2009 in review
A FEW WEEKS BACK I was asked to write a list of the top 10 things that have happened to me over the past year. At first I attempted it, ticking off travel adventures, and mishaps, culinary extravaganzas, breakups and graduations, international departures and domestic arrivals. Yet, there was no overarching story line to my list. It felt disjointed, lacking some glue holding it all together in my mind. This year has been that unique. As years go, 2009 will surely go down in my own personal history as an experiment in controlled lunacy. And so, for my friends and family who have witnessed my departure to the other ends of the Earth to attempt success in a career I could never have predicted a year ago, I provide the following 2009 year in review (with some semblance of a top 10 intermixed in no particular order) for your reading pleasure.
New Years 2009
On December 31, 2008, I ushered in the year of 2009 with a wonderful woman (Kate) and two extremely close friends (Jon and Lida) in the Hanoi Hilton, Vietnam. I had been traveling with Kate throughout Southeast Asia and we met up with Jon and Lida for a four million dong champagne extravaganza (dong being Vietnamese’s currency of course). We traveled to some truly exotic places during our tour of Southeast Asia. Kate ate crickets. We saw ancient temples and watched an elephant walk down the streets of Bangkok. She then flew back to the United States and I lingered about in Asia … and I still find myself here.
Tuk Tuk in Phnom Penh
Sapa, Vietnam
I spent the next five months after Kate left studying at the National University of Singapore during which time I visited Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Taiwan. All an educational experience. I can now say, with authority, that Thai food will burn your insides, inner Bali might truly be the most beautiful place on Earth, Laotian tiger-penis whisky doesn’t taste like tiger-penis, Vietnamese cab drivers are notoriously sneaky, Cambodian tuk-tuk drivers are notoriously ingenious, the rice-terraced mountains of northern Vietnam are a peaceful refuge from the modern world, when someone tells you that the artist is famous it doesn’t really mean that the artist is famous, Indonesians and Papua New Guineans really know how to party, riding a motorbike in the rain in Ho Chi Minh City with three people on the back while dodging other motorbikes is not easy, the sunsets over Bangkok can be magical, Angkor Wat will leave you breathless no matter how hard you try to contain your excitement, Vietnamese coffee is the best in the region, the best lamb dish comes from Indonesia (sate kambing), the beaches of Thailand will severely burn you, even the most rural of motorcycle mechanics are world-class, some foods are warming and some are cooling, Singaporeans think 75 degrees is cold, Chinese is the toughest language on Earth but possibly the most beautiful, only give money to the unmarried on Chinese New Year, if you’re going to say “thank you” in Chinese – say it properly or else it will sound like you’re a five year old who needs to use the bathroom, the roaches here are on steroids, tea eggs involve more than just boiling tea and eggs together, and a white person may be called at least 5 things (Angmo, Guilo, Orang Putey, Bai Ren and Boule … and those are just the ones I’ve heard).
Prambanan Temple, Indonesia
During my time at the National University of Singapore, the US economy was faltering, the legal job market was looking bleak and I was beginning to become interested in international legal work. A short while later I was introduced to the law firm in which I’m now working and was offered a full time job following the bar exam. Although it took me a long time to come to my choice because I truly did like the law firm with which I had been working in Boston – eventually, I made the decision to move to Singapore and accept a position in the corporate department of a Singapore-based SE Asian regional firm.
Returning to the US in May, I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, then flew to Baltimore to watch my brother graduate from MICA. What an exciting weekend it was!
Meredith and Danny at MICA Graduation 2009
Then I drove with my close friend Dave up to Boston, MA where I began studying for the Bar exam. That was a tough summer, but a wonderful one nevertheless. At one point I took a roadtrip to visit my grandmother’s old house where my mom grew up in Cobleskill, NY. I hadn’t been there for years, but was able to find it nevertheless. The new owner gave me a great tour. It was strange to walk through a house that I hadn’t walked through since I was a child. It still smells the same.
Following the Bar exam (which I might add is the toughest exam I’ve ever taken), I moved back to Little Rock, Arkansas where I spent a great deal of time with my brother cataloging all of my belongings and then putting them all into storage until the time at which I should return to the States. All of my belongings barely take up half a storage unit. The books take up most of the room. My parents held an Asian themed party for me, wishing me a bon voyage … and then I was off to Asia again (by way of Denver, Colorado and Seattle to see some close friends).
In the mountains of northern Vietnam
Arriving in Singapore once again, I immediately set up my apartment on Upper East Coast Road and then jetsetted off to Hanoi to meet up with my close friend Andrew Nash for the greatest motorcycle journey of my life to date. We spent two weeks on the road in northern Vietnam amongst the mountains and rural villagers – weaving our way from Hanoi to the rice-terraced mountains of Sapa. Along the way we nearly ran over every animal you can imagine (snakes, dogs, cats, water buffalo, pigs, chickens, chicks, roosters, rats, etc). Saw one person dead on the road from a motorcycle accident. Met countless villagers. Learned a bit of language. Drank great whisky and sang karaoke with the military. Learned some motorcycle maintenance. Nearly died of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Raced down mountain paths shrouded in mist. Dunked our heads in mountain waterfalls. Hiked bamboo bridges strung precariously over flooded rivers. And eventually put our bikes into the back of a train and overnighted it back to Hanoi. I can’t imagine a greater journey – and plan to repeat a motorcycle journey again with Mr. Nash as soon as humanly possible. Maybe next time in India.
Nash and I in Hanoi about to board the train.
After these great journeys of a semester abroad, graduation from law school, resigning a job in Boston to take one in Singapore, then moving to Asia and racing the mountains of northern Vietnam, I settled down to work and learn Vietnamese corporate law. My colleagues are wonderful and my firm treats me with tremendous respect. I am becoming an expert on Vietnamese and SE Asian corporate law and have been advising investors and foreign companies on all aspects of investing in the region. This decision has now led to one more move. In April I will be moving to Ho Chi Minh City as our law firm’s only Western (i.e. Angmo) foreign legal advisor in Vietnam. It is a huge step, but the rewards are many and I can only imagine the excitement that lies ahead. But that will be for a 2010 in review.
Jon, Michael and I on Jon's Birthday
This year I ushered in New Years with Jon and his nephew Michael. Guess where … Ho Chi Minh City. I suppose its been a bit of a circular year for me. Sort of. For now, know that all is well and I’m happy, safe and excited about the future, wherever it may lie. My legal career here is challenging but wildly interesting, and life is anything but boring. Of course I miss home and family and friends and my beautiful motorcycle “She” … but what life is complete without a little adventure and a brimming glass of Laotian tiger-penis whisky?
Choop Sook Quaya! (“To your health” in Vietnamese).
Warmest wishes to each of you -b
Tiger Penis, Laos
