Made in Japan, Outsourced Globally

One day, a man packed all of his belongings in his car and left Budapest. Other than a house in the countryside, friends, and the comfort of his home country, he left nothing behind.

He drove West. He drove and drove until he crossed the English channel. He reached the land of new beginnings.

The search started immediately. He went North. He went South. He saw all of England, driving in his car, sometimes living in it. He recalls living in a small one-bedroom flat in London with 7 or 8 people. Just enough room to sleep on the floor amongst other bodies.

At job interviews, he was told that his English was quite good, for a foreigner. He came away disappointed with the gap in the salary he would be getting compared to a mediocre engineer who could speak English. He was university educated, hard-working, and had mechanical engineering know-how that could only be gained by doing the real thing in numerous factories in Hungary. In his opinion, the young English engineers had nothing but the language advantage on him.

He now works at an aluminium die casting company as a maintenance man. He also lives with me. In his company, there are many Central and Eastern European immigrants with the same stories. We hang out with the people who are around the same age as us. They get together, drink slovavica/vodka/rum, smoke, and talk about their dreams of "when their English is better." The doors that would open up. Not having to do the dangerous, mundane, factory work they are doing right now. Being able to bring their wife and family over to England. Some of them are as young as 19.

The pay is low. But better than what they would be earning at home. The work hours are decent, and overtime is lucrative. Back home, long hours are a norm. What they have now is not ideal, but they toast to the new beginning and their eyes are filled with optimism.

One of our Polish friends, Gregor, pointed to his head and said, "The other day, liquid aluminium fell on my head. But it was around 800-degrees Celcius, so it was too hot and it bounced off my head. If it was lower than 750-degrees, I would have been in hospital." Lucky him. I don't understand the physics of it all, but apparently liquid aluminium at such high temperature are repelled off of human flesh. Everyone around the table nodds and chimes in with their tales of "close-calls." Gregor also coughs from the aluminium dust filling his lungs. His wife says that he never had coughing fits that kept him up all night until he started working in that factory.

Die casting is a dangerous job with heavy machinery and toxic materials (many of our Polish and Slovakian friends do die changes, which includes physically lifting the die out). One day, they say, they won't have to do these things any more. Once they learn perfect English.

I cannot help but be a little skeptical about their belief that English is their only barrier to a good job (ironically, many of the factory jobs that employ immigrants are shutting down in England and moving to Eastern Europe). But their big move to England is more than admirable. My flatmate especially gave up a decent salary and familiarity (he often speaks nostalgically of Hungary), because he believes that there will be a better future for him this way. He could climb the career ladder in Hungary, but there is a limit on how high the ladder will go. Once his English is better, people will understand that he is a very skillful man and give him a higher salary, he says.

I am left humbled by the bright eyes who believe in a better life.

Okay, realizing that I have less than 2 months in Europe, I have gone and booked some trips with some nomads. But I could always use a little more help.

June 22-25: Tallinn, Estonia - Mid-Summer Festival with Kristina
June 29-Jul 2: Budapest, Hungary - ??? with Matt
July 7-9: Dublin & Wicklow, Ireland with Steph
July 15-17: Hamburg, Germany with Jen & Marco
July 21-24: Edinburgh, Scottland on a whisky tour with Kristina & Vishen

As you can see, I have no expectations nor any clue of what is to happen. I'm also homeless & friendless in Budapest and would appreciate it if I could meet people there in exchange for some Japanese amusement and origami.

Time to start learning Magyar.

In response to Mike's query:

Rotational programs are becoming more popular in major companies lately, because they help develop young professionals on their track to becoming a jack-of-all-trades managers who have seen various parts of the companies before they get stapled to the same ergonomic chair every day. It is also a way to test the adaptability and 'can-do' attitude of these young professionals.

MeadWestvaco Consumer Solutions Group (CSG) offers the designs, substrates, construction, machinery and packaging know-how that has helped our customers become leaders in their industry. Whether the need is for beverages, DVDs, cosmetics, healthcare products, luxury goods or tobacco, MeadWestvaco has the complete packaging solution.

The CSG Graduate Associate Rotational Program exposes individuals early in their careers to various parts of our business through four carefully structured assignments over a two-year period. Graduate Associates complete three domestic and at least one international assignment in areas such as Manufacturing, Sales, Finance, Business Transformation, Product Development and Market Research.

Embedded in the business units and working with operations executives and senior managers, program participants have the opportunity to make significant contributions to the company while learning through direct, interactive, hands-on experience.

MelT was the one who first introduced me to the program. I like the way she says it is "just like working on your MBA course." I'll finish up my 6 months in England on a beer project, and then it's off to Chi-town for the next six to do an operations streamlining project.

I saw a man
He danced with his wife
In Chicago, my home town
Chicago, Chicago
That toddlin' town
Chicago, Chicago

I left that toddlin' town in 1997, and briefly visited it a couple times thereafter. It holds a chunk of my childhood (I lived in Illinois for 5.5 years - the longest I had ever lived in one place), and I'm happy to re-discover it.

Starting in August, there will be an open invitation to come visit me in Chi-town!

My first exposure to French as a language began in a bar called "Mes Amis," which means "My Friends." It was exactly in this manner that I had the most delightful weekend with my friends in Paris.

Now, this story has 3 main characters: Holly, the energetic jet-setter from Perth (Australia), currently spinning out her own destiny in London. Clement, the suave Parisian (in fact, in looks alone, he has been compared to Kobe Bryant), itching for another international adventure. And moi, the Japanese/American living amongst sheep in England.



It was at some point early in our journey that I said, "we're walking through Europe's treasure chest." You cannot walk around in Paris without coming face to face with an architecture of historical or artistic significance. The city itself takes on an air of style, luxury, and decadence - all in good taste. You cannot help but feel a tinge of jealousy at the wealth of this city. A wealth not measurable by financial means, but by the richness and depth of culture.

I have always been told that Paris is beautiful, Paris is wonderful, Paris is great. But a stubborn side of me always said, "well, I'll see it for myself and then decide."



From La Tour Eiffel, Chateau de Versailles, Le Louvre, Notre-Dame, Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, Musee d'Orsay, and even the Moulin Rouge, I was left with a grunt of defeat at their magnificence.

I savoured every moment spent in this magical place. When I was in high school, I often fantacized about being born during the Revolution. "What kind of a life would I have led if I was a peasant?" "What if I was born as an aristocrat?" As one of the most violent uprisings in history, the French Revolution piqued my interest as a teenager reading the likes of "A Tale of Two Cities."

Chateau de Versailles
I was equally intrigued by Louis XIV, the Sun King. He was a 17th century enlightenment king who was feared as a rising power in Europe. One of his most famous accomplishments, Chateau de Versailles, is a palace of sheer opulence. The chateau was decorated with countless chandeliers, royal portraits, and sculptures. There were many paintings that are now in the Louvre, including the Coronation of Josephine by Napoleon and several paintings of the Last Supper, anachronically juxtaposing Jesus with French aristocrats in clothes from the 17th century (quite laughable, actually). There were many portraits and sculptures of the King (including a most impressive sculpture by Bernini that looked as if wind was billowing through his hair and garment), which made me ponder if the king was as good-looking as he was in the art as he was in real life.

I took my sweet time mosing down the Hall of Mirrors, an open expression of the King's ego. Louis XIV called himself "the Sun King" and wanted to reflect as much sunlight as possible, so he built a hall with large windows and mirrors to let as much light come in and refract around him. I also adored the gardens, which had countless sculptures with ancient Greek/Roman dieties and mythological tales (thank goodness I polished up on Greek mythology after my trip to Greece!). The weather was perfect, and it almost felt regal, as the garden boomed with baroque music on the speakers (Sunday visitors' service, I suppose). The photos really do not do justice to show the size of the entire palace and the amount of artistic wealth accumulated there.



Chateau de Versailles - inside the chateau, Hall of Mirrors, fountain, and a small lake in the garden where people can row boats and cycle around (I could imagine Georges Seurat being inspired here).

Our Lady - Notre-Dame


And how could I forget Notre-Dame? I'm not an avid church-goer, but its grandeur absolutely floored me. When we stepped in, a Mass was going on, so we quietly observed the service. Inside, rays from the stained glass windows and candle light delicately illuminated the grey pillars and arches. And as soon as the service ended, the most wicked organ music began - dark, elaborate, and complex - it echoed inside the hollow church, filling the space with gravity of sound. I could feel goosebumps immediately forming on my skin. The gothic gargoyles eerily decorates the periphery of the church, as the heavy tolls of the bell conjur an image of Quasimoto in the towers above.

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?

And we could not have passed up an opportunity to visit the risque parts of town - we were off to Pigalle to go see the infamous Moulin Rouge. Well, the photo above is as far as we got (the actual show itself was a bit expensive for our thrifty-traveler budget at the moment). The entire area is a quasi-redlight district with various peep shows, cabaret theaters, and X-rated shops. It was actually quite amusing to see a pack of Japanese tourists (mostly 60s and above) looking wide-eyed and shamelessly gawking at the area. But you have to hand it to the French, it's all done with class. Exhibit A: the Virgin mobile advert on a cafe table. The catch-copy reads: "SMS Unlimited" - you're hands will be tied up with all this unlimited text messaging, so you better start using something else to, ahem, tend to your girlfriend (or something of that effect, as I can't read French). Witty, sassy, and elegant.

Mes Amis - what goes around, comes around

On our way to Versailles, we had a very pleasant surprise. On the platform, we saw a beautiful doe-eyed Romanian girl. It was none other than our dear friend Gabi - another Hong Kong connection (Clement, Holly, Gabi, and I all worked in Hong Kong at one point). She is now working for Saatchi & Saatchi in Bucharest (well done!). We also became friends with Taran, a Ukranian-Canadian who had arrived in Paris the day before (and we dragged him out to go to Versailles with us). Here in the picture, we are scarfing down some yummy egg, cheese, and ham crepe while waiting for the metro.


Sitting at a Cafe, watching the world go by.

I really enjoyed Paris - and it wouldn't have been the same without Clement and Holly. The evening drive through the center of Paris (listening to Taiwanese rap), the wonderful tour ("What's that?" "A church" ;-)), the deep conversations about culture shock, and getting a haircut in Paris. They were all enjoyable.