The sleeping giant. China. This is my first time to China, and the experience has been so overwhelming that I'm not sure it will all process through my mind for weeks. From work to lifestyle and everything in between, the culture of China is one that is a combination of traditional culture mixed with an insatiable drive to modernize and follow the Western way.
The most amazing elements of China to me are:
1) The pollution
2) The kindness of people
3) The work ethic of adults (and kids)
4) The lack of law for branding, copyright, etc.
One of the most obvious differences of China from anywhere in the Western Hemisphere or Europe is the written language. Whereas in many countries you can guess some of the words on the signs due to the commonality of Latin languages, it is completely different here. Chinese characters leave no hint as to the meaning of words on signs, stores, or documents. Since most Chinese do not speak English, asking for help is out of the question. I felt a sense of isolation that I have never felt while traveling anywhere else in the world.
However, this is not to say the people are rude. In fact, when they are able, they are some of the most helpful people I've ever encountered. In fact, being polite is so engrained into their culture that they actually will laugh at your jokes just to make you happy. What an ego trip!
The pollution in Beijing is also quite unbelievable. On a cold, winter day such as this week, the air is so thick with smog that at times I felt uncomfortable even breathing. The cause of this pollution is primarily automobiles and lack of government control. This problem has permeated the city in other ways as well, as the traffic is somewhat unbearable. Moving 5 miles can take as long as 45 minutes!
I had the opportunity on my first day here to visit some consumers' homes. As part of my orientation to the Chinese business, I accompanied a co-worker to two people's home to talk about cookies. Now imagine this...For work, Evan is in an average Chinese consumer's home asking them about Oreo cookies! Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this would someday be my life! The amazing part of visiting with these consumers was their comments about their children. Most Chinese families only have one child...in fact, everyone I worked with here was an only child. The children are nurtured well and protected, but they are also pushed very hard. Both moms we talked to said their child was expected to do 2-3 hours of homework after school...and they were 9 and 12 years old! Why, do you ask? The rationale was that the children needed to work hard to be successful. Obvious, but the undertone of the culture here is a competitive one, with dreams of one day being a truly global contributor on par with Americans and other Westerners.
I saw a lot of cool things here as well. I had my fellow co-workers guide me around the city, and I took in the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the 2008 Olympic Site, and the CCTV site (you'd have to see the building to understand). I also had the best Roast Duck I've ever tasted and ate a lot of traditional Chinese dishes.
The work culture of China is also very different from other places because it is developing. I interacted with people that had been doing marketing and CI for years, but still looked to me for direction. It's amazing the contribution that one can offer here, and it's equally amazing how willing they are to accept the help.
All and all, this may be the third best place I've ever visited, and the cool thing I get to come back in a couple of months!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
"Life on the Road"
I can't believe it has been over a month (almost two) since my last blog. I don't even know where to start with my writing, but I suppose I'll talk about what I've been doing most over the past month...traveling.
I can't imagine traveling around the world in better style than what Kraft has given me. I fly business class all over, stay in 5-star hotels, and have most of my expenses paid for. Singapore Airlines is like nothing I could have ever imagined from an airline. The food is unbelievable and the last two jets I've taken have provided business seats that actually recline to a bed. Free booze (although I rarely drink on planes) and the most attentive flight attendants ever make the experience a true pleasure.
I was in Australia three weeks ago for work, and though it's somewhat different from the US, the contrast is so minimal relative to what I've seen in other parts of Asia that it felt a bit like home. English is the primary, if only, language, and the weather was reminiscent of Minnesota spring. Beyond that, everything is modernized, a reality that I have found to be a rarity in my recent travels.
The work style of Australia is one that could be envied by anyone. Pretty standard hours and an emphasis on work/life balance means everyone is out of the office by 6pm. This is a stark contrast from China, where the people work very hard. During my week here (I am blogging this from a hotel in Beijing), I have been at the office until after 8pm and had a long presentation to lead at 7:30am on Thursday. Back to Australia though...
The most notable elements of Melbourne were a) their love for sports and b) their love for sports. I turned on the TV in the hotel to see about two channels of news, one of sitcoms and 30 of sports, primarily Cricket, Australian football, rugby, and soccer. I even watched basketball, although it wasn't very good. I actually became somewhat addicted to watching cricket...seems like a very interesting sport and one that was an obvious precursor to baseball.
On the weekend, I went to a bar/club called F4 with some work colleagues...I drank too much and stumbled slowly back to my hotel. The next day, I did what many Aussies do...walked by the river, jogged on the beach, had a nice Italian meal on St. Kilda's beach, and shopped down the Central Business District. I also toured their MCG Stadium, the biggest stadium in Melbourne (holds ~100,000 people). The one thing that sucked were all the flies. At first, I thought it was just me smelling like sh*t, but after observing the flapping of arms from others, I realized it was a city-wide problem. Usually I wouldn't complain about something like this, but it was so annoying that it actually got me pretty worked up.
Overall, I was not completely amazed by Australia, although it seems like a nice place. The city of Melbourne is roughly that of Minneapolis and the culture is typical-Australian laid back. It's not a place I'd spend a long vacation, but perhaps would be a suitable place to live.
Back to Singapore for a week, where I rocked out with my friends...more on that in another blog. Then to China...
I can't imagine traveling around the world in better style than what Kraft has given me. I fly business class all over, stay in 5-star hotels, and have most of my expenses paid for. Singapore Airlines is like nothing I could have ever imagined from an airline. The food is unbelievable and the last two jets I've taken have provided business seats that actually recline to a bed. Free booze (although I rarely drink on planes) and the most attentive flight attendants ever make the experience a true pleasure.
I was in Australia three weeks ago for work, and though it's somewhat different from the US, the contrast is so minimal relative to what I've seen in other parts of Asia that it felt a bit like home. English is the primary, if only, language, and the weather was reminiscent of Minnesota spring. Beyond that, everything is modernized, a reality that I have found to be a rarity in my recent travels.
The work style of Australia is one that could be envied by anyone. Pretty standard hours and an emphasis on work/life balance means everyone is out of the office by 6pm. This is a stark contrast from China, where the people work very hard. During my week here (I am blogging this from a hotel in Beijing), I have been at the office until after 8pm and had a long presentation to lead at 7:30am on Thursday. Back to Australia though...
The most notable elements of Melbourne were a) their love for sports and b) their love for sports. I turned on the TV in the hotel to see about two channels of news, one of sitcoms and 30 of sports, primarily Cricket, Australian football, rugby, and soccer. I even watched basketball, although it wasn't very good. I actually became somewhat addicted to watching cricket...seems like a very interesting sport and one that was an obvious precursor to baseball.
On the weekend, I went to a bar/club called F4 with some work colleagues...I drank too much and stumbled slowly back to my hotel. The next day, I did what many Aussies do...walked by the river, jogged on the beach, had a nice Italian meal on St. Kilda's beach, and shopped down the Central Business District. I also toured their MCG Stadium, the biggest stadium in Melbourne (holds ~100,000 people). The one thing that sucked were all the flies. At first, I thought it was just me smelling like sh*t, but after observing the flapping of arms from others, I realized it was a city-wide problem. Usually I wouldn't complain about something like this, but it was so annoying that it actually got me pretty worked up.
Overall, I was not completely amazed by Australia, although it seems like a nice place. The city of Melbourne is roughly that of Minneapolis and the culture is typical-Australian laid back. It's not a place I'd spend a long vacation, but perhaps would be a suitable place to live.
Back to Singapore for a week, where I rocked out with my friends...more on that in another blog. Then to China...
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