Ch 11: Warm Beer & Midnight Chicken

I had dinner with Roy during my final evening in Oxford. It was actually at a place across the street from where I was staying- the White House. The food was quite good, or maybe it was my expectations from what I had heard before about British Food. But quite good. The Beer was much better. The beer I had was London's Finest. It was served at room temperature, which in my opinion really brings out the taste. It made me wonder how my American beers would taste at home (or what the freezing temperatures they are served at is hiding)?
Afterwards we stopped by Mike's pad which is rather nice and very good accommodations for any student.
After some beers and "crisps" Roy and I walked back to the other side of the tracks. We stopped by the Kebob stand in front of my hotel. I ordered a chicken kebob as I did not want to risk the digestive wrath of the lamb. While waiting we started chatting with two Oxford residents who lived and worked in the area. Two conclusions were reached from our discussion.
1.) The English Empire will not exist in 100 years. Instead they will go down in history as the inventors of the universal language who explored every corner of the world in order to add "better" words (and more words) into their vocabulary. They said it not me.
2.) Brits have a very high opinion of American Business and American MBA programs as a result. They asked why I would choose to go to school in the UK and not the U.S. I have my reasons as I have stated before so I gave them REASON #1: Diversity. But my definition of diversity may be different then others. To me getting the most out of diversity is not bringing 35 nationalities together so that everyone can learn the American Way (which works quite well, and I do love living there I have to say). To me it's about learning what the other 34 nationalities have to say, gaining an understanding of their cultures, and working to find the "best" way. I believe that in ten years the largest software companies in the world will be Indian and the largest manufacturing companies will be Chinese. The world is getting flatter by the day. Plus I feel that a foreign environment will get me out of my comfort zone and into a more open state for learning from others. That's just me. I want an MBA experience and corresponding student body mix that best prepares me for the world of today and tomorrow.