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All is going well. I’m in the middle of the New Manager program for which I worked so hard the last few weeks. The atmosphere is great and the group really likes it. Every body is very enthusiastic. The program began yesterday in Beijing. These first two days we have mostly done cultural activities like the Forbidden City, Tiananmen square, 798 and the Great Wall. The great wall this morning was very impressive (it was my first time), especially because it snowed (which is very special this time of year. Tomorrow the more ‘serious’ activities will start: Company visits (ATOS 
Origin, Elanders and the National Audit Office), a creative industry discussion meeting (organized by PlusEightStar and myself) and lastly a dinner at the Ambassadors house. That’s just tomorrow, so you can imagine we have a very busy schedule. I’m quite excited and I am looking forward to it already.
So this time, just a quick notice. Soon I will write a more detailed report on the developments here in the Middle Kingdom (zhongguo), as the Chinese call their country.
Wednesday evening and I’ve just returned from a music session with Davide Bertolone. He is the guy with whom I’m recording songs. So far we have laid down three basic tracks for a first demo. Which I expect to be finished within a few weeks. With this demo we can form a band together and do some gigs. Tomorrow night I will also play in a local club, called Shelter where I will improvise together with a DJ and some other musicians. It will be my first improvisation concert and I totally unprepared (but how can you prepare for improvisation – I ask myself). So musically all is well …
The last two weeks have been so busy and full that I don’t really know where I should start my story. Maybe I could start with my nice trip of two weeks ago to Suzhou. This is a city about an hour from Shanghai with 6 million residents. I went to Suzhou to visit the Siemens factory on Monday morning. Next week we will visit this factory with “The New Manager”-trip. Because I’ve never been to Suzhou I decided to make into all super small ‘holiday’ with Angie. We left Shanghai on Sunday afternoon and returned to Shanghai on Monday evening. Suzhou together with Hangzhou is famous for the Chinese saying: Shang you Tian Tang, Xia you Su Hang, which means “There is a paradise i
n the sky, but on the world there is Suzhou and Hangzhou. And I must say Suzhou is definitely a nice town. It is famous for its beautiful classical gardens. We went to two of those, and it was really something nice and special. The first one was a little small, but almost deserted – this is something one will hardly experience in China. In was so nice, it felt to be in ancient times in such a nice garden without hundreds of people. A great difference with the noisy busy modern big city everyday life I'm used to now here.
At home the house is full with Esther staying over as our guest. Esther is working for a tv-show and makes long day – leaves the house at 7h and returns at 22h – so we hardly see here. Angie and I have now been living together now for over a month, without fights. And I think we can keep it like that. The time when I lived alone in this house seem long gone and I must say that I’m happy with that.
My work for De Baak is going quite good. The group of The New Manager will be here a little more than a week … so always many last moment details to deal with. But I am looking forward to experience it. Further found some new potential clients for the collaboration with CBC – we’re working on it, and I hope we can sell some trainings. Earning a little bit of money is never wrong. The concept for the entrepreneurship program with the Consulate is growing and growing. De Baak in the Netherlands is also into this development, so after the trip I can push this project to realization (hopefully of course, there are still enough problems that need to be solved, but the energy is good/positive). Harry Starren, my CEO, is planning a visit to Shanghai. A good thing!
So all is on a nice track… The coming two weeks will be totally packed, after that it will just be normally busy, I guess (don’t know). However, I’ll go to Thailand with Stefan for 1,5 weeks by the end of April ----- that is super great!! I feel I deserve a nice little holiday!
A Thursday night at 22h I find myself behind the computer screen. Angie is talking a shower, so time for a quick post to Holland. The last two weeks have been very nice, but also extremely busy. Angie and I are still going strong and the time when I lived alone in this house seems long gone. It’s actual great to share your live with someone like this – I can recommend it to everyone. Angie is very easy going and gives me the space I need to do my activities (work, music, work, Chinese and work). We just came back from IKEA (a place where you really don’t feel like you’re in China anymore) to buy sleeping gear. Next week Angie and I will have another visitor. My friend Esther from Beijing will be in Shanghai for two weeks for to work here for a film project - she does camera. So, now the so far unused guest room is made ready to fulfill its role. By the way Angie found a job as an insurance consultant in Shanghai – she found it within a week (China tempo, what can we say!). It’s great – we wake up together.
Apart from having very little time for social activities all has been well the last few weeks. The Baak-trip will be by the end of this month. So now there are so many many practical issues and things I need to take off for the program. Always so much more work that you think it will be. However it is still 3 weeks to go and I’m well on track (not nervous at all – almost all the company visits in both Beijing and Shanghai have been confirmed and people can't wait to meet the group). It will be successful. This weekend I’ll be in Suzhou to confirm a company visit to the Siemens factory there. Last week I had a few meetings with different Chinese companies – I 'm starting to use my Chinese more and more in when I’m meeting Chinese (they really appreciate it a lot and everything seems to go more smoothly after this). Next to the trip I’ve been working on the entrepreneurship program with the Consulate, where I’ve been twice the last two weeks to discuss the progress. It is looking good, and is developing into a solid concept. These are definitely the two biggest projects I’m working on. Of course I also have other things that keep me off the streets (at night) – just working around the clock (expat style).
Having little time for party doesn’t mean I gave up on my Chinese lessons. Still twice a week – I have a new book (beginner part III – we skipped part II). It’s super advanced and yesterday I literally did my homework until 1 am – after a 10 hour working day. So, I have no problems with motivation on this field. Music is going ok (could be better). Last two weeks I’ve been to Davide three times to work on my songs. Last Saturday I perfected the lyrics with my band mates Cathy and JP at home (instead of going out I seem to invite people to come to my home more and more – cheap and convenient). The band is going great. We did a gig last Thursday – we really got our act together this time – wo men bu cuo! My bass lessons are not going great (have no time do prepare them – so I don’t schedule any (wish I soon get it going again). Eddie my guitar teacher is out of town for three weeks, because a good friend died abroad. When he returns I probably just did the Baak –trip and my work schedule also a little less hectic.
So still alive and feel very settled here in my home with my ‘wife’.
All is going well. I’m in the middle of the New Manager program for which I worked so hard the last few weeks. The atmosphere is great and the group really likes it. Every body is very enthusiastic. The program began yesterday in Beijing. These first two days we have mostly done cultural activities like the Forbidden City, Tiananmen square, 798 and the Great Wall. The great wall this morning was very impressive (it was my first time), especially because it snowed (which is very special this time of year. Tomorrow the more ‘serious’ activities will start: Company visits (ATOS 
Origin, Elanders and the National Audit Office), a creative industry discussion meeting (organized by PlusEightStar and myself) and lastly a dinner at the Ambassadors house. That’s just tomorrow, so you can imagine we have a very busy schedule. I’m quite excited and I am looking forward to it already.
