything anymore. Tom Ford is long gone back to London and there is really nothing for me to do. Last Thursday I had a meeting with the US Country Manager at Yoox.com which went really well. The position sounds great. The only thing is that it is in NYC and I really wanted to be in Europe post-MBA. I will continue witht he process which includes meeting with the Global Commercial Director and the HR Director (who is a Columbia Alum) this Thursday. Meeting with Columbia Alums are always a bit scary because you want to represent the brand well and they are generally a bit harder on you because they know that CBS is one of the best! That should be interesting. I'm hoping that it won't be all in Italian, so I can really impress them. Anyway we will see. I also just followed up with LVMH Italia. It sounds like they really want me to start in retail. I will move forward with them just to see where it goes. I was supposed to go to Rome this weekend with my friend Jerry but he pulled out at the last minute so I canceled it as well. I also relaxed my hair.

Something is going on with me uploading the relaxed hair pics but please believe it is cute and I am making it work. I always have to make the Italians gag! Anyway, I can't wait to get back to the states. I definitely need a break from Italy and more specifically Milan. The weather is horrible and the people are rude, nasty, and cold. The "break" will do me good I think. Some of these CBS classes are already demanding massive amounts of homework, which I am not a fan of! Ok, I am starving and have to watch my last Italian big brother GRANDE FRATELLO! Oh how I will miss this show. I will see you all very soon.

-Anwar

Another Messy Week

Hey Guys,

I hope things are good. I had an interesting week. So on Thursday at work we went through the entire collection and my boss, the General Manager went through every detail of every piece. It was interesting but very tiring (to say the least). I then met up with Samuel for a date. We had coffee and chatted a bit and then we went our separate ways. It was a good convo but since I am leaving I don't know what will happen. I then went home and proceeded to do internet research on Louis Viutton and Career Paths of MBAs. I still don't how I feel about working in stores but we will see. Maybe I can bypass it someway. Friday was hectic but good. We still had a mini training in the morning and I had my lunch date with Luigi. We went to this chic restaurant on top of La Rinascente, the department store in Italy. I then rushed my behind to meet with the VP of Larusmiani (a mens lux apparel and textile company) here in Milan. The meeting went really well. It was really an informal conversation (all in Italian of course). He showed me around and nonchallantly offered me a position as a general product manager for all three (mens, womens, childrens) lines. We will see if that pans out. The Italians say a lot of things, but who knows if it really means anything. After that I went back to the office for a little bit and then went home. I had a chat with a current LVMH store manager here in Italy and he was saying that I should play hard ball with the HR Director since she will probably never see a profile like mine. I thanked him and felt more confident about the situation. After that Jerry came over and then we went out for drinks at L'elephante. Saturday I was a mess and didn't do anything but stay home, I had a headache like all day. Saturday night we went to Magazzini where I saw the infamous Clark Kent. He basically stalked me all around the club for 2 hours. We ended up making out (and making it work) on the dance floor. I go to the bathroom with Jerry and he is int he corner kissing another guy! You gotta love the Italians (and I do)! Sunday I was a complete mess and stayed home all day. I got speak with my sister in Memphis and my friend Ryan in LA so it wasn't too much of a waste of a day. We then went to two clubs last night. The first was an opening called Circus but it was too young and lame so we went to Borgo where we (Jerry and I) worked it out for the boys. It was a cute night. Jerry's roommate picked us and took us home. Today (Monday) and Tuesday I don't have work cause it is a press day in the showroom. I went to the Etro Show today was which nothing less than Inspiration. The theme was inside out centered around the animal OWL. This peaceful being on the outside but a beast on the inside. It was so cute. I will post my video sometime this week/weekend. Jerry and I are going to Rome this week since it is my last full weekend in Italy for a while. It should be a lot of fun.

Take care y'all!

-Anwar

I am mess but interviewing with LVMH

Hey Guys,
I hope this blog posting finds everyone well. This weekend was nice and chill. Actually I was kind of a mess! Friday after work, I came home, went grocery shopping because I was in desperate need of some food (and toilet paper) and just watch TV and some movies until 2-3am. I then woke up because I was meeting with Andrea (Mr. Obsessed with me) at 11am. I feverishly cleaned my apartment for an hour and took a shower. I made coffee and he brought some pastries and we had a nice brunch/late breakfast. It turns out he lived in Germany for 10 years and worked as a Hotel Manager there, and of all places Hamburg! Ufff, I am not a fan of Hamburg but it was nice chatting German with him for a while. I had to remind him that I needed to practice my Italian so we had to speak in Italian. After breakfast we chilled on my sofa and chatted for a while before he started giving me a massage and…. Let’s just say no pene, but it was hot and he was packin a bit so I wasn’t mad at him. We took a shower afterward and he peaced out. I then went to the Internet store to reload my Internet and ran into three hot models from England. THE MALE MODELS ARE IN TOWN! GET INTO IT! After that I went to my school since it is only a couple of blocks away from my Internet store. I got some candy, got a doner kebab, and did my internet thing for a while before coming home to get ready for my date with Simone at 8pm. The date went well although Simone was acting weird. The pizza was amazing as usual and we had a good conversation. I paid for it since I felt bad about the last time we went out. He drove me home and he kissed me on the cheek and went home. He was apparently tired and had an early morning the next morning. I was over it at that point and realized he wasn’t feeling me like he should so he has been pretty much cut off. Saturday night I passed out on my couch again watching some foolish Italian movie. Messy! Sunday I woke up early and went to this swap meet that they have outside of town. I bought two dvds (The Thomas Crown Affair and Cocoons). These were just for language learning purposes. I still have to get 3 Can Play That Game and some other movies so I have consistent listening comprehension material when I return (which is less that three weeks away). I was seriously on the Internet for like 8 hours on Sunday, chatting, skyping, facebooking, emailing, researching, you name it I did it. I didn’t go to bed until like 3-4 in the morning. I was such a mess Monday morning I called in sick.
I then used Monday to do my interview research for LVMH at my school and got another doner kebab! I called in sick again Tuesday for the actual interview, which went well. The funny thing is I think I actually needed the day off. After the interview I passed out for four hours. Can you say mess or messy? I can! I ended up chatting with 3 people from my high school. One who is in Paris who had dinner with someone who knew me. Random much! It was actually a shady gay guy from L’Oreal who is apparently sick of working for L’Oreal. I told her to give him my contact information and I will see if I can help him in anyway. It is called paying it forward people, get into it. I then spoke with a closer friend from high school who is in medical school in Australia and loving it. It was great to catch up with her. I then spoke with one of my few close straight male friends and he actually proposed a very interesting idea/project that I am currently fleshing out and am very excited about. We will see how it goes, but let’s just say it is cool, promising, and has gotten my attention, which takes a miracle! I am considering writing a business plan and submitting it to a program at Columbia Business School.
Anyway, more about the interview. It was in Italian, which was kind of shocking because I practiced my story and answers in English but right when she met me she asked if I spoke Italian and I said yes so if was off to the races from there. She mostly asked me about my educational background and my stints at Tom Ford and Versace. She was very enthusiastic about my profile but thought that starting the process now would be too early since I was looking to start in September (summer in Paris solidifying my French skills), so I clarified that I could start in May and that I feared that if we started the process earlier I would have offer at different companies that I probably would not feel comfortable giving up just to start the LVMH process which may or may not yield anything. She agreed so we will continue the process. She told me that she will contact me in a couple of weeks when some managers from the Paris HQ come to interview candidates. After doing my research about the company, I was excited to hear about the responsibility promised in such a short amount of time. The negative (which I’m told is a positive) is that the MBA management program requires that you work in stores for 12-18 months. I think I could be a sales manager for about 6 months and then become a store manager for a year before moving on to a General/Country Manager position and 3-5 years from that become a Managing Director of a region. I told her about my plan and she thought I was overly ambitious. That is not the first time I have heard this in Italy. Such positions take people 20 years to achieve. It is a difference in culture. I mean the men live with their parents until age 30-35, are you kidding me? I’m not the one, especially being out of the house at age 14 and having lived my life. Ohhhh yeah, I forgot to tell you, I wore some fake artsy fartsy glasses to the interview and she complimented me on them, I was giving sick Tom Ford look T. She asked me what brands I loved and would wear and I told her TOM FORD and some pieces of Dolce and Gabbana. I think the glasses made me look smarter, older, and more of an aesthete (sp?). Anyway, I have a meeting with a guy at Larusmiani on Friday at 2:30 to discuss the business and possible future opportunities. We will see how that goes. I have a date tonight after work and a date Thursday after work and a lunch date on Friday. I get over guys (Simone, Roberto) quite quickly, as you can see. I might call Andrea for another “session”. Okay now I’m talking out of the side of my head. That usually means I should stop typing. Ciao.

-Anwar

The New Life

Hey Guys,

I forget the last time that I actually posted a blog entry. Let’s get you all caught up on everything that has happened. Well, I haven’t had Internet for about a week because I haven’t had time to reload it since the holidays (everything is closed) and then work has got me clocking 8-8pm. By the time I get home, everything is closed. Italy is a tad technologically behind so doing something online is close to impossible. I was actually able to recharge yesterday but I think I messed up. They told me that my promotion of 100 hours for 20 euro would be set up for this morning. I went on last night because I remembered the guy said that I had 5 euro of credit that I could use. I am hoping that my use of the internet has not turned on the regular .50 euro for 15 minutes. We will see. If I messed up, I will just have to pay another 20 euro in the near future, ahha.

Anyway I was at work Monday and Tuesday and was off on Wednesday due to Befana (or Epiphany). I love Italy and its many holidays. Thursday was the first day in the Tom Ford Showroom in Milan. He actually came around 5 or 6pm and my boss did not come in, so I was unable to actually see the man himself yesterday but I am sure I will see him and be introduced to him today. BTW the people here are friendly but when working extra c*nty (just like me), and I can’t take. The cool thing here is that almost everyone is from somewhere different. We have Italian, American, French, English, German, and Russian (no Asians though). I love it. So many different crazy languages so few people.

The Job Front (in descending interest order):
This has really been taking off and I am quite excited about it. The funny thing is, every job and interview has been through the help of SDA Bocconi, so it makes me realize that I made the right decision and am glad I am here (beyond the Tom Ford experience).

LVMH Italia – Louis Vuitton Italy here in Milan is my first interview, which is next Tuesday with the HR Director. If I were to move forward with this job, my plan would be to stay here for 2 years (1 year in Milan, 1 year in Rome) and then transfer to the Headquarters in Paris.

Larusmiani – I have an informal dinner with the VP of the Group. I will sell my pants off in this “informal dinner”. In Italy, this is how business is done and how people get jobs, so I take it as a good sign. He already spoke to me about a special project. This is a good sign since the company was not even interested in me until I told them that I was working at Zegna (Tom Ford Collection), a company they desire to be. We will see how this goes. I am actually interested in this position because of the fast trajectory (VP in 4 years). Perhaps that is the wrong reason to want a job but, we will see. If it isn’t for me, I won’t get it. =)

Yoox – The biggest surprise of all has been… TheYoox Group. It is a discount online retailer that sells end of the season luxury items at discounted prices. My resume was given to the HR person there (by SDA Bocconi) and they sent it to the US Country Manager. The guy emailed me wanting to interview. He even did some background checking with the VP of Marketing at Versace. My boss at Versace bcc’ed me the amazing recommendation he sent on my behalf. Basically saying I was the best intern he had ever had. I mean, the guy was already impressed with me. He wrote in his email, “He has an impressive resume: Columbia MBA, fluent in 3 languages, who is this guy?” It was great to know that Versace had my back and sent such a glowing recommendation. The Yoox guy told me that he wants to interview me right when I return to the US. =)

The Inditex Group (Zara): I sent them a heart felt email about my passion for the company right before I was starting with Tom Ford but hadn’t heard anything. I followed up with them the other day and I got an out-of-office reply. Knowing the Spaniards, I feel like they will get to me sometime next week for the “promised interview.” If this opportunity comes through, you already know!!!!!

Zegna/Tom Ford Collection – I have decided to not stay here but possibly come back in September (as a back up) if I don’t find an amazing dream job. Not a bad back-up if you ask me. I am very happy with my decision.

Y’all I think I might get a job in the tough economy and all. It brings a smile to my face knowing that I have options, you know.

The Man Front:
I met up with Simone (the dorky professor) on Wednesday and we had coffee and cake. He is so sweet and he even sneaked a lip to lip short kiss after the “meal” and walked me to my train station. He is a complete gentleman. Before the meal we walked around this big castle called Castello Sforsezco (de-ja-vu think Adriano [1st bf]). After that we had our 2 cappuccinos and cake slices… get this 25 euro. I was shocked. I thought it was bloody murder. I felt bad since he paid for everything. I told him I would pay for dinner on Saturday.

I also found some I had been chatting with online for a while just the other day. His name is Andrea and he is 34 and a hotel manager. He is obsessed with me, so I decided to give him the time of day and go out with him tomorrow. We have a brunch date. We will see how this turns out. He has broken up with his boyfriend about a month ago I think it is a good time (healthy) to see him for the first time. I was not even entertaining him while he was with his guy. Ok so it seems as though I might be going hard on the bf tip until I leave; talk about de-ja-vu!

-A

How to Bring in the New Year!

Hey Guys,

What a nice weekend but I am seriously paying for it right now… the dreaded Monday morning. After sleeping for 3 hours on Friday night, I got all my studying (Italian) done and finally got caught on Anki, a Flashcard Sequential Repetition System (SRS). This is a true accomplishment because I had been behind in my studies for about 4-5 months. It has been a great way to get my year started. I have also changed the way I study the cards which has dramatically improved my speaking skills. I am confident that if I continue with this method while back in New York, I will be alright and even improve. Friday evening I stayed at Jerry’s house because I had to get some business taken care of on the internet and I haven’t been able to go to the store to reload my monthly promotion subscription. I woke up Saturday morning around 9am and went straight to the stores. Milan was having its annual Saldis (sales) and I lost my mind. I was so happy I was running to the stores. So not cute but like a kid in a candy store, I couldn’t help myself.
I got:

2 Jackets
1 Tie
1 Little Bag (for toiletries)
1 Sarueli (Hammer) pants
1 Pair of Glass
2 Knit Sweaters
1 Black Shirt

I think that’s it.
Anyway, Saturday I got my study on again. I am on a roll! Without work the last couple of days, I was able to really dig deep and get into the language. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I was looking for movies (subtitled in the languages I will know) and the only one with multiple languages (Italian, French, Spanish) was (drum roll, please)…….. Three Can Play That Game! The sequel to Vivica A Fox’s Two Can Play That Game (shout out to Ryan Aceto). I didn’t get but I think I will have to before I go back to NYC. Saturday night I stayed home and watch lots of TV (and passed out on the couch). How messy, I know. I also had the nerve to text my ex Roberto and send him holiday wishes. Of course he called me right after and proceeded to tell me that we can be friends but never boyfriends (that I’m a disaster as a bf, and that I really hurt him). I was unaware that I ever hurt him. Anyway he texted me the next morning (Sunday) and wanted to hang out and so we did. I accompanied him while he went shopping. I think he has some kind of sugar daddy cause he spent quite a bit of money, close to $250. For someone that is unemployed, that is a lot of money. We had a good time and I can honestly say that I missed his friendship and speaking Italian with him. It was hanging out with him that I realized that I can speak Italian without a problem. It eased my insecurities about my language skills and made me realize that I have really come a long way. Thank you Lord for the strength and determination. We vowed to hang out with one another more often which for me is exciting and another friend in the city (and not just someone who wants to jump my bones). I then came home, snacked on some chips and watched the movie PRIMA with Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep. Great movie. I watched it in Italian with English subtitles, which from my research is the most efficient way to learn how to comprehend the language (even more so than reading target language subtitles while listening to target language audio). That was surprising to me, as well. Oh you guys don’t care… ok, I will move on. After the movie Jerry and I went to Il Borgo. It is always a mess there and the men were hungrier than they normally are. =)
We had a good time of course, met a guy from Brazil and another one from London that we hung out with most of the night. Got a ride home from my friend (kissing buddy) Ivan, and passed out. Another Monday with 2 hours of sleep, mamma mia! Since I will be leaving soon, I have to maximize my time here, so why not?

Happy New Year

Hey Guys,

What a nice holiday week I have had. I worked the first part of the week and then hung out with Jerry on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
We went out for New Years to a clib called Magazzini (Pour Homme). It was really cute and open bar all night long. The guys were hot and
I got my make out on. Check out my facebook profile for some photos for the night.

Alos, I just wanted to update you all on my life and what I have decided to do.
After much thought and business analysis (consulting matrices/frameworks) I have decided to return to Columbia
in the Spring to finish my degree. In this time, I will continue to look for dream opportunities. If they do not come,
I will return to the Tom Ford Collection in September. In the meanwhile, I will outline for my boss some areas in which
I can bring value to the business, in the hope that he will allow me to do these things form New York (so that I can have
an extended internship period on my resume). I also believe that I will be able to get school credit for this work. I believe
this decision will serve me the best in the future. Thank you all for your input. It helped me put my head around this situation
and brought new perspectives and thoughts that I had not previously considered. I do feel like a burden has been lifted off of
my shoulders and I can move forward.


I was supposed to have a date on Tuesday with Simone but he got sick and we had to postpone. I will see him on Sunday and keep you
updated on how it goes. He is so cute and texts me everyday. We will see where this goes (in a month).

I am also preparing for interviews with Louis Vuitton Italia (LVMH) and Larusmiani in the month of January which I think will go well.
My hope is that I have offers from these two companies in addition to the Tom Ford opportunity. This will allow me to really enjoy my
time at Columbia before I graduate. Anyway, I wish you all a Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be amazing, can you feel it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW1fXL3s7bk

-Anwar

Holiday Weekend

Hey Guys,

What a relaxing holiday weekend I had! I ended up staying at Jerry’s house from Thursday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. He is a great host. He cooked so much and kept me completely fat and satisfied. He really made this holiday season a great one for me. On Sunday I left around 3pm, only because I had a date at 4pm. I think I would have stayed there forever, and he would have seriously let me. Anyway, I had a date with a 33 year old philosophy teacher named Simone. He was a tad dorky, but I liked him. He was on time and we had a great conversation about family, holiday times, politics, cinema, and personal histories over cappuccinos. I was expecting to hang out for an hour and take a nap before going to the club, but we ended up hanging out until 7pm. It was a good time. He was friendly, cultured and patient. I will see him again on Tuesday night for dinner. I will keep you updated on how things progress. What all of that also means is that means I got no pre sleep before the club: Il Borgo. Like a true professional, I worked it out. Jerry and I went early to take advantage of the buffet (aperitivo). I paid his entrance which I felt I had to after hosting me for nearly 4 days. He was appreciative but like a true English gentlemen, trying to repay me. Sweet. Anyway, the aperitivo really worked me out with turkey, fish, lasagna, etc. I got my life from that buffet last night. Anyway, right before attacking the buffet, I saw a guy (Ivan) I had a date with like 2-3 months before. The same guy who got me into all of the fashion shows during Milan Fashion Week. I mention him because I ended up making out with him a lot last night (while many guys in the club stared and gagged). I loved it. Jerry said in that making out moment he fell in love with me. He surely did have his eyes closed while kissing me. I, on the other hand, had my eyes opened, and was winking at other hot guys while kissing him. It was real T, y’all. Get into it!

Anyway, the night was filled with dancing with hot guys from all over the globe. It is crazy how many people gag when Jerry and I come into a room. Jerry is so striking, its unbelievable. I always tell him, B, YOU ARE GORGEOUS! I think guys are crazy intimidated to go up to him, besides the stand off-ish nature of the Milanese in general. Anyway, we got home at 4 and I was still amped from the club so I really didn’t go to bed until like 5. I am currently running on 2 hours of sleep.

Also, on Sunday I sent an email to my boss outlining everything about what the decision to stay would entail for me. He just arrived in the office and we will discuss it today, he has already told me. So we will see how things turn out.

Sincerely,
Anwar

Merry Christmas

Hey Guys,
I hope this holiday has been filled with joy and laughter. I have stayed in Milan this holiday season and it has been a great relaxing day. I came over to my friend Jerry's house to celebrate Christmas. We cooked a sick meal and I made an Italian version of my famous cheesecake. It was really great and I have been satisfied the entire day. The highlight was definitely being able to skype with my Mom, Brian, and my sister Cyncere.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to update this blog since my first day of work last Wednesday. I'm a working girl now and also still trying to figure out if I want to stay on for an additional 6 months. This is what I laid out for my BFF Yui about the situation.


1.The decision is either stay on and finish bschool in December:
+
Improve language skills to complete fluency
know how to develop a collection
work more intensely with Tom Ford
possibly be in a better job market after graduating

-
not graduate with class
go to school in the fall no knowing anyone
need to probably move (and negotiate salary so that I can sustain myself)


2.OR go back and not return:
+
had the experience and can put it on my resume
graduate with class
-

3.OR Go back to bschool and come back in the fall (if a perfect full time offer is not found):
+
finish school
graduate with class
time to look for a great full time position
still get the experience
improve language skills
-
having graduated without a full time position

Right now I rank them 1, 3, then 2.

I am grateful to be in the situation that I am in. Either way, I truly don't lose. I understand that and will make my final decision on New Years Eve.

I love you all and miss you all.

-Anwar

OMG,First Day on the TF Collection!

Hey Guys,
-The Ride
The train was very straight forward. I got to Central Station at 800am and got the train at 815, which got into Novara at 855. The ride was relaxing and woke me up. It gave me the opportunity to get my Italian read on with New Moon. (That Bella is a mess right now in the book). Anyway I took a taxi to the Zegna location, which was about 8-10 minutes away. The taxi driver thought I was a model (of course I gagged). I always get this, you guys can even ask Allegra. When were in Venice they thought I was a model as well, since I was tall, skinny, and beautiful. I gag when men (Italian men, at that) tell me that.

-The Entrance
I was a tad nervous when I pulled up to building since it was well before 10am, the arranged meeting time for me and the General Product Manager Luca F.. The group was great though and showed me to my desk and bought me a coffee and chatted a bit. It was really funny because I forgot how nosy Italians are. Everyone in the office was apparently dying to know who I was. Oh yeah, I was giving ovah dark chinzed blue suit with amazing shoes, and trimmed beard. It was the cuteness.

For all my gays out there, the gay count in the office was about 3, including my ‘company tutor’ or mentor. Well, I saw a book on his shelf that said Gay Elegins, or something like that. I wrote him off as gay gay gay. Is that wrong?

-The Fitting
The most interesting thing I did today was participate in a fitting for these white pants. The fit model was EVERYTHING. He gave twin of Raoul Bova and you all know what I did… GAGGED! I gave him no life though, even when he was trying to speak English with me or talk to me about New York. He was dying for attention toward the end of his day. Gorgeous men are so easy (to get)!

-The Conversation
Toward the end of the day, I got the chance to sit down with Luca F. and talk about what I would be doing and if there were any special projects he wanted me to do. Toward the middle of the conversation he said that he would prefer to have me for 6 months and keep me on for the new spring/summer campaign so that I can see how a collection is made from beginning to end. It had me thinking. Should I do it and finish Columbia Business School in December? He also said that I could always come back in September do the Fall/Winter campaign although I don’t know if I’m too excited about that option as much. What do you guys think?

Also BTW, the Career Services Director at SDA Bocconi sent my resume to LVMH Italia and they contacted me same day (yesterday). They want to interview me in January, so I also have that to look forward to!

-A

This Is It!

Hey Guys,
The time has finally come! Friday I found out that I could start working on Wednesday, thank the Lord! I feel like everything happens for a reason. If I had started earlier I would have never been able to hang out with Allegra when she came and go to Venice with her. I also would not have been able to actually get there since my card was eaten up and I had no way of getting any money out (key takeaway: Always have a small stash to hold you over for a week). On Friday I got my new CHASE ATM card (bye Wamu, I loved you) and got the ok that I can start on Wednesday. I was definitely relieved when I heard the news. Iasked Jerry to come over and we shared of bottle of wine and caught up on the week, since we hadn’t seen each other for about a week. On Saturday I just chilled out and leisurely went to the school to be on the internet and watch some American TV. TVSHACK.NET is a life savior! I wish I had it when I was living in Germany. Anyway, later that night I went to my friend’s Daniel’s house. He and his boyfriend made dinner for Jerry and me. It was nice His boyfriend is from Gambia and made some traditional Gambian food. I wish I could give the name of the dish, but it slips my mind at the moment. I know it was white rice with a spicy okra sauce on top. After that we went to Magazzini. It was fun but this time the crowd was a little younger which I was not a big fan of. I definitely got some life nd ended up kissing 2 people, but only one of them was a make out session (harmless, not even hardcore). Then Jerry stayed the night at my house and left in the morning. I had plans to be productive on Sunday but I opened my wndow and felt how cold it was outside and decided to stay in for the day. I was on the computer all day chatting with family and random guys of Christmas present and past, perhaps even future. I basically set up dinner dates for myself from Wednesday to Saturday! I will keep you all updated on how all of them go.

Wed with Giuseppe
Thursday with Massimiliano
Friday with Andrea (cooking lesson)
Saturday lunch with Giovanni

Then Saturday dinner at Jerrys.

I had another date but I double booked Wednesday by accident and will hve to postpone Luigi until Monday. =)

Monday I woke up early and went to the Government building to get an official Italian SSN or codice fiscale. That went well. I then went to the school to sign my contract and look up directions to the building. After signing the contract I felt a sense of accomplishment and really didn’t do much except for getting caught up on some shows: Private Practice and Gossip Girl. I went shopping at the Duomo, where the day before the Prime Minister/ President Silvio Berlusconi got sucker punched (rock/statue thrown at his face, really big news here). Just imagine Brack getting punched by a random Republican against his policies. It is truly insane.Anyway, I found these shows at Zara that I thought they ran out of. They are som brown loafer high tops. They can be put low or high, very cute!

On Monday I also sent an email to my ‘company tutor’ at Zegna (Tom Ford Collection) Luca Ferri. He got back to me same day which was amazing here. It was definitely a good sign that we will be able to work well together. He told me the first half of the internship is in Novara at the manufacturing facility and the second part of the internship is in the Tom Ford Showroom. YAY! Really exciting! He also told me that we are working the Monday after Christmas so my trip to London to be with Allegra and her family has been cancelled, unfortunately. It is all good. I will get to London soon enough. Tuesday I woke up early again because I had my Permesso di Soggiorno (Residence Permit) meeting. I got there on time and the office did not have me in the schedule, and I presume they did not even have my paperwork. I was so over it so I just left, came back home and rested until 2. I am still a little bit sick; I think I got sick again after going out on Saturday night (Jerry is also really sick). Anyway, I know I will get up for tomorrow’s first day. I really can’t believe this day has finally come. I wanted to quit this process so many times and at this moment I am happy that I didn’t. Ok, now I have to shave and get my train tickets to Novara (where my job is). Much love and thanks for all of your support in this drama called my Milanese life! Oh yeah, now my focus is full time jobs. I have the Director of Career Services here looking into LVMH as well as a men’s luxury brand Larusmiani (possibility of VP level withn 3-4 years). I also emailed the Inditex Group with an update of my new experience. We will see how that goes!

-A

Cont. Allegra

Hey Guys,

So where did we leave off? Oh yeah, I remember, Allegra was texting me because she was worried that I was never coming home. Anyway, Sunday was a bit of a blur as I was out of it. Allegra went out on her own and came back around 5pm, just as I was in shower. I had to open my window (after hearing her knock on it) and give her the key. She took a picture so maybe you might be able to see how mortified I was standing in my open window butt naked for the world to see as they passed by. Anyway, after that we packed and went to dinner around 8pm to this authentic Pizzeria called Spumante's. It is loud, completely full, and very Italian. Many consider it one of the best pizzerias in the city. You can see most families going there in the evening time. It is quite good and all they have is cheese pizza. We had a blast. We then got home and met up with Jerry to go out to Il Borgo. While at the ATM, the machine took my card and did not give it back! I was slightly freaking out cause I had no money and no way of getting money but Allegra was there to calm me down and cover for me. We went to club and had a blast. We met up with our friends Daniel and Ibrahim and started dancing, first in the house room and then in the R&B room. I saw a couple of people that I knew there and also met and flirted with some hot guys. Allegra has the pictures to prove. We also got Allegra in the action and lots of guys were coming on to her as well. It was so fun. They were all a shady mess. Please check the facebook photos to see what I am am talking about. We also saw one guy from the Dominican Hair Salon as a Barback and he was hooking Allegra up with free drinks. Then on the way home around 5 we took this bus home and some guy from Peru kept on yell HOLA. Drunk Allegra began engaging with him and then got mad at him because he called a black pussy, in mixed Spanish/Italian. It was hilarious. This guy was so drunk and slobbering all over the place, even on my jeans. Anyway, we finally got home at 530 and Allegra cooked all the food in my house for herself, Jerry, and me and we ate it like savages. I got a new card sent to me and we then had an hour before we needed to wake up to go to Venice. I didn't go to sleep but Allegra and Jerry did! At 6:30 Jerry went home and Allegra and I went to Central Station and were soon on our way to Venice. Allegra was passed out the entire trip and I was in and out of it. We arrived in Venice in no time and left the station two messes! We had directions to our hotel but seriously Venice is the most confusing city I have ever been in. After 20 minutes of going nowhere we finally got a map. The map only got us so far. Google Maps was wrong for the first time in my life. It only took us half way there. We finally ended up at the nice Belli Arte Hotel. What should have taken us 20 minutes to do took up 1.5 hours. What a mess! We got in our room and crashed for about 2-3 hours. After the nappy poo we were off to see the city. Too bad in the winter time it gets dark at 4pm. We finally got our lives together and went to Piazza San Marco, got lost a little bit, and returned back when the rain really started coming down hard. We went on the internet and then Allegra had a migrane so she had water and I had candy and she began to lay down. I then met my hot 33yo trick that I had been chatting with for about week beforehand. We met for a drink and spent 2-3 hours just chatting it up. He is a professor at the local university and researches the biology of fish in the area. He was trying to get me to go to this club off the island but I didn't feel comfortable leaving an area I knew nothing about, so he walked me to my hotel and we started making out. We then went back to his place to do the due. After 'the session' I came home feeling like the end of the Madonna "Justify my Love" video. In the rain, holding my clothes on my body completely and utterly joyous, just giggling at the whole situation: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/14227/817532

Anyway, the next day we woke up early and hit all the major sites from Frari, Basiilica, Doge Palace, Campnile, Piazza San Marco, Accademia, Rialto Market, Santa MAria Della Salute. It was a whirlwind of a day but we got to see a lot and meet some very interesting characters. One woman from Columbia who was telling us the MJ was still alive, and a mask maker who was telling us about the history of masks in Venice and how he makes them to eat everyday. Good Times, Good Times. Allegra and I parted at 730 so I could make my train at 9. It was so cold in the train station and on the train. The train did end up getting to Milan until 1am, completely delayed. I got sick from the days in Venice and the ride home but would not trade it in for the world. I have just been recuperating at home since returning. I start work next week at Zegna, working on the TOm Ford Collection. It is quite exciting, although I don't know what to expect.

-Anwar

Week with A!

Hey Guys,

I have not been able to write in this blog because Allegra (a really really great friend form boarding school came to visit me all last week. If I repeat some things, I apologize.

What a week it has been. I arrived last Sunday around 8am to a quiet cloudy Milan in the morning. I came home and passed out until 4pm. For the rest of that day I handled some business, reloading my cell phone, getting my monthly unlimited subway pass, grocery shopping. Later in the night I went to a friend’s house, Jerry Osei Tutu. He is a very together guy from Ghana who has grown and lived in London all his life. He lived in Rome for 2 years before coming to Milan to continue his own line. Also, he founded a human rights organization. He is a very together fellow and I just live for him. He cooked me a spinach dish and chatted and finished a bottle of wine (Pinot Nero). He and I have already painted the town but you will hear about that later. Oh yeah, I actually had a threesome scheduled but I did not want to be a mess before Allegra came, and inevitably it was going to make me a mess. Anyway, Monday, I again woke up later (2pm) and got myself together and went to the school to figure out how we were doing with the internship paperwork. It turns out HR guy Zegna was dragging his feet again and there was drama about me needing an actual work permit. This was unknown to me especially given the fact we decide to go through Bocconi for the internship. Long story short, I have not received my contract yet since. I still had to register myself in Italy, by getting some paperwork, going to different post offices and paying even more money. It was not that big of a deal though. I was able to get everything done by 7pm, just before the post office closed and just in time to pick up Allegra form Central Station at 730. She ended up coming in at around 8pm. I took her to my place which is 10 minutes away by subway to my apartment at Piola Station and we immediately went to the grocery store to get all the food we needed for the week. Allegra was fascinated by all the cheeses. I think she was in that aisle for 10-15 minutes. She wanted a special kind of cheese from sheep’s milk. I couldn’t translate sheep in the moment but later found out it was (pecoro). She ended up getting the cheese she wanted (from Tuscany). She then proceeded to snack on chips, wine, and cheese for most of the night. Later on we had salad and spinach and ricotta tortellini. We chatted all night until she passed out on the sofa. Tuesday we went shopping at Loreto a shopping area about 10 minutes away from me by foot. We found some stuff at Sephora, Benetton and I found some stuff at Zara (as usual). We then went to the post office (always an ordeal in Italy) to mail something for A. After that, we went to the Dominican hair salon to get her hair straighten. We ended up running into Charnae, my SDA Bocconi MLT partner in crime. She had just returned from Turkey with Mesha (mixed black/german girl from Fashion program) & Fabio (her BF), and her whatever he is, Giovanni. She said they had an amazing time which makes me want to visit Turkey so badly. I’ve heard such amazing things about the place and I seem to get along with the Turks so well, it seems like a natural place to visit and fall in love with. Anyway, you know the Dominican hair salon was a riot. I left Allegra there with Charnae for about 15 minutes to check my email and send some emails to my luxury professor/career services director to update them on the drama of the internship, but soon returned to the hair salon a block away. The gay hairdresser was telling the T about the Italian men, the crying all the time and saying I love you within two days of knowing you. I was gagging as he was calling them out. We finally finished around 8pm and took the bus home. I told Allegra to not punch her 10-ride ticket since the popo never comes on and checks and you all know what happened. Allegra was a pro and played dumb American. I was giving new American since I had a subscription to the Milan transportation system. Anyway, they must have repeated 20-25 times that we had to swipe our card every 75 minutes to renew it. I decided to take the brunt of this reprimand since A was the newbie and it was me who told her not to stamp. I will say that by the end of the trip, Allegra was not stamping on her own accord, and nothing seemed to happen. =) They basically stayed on the bus for 3-4 stops when they usually just stay on for one stop. One of the officers was just berading me and completely in my face, to the point that I had sit back so that there was some space between us. Anyway, it was funny and we got to my place around 9 to stop by the local pizzeria, pick up some pizzas, and meet my friend Jerry who came over and shared some pizza and wine. Good times, good times. After he left, A and I stayed up until 3 in the morning to catch up on Brothers and Sisters. Good times, good times. Wednesday Allegra and I went to the Duomo, Vittoria Emanuelle Galleria, and architecture exhibit, and ran into a free Leonardo di (caprio) Vinci painting exhibit, which Allegra later found out that it was just one painting. We then walked down to my school to go to this great Indian restaurant. It didn’t open until 7pm so I went to recharge my monthly internet and then we went to a local café and had an Aperitivo. This is where you order and drink and receive the benefits of a nice little buffet. When the barista came out with our drinks, he accidently spilled everything on Allegra. I’m talking peanuts, chips, her gin and tonic, my orange fanta. Even the glasses broke. Of course we cracked up but everyone was completely silent. I took a picture of the peanuts in Allegras cooch. Hilarious! After that we went to Indian food, which was always good although Allegra was not a huge fan of the spiced chicken. We went home and passed out. Thursday I rested at home and leisurely got up while Allegra went out on the town to catch a few more sights (Egyptian Museum, Castello Sforezco, etc.). Later in the day I went to school and tried to work out my internship situation. I checked my email and I finally received a message fromt the HR guy at Zegna (after two weeks of hearing nothing from him) after calling three times a day everyday and emailing everyday. He mentioned that he was fighting for me to have this internship. Anyway, I become very calm and at peace with the entire situation as I entered the career services office. Deep down inside, I knew that I had done everything on my side, Tuesday Bocconi said that everything was ok on their side, Wednesday the CEO of the group I would be working on gave his ok through my luxury professor. Everyone was ok with the situation but there were still issues from Zegna, which at this point I found to be funny. The career services and Simone (the student relations coordinator) were pissed and embarrassed. I was surprised to know this but the Director of Career Services even sent my resume out to other places while waiting for Zegna to get their act together. It was something I was not expecting and a completely nice gesture. It is always good to know that you have people on your side. I left my school to meet up with Allegra at the Duomo. We went to this restaurant called Ciao and walked around and shopped a bit, most notably at La Rinascente. The Italian equivalent of Saks Fifth Avenue Department store. We then went to a surprise Bday party that Jerry organized for his roommate. It included some very interesting weird characters that all spoke English, so we couldn’t really talk about them. It was mostly friends of Vincenzo. All of them seemed to love black people. One woman even had a mixed son (who opened the door as we arrived). The guy that we walked in the party with (Patrick) was has a black BF and some people originally thought that he and I were together. Never that. This man was a mess, Hammer pants, not the cute trendy ones, and a weird black and white pattern shirt. His head was shaved on the back and sides and the top was long and curly! What! No shade but shade! We were actually talking about him on the train without knowing he was going to the party. Friday Allegra went out and did her own thing and I stayed home again. I had been sleeping a little too much all week. I think I was physically manifesting my frustration with my internship situation through sleep. That and the fact that I never converted my sleeping schedule to the Euro time zone. =) but seriously, Allegra was a God-send. I didn’t really mind not working last week. I had one of my best friends in town from the States (my first US visitor while abroad) so things were pretty much OK and realigned my priorities. Back to Friday. I finally got the HR guy’s cell phone number and kinda bitched him out on the whole situation and how unprofessional he was during this entire process. I asked him for two things
1. the decision since the HR dept was meeting to today to discuss my situation
2. His colleagues name since he was going on vacation next week

in email format and ended up not receiving them, what a disappointment! I ended up staying home and having to make copies of my visa and registration papers to send to Simone so that he could scan and send them to Zegna for their meeting. I hope to hear one way or another by tomorrow (Wednesday 12/9). Friday night We tried to catch up on Private Practice but my Internet had messed up because the woman did not give me the promotion like I usually have, so the credit ran out very quickly. It was ok though, because A and I just chatted it up until late talking about everything from babies, marriage, abortions, Obama’s healthcare plan, past relationships, current relationships, and future relationships. It was actually great to have a long, serious conversation with her. I love her perspective on things.



Saturday A and I went to my school to get our Venice T together, book hotels and hostels, we went to central station to get our tickets, and we also went shopping for her sisters back at Loreto. After we got home, I had to rest for like 30 minutes and then we went to Aperitivo at a local bar and watched the Inter-Juventus football (soccer) match. Then Jerry came over because I had planned for us to go out to Magazzini Generali, the best gay club in Milan hands down. It reminds me of Circus in LA or Hiro’s Ballroom in NYC. Huge location, men are delicious and down for anything, hahah. Anyway, we met up with some of my friends Daniel and Ibrahim. They are a couple; Daniel is Eastern Euro and Ibrahim is Senegalese. We had so much fun. You know I was workin it and flirtin with everyone. I ended up three way kissing my friends, kissing some random guy on the dancefloor, and a guy in the bathroom. Messy but always fun! The men were living for me and Jerry. We were definitely getting our mad flirt on, at least I was, and people could not deal, in a good way. It was really cute. The couple left around 4 and we left around 5am and got home at 6. Jerry and I came back to my apartment and chatted for a while before he made his way home. Allegra ran into the living room around 8am where I passed out and told me that she can never have children because she was worried sick. She actually texted me around 5am through her US number because she ahd a panic attack about where I was and if something had happened to me. It was hilarious but I ended up thinking that she would make a great mother. She also kept thinking that she had no keys, no phone, so she felt helpless. She knew I am a grown man though and I was doing me, like always.


More to come about Sunday night at Il Borgo and Venice with A!

Loved My USA Trip!

Hey Guys,
What a week in the States! It has been a really great trip. I was able to get my visa, see bschool friends, thacher (boarding school) friends, go out, see family, and get a little bit of shopping done in the meantime. Thanksgiving was great. My mom cooked a hell of a meal. I made my famous cheesecake and my aunts carrot cake recipe. After Thanksgiving dinner, I rested for a couple of hours and then we went to Brian’s (mom’s husband) moms house. His family is so nice, it always really great to see them. The day after Thanksgiving I flew back to NYC and stayed with Zoe. It is a true blessing to have friends (family) that will open their door for you whenever you need it. I am truly grateful. I picked up the Louis Vuitton boots that Marcus left for me in his locker. Thank you Marcus. They are a tad big but with winter socks, they will be fine! I worked them at the JFK Airport and had people gagging! Anyway, I had a chance to hang out with Yui and Zoe and get the update on everyone who came to their Thanksgiving dinner, which apparently was very memorable with lots of personalities.

Later that night I met up with my Puerto Rican friend Ray in the South Bronx. Remind me never to go up there again. The hook up was fine, although he wanted to chat chat chat afterward, WHAT A BORE! I finally get out of there at 12:30 and on the way to the bus stop (about two blocks away) two guys approached me and one pretend like he was going to hit me by putting his fists up and lancing toward me. I duck out of the way and keep on walking. They start laughing and then ask me to come back because they wanted to ask me something. I kept on walking scared for my life. I finally arrive to the bus stop where I had to wait 30 minutes in the middle of the Bronx. At the bus stop 3 younger latino guys come and sit on the bench nxt to me. I finally see the bus coming at a distance and a sense of relief comes over me. Suddenly 3 police cars surround me and the guys. The yell at us to put our hands up! I am like WHAT IS GOING ON! LORD JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE. Luckily one of the police officers tells me I can put my hands down. Apparently those guys had done some shady ish. I run into the street and flag the bus down and finally get on it. People remind me never to go to the Bronx again, thanks!

Get ready for some messy stories as a really good friend o mine Allegra comes to Milan to visit me and we go to Venice together this weekend! Should be fun but messy!

-Anwar

New York Part 2

Hey Guys,

Sorry about the long pause and the cliffhanger but I just got to Ohio where I will be spending Thanksgiving with my Mom. So this past Monday I went to the Italian Consulate completely nervous, not knowing what would happened. I texted my lil sister and she gave me the words of encouragement that I needed. She texted me, "POWER!" This was something my mom would say to her or me when we were in sporting events and everything was going wrong. My mother would put her fist up in the air and shake it while mouthing the words POWER to us. Anyway, that was all I needed to relax. I went in and of course the Italian Consulate was being shady to people; requesting that people come back 2 weeks to a month after the date with certain documents. I finally came up to the counter and charmed them by speaking nothing but Italian and telling the women that they were beautiful and complimenting them on their outfits and accessories. It ended up being a great strategy because they were living for me speaking Italian and me in general. They accepted my paperwork even though I was missing some transcripts. What was also amazing was that they turned my visa around so quickly (Thursday). It was truly amazing. It makes me think that this opportunity was totally meant to be. For me, it was one of those moments that you know will change your life direction. I'm very excited and can't wait to start (and put it on my resume). The rest of this week was full of ups and downs. The up was definitely my lgbt alumni mixer on wednesday and down was the lack of hooking up with the puerto rican afterward. Thursday ups were prospective students day, picking up my visa, and the lgbt pre-happy hour and the down was finding out that a boarding school classmate had committed suicide. I flew to Ohio to visit with Mom and spend time with her. She was so huge in making this visa thing happen. I am so happy to be here relaxing and kicking back. The weather is not so bad and things are going well thus far. Talk to you all later.

Milan to NYC, What a Fashion International Traveler

Hey Guys,

I'm sorry I haven't posted recently. Life has been a whirlwind (in a good way)! Let me think when I last left you all. I broke up with Roberto which was something I was wanting deep down inside so that I could 'do my own thang'. Sunday night I hooked up with Willy, hot football sized MANZO. It was a hot time. Anyway, I flew to NYC last Monday which went very smoothly. I went straight to my friend Zoe's house where her top lock was locked so we couldn't get into the house. It was hilarious! We tried numerous things including trying to get up the fire escape. Thats where we met the super and he was able to unlock it for us. I then napped for an hour and had Japanese food with Yui and we were able to catch up. Wednesday was Veterans Day which sucked cause I wanted to get bank documents and notarization but the banks were closed. I was still able to get other Columbia University documents so it wasn't too bad. I had lunch with Marcus, Reeve, and Chad (some guys from business school) and it was really cool. I had truly missed Columbia and all my friends there. Thursday I woke up very early to try to get my behind to the Italian Consulate to see if they could sneak me in. Unfortunately, they didn't even let me in the building without an appointment. I was a tad disheartened but decided to move forward with new documents so that they could not deny me when I actually have my official appointment. I spent the rest of Thursday getting more documentation and meeting up with close b-school friends like Garen. Friday, I did some more errand running and then had lunch with Kesha. She is a crazy girl but we vibe for some reason. I think we have a mutual respect because we are both hustlers at the end of the day. I went to bed early on Friday cause I was so tired from the previous week. Saturday morning I had breakfast with Ramadan, then I went shopping. Sunday, I had brunch with Marcus, met with one my my executive board members for Cluster Q (the LGBT club on campus) and then had dinner with my learning team (the group of people I did all my homework with my first year at business school). After that, I went out to GLounge, with my friend Rick, which was so much fun. There is truly no place like NYC. I am convinced of it now.
My next post will tell you all about my experience at the Italian Consulate yesterday (Monday 11/16).

-Anwar

NYC life!

Hey Guys,

What a whirlwind of a week! So I am now in NYC trying to get this visa thing to work out and it seems like things are falling right into place. It has been so great seeing old friends from Thacher and new friends from Business School. I never realized how much I missed this place until today. New York is great and I finally feel healthy again. I am going to the Consulate tomorrow, so wish me luck that they can hook me up very quickly.
Socially, Roberto and I broke up, which was bound to happen. He couldn't deal with the fact that I was leaving for NYC and thought that I didn't care about him too much. Perhaps he was right because I wasn't too worried about the break up. I even hung out with my friend Willy on Sunday and made it work. Willy BTW is a MANZO, an Italian saying that means beefcake with a huge thang! I wasn't ready, but like a true pro I made it work. I guess the old saying is right. To get over someone, you should try to get under someone...

-A

NYC Here I Come!

Hey Guys,
So I have officially been offered the internship position at Zegna to help develop the Tom Ford Collection. When I heard that you all know that I went into clutch “work it out“ mode. I got my plane ticket, had mom get my visa appointment, spoke with zegna hr as well as Bocconi and sent the “I’m coming into town email, who will host me” email. This all means I will be in NYC for a week starting next Tuesday 11/10. I have been pretty sick this entire week so it has kinda sucked. Not having class has been great though. I have been able to review some business school frameworks and concepts as well as practice my Italian. I can definitely see the difference in my comprehension and speaking skills and it was only a couple of days of concentration.

It is times like these like a I feel like a child. The first person I run to is my mom and she seems to always work it out. She also put everything into perspective for me as well for this internship. It is a difficult situation because the Italian working culture is such that people here don’t mind putting things off until tomorrow or next week. Unfortunately, I’m not like that so it’s a bit frustrating. My mom was basically like, “do what you can, if the visa thing doesn’t work just go back to Milan and have fun and chill out and take your original flight back.” For some reason, after that statement, I didn’t worry about it anymore. Oh yeah, I didn’t tell you that my mom was just as sick as I was this week and she was still able to work it out. What an amazing woman! People are always impressed by my hustle but if they only knew that I have maybe 50% of my mother’s hustle.

Ok so this week:
Monday I had dinner and watched Big Brother with my friend Willy. He is this really cute big/football player shaped guy who I have had a couple of dinners with. We are just friends but it is obvious that he wants more. I am interested in hooking up with him because through his pants I saw that he was PACKIN! I know all you guys are asking, what about your BF, Roberto. Roberto came over on Tuesday during lunch and we had a crazy session. He kissed me and we made love even though I wasn’t feeling well. It was sweet that he didn’t care if I was sick or not. Wednesday he came over around 4 or 5pm and took care of me for the entire night. It was sweet. Friday I told Willy that I was seeing someone and that’s why I didn’t make a move. Today, Friday, Alessandro came over and brought me medicine which was really sweet.

Roberto is a sweet guy, don’t get me wrong but he is not the one. I think I would be playing myself to think that he is. So my dilemma is how to do I tell this sweet, sensitive soul that I want to see other people? I don’t want to hurt him but it is inevitable. Any suggestions anyone?

Last Week of Classes!

So last week was my last week of classes and thank the lord for that. Now I can focus on things that are more important like my career, Italian, relationships, fun, and more fun. I think I finished strong and really concentrated on studying hard (and well) for my finals. I felt confident about them.
Wednesday was a very funny day because my mom and Roberto met via skype. Of course he was giving her his Italian voodoo in the form of sweetness and charm and she was giving him her own voodoo with bits of her Italian and pure beauty and "Anwar Call outs". They were having a conversation like I wasn't even there. It was kinda funny. I then stayed up until 3-4am chatting with my lil sis Cyncere. We always talk that voodoo mess.
Roberto was sweet and made me dinner after my last final on Friday and then we went to the most fun club in Milan called ELEVEN (Yes, RyanA, ELEVEN). We had a blast! We didn't get home until 430am and I couldn't go to bed until 6am. You know I was hot mess for the enitre Saturday. I then barely got my ish together for the Halloween party on Saturday night. I was partly in a bad mood because I was not feeling up to the party. I'm old y'all! I decided to go because I already paid for the tickets and Roberto and I already got our masks on Tuesday (you can catch pics of us on facebook). We got matching black and white cat masks. He wore the black one and all black and I wore the white one and all white. He definitely looked a lot better in his costume.
Anyway, I had a revelation about a friend after Roberto told me something on Friday night. He noticed that Charnae just hung out with her boyfriend the whole night and no one else. He said, " I don't like Charnae, she is not a good friend." After those words, I thought about it for a sec and he was partly right. I think she is the kind of woman that loses her own power when a guy is in her life and puts her friends on the back burner. It was a hard realization to come to but it is one that I think is completely true.
On Friday Professor Corbetta, my luxury professor called me to make sure that I was still interested in the Zegna internship since it was operational in nature. I told him of course, especially when he said that I would be helping develop the Tom Ford line for Zegna. Then I got really excited. We will see how this internship mess all turns out. For now I will just be getting my intense language and business school review on. I hope everyone had a great Halloween.
-Anwar

So close to the finish line...

My last class is next Tuesday and I am so excited. These last weeks have been so boring and have added no value to my education, that I can't wait for them to end. I am just trying to finish all assignments and be done with school. I have also gotten back on track with my Italian as well as preparing for case interviews just in case Bain Italy calls and wants to interview me. It has really help reconfirm basic concepts in my business school education so I am continuing with the studies whether I get consulting interviews or not.

The Zegna interview on Monday went very well! I got a tour of the headquarters in Milan which is actually a ten minute walk on the same stop I take to school. It is a beautiful building and the people were quite friendly. My interview was with Giacomo Barbot, an HR manager who seemed to definitely like my resume and my experiences and told me that he would give me a good report to the CEO of the Strategic Alliances business, who I could possibly work for in the future. I have to figure out how I can get my study visa so I can actually work for them. I am currently in Milan as an American tourist. Some people have said that I have to go back to the US to make it happen others have said no. I am waiting to hear from an immigration lawyer to see what the best move would be. I will keep you all updated on that mess. The Strategic Alliances offices are in Novara which is 45 minutes away so I would have to take a train everyday to the office. I think my days would be from 730am to 730pm.

Tuesday and Wednesday were chill days as I was trying to figure out this Study Visa thing. I spent time with Roberto on Wednesday. Some people who read my blog were complaining about the lack of pictures of Roberto so I will put some on here so you all know what he is giving.


There's a picture. I have some videos of us together but Charnae thinks it is not appropriate. If any of you guys think its appropriate, I will definitely upload.
Friday night Roberto came over and I made dinner for him and then we watched a movie together. Saturday morning he seriously f-ed the ish out of me. He has about 8-8.5 and he likes to go hard. The first time he topped I was not prepared as my earlier blog will describe so I was a bit apprehensive. I was prepared this time and it was great although he did not cum, he just kept on going and going and going. Lord have mercy!
Let me know.
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