Here is a comprehensive list of every singe blog post I’ve ever written. Happy Reading!
Finding Meaning
“Chelsea Clinton Exited Wall Street to Seek Career with Meaning”, this Bloomberg headline shared by a friend on Facebook caught my attention this morning. My friends commented on the piece as inspiring. This is not the first story of someone that left Corporate America behind to find “meaning”. This is the…
Snail Mail & Roots
I am back in my parents’ house, a place where I spent my adolescent years. This place is as close to home as it gets for me. A part of being a globetrotter is you move, a lot. I am going on my 14th move in 8 years. Luckily, my…
Final Countdown: 2008 & Now
Yesterday was my 10-day countdown until this next journey begins. People have been asking me how I am feeling, and if I am ready. I don’t really know if there is any way to truly be ready for this – moving to a country that you have never visited and…
Saint Charles Charm
It’s a lovely fall day here in St. Charles, a town where I spent my adolescent years. St. Charles is the first capitol of Missouri, and its “downtown” has preserved its historic charm from the 1700’s. I’ve never really appreciated this town. Coming from Taichung, the third largest city in…
Polyglot in Action
Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. – Steve Jobs The dots, they are connecting in my life. When I decided to move to Shanghai a little over…
Inhale. Exhale. It’s Not Like I’m Moving to Africa Again…
Remember all that zen I had a few days ago? Well, they completely dissipated this morning when I opened my eyes. A stream of thoughts crossed my mind as I gained consciousness, “o.m.g. this is my last day at home.” “o.m.g. I have so much to do still.” “O.M.G. WHY…
Thoughts from 38,000 feet
Going on hour 10 of this 13-hour flight. It’s been a while since I took a 10+ hour flight. If the bus ride to DC provided ample time to think about my life, this flight took it to the next level. I would guess around 85% of the passengers on…
Shanghai: First Impression
First 24 hours in Shanghai was filled with a lot of walking around in a zombie state due to this jet-lag, and not having had a full night of sleep in nearly 3 days. Even still, it’s been pretty eye-opening. I spent the day mostly within the 1/2 mile radius…
Beijing Bound
I’ve barely gotten over my jet lag, and I boarded the high-speed rail to Beijing. I arrived in China just in time to attend China’s First Social Investment Forum. Through my LinkedIn network, I was offered a ticket to attend. So, off I go. I took the subway to Shanghai’s…
Speak for the Rich; Do for the Poor
I first became involved with the concept of social enterprise back in 2007, when I volunteered with StudioSTL and ended up helping the organization to win some big money at a Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition. Five years later, I find myself in Beijing, attending a forum titled, “First China Impact…
Beijing: A Chinese Metropolis
Last week, I ventured up to Beijing. My sister has told me that Beijing is much less “livable” than Shanghai, and I was thus eager to find out for myself. Five days later, I was very much glad to be back in Shanghai. Beijing is gigantic, and not for the…
Proud to be an American
Last week, I witnessed Barack Obama’s second victory from a sports bar in Shanghai. Four years ago, I did it from a black and white TV in Cameroon. Obama’s presidency means a lot to me. I didn’t become a US citizen until 2005, and thus 2008 was the first presidential…
Getting Lost in Jing’an
One of my favorite ways to travel is to walk around aimlessly in a city, alone, without a map, without a destination. But simply being in that place in time and soaking in what the city has to offer. No stress of finding the next monument or restaurant. Just going…
Extreme Efficiency
Right before I arrived to Shanghai, I asked a friend who had moved to Beijing just a month before me how things were going. She had just arrived for a few weeks at that point, and she responded, “China in unreal.” Now that I’ve been to Shanghai for a few…
Yet Another Turkey Day Abroad
Happy Turkey Day from Shanghai! Somehow, I thought Thanksgiving is NEXT week. As it turns out, the rule is the 4th Thursday in November, and not the last Thursday. When I realize this a few days ago, I discovered I had booked my day solid full of non-America and non-turkey…
