What's different?

I am spending a term outside my institute at another B-School in another country. In many ways, the experience is very different here - both in terms of the academic and the associated non-academic stuff.

One of the methods that is used widely here (which is not the case at my institute) is having guest lectures which go with the course. These guest lecturers are many a times the B-School alums. All are called with a specific purpose in mind - to talk about a particular topic or a specific aspect of the topic. These people have been through a lot with respect to these topics and have their story to share. There are also lectures from eminent personalities not as part of a course but through various other programs which are run at the School.

I have attended lectures from
Vikram Pandit, Citigroup
John Thain, Merrill Lynch
Paul Otellini, Intel
Anne Mulcahy, Xerox
Alan Hassenfeld, Hasbro
Robert Gordon, 21st Securities
Woo Eui Jei, Hynix
Joel Morse, C3i
Bo Burlingham, INC Magazine
Dr. Brown, Hearx
Goryebs, Champion Mortgage
Dr. Hal Teitelbaum, Crystal Run Healthcare
Tarek Sherif, Medidata Solutions
Steve Peltzman, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Jack Mitchell, Mitchell/Richards
Noushir Hasan, Ashford Enterprises
Carley Roney & David Liu, The Knot

I found this method of teaching quite interesting. Listening to all these people and getting to know their stories is quite fascinating. Their learnings can be so useful and these things are so difficult to get, I don't think many would have access to these.

One thing I have realized is that I really like listening to people, hearing their stories etc. I am in a different country and unlike others I am not so much interested in travelling or see places. I know its odd of me and may be unusual (in a negative sense). I have seen a couple of places but it is not the case that every week or two there is an urge to go to a new place. I am more interested in meeting all my acquaintances in the city once, while I am here. I want to utilize this opportunity to listen to as many people who visit the school to give talks as possible. I am not saying I can't do both but the question is of urge.

There are courses in areas that I want to take here because I might not get that level of teaching back home. It does not matter to me much if these courses are not in the area that the School is most known for. I know that my home B-school does a more than decent job of training me in that area, so why not try other areas?

One thing is that when people give importance to other things (to which I don't give as much importance), it feels if I am missing something. But I guess its a personal thing and I try to convince myself that preferences can be different. Am not always successful, though.