Ch 37: What did Ice Cube use to say?

My first full day in Shanghai and it feels like it's been a week already. Had lunch with an Oxford alum (consulting/strategic planning background) who clued me in on expat life in CN and the overall excitement of the climate here. Dispite the many pitfalls which we discussed, her enthusiam for the future here really caught on with mine. Meetings like this add a lot of tremendous value to my China knowledge base but more importantly provide me with the added reserves of energy which I will need in the months ahead after gradution (This is a key factor for success in China- it will test your resolve in many unexpected ways). The afternoon was spent speaking to an established China Hand (MA banking background) with similarly stellar results. The flow of money across borders is a great litmus test of which countries are benefiting from China's return (and which are not). He also reiterated the importance of understanding different cultures when working in what is essentially a model "global business environment" (Go D.E.M.!)

Dinner consisted of delicious "street food"- fried meats and takoyaki! What can I say, I am a man of the street (and Hutongs). The evening was spent having tea with the CEO of a start-up. We discussed challenges to company growth, the importance of structure before strategy, and again the excitement of working in China at an inflection point in world history. More great learnings and energy to store in my reserves. My China dream is my China adventure is my China war. They are all things you need to prepare for if you want to achieve the best outcome.

So I'm back at the hotel room (after polishing off some more delicious meat on a stick- 6 freshly grilled wings and 3 lamb kabobs for 15 Yuan- that's less then 1 Pound UK! I'm definitely not missing the Oxford sandwich shops...)

To top it all off I finally went to a "fun places" Yeah Baby!

just kidding...

or am I? >=)

Like Ice Cube used to say (back in the nine zeros hommie):

"Today was a good day!"