I saw the GDP!
INTRODUCTION
Crossing the Mekong River in Vietnam, trekking through hill tribes in Myanmar and strolling through the huge wholesale markets in Bangkok showed me that every single place person and thing in is affected by the economy. World governments and even my individual purchase of an orange, procures is a series of variable economical factors that can ripple through countries and even continents.
I did not make the decision to travel around the world lightly. It was not a summer afternoon whimsical thought. “Ah, wouldn’t it be nice to grab my backpack and just leave” accompanied by an equally spontaneous ticket purchase and rushed goodbyes at the airport. Rather my trip was an actualization of the personal and educational goals I had set for myself. I had my vision, and I went for it.
With only 34% of Americans over the age of 15 holding passports (Economist 09/05/ I understand how the benefits of travel are not ingrained in us the same way as members of the Commonwealth or European Union. Our cultural values are different. (ADD LINK- EAP CULTURAL VALUES) A glance at my resume produces mixed feelings towards my experience. The majority are awed that I went alone, and that I was able to save enough money to do it. Yet some remain dubious. Am I a flight risk? Am I serious about commitment? And what about retaining that valuable skill set I acquired in college?
This blog entry is to parallel the entire travel process to the business world. I want to demonstrate the ways in which my trip helped, not hindered the type of asset I will be to the employer I click with.
PREDEPARTURE
Economic Indicators:
• Recent graduates were having a hard time entering the work force. Companies were going through a slow period and entry level positions were few.
Research:
• How much is it all going to cost, the year whilst I am still here working, and the year I will be gone?
• How will the weak dollar dictate which countries I should plan on visiting?
• What is the best route to follow for sunshine and cultural events?
Management Skills:
Goal Setting, Planning, Decision Making. “Plan your work and work your plan”
• September 2004: Set specific time limited and measurable goals
-Save $20,000 in one year of working
-Selling x number of salads tonight will bring me x% closer to my goal each time I work.
• Decision made and executed. After looking at my options for now and the future I discerned that this was the best possible time to travel in my life. Mortgages, furniture and relationships were nil. What better time to see the world than when you haven’t committed yourself to anything yet.
ON THE ROAD
Growth is Good:
Personal growth is attainable on the road. Acquiring new knowledge is easy when everything is new and exciting.
• For each country I visited I sought out reading materials to enrich my experiences. What a success this was! Not only did I know the history of the sights I was seeing but it made conversations with locals more exciting, They were impressed and flattered that a tourist had taken the time to learn about their local situation.
Adaptable:
• “Does anyone speak English?” “No? Okay (smile and gesture), let me get out my phrasebook.” “Jiao ano jak pee?”
• “Oh sure, I would love to try that bug on a stick you are displaying as if it the most tastiest sought after dish on the planet.”
• “Oh, you mean there is no where I can eat until 9:00pm. That is when dinner is served here?”
Team Player (and risk taker!)
I met two Brits camping around the south island of New Zealand. I jumped in and continued on with them for two months. I traveled with them together and independently in other counties.
• You know how difficult it is to take a vacation with someone you love. Now picture a total stranger.
Problem Solving:
• Problem: I left my bag with all of my high tech gadgets, and journals in a 130 billion year old rainforest. Location of bag is a three hour bus ride and two hour boat ride away from current location of Kuala Lumpur. Busses run once daily and we will miss our non changeable non refundable flight to Bangkok.
Two different people, two different perspectives. Tom saw that we were in a hostel unaccustomed to this sort of problem. Language barriers existed at all points of communication. (English, Malay, Arabic, and Thai.) The airline was adamant about not allowing changes. Email was not an option, and the phone system was baffling and not connecting us to the rainforest man.
I saw this angle too. However my pool skills of seeing unusual angles tilted things for me. I began to do some research. There were about 5 different difficult and expensive options. After some hours of brainstorming I reached a plan.
The end result is this: I discovered a company designed for a more exclusive clientele. There would be a bus leaving early in the morning. All I had to do was convince the driver to go out of his way to the guesthouse, talk to the owner, and bring back the bag. I asked the driver. He understood my request on the cultural norm level of moving items through exchanging of hands. With a small bit of pushing and a smile he agreed and I beamed with appreciativeness. I went back to follow-up on Tom to whom I had delegated the task of calling the airplane. He was distraught by how unfeeling they were, and how utterly unhelpful the call had proved to be. From years of customer service and knowing the ways in which a company worked I discerned our problem was that we were talking with someone who was only acting within their authority, and the first thing we needed to do was get someone else to talk to. Wouldn’t you know, we were given our alternative after all!
Know thy Audience
• Seeing the way surroundings can affect buying power and determine what is bought I have been amazed. What are they wearing, where do they sit, what do they eat, where do they look when talking. Minor things that can be real killers to a local interaction. Wearing a tank top with shorts in Morocco will put you next to Babylon the Harlot, not at home watching a lady make bread.
Thinking on my feet, meeting new people and relating to people on their cultural level have become second nature to me. Observing the way business operates in other countries helped nurture my desire to participate in the world through economics. I arrive home with such a new sense of being grounded. A desire to excel and wanting to make a difference wherever I am led me to my world wide journey. Those same qualities are ready to be funneled into our career together.
Crossing the Mekong River in Vietnam, trekking through hill tribes in Myanmar and strolling through the huge wholesale markets in Bangkok showed me that every single place person and thing in is affected by the economy. World governments and even my individual purchase of an orange, procures is a series of variable economical factors that can ripple through countries and even continents.
I did not make the decision to travel around the world lightly. It was not a summer afternoon whimsical thought. “Ah, wouldn’t it be nice to grab my backpack and just leave” accompanied by an equally spontaneous ticket purchase and rushed goodbyes at the airport. Rather my trip was an actualization of the personal and educational goals I had set for myself. I had my vision, and I went for it.
With only 34% of Americans over the age of 15 holding passports (Economist 09/05/ I understand how the benefits of travel are not ingrained in us the same way as members of the Commonwealth or European Union. Our cultural values are different. (ADD LINK- EAP CULTURAL VALUES) A glance at my resume produces mixed feelings towards my experience. The majority are awed that I went alone, and that I was able to save enough money to do it. Yet some remain dubious. Am I a flight risk? Am I serious about commitment? And what about retaining that valuable skill set I acquired in college?
This blog entry is to parallel the entire travel process to the business world. I want to demonstrate the ways in which my trip helped, not hindered the type of asset I will be to the employer I click with.
PREDEPARTURE
Economic Indicators:
• Recent graduates were having a hard time entering the work force. Companies were going through a slow period and entry level positions were few.
Research:
• How much is it all going to cost, the year whilst I am still here working, and the year I will be gone?
• How will the weak dollar dictate which countries I should plan on visiting?
• What is the best route to follow for sunshine and cultural events?
Management Skills:
Goal Setting, Planning, Decision Making. “Plan your work and work your plan”
• September 2004: Set specific time limited and measurable goals
-Save $20,000 in one year of working
-Selling x number of salads tonight will bring me x% closer to my goal each time I work.
• Decision made and executed. After looking at my options for now and the future I discerned that this was the best possible time to travel in my life. Mortgages, furniture and relationships were nil. What better time to see the world than when you haven’t committed yourself to anything yet.
ON THE ROAD
Growth is Good:
Personal growth is attainable on the road. Acquiring new knowledge is easy when everything is new and exciting.
• For each country I visited I sought out reading materials to enrich my experiences. What a success this was! Not only did I know the history of the sights I was seeing but it made conversations with locals more exciting, They were impressed and flattered that a tourist had taken the time to learn about their local situation.
Adaptable:
• “Does anyone speak English?” “No? Okay (smile and gesture), let me get out my phrasebook.” “Jiao ano jak pee?”
• “Oh sure, I would love to try that bug on a stick you are displaying as if it the most tastiest sought after dish on the planet.”
• “Oh, you mean there is no where I can eat until 9:00pm. That is when dinner is served here?”
Team Player (and risk taker!)
I met two Brits camping around the south island of New Zealand. I jumped in and continued on with them for two months. I traveled with them together and independently in other counties.
• You know how difficult it is to take a vacation with someone you love. Now picture a total stranger.
Problem Solving:
• Problem: I left my bag with all of my high tech gadgets, and journals in a 130 billion year old rainforest. Location of bag is a three hour bus ride and two hour boat ride away from current location of Kuala Lumpur. Busses run once daily and we will miss our non changeable non refundable flight to Bangkok.
Two different people, two different perspectives. Tom saw that we were in a hostel unaccustomed to this sort of problem. Language barriers existed at all points of communication. (English, Malay, Arabic, and Thai.) The airline was adamant about not allowing changes. Email was not an option, and the phone system was baffling and not connecting us to the rainforest man.
I saw this angle too. However my pool skills of seeing unusual angles tilted things for me. I began to do some research. There were about 5 different difficult and expensive options. After some hours of brainstorming I reached a plan.
The end result is this: I discovered a company designed for a more exclusive clientele. There would be a bus leaving early in the morning. All I had to do was convince the driver to go out of his way to the guesthouse, talk to the owner, and bring back the bag. I asked the driver. He understood my request on the cultural norm level of moving items through exchanging of hands. With a small bit of pushing and a smile he agreed and I beamed with appreciativeness. I went back to follow-up on Tom to whom I had delegated the task of calling the airplane. He was distraught by how unfeeling they were, and how utterly unhelpful the call had proved to be. From years of customer service and knowing the ways in which a company worked I discerned our problem was that we were talking with someone who was only acting within their authority, and the first thing we needed to do was get someone else to talk to. Wouldn’t you know, we were given our alternative after all!
Know thy Audience
• Seeing the way surroundings can affect buying power and determine what is bought I have been amazed. What are they wearing, where do they sit, what do they eat, where do they look when talking. Minor things that can be real killers to a local interaction. Wearing a tank top with shorts in Morocco will put you next to Babylon the Harlot, not at home watching a lady make bread.
Thinking on my feet, meeting new people and relating to people on their cultural level have become second nature to me. Observing the way business operates in other countries helped nurture my desire to participate in the world through economics. I arrive home with such a new sense of being grounded. A desire to excel and wanting to make a difference wherever I am led me to my world wide journey. Those same qualities are ready to be funneled into our career together.
posted by Danielle Marie at 7:29 PM
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