As I twitted today (@sandjordao), I was very glad to see the full page ad of the ESMT MBA

on the Economist’s publication “The World in 2012″.

Congratulations marketing team! Make us proud!

Our MBA journey at ESMT started. This is my first time in Berlin, but I feel like being at home. From the very first moment of our journey I felt the warmth and care with which ESMT surrounded me and my classmates. On the first day we were greeted by the ESMT MBA team and got our study materials (I was so excited that I even took a picture of my first study materials).

The first week was full of orientation and team building. Can you imagine 41 professionals from 24 countries to feel as a team in 2 days? Well, it would have been difficult for me to imagine, if I did not experience what I experienced thanks to ESMT. Our team building activities were full of challenges. One of our tasks was to find a certain place which was almost 10 km away… We had to go through fields and forests, cross a river, survive the cold and windy weather which was followed by rain… We had to go fast with little rests… From time to time we were feeling as if being in the middle of nowhere… Descriptions cannot transfer the experience we had… First it was a fun, and then it was a challenge. And we survived:-) We did it. And we grew as a team! The team spirit, trust and care for each other helped us to overcome the difficulties.

As we prepare to welcome the MBA class of 2012 to ESMT next Monday, I came across an interesting piece in today’s Handelsblatt morning newsletter – over 400 internet start-ups in Berlin, concentrated in Mitte (not far from ESMT), 10,000 employees, financed by companies such as Google and by individuals such as the Samwer brothers, the founder of SAP and Ashton Kutcher. Interesting times for Berlin, which has the advantages of being extremely open for creative industries, very start-up friendly and still one of Europe’s cheapest capital cities.

“Berlin ist zwar arm, aber nicht an Ideen. Nirgendwo in Europa ist eine vielfältigere Internet-Gründerszene entstanden als in der deutschen Hauptstadt: 400 Start-ups in fünf Jahren mit rund 10.000 Arbeitsplätzen, finanziert von bekannten Größen wie den Samwer-Brüdern, SAP-Gründer Hasso Plattner, US-Schauspieler und Risikoinvestor Ashton Kutcher und natürlich von Google. Unsere Reporterin Diana Fröhlich hat sich in der Silicon Allee rund um den Rosenthaler Platz in Mitte umgeschaut. Sie war – obwohl Reporter natürlich immer objektiv und nüchtern bleiben sollen – begeistert.” (Handelsblatt Morning Briefing, 06.01.2012)