Australia

I am now writing from my cousins place in Sydney, Australia. I decided to leave China and will be spending a month traveling and visiting Australia before moving down to New Zealand with Chris and Tay for the winter. It is amazing to be in a familiar place again. Will write more later. 

Jon Kirby

You may or may not have heard that my cousin Jon Kirby come out to visit me last week. Jon and I grew up together (though he ruled me with an iron fist from which i still have nightmares) and are very tight to this day. For the past 4 years we have made a habit of visiting one another abroad. I visited Jon when he lived in Toulouse, France in 2004 and he visited me while i was living in Prague, Czech Republic in 2006. Each visit has been epic to say the least and I can confidently say that last week set a new standard. We ate at the best restaurants in Hong Kong, attended the best clubs in Zhaoqing, and stayed at the finest casino in Macao. We did everything that needed to be done. There are many stories to tell and many to not. Big shout out to Jon Patrick Kirby. I will never forget.

Don’t Mess With China

Last week at the factory I was sitting in my room when I started to get hungry. I decided to roll downstairs, leave the office building and go around back to the dormitories where there is a little store that sells beverages, snacks, and soap.

The office building exit faces the factory gate so on my way out I saw and heard some people yelling in the street. I didn’t think anything of it because first of all I had no idea what they were saying and secondly, when people speak chinese and sound mad they are usually really talking about something harmless like kittens. After I purchased my not so ice-creamy ice-cream and returned to the front gate there were TONS of people. Our whole security force was outside in plain-clothes including the factory managers and a bunch of workers. I went to the gate and looked out down the street and saw a cop car parked by a bunch of people. I stood by the gate for awhile, surrounded by about 30 chinese people who were all talking about what was going on. Of course, I had no idea what was really happening. I just stood there waiting.

 All of a sudden a Van rolled up and our security chief, in plain-clothes starting hand picking around 6 guys from the crowd of people. They all jumped in the van after another guy carried over a few lead pipes and police batons. Once they were loaded up they quickly drove through the gate, down the street and disappeared. A stood around a little longer but nothing happened and i was finished with my ice-cream so i went upstairs to go to bed. 

The next day I went and talked to a few people to get the full story. So this is what happened. A group of 5 guys from the city came to our factory because they wanted to see a girl. When the girl wouldn’t come out the guys got upset and tried to break in. No one from outside the factory is allowed in so of course our security stepped in to stop them. This is when the fight erupted. Unfortunately, with only 2 security guards on duty at the time, they were outnumbered and lost, though not with out a good fight. Even though the security got it handed to them, apparently the bad guys never got in. This must have been when the police showed up. Later, when the van took off with our best fighters and weapons, they went and hunted down what was left of the bad guys and beat the s**t out of them. 

I learned a lot about China from this night of excitement. People have always told me here that America has nothing to worry about in regard to China being an aggressor some day. This is something I have come to believe as my interactions with the Chinese to date has been so pleasant. I believe they are the most friendly group of people I have ever met in my life. So from the fight at the factory I learned that China will not fight unless provoked. China does not want to fight. They simply want to live their life as they please and enjoy it. However, if somebody comes in and ruins all that, they will throw down and afterwards they will hunt down all your friends and beat their a** too. 

Now, I sleep better at night.

 

Lost in Translation

Did you know that the Cantonese word for “yes” is exceptionally similar to the Cantonese (crude) word for the female genitalia? Neither did I, until I was finally corrected today for the first time in 7 months by a trusty colleague. Thanks, China!

Biznass

So, I feel I should give everyone an update with work and any progress I have made.  I definitely feel I am obtaining a great understanding of the manufacturing industry, small business, international business, China business, and a bit of fashion. All very unique and interesting in their own right.  I dont know if I have mentioned it on here, but my job is Sales. I call/email different retailers in Europe and lately Australia (opposite seasons, balances everything out). Unfortunately, the sales process for this industry is soooo long which can really suck. Right now I am in communication with a number of exciting companies including the two European retail giants, Zara & Mango. If either of these two companies starts doing business with us we will bring in a good amount of revenue as their order are quite large. In the process, the owners of my company will get very rich and I will get paid a small fraction. Oh to help others make millions. Also, in touch with other companies throughout Europe (lately Poland, so random but awesome). 

Staying in Touch

Its been almost a year since I graduated from SPU and over 7 months since I moved to Hong Kong/China. Since I left Seattle, I have wondered and sometimes feared where my friendships back in Seattle might go. Relationships that I invested so much in and hold dear. Now having been gone a decent amount of time, I am relieved to confidently say that my friendships were not just for university, but for life. I am simply amazed and proud of the way everyone has intentionally stayed in touch. However, I shouldnt give myself or others too much credit because we have more mediums of communication available to us than any previous generation. Daily, I use the following ways to communicate with people: blogs, facebook, linkedin, email, gchat, skype, and the trusty cell phone (so 20th century). What is even more amazing and I believe unique to our generation is how spread out everyone is. I communicate with people on a regular/semi-regular basis in the following places: Germany, Switzerland, Ethiopia, New Zealand, El Salvador, China, Seattle, Denver, New York, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin, & D.C. So basically, my friends and family are amazing. I am blessed. 

Updates

Since, I am starting to blog again I decided to completely overhaul the look and feel of everything. I hope you like the new name and look which I like a lot more than my previous generic blog. Also added lots of new content. New links to some of my favorite sites and friends blogs. Most importantly I posted an assortment of videos for your enjoyment. 

Change of Tone

I just read through my blog posts when I first got to China. I was so excited then. How did I get to the place I am at now? I feel I have grown numb to the nuances of Asia. Things that might have been extraordinary 6 months ago are just ordinary if not bothersome. Times have certainly changed….

Business Trip

In February I was in Europe on business. Scouting new clients in Germany and France with meetings in Spain with Zara and Mango. I was fortunate enough to have some spare time as you can see in my pictures. With out question the best part of my trip was spending nearly a week in Nuremberg with Drew Kreeger. It was unforgettable. Miss Nason even joined us for a night! It is an amazing thing to rendezvou with your best friends in a foreign country. I posted some pictures of this trip. Check em out! 

Delay of Game

I must apologize for my serious lack of commitment to this blog and those who actually read it. I have no reasonable explanation only a simple lack of motivation. However, I plan to write a bit more regularly to give you all a little peek into my world.