Return to Guatemala

Lorena, my teacher before and now. From single to married with 2 daughters in the intervening 7 years. Way to go!

Before graduate school, I studied Spanish in Antigua Guatemala. Seven years later, I returned to round out my year of travel. These are some images (Photos above are from 2007, below are from 2014).

Before, my humble desk at the small school. Now there are up to 30 students at a time studying in a new garden!

Going to coffee museum, La Azotea. Then, I went with my great friend Marie-Eve. This time I went with Ayumi and Bruce, and with a greater appreciation of coffee 🙂

El Arco, then and now. Really no changes at all! Colonial zoning restrictions.

Women carrying. Traditional wear is still very common, and women are strong.

My traditional wear. With my cousin Stephanie 7 years ago, and this time with Sabrina at a traditional wedding with our cabbage patch baby 🙂

Volcán Pacaya. Before lots of red lava at our feet. This time none, but there were some major devastating eruptions a few years ago.

The same blue shirt. I'm cheap, and I cling onto shirts. This one was from about 10 years ago, and it's in top notch condition still! That's tour operator, Sandra from before, couldn't find her this time.

Selfies. It used to be harder with a point and shoot. This time it's all about front facing cameras on mobile devices.

Festivals. I was so lucky to see processions last time, and this time we saw all the kites on Dia de los santos.

Generosity

I was in the outskirts of Medan, Indonesia, when I tried to make my way to my hotel by local transportation. They use these minivans and pack as many people into them, not unlike the micros in Nepal, and songthaews in Thailand.

I asked the driver in my slow ESL manner, “Medan downtown?” Confusion. “Medan center?” Nothing. Then the affirmative nod, “Medan, Medan!” OK, not too reassuring, but I think I’ll at least get closer to my destination. That’s why I allow for plenty of daylight to counter such uncertainties.

I hop aboard and interrogate the passengers, passing around the screenshot on my phone of the hotel and address. Some comments, some nods, some discussion. No English. I point toward my chest, then down toward the minivan transmission. “OK?”

One points yonder, “Taxi.”

I point to my pocket, “Expensive.” Yeah, but where’s the adventure in that? It would be the most direct, but my rule of thumb is private drivers usually cost at least 10x the public fare.

“Stay.” She uses the palm down, calm down gesture. All right I’m in good hands.

I receive some warm and knowing smiles during the ride. I’m guessing they’re wondering who the heck is this guy? They may have hypothesized poor Thai guy, looking down at my Thai massage school tote bag.

Suddenly, one of them said, “Come come!” Two university students in hijabs beckoned me to follow them off the bus. Ok ok. First rule of improv is to say yes.

I take out money and ask how much, but they proceed to pay for me. “No. No.” Smile. I’m exasperated. “How much? I pay!”

Ignoring me they quickly call over a tuk tuk from across the street. They haggle with the weathered driver, shove him some bills and tell me to get on. Wait! “How much? I pay. I pay!”

No. No. Smile.

I zoom off. It all happened too fast! I peer back to the smiling students. And they’re gone.

How generous they were to me. I reflected. If someone asked for directions in my country, I would help point out the way, tell them how much it would cost, but I wouldn’t go that far out of my way to pay for him!

Moments like these make me marvel at people’s generosity and how much I have yet to learn in this life.

A small exercise in gratitude

And keep on trucking!

As I embarrassingly scraped the cracked remnants of my half dozen eggs off the cold tiled floor under the unyielding glare of the clerks (no exchange policy FTW) at Canggu Deli, Bali, I felt pretty down. Small things like this can add up during travel. The mind seems to always need things to dwell on.

On the walk back to the apartment, I switched gears and started playing a game I like to call, “Complete the following: I am effing _______!!!”

-in Bali, Indonesia!!!
-surfing like a doggone n00b!!!
-on the effing internet!!!
-getting cash from a machine by shoving in a plastic card!!! And it works!!!
-using another plastic card to swipe for groceries!!! And it works yet again!!!
-using an effing kitchen to fire up a ribeye steak dinner!!! What what!?
-listening to a climbing podcast, Enormocast!!!
-walking around barefoot!!!
-wearing a skirt!!! (Refer back to “how to rock a skirt” entry and don’t look at me funny)
-reading from a rectangular device that holds over 300 books!!!
-writing blog posts on an effing cell phone!!!

Anyway, I could continue adding to this list of “mundane” miracles. I haven’t even mentioned the more substantial things like being thankful for health and loved ones, but you guys all know that 🙂

Cheers to the underappreciated little things.

PS read this awesome article that hits closer to home, literally.

Accomplishing my only goal

Just kidding, no whale sharks this time. But yes barracuda!

In the vein of keeping travel as free and organic as possible, I only set one goal this year: to learn SCUBA diving.

And after 4 days of PADI class at Koh Tao, Thailand, I’m now a certified open water diver!

It was simple, really, finding a proper dive school and having $300 on hand.

Like many goals, it was just a goal with no real impediments. I just had to go out and do it.

And now, having seen more fish and coral in my life combined, where does it all leave me?

In retrospect, the goal was more symbolic than anything else. To dive, I would be far away, somewhere tropical, so the water would be warm and welcoming, and in a different world. And that’s exactly what it was.
It represented living without anyone’s approval but mine.

And now 7-8 months in, it feels like it’s about time to take a path back. I’ll come full circle on some things that I had started, and be home before you know it!

Finding volunteer work

Several people have asked me how to find volunteer work while traveling. In selecting an organization, legitimacy is the first criterion, as not all are legitimate.

I worked in Nepal for NEIO. I had gotten to know the founder back in San Francisco and the focus was on quality (helping one school) and not quantity (becoming a big organization). NEIO is not without its share of shortcomings, but is at least legitimate.

In Cambodia, I joined CESHE by finding them on Workaway. The key utility of this site is the reviews. Many past volunteers positively reviewed CESHE over a long period of time. Sketchy organizations would not hold up to such scrutiny. (Well unless it’s all a premeditated scam.. When you start volunteering you could start getting cautious and almost paranoid, but that’s a rant for another day…)

Relying on social advice, you’ll be on a well-worn track, but at least you’ll have a degree of quality control. You’ll gain a constructive experience.

You may start discovering a lot of imperfections amidst the good work. With luck, you’ll learn to juggle them and move forward.

And a last point about what I got out of the experiences so far:
I’ve liked how I was in the position to push change as far as I wanted to take it. Compared to other enterprises that I’ve officially engaged in (startup company and graduate researcher), the intensity of independent learning and action was greater when volunteering. The weight of responsibility and failure was greater. The immediacy of lives affected by my actions was greater. And I won’t even mention the emotional toll. I was in positions to enforce positive change as I saw fit. It’s something that will indelibly shape my career decisions in the future.

Hope that helps!

Bursting an information bubble

Back in my first year of graduate school, I was challenged by several passages within Tim Ferris’s The 4 Hour Workweek. At one point he argues that we should reduce information overload in our daily lives by tuning out tradition news media and focus on the things we can actually make a difference in. To a young graduate student’s mind, this made complete sense – to become singular and committed solely to my field of lung cancer. And essentially for the past 7 years, I’ve rarely tuned into the news (seriously, I read The New York Times only when my friends sent me a link – usually on minimalist running or the state of healthcare. Yes, my friends hail from the yuppie Bay Area). For my part I only listened to Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me for casual laughs about the news!

But what about our duties of being contributing citizens? When critical times have arisen, I’ve simply asked my dutifully informed friends. For example, I remember when Snowden’s leaks first broke out, I had heard enough mentions in passing that I inquired about it to the bemusement of my buddies on the way to a camping trip. Obviously, this method will only work if you have thick skin.

That brings me to the recent weeks. In Taiwan, there is currently a  “Sunflower Movement” rocking the nation. In summary Taiwanese university students stormed the Legislative Yuan (like Congress or Parliament) in an irate response to the president cozying up to China by passing a trade pact without going through due process. The students fear that Taiwan’s future will be shackled to China. They take Hong Kong’s severely diminished sovereignty as a harbinger of submissive times to come.

I come from a political family. My grandfather had been the Chief Magistrate of Taitung County (think 10% of Taiwan’s area) many years ago and worked with Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan’s original leader. My uncle followed Gramp’s footsteps and fills those shoes now.

I was always befuddled by politics. Why do people do it? I never bothered to trouble myself with becoming nationalistic (heck, I can’t vote there!).

In Taiwan, really the sole issue is sovereignty from China. Growing up, I obediently followed the middle line policies of the KMT party, just as one would follow customs or religious rituals. As I’ve emerged as an independent thinker, I find myself inspired by, rooting for, and commiserating with this youth movement – of its long term outlook of independence and self-determination. Old Taiwan seems solely interested in the short-term – to increase security by relying on the economic prowess of China. It somehow makes me proud that the Taiwanese students are taking such a powerful and nonviolent stand. Their actions have made a difference. (Well, this is ongoing, so I don’t know…)

In my information bubble, I never would have felt any need to participate. But now more so than ever, we can through social media.

I for sure will make an effort to become a little more generally informed and a little bit louder. Heck, this blog just gave me a platform. (But don’t worry, I still don’t like politics.)

Letter to Mom

This is a followup to my previous point about telling parents about travel, which in hindsight was overly simplistic. My mother, who lives alone in Taiwan, recently panicked about my travel plans, and I wrote this passage to better explain myself. I hope this is informative to others who may find themselves in similar situations.

媽，我在越南很安全。
關於我的旅行計劃，請妳不要擔心。我之所以之前沒有跟妳講得很完整是因為我知道只會讓妳擔心。
我打算利用這整年的時間環遊東南亞。為了這一趟的計劃我花了兩年的時間去做準備。為了教書，做義工，我去了尼泊爾。在越南還有很多東西要學，要做。
以現在美國的就業環境來說，僅僅一個Stanford博士不稀奇。這一趟旅行會增加我的就業機會。我幾個在大公司人事部工作的朋友都說我的旅途經驗會讓我鶴立雞群，更容易拿到面試機會。
我的朋友當中對事業，對人生很滿意的非常少。我會用這一段時間仔細思考我的人生方向。
我了解我們的價值觀可能不太一樣。妳跟爸提供給我們很好的成長環境，我現在正好好的把握。
我也思考過我們的家庭。14年前爸離開家，改變了我們這一家的方向。我知道妳這幾十年來很辛苦，一個人在台灣。我們家庭的問題從來都不提，沒有互相好好溝通，沒有機會去看待這一件事情。我在利用這一段時間好好思考我要怎麼過人生，未來怎麼顧好自己的家庭。
請妳不要擔心，我金錢方面都很好，我自從離開台灣，努力賺錢了12年。我一旦回到美國開始賺錢也會送錢回去給妳。
我知道妳擔心因為妳愛我。我也愛妳。我們這一家都從來不說這一句話，但我知道這是事實。妳跟爸讓我們很獨立的成長。請妳要有信心，我會有責任感的過日子，然後把我的人生過得很有意義，對社會有貢獻。

Mom, I’m safe here in Vietnam.

With respect to my travel plans, please do not worry. I didn’t explain myself very clearly before because I knew it would just make you worry.

I plan to travel throughout Southeast Asia for the remainder of this year. I spent the last two years planning this trip. For teaching and volunteering, I went to Nepal. In Vietnam, there are many more things for me to learn and do.

The work environment in the States now is such that a PhD from Stanford is not rare. This trip will increase my job opportunities. My friends at large companies have said that this experience will make me stand out among the crowd and help me get a foot in the door.

Among my friends, there are few that are truly satisfied with their lives. I want to use this time to carefully consider how I want to live my life.

I know that our values may not be the same. You and Dad provided us a great environment to develop, and now I’m taking full advantage of it.

I also thought deeply about our family. Fourteen years ago Dad left and changed the the direction of our family. I know that it’s been a difficult past decade for you living alone in Taiwan. Our family never brings up these issues. We never communicate, and we’ve never given ourselves time to heal. I will use this time to think about how I want to lead my life and how I would want to raise a family.
Please don’t worry about me financially. Ever since I left Taiwan, I worked hard to earn my own money these past 12 years. Once I’m back in the States earning a paycheck, I’ll send money back to you too.

I know that you’re worried because you love me. I love you, too. Our family never says these words, but I know it’s true. You and Dad gave us room to grow up independently. Please have faith in me. I will do my best to live responsibly and meaningfully and contribute to society.

How to tell your parents you’re traveling

Short answer: Just tell them.

 

1. Be crystal clear internally why you’re doing it. Don’t simply be running away from something, or even many things. Be honest with yourself and have a firm reason.
2. Fund everything yourself. Make it so you don’t owe them financially. Besides, it makes your travel all the more liberating. Of course, you probably owe them a heck of a lot. For one my parents gave me an education and, most importantly, gifted me an environment to gain independence of thought. But, please, try to separate duty vs. what you want to do with your life. Really define your responsibilities and set those boundaries.
3. Every parent is different. It’s worth considering your audience, but this isn’t some professional pitch. I argue that the delivery should just be the same, regardless of the parent. For my dad, I succinctly stated that I’m traveling for months. To his credit, he didn’t question. For my mom, I also just stated it (rather, fumbled my way through it) and endured a barrage of spitfire. That’s ok too. Asserting independence is part of life. Some would argue, like Thoreau, and a whole slew of modern writers , that it’s everything. In the same vein, recognize how much of a momma’s boy you are. It’ll be rare for a protective mom to be 100% in on your plans. Moderate her expectations.
4. Fix in your brain the losses you will incur if you don’t go. That was a big one for me. I absolutely knew I would regret it for the rest of my life had I chickened out. I’m serious. If I didn’t do this for myself, a part of my brain would have atrophied. I wasn’t about to let that happen. This is my time. So here I am.

Career strategy

Before I left for Nepal, I had a career development meeting with an experienced biotech businesswoman, who was quite generous with her time and advice.

As many of these meetings go, she asked me what I wanted to do and what I pictured myself doing in 10 years. I responded that I envisioned myself in translational genomic research, as I’ve enjoyed this work and believe in its utility toward patient care, and I wanted to work beyond the bench, hopefully in a management capacity after a few years.

“Sorry, but your response is immature.” Perhaps I wasn’t concrete enough? It’s always refreshing to speak to the blunt.

This was her advice:
1. Get a postdoc position at Princeton because you will get connections, and you will further enhance your pedigree. You will unlikely gain much more scientifically, but you will learn how business is conducted in the East coast. If in a pinch, go to places like Harvard and MIT. But ideally Princeton because their science faculty are the best respected in the private sector.
2. Make this a short postdoc – a 2 year investment. In fact, treat the next 5 years as an investment. You’re not going to earn money. Use this time to expand your options, to try many different things, to position yourself for your career. If you don’t do a postdoc, you limit your options, and worse yet, your earning potential. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.
3. If you do as I advise, you’ll have the pedigree, you will have connected to the Bay Area, which is its own isolated community, you will have linked up with the East coast scientific community, which has ties to the European pharmaceutical markets, and overall, you will have expanded your opportunities and can start at a higher level once you really enter the private sector.
Fair enough. It’s a game plan that optimizes for compensation and status.

What people want you to do is usually a reflection of what they would have done in hindsight. And if they’ve done pretty well for themselves, their advice will mirror what they’ve done right.

I’ll admit, my mindset used to be a lot more in line with this strategic framework, although I never thought about it in so much detail. Once I knew I wasn’t going down the academic professor path, I started exploring industry options. Management consulting? Industry postdoc? Startups?

I’m lucky to have this time away to re-evaluate. Had I already selected a vertical, perhaps the pharmaceutical vertical that she’s suggesting, I would be grinding my teeth trying to push up it. I’m lingering on a horizontal instead, getting down and dirty with social entrepreneurship and the non-profit sector.

I’d criticize that her vertical does not address motivations, or she assumes that I would be motivated by money and reputation. But to me, motivation is everything. It’s what will drive me to make my unique contribution to this world.

Whatever I’ll be doing in the future professionally, I’ll believe wholeheartedly in it. I’ll bring it everyday, devour it, and put in the focus and effort. But the first part is that uncompromising belief.

And heck, I’ll have to climb some ladders along the way, and it won’t always be as ideal as I put it, but I want to always have the “why am I really doing this?” in sight.

All two of you in the audience, please remember to hold me accountable!

Having demonstrable skills

Climbing at a wall in Kathmandu. Wait, I don't lead climb.

What skills can you readily show someone? Or even teach someone? As tomorrow is the start of a one month stay at the rural Nurbuling School dormitory, I’ve challenged myself to reflect upon what I actually comprehend and can pass on to others. How can the children benefit from my presence?

Adding structure
Soccer – on our high school team, we practiced many drills – keep away, efficient first touch, positional roles, and offside trap. Additionally, before each kickoff, we performed warmups in a certain sequence. Perhaps this structure will add some discipline, connect these kids to the matches they see on TV, and strike fear in opposing schools.
Setting goals – I’m attempting my third 100 pushup challenge. I’m taping up a calendar and holding myself accountable with the students. I’ll establish a routine – wake up, meditate, brew coffee, then 100 pushup challenge. I’d better succeed!
Perhaps this touches on being a role model? I feel woefully ill equipped.

The arts
Guitar – I’m donating two “Givsun” guitars to the school. At least one teacher there plays, and I can strum a few chords. Some of the older kids might take an interest. And hopefully I get somewhere in the next month!
Singing – I’ll karaoke there! No room for shame. I’ll require them to teach me a few Nepali songs too.
Dancing – They’ll teach me. They’ve got an arsenal of serious moves.
Art – Unfortunately I’ve got no skills.

Using technology
The extent of technology most of the kids have seen and used is limited. Cell phones are probably the most common. I’ll use a computer for simple word processing, my mobile phone for internet, and I’m also bringing a portable 3-bulb solar panel system to have a little lighting at night! Hopefully they will benefit from this exposure.

Teaching classes
Rock climbing – this is the only certification I’ve got! While we won’t be climbing there, at least the enthusiastic teaching attitude may translate across other classes I teach.
Outdoor skills – The boys captured a pheasant and ate it for crying out loud. What can I teach them??
Yoga class – They’ll get a kick out of doing handstands!
Martial arts – They’ve asked twice if I know any TKD or Kung Fu. Sorry to disappoint!

The forecast
We’ll see what really happens over the next month. I’m grateful I’ve tried new things and more recently reflected upon them. It does underscore the value of seriously cultivating your real interests. What can you take with you, always?