We have just finished the examinations for the second term (Hilary term) this week.  Though we still have our Entrepreneurship Project to complete, we have already come through about half of our MBA course!

Looking back on Hilary, I find myself a little more relaxed though the course itself was as intensive as it was in the first term.  The biggest reason would be that we all have more or less learned the “rhythm” of this MBA course; we could expect it when another especially tough week was coming.  Even when faced with 3 deadlines for assignments at about the same time and being stressed, I knew I could handle it, simply because I have at least gone through similar situations before.  For me personally, another factor is that I now feel less nervous making comments during classes, though I still find it challenging. This is partly just a matter of getting used to it, but I must say that the supportive and encouraging atmosphere by peer MBA students here also helped me a lot.  In addition, thanks to all the readings, my speed of reading English has (though slowly and slightly) improved, which enabled me to prepare for classes and meetings with less time than before.

Being generally more relaxed allowed me to think more about longer-term goals beyond daily work, and how I could tie my experience here into them.  Getting used to the rhythm here also let me think about how I can contribute more to make the whole MBA learning experience at Oxford better.  Jumping on to the conclusion, I started thinking of giving a presentation on Japanese economy during my stay here.  Having worked as a central banker in Japan, one the best things I can offer here to my colleagues would be a view on the Japanese economy.  For one thing, I have been a little surprised but really glad to know that a lot of my classmates are interested in what’s happening in Japan.  Also, this would give me a great opportunity to review the big picture of the economy of my home country, which is exactly the thing I hoped to do when joining the Bank of Japan, yet have sometimes been feeling too busy concentrating on smaller parts.
 
So here’s my small new goal during my year in Oxford: Giving a presentation on the Japanese economy to classmates who are interested.

Now that I declared it, the pressure will help me avoid procrastination.