Greetings fellow academics

It is so good to be back and in a position to be able to write this blog again. I must apologize for the 2 month gap but with so much that has happened I don’t know where to start.

My company has started a Joint Venture (JV) here in Kuwait and I have been appointed as General Manager. Navigating the various labour laws, civil laws, military laws regarding applications, getting our parent company (Italian) to agree with Kuwaiti’s and UK (which is like getting cats to walk in a parade) has made we wish I had taken a law degree instead of business management! Add to that since my last blog I have had to travel to Greece (during riots), UK (during horrific weather), USA (got stuck due to a volcano!) and Qatar which was my favourite as nothing happened!  I am rather glad to be sitting in my office at home with peace, quiet and time to write this.

As many of you will remember I am in the aviation industry. My wife Danielle and I live in Kuwait and have been here for going on 5 years. We really enjoy it here as far as the weather and social life go it’s fantastic but there are the obvious restrictions on alcohol which get challenging sometimes.

Getting back into studies 

When I decided last week that I was now in a position to get back into studying, I reviewed the material I had covered already and it was with dismay I realized a) my memory is awful and b) the only solution was to go back to the start and begin again. This although frustrating, does actually have a bright side as it has helped me realize the mistakes I was making in the way I was studying.

The mistakes I was making can be seen in many facets of life but I will highlight a couple as examples. It is very easy to become myopic when concentrating on a particular task within a module to the exclusion of more refined or ideas of a totally different tack.

Know your own limits! 

I recently watched (this will show how old TV programs are at reaching us out here) an episode of the BBC’s Top Gear. I can’t remember the chaps name but there he was, a skilled motoring correspondent about to be given the chance to drive Fernando Alonso’s championship winning Formula 1 car. I don’t remember how many times he stalled it trying to get going -  but it was a lot! When he finally did get it away he found that he was unable to get up enough speed in order to keep heat in the tires which meant he lost grip and kept spinning the car. When he tried to go quicker he found that his brain could not process the volume of information fast enough and again lose control. The lesson to be learned here is know your limits and don’t take on more than you can handle!

The most extreme example of this can be found on today’s sophisticated submarines. Millions of dollars spent developing the world’s most advanced sonar systems. These systems are so accurate they can detect the sounds of hatches opening and closing in other submarines several miles away. They can hear the sounds of pots and pans getting dragged over a stove. They can even hear laughter from the crew. How wonderful I hear you exclaim! But what does this have to do with my studying?

As good as these sonars are, they are only efficient when the submarine is moving at a slow speed. The faster you go, the less information the sonar is able to absorb. The same was true of the way I was studying. My view originally was ‘Great I can do two modules at a time, I’ll have this knocked out well within a year’! The faster I studied the less and less information I was able to actually absorb. I can’t speak for the rest of you but I would rather take twice as long over this course and be able to use the lessons learned in everyday situations than stare with bewilderment at a Diploma on the wall trying hard to remember what it was for.  I am reminded of the story of the old bull and the young bull…..getting a disapproving look from Danielle, you know the story right? It’s the tortoise and the hare syndrome, let’s take our time, share some wine and we’ll all get there in the end!

Andrew is currently studying for his Masters Entry Diploma in Management (University of Wales) with RDI.

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