January 13, 2010
Thanks for Reading. Blog On!
I enjoyed using this space to record my experiences and thoughts as a PiA fellow. In addition to keeping in touch with people, it was an excellent way to reflect on and learn from the events in my life. I thank you for reading, commenting, and encouraging me to write, especially when too much time passed between entries (that was a good sign, by the way - having too much fun in Saigon or traveling).
As I record the final entry on this blog, I would like to share with you the address for my new blog, as follows:
http://maxwellsrobinson.blogspot.com/
Over and out from the Pannikin coffee shop in La Jolla, CA, the place where I wrote my applications for PiA two years ago. On to the next adventure!
One more thing before I go...Little plastic chairs rule...
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 2:22 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
January 12, 2010
From Princeton in Asia to...Life in Asia
Drip drop...Drip drop...The rain water falling from the crack in the roof and striking the tile floor adds its beat to the symphony of the storm outside. Sounds similar to Saigon's rainy season, but its melody is less less intense and more melancholy. This storm is much colder than the tropical variety I am used to, and should last all week, rather than being limited to a two hour long afternoon downpour. Note to self: Don't let the creeping puddle on the floor reach my pile of luggage, which contains all of my worldly possessions.
Alright, it is not so bad. I am sitting at my friend's house in Los Angeles, California, and have enjoyed spectacularly clear and warm weather (and good surf!) for the past month since leaving Asia. Despite the rain, it is much more bearable than the weather in places like...Princeton, NJ. Nevertheless, I find myself comparing the weather - and everything else about life back here in the US - to Vietnam. I have enjoyed spending time with family and friends and eating Mexican food three times per day, but I miss Asia - the busy streets, the variety of languages, and the sense of adventure that I felt every day in Saigon. I also miss the pop art that makes the streets as interesting as a stroll around MoMA.
Anyway, now that my Princeton in Asia fellowship is finished and I find myself back Stateside, what's next for me?
Well, I am making a commitment to Southeast Asia.
As the sentimentality in the first two paragraphs indicate, I love being in the region and miss it now that I am back in the US. I am coming to the point in my life where I am finally getting good at listening to my own intuition, and it tells me to go back and make my life there, at least in the short to medium term. It just feels like the right thing to do - something I realized that during my final few months in Saigon and something that is even clearer now that I am back in the US.
"Life in Asia" also makes sense to me intellectually, as a good career move. While Western countries have been in recession, developing Asia's economies have continued to grow. US-educated people who can get the job done are in high demand by companies across the region, and I already have experience living and doing business in Asia.
In conclusion, I will be out of rainy, (relatively) cold California soon and back to where the action is. I plan to spend Tet in Vietnam, so that gives me a deadline for my departure. I have been interviewing for positions in Vietnam as well as in Indonesia, and should know the result of these interviews this week. Regardless of whether I have a job lined up or not, I will be back home (where the heart is!) in Asia soon.
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 2:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 11, 2010
Why PiA?
"...the taste of Vietnamese coffee, sticky sweet with condensed milk...through the café window, the view of a busy street in downtown Hanoi...a graying grandmother with missing teeth and a cone shaped hat, shouldering a bulging basket of durian fruit...a Prada-clad woman in a business suit talking into a Blackberry...the thought "the Vietnamese are an industrious people, and their nation is in the midst of an economic transition...what an exciting time to be here..."
Mmm...I miss durian, the creamy fragrant fruit...
Anyway, the paragraph above is an excerpt from one of the essays that I wrote to apply for PiA. The goal was to explain why I wanted to join the program and what attracted me to Vietnam in particular. I also explained that: "My overarching goals are to engage in Asian business and meet PiA fellows and alumni."
I saw PiA as a way to transition from teaching to the career I really wanted: international business. My PiA fellowship achieved that goal - working in consulting in Vietnam gave me valuable experience and has paved the way for the next step in my career (details coming soon).
"...I am eager to learn Vietnamese, Chinese, or another foreign language. If possible, I would arrive in my country of placement early and take an intensive language course to prepare for my fellowship. Living in France taught me that speaking the local tongue is crucial for making friends and appreciating the culture. I look forward to the challenge of learning an Asian language and practicing it in my daily life."
I am not fluent in Vietnamese, but I can carry on a good conversation. Studying and practicing the language was one of the most rewarding aspects of my daily life, and it allowed me to get to know the Vietnamese people much better than if I had communicated only in English.
Yes...Important to know that the clothes I buy don't say something like "I am a stupid foreigner and overpaid for this shirt..."
Finally, my PiA fellowship, like other defining experiences in my life, allowed me to grow in ways that I did not intend or even expect. Part of what makes PiA such an incredible, transformative experience is that as a fellow, I...
1. Spent time away from family and friends. Of course, I missed surfing with my buddies and eating my mom's apple crisp. However, being away from the people I love also freed me from their expectations of me (either real or imagined by me). In Saigon, I was able to reinvent myself and be my authentic, grown up self rather than the person I was growing up. I like the Saigon version of myself much better - more confident, relaxed and willing to break the rules when it seems right.
2. Lived in a different culture. I learned so much from the way that Vietnamese people (If I may generalize...) see the world and live life. I admire the care that people take for their family and the tendency to not take things (especially work!) too seriously. I have tried to modify my own approach to life accordingly. On the negative side, the college frat party style binge drinking required of Vietnamese men is one part of the culture I am not willing to adopt.
3. Kept service in mind. "100 Years of Service" is the phrase on PiA's introductory webpage. While my work for a business consulting company did not focus on community service per se, our work did help to create jobs in Vietnam and develop the economy by helping American companies to invest there. I also taught English at a rural school with two friends one Saturday last year. Finally, I am in the process of starting a small import / export business with a Vietnamese business partner, and have helped him to learn how to use email and Excel spreadsheets. Definitely not major community service projects, but keeping PiA's mission in mind inspired me every day to think about how I could contribute to my host country, and I will continue to do so in the future.
4. Crashed on PiA fellows' couches across Asia. Having a network of fellows across Asia is one of the things that makes coming to Asia on PiA different from just showing up here to work on one's own. I slurped noodles with PiA fellows in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, and in other cities that I don't remember. They are without exception friendly and interesting people who showed me a great time in their respective hoods. Taking PiA fellows out on the town in Saigon was always a pleasure too. I will definitely stay in touch with many of these PiA'ers as friends and possibly as colleagues or business partners in the future.
So, why PiA? PiA will rock your world...
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 2:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 10, 2010
Mr. Robinson's Return
Last week, I visited the school where I taught for three years before shipping out to Vietnam with PiA. Here is Mr. Robinson circa 2007...
The purpose of my return to campus? Catch up with former colleagues and students. What did I find? That after nearly two years, most of my former colleagues are still teaching at the school, which says good things about the working environment. Second, I found that the scrawny middle school students I used to discuss Socrates and the Han Dynasty with had grown into high school students with a minimum of jaded teenage attitude. Very cool people, really, and good to talk to them person to person rather than teacher to student.
Two of my former colleagues invited me to speak to their classes about my experience in Vietnam. I did this with two goals in mind: 1. To share with the students my reality living in Vietnam, working as a consultant for US companies, and (most importantly) tasting the local flavors...
2. To inspire the students to get out and explore the world if they feel like it is the right thing for them to do. In addition to photos of me riding motorbikes and singing karaoke, I showed them this photo that I took during my travels in Africa.
That was Mr. Robinson talking again, trying to live the quote by William Ward that I taped to the desk in my classroom two years ago:
The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.
Being a teacher is really like being a farmer, but a farmer who plants seeds that take a really long time to sprout. However, when those seeds do burst through the soil, they are amazingly beautiful and unexpected plants. I intend that my example of living my dream of working abroad by becoming a PiA fellow inspires them to have the courage to begin their own journey when the time is right, whatever that journey may be. That said, I did throw in a plug for PiA, so don't be surprised to see some students from San Diego, California applying for PiA in about eight years from now...
Finally, I want to say that I love teaching. Living another few hours as Mr. Robinson proved to me once again that something magical happens in the classroom when minds are opened and learning...While I am pursuing business as a career, I want to retain the patience and care of a teacher. In addition, wherever I am living, I would like to teach part time (one class per week?) at a local school or university. I am a better person when I let Mr. Robinson come out once in a while...
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 12:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 9, 2010
I Love Blogging...
...but I have been in neglecting this blog lately. Why? Was having too much fun during my last few months in Saigon to be spending one more minute than necessary in front of the computer...
So, how did I occupy my time? Aside from finishing up a couple of interesting projects for work, I spent as much time catching up with friends over coffee or drinks and enjoying Saigon's nightlife. A few karaoke sessions were involved as well. Will have to reserve those photos for viewing on a case by case basis. Don't really want to publish them forever online. I will, however, show you a photo of my new motorbike, which is on its way to California...
I flew back to California for the Holidays, and my "Wandering through 18 months in Saigon" as a PiA fellow are officially over. How was it? What's next? Will take some time to answer those questions as I get back in touch with my blog this weekend. For now, time to head to the beach and catch up on all the surf that I missed during the past year and a a half!
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 3:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 18, 2009
Paradise Found...
...Well, I suppose that "paradise" is a judgment call, but the place that has been called "an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature" certainly charmed me.
The surf definitely had something to do with it. Nothing on this scale, but some fun chest high waves at Kuta Beach gave me the fix that I needed to endure my final two surfless months in Saigon.
Having my first week off of work in over a year and a fresh mohawk helped to get me in vacation mode...
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 7:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
September 2, 2009
How to Nuoc Mam
The other day, I put fish sauce on my breakfast porridge. I must be acquiring a Vietnamese palate - plain oatmeal was just too...Plain...
For those of you craving some fermented sea flavor to complement your dining fare, here is a three step guide to making your own nuoc mam, Phan Thiet style.
Mix fish and rock salt in a large ceramic vat. Cover.
Leave to ferment in the tropical sun for at least one year.
Bottle, label, and enjoy the fishy goodness...
Posted by mt_mrobinson at 3:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)