The first few weeks at Darden have gone by in a blur. Technically, I’ve been here since early August, because I came a couple weeks early to take some of the pre-matriculation and prep courses in an effort to ease into classes.
THE MOVE DOWN– A WHIRLWIND FROM DAY ONE
I moved into my apartment -which involved me having a teary-eyed moment at the sight of having a huge walk-in closet. I’m coming from NYC; so, the adjustment from a 400 sq. foot apartment in the west village to tons of space, a car (my first in 6 years), lush trees, my own washer & dryer and, even, a pool wasn’t too tough to make. I feel like the usual complaints about moving out of the city involve nightlife and restaurants. Luckily, Charlottesville 
does not disappoint on this front. A number of sources rank it has having more restaurants per capita than any other city in the US. Aside from corner staples, there are a host of amazing restaurants in and around the Downtown Mall and the Belmont area which I’m amped to explore.
NO MATTER HOW YOU CUT IT…IT’S HARD NOT TO LIKE CVILLE
To be fair, I have to disclose that I’m a little biased as a DOUBLE HOO, i.e. I attended UVA as an undergraduate. In addition to waves of nostalgia and memories from my undergrad years and subsequent visits, my connection with UVA continued after moving to New York, because of the strong alumni network which tends to roll in crowds. While I’m certainly no stranger to UVA or Charlottesville, I’m getting the chance to experience it in a new light. My lens is colored by my experience in New York, travel, work, relationships and adulthood maturity… Just to to be clear, I define maturity as knowing when it’s ok to be IMMATURE. Maturity is about balancing responsibilities with the fun & enthusiasm of that inner 5 year old;)
There’s a whole class called Leading Organizations in term one devoted to better understanding yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses and your relationship in the context of your personal and professional instances. While my section walked away with a lot of inside jokes about “being in and out of the box,” I found it really valuable because it forces you to think about how you define happiness, success and leadership.
