Working overtime and living with a beautiful Angel

Before I’m meeting my neighbors for a Saturday night drink, I’ll quickly give you all an update. Last week has been great and consisted of lots of work for De Baak and spending time with Angie. I really started to get the working rhythm on the roll. Monday I met Jacco the CEO of Webpower (www.webpower.nl). He told me all about his start in China. Everything went wrong, the almost pulled the plug after a 14 month struggle. The decision was made to give it one more change – and now China is the most profitable country for Webpower (and this all happened in 3 years). I found it a nice and inspiring story to hear. Further it is great material for my (new) project here which is focusing on Dutch starting entrepreneurs. This week I wrote the business concept for the project and it really gives me the feeling it will be successful. Next week I’ll present it at the Consulate (which will partner in the project). So let’s see where it will go.

This second period in China is totally different from the first. In the first period I had to get myself and my life together here, no I have to get my ‘act’ (work) together. But I feel that I’ve come into a position where I really can get some things done. However creating the results keeps me off the street. This week I worked far over my normal hours (1.5 week in one) – Monday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night and Saturday morning too.

However next to all this working there is a big change in my life. I have a girlfriend and she’s even living in my house. Angie arrived from Beijing to Shanghai last Tuesday. I met her in Beijing in January, when I was arranging the program for The New Manager-trip of de Baak. Angie finished university in Beijing and want to get a job in Shanghai. It is going well, she already did 3 interview in here first five days in SH (China speed). Angie is a beautiful and smart 22-year-old girl. She was born in the province of Guizhou in the West of China. She never left China in her entire life and sees everything from a Chinese perspective. But she manages to fascinate my mind with her cleverness and cute appearance. She gives me a very good feeling, and really promotes my working activities – ‘Work hard is good’. So far we managed to avoid cross-cultural-conflicts and we get our relationship started very smoothly and happy. Step by step!

The Chinese language is totally back on track. Started my lessons again last monday and with Angie I’m going in a speed I haven't experienced before. Learning Chinese is like a puzzle. Once you put the first pieces in right place it gets easier and easier. I start to feel so confident about Chinese that I’m even thinking about joining Angie in her ambition to learn French. Of course I’ll have to keep on developing my Chinese (for the years to come), but now I'm on the level where the language not totally alien anymore. It really starts to make sense to me, so the learning process becomes also more natural and easy.

Music is also going great. Today we had a rehearsal, which was definitely the best so far. A new French guitarist joined my jazz band and we’re also getting on the next level here. Next Thursday we'll have a gig and we’ve never been so ready. Like Chinese I feel music is also like a puzzle, it’s just matter of putting down the little pieces (of course this means keep on going). As you can read all is going great here in the Far East. My eyes are quite heavy on this Saturday evening, but it's all worth it.

Back in China and back to business!

Last Tuesday I’ve returned to China. I’m happy to be back. I really felt like coming home. I didn’t have any problems to adjust to my new surrounding and hardly any signs of a jetlag. I arrived Tuesday morning in China and directly went to start with my work for De Baak. I’ll be quite busy the coming weeks to get all the projects on the roll. This week I was working on the preparations for the management trip of 20 Dutch managers De Baak will facilitate by the end of March and beginning of April (part of the program The New Manager - http://www.debaak.nl/en/courses/tnm). When I was in Holland I presented the first draft for the program to the project managers of the program in Holland. They discussed it last Wednesday with the group. Everybody really liked it – which maked me very happy. So, now I have to confirm the company visits and deal with the last details for the trip (still will be some work of course). I’m looking forward to the moment when we will finally get to go. It will be exciting!

Next to working on the trip I wrote my reflection story for my colleagues in the Netherlands. I got many friendly responses, so that was very great. Further, I wrote and outline which described all my projects for the coming months until the 1st of June (The-New-Manager-trip, organizing an event, do the acquisition for a big management training program and start the entrepreneurship network in collaboration with the Consulate). The CEO of De Baak will probably also come to China in April to introduce himself to our (potential) clients in China. So I really feel it’s going to be crazy weeks for me the coming months. The good thing about it is that I totally have no problem to motivate myself now to get to work; there is simply no time to waste. I’m not stressed and feel happy and motivated. It’s a great challenge to get these things successfully realized here in China. Happy to have this chance!

When I got back this week I felt my Chinese language had gotten quite bad, but after a few days I started to get better again. Today I did my homework and tomorrow night I will start with my lessons again. Even thought I feel much work pressure I don’t want to stop to invest time in my Chinese, because I think it will be a great assert for the future … and as said before it’s a great language to learn, so rich! Next to my focus on work I had some social activities. I met my friend and guitar-player Eddie directly on Tuesday night. Wednesday I was accompanied by Ad Fernhout (who was here in my house to work with me for a day – very pleasant . Ad will start a cross-cultural training company in China and is extremely interested to collaborate with me and De Baak. There are many chances for collaboration, so I think we can create something worth while. Thursday night I went to Davide Bertolone to record 9 songs I’ve written (just a click-track with guitar and voice). We have plans to make an album – it’s ambitious, but I’m excited. Friday night I had dinner with Isabel and after went to a night of the Dutch community to network. Saturday I rejoined my jazzband and found I have lots of home work to catch up.

So again all is totally dynamic and my days are already filled. I’m looking towards busy weeks. This Tuesday Angie will come from Beijing to Shanghai. She will probably get a job here and will stay with me for a while. I’m very excited and can’t wait to see her again. Let’s hope all turns out to be great.

Holland opened my eyes for the money-side of life

My time in Holland is almost finished. The last two weeks have really busy, seeing all my friends and colleagues. All the days were packed with meetings (both business and pleasure). The first week was a little strange for me with all the changes I found at the Baak and being physically not very well. I had to really adjust my mindset towards my China activities for them. The current approach of everyone here is focused on money, money and money. However, I must say right now I also adopted this idea into my brains and my mouth.

Nowadays I find myself to be mostly interested in the money-side of things. Let’s see what this brings. Last Friday I gave a presentation to a few of my colleague’s at the Baak in which I revealed the China-strategy for the coming months (of course based on the question: “How are we going to make profit or add value for our current costumers?”). I will focus on acquisition and a new project for Dutch entrepreneurs in Shanghai (it will by dynamic times the coming moths). Actually I feel this commercial perspective is freeing in the approach towards my activities (things that don't make profit are directly unimportant). However, I need some luck to succeed, because June 1st will be there very soon. Keep you posted on these business developments.

Next to working everyday I met my old friends in the evening. I must say it is nice that I was able to see so many people again. Nobody really changed and not much happened (total score: 2 pregnancies, 1 new house, 1 break-up and 1 new relationship). However, meeting and seeing everybody felt totally normal and some questions about my China experience I found myself in it’s-like-I-never-left-conversations. My Chinese adventure feel far here in the Netherlands. I’m still listening to Chinesepod.com, but don’t practice my Chinese and I’m afraid that I lost the magic. I’m curious to see next week if I still kept my level of the language. The only strong connection to China the last two weeks was my contact with Angie – we still kept in contact.

This weekend will be free for family. Tonight I’ll have a dinner with my grandparents and tomorrow is my sister’s birthday. Monday morning back I’ll be back in the plane to Shanghai. A strange idea, but also exciting. Looking forward to continue my adventures in the East!!

Dutch winter in crisis times

I’m happy to have a relaxed Sunday evening after a very busy week in the Netherlands. The Dutch winter is at its peak and outside its totally freezing. It's worse than the week in Beijing. I haven’t experienced such cold temperatures since a long time. I got a little ill and right now I have a real sore throat. I didn’t have any time to be sick this week, because my schedule was totally packed with work and social activities, so I’m very happy I didn’t really get sick. Right now I’m slowly getting better …. Two more days and I’ll be totally fine.

It’s nice to be back in Holland. On the outside nothing has changed of course, but the atmosphere is a little different. The financial crisis is the talk of the town. Also at De Baak the financial crises hit the company. The budgets for training are mostly one of the first things a company limits, when the business is going down. So, when I came back to the Baak I found people to have a different mindset. Everyone is focused on finding clients and getting business deals. People are making long hours and work harder than ever before; however the results are staying behind. It really opened my eyes, because when I was in China I couldn’t feel this. Of course I got some information through email and telephone, but when you’re in the middle of it, it’s totally different.

It’s good that I am here to get a clear picture of what going on in Holland. Last week I had many many appointments with people from all the departments of the Baak. The CEO of the Baak, Harry Starren, told me he wants to have me in China at least until the 1st of June. However, if I want to extend my work for De Baak in China we need to start to make money in China, because the budgets now are too small to experiment without financial results. Fair enough! It is an interesting challenge. I see enough possibilities to really get the business rolling within the coming weeks in China … let’s hope everything works out well. Last Friday I gave a presentation about my China experience and the strategy of the Baak for the MBA-students at the Rotterdam School of Management. Very nice and a good preparation for the presentation I have to give next week in for my Baak-collegues in Driebergen about the developments so far.

Next to busy working days I’m very happy to see my friends and family again (of course it’s also very nice to see my colleagues). Last weeks all my day were very full, but I survived and enjoyed … I am very happy I didn’t became ill, it was a close call. It feels very normal when I see my friends, almost sometimes like I never even been to China (China feels far here in Amsterdam, as it is). However, I more able to look objectively to the things that happen here and the way people do things. Being months in the Chinese culture opened my eyes wider for my own culture. It is quite a logical idea actually, but nice to experience. I’m very happy to be here, but also looking forward to go back to Shanghai after next week.