Observations

It’s been months since I blogged. I can’t say exactly what caused me to stop writing, all I know is that one day I was sitting in front of a blank screen. I stared at it, and it stared back. I tried to force it, but it didn’t budge. It started blank and so it remained. For months. There could be many answers to why I quit writing. I won’t list the all, but they all seem to classify as “fork in the road”. Actually, forks, as in many, forks in the road. Looking at my father’s deteriorating situation, he has Parkinson, was not helping. An elderly man, who was always handsome and well groomed, who mastered many languages (French, Hebrew, Spanish to name a few) became dependent for the very basic needs. He can’t eat, wash, or shave on his own. But most amazingly, he lost the ability to speak. With all the rest going on in my life like selling the house, looking for a new one, work, life, I guess I just didn’t find it in me to sit and write.

Two months ago I arrived in Beijing. Not for a visit. To stay. In a dinner with some good old friends (), I was asked why I stopped writing. My immediate response was that when I started writing a few years back I always felt that people actually cared about what I had to say. I lost that feeling, I said. The three people around me said right away that they actually WERE interested in what I had to say. Now THAT is an incentive. So here I am again, saying something, hoping that for whatever it’s worth, someone will find it interesting.

Last year I wrote about my surgery. At the time, the responses I received were outstanding. From congratulations to inquiries, I do believe that I have changed the course of my life with that surgery, and there’s a good chance that I have made a difference in someone else’s life. One that I know of at least decided to go with a similar surgery after reading my experience. It was a good feeling. As for how I am doing? I lost about 35 Kg (about 80 Lbs.), and I define my current condition as critical but stable. I’m not putting on any weight, but I’m not losing either. I’m happy though, about my weight that is. I’m not aspiring to look like Vin Diesel any more…

Back in China for two months, the most difficult part is being away from the people I love. I don’t know how many of you spent time away from your loved ones. But those who know me, for sure know that I’m always away from the people I love. Having half my heart in New Jersey were my older girls Keren and Tamary are, and now the other half over in Israel, I can state categorically, I’m here in China, and my heart is split between two other continents. But this is a temporary situation that will be over soon. I guess the one good thing that can possibly come out of such an experience is the strong realization that the family, immediate and extended, is at the core. All the rest is more important or less important, but at the core, it’s the family. The people who make you feel that you’re after all, not alone.

Living on my own, working in a different country, different company, requires a lot of attention. New technology, new processes, new people. It all takes an outstanding amount of energy. I have to admit, it leaves very little time for fun. Still, almost everyone needs to do something for relaxation. For me, in the last two months, it was DVDs. Having a multitude of channels in Chinese is great, but provides no entertainment whatsoever, as I hardly understand a word. The only English speaking TV station I have here is CCTV. And while CCTV is surprisingly good, even compared to CNN or Fox News, it’s hardly entertaining. DVDs, however, is a good form of entertainment. I always loved the movies, and unfortunately back in Israel, we didn’t get to go too often. I used some of the time to catch up on movies. And not surprisingly, I saw some real good ones. Salt, The Adjustment Bureau, Fair Game, Black Swan, Limitless, and Source Code to name a few. And forgive me for saying, I loved Freakonomics, the book. I even loved the sequel book (even though it was a shadow of the first one), but a movie? Are you guys crazy?

Back to China. There are advantages and disadvantages in doing something for a second time. The advantages are clear, you kind of know what to expect. I knew what the visa process would be like, and indeed it was. By the way, the second time around with Microsoft, and with the outstanding help of Santa Fe, it was actually almost painless. Yes, there are a lot of forms, a lot of passport photos, but it was predictable, and completion was even earlier than expected. Kudos Santa Fe. I got a cellular account, registered the children to school, and a few other things. Mostly painless. But the real surprise was Bank of China. I came back to a different branch, with my bank book, and it was as if I never left China. My bank account was reinstated on the spot. Again, chapeau!

Someone asked me yesterday if my Chinese is any different than the last time. I had to answer yes, certainly. It’s a lot worse. I can’t have a conversation, not even a very simple one. But I can be independent. I can travel from one place to another, and I can order in restaurants. And in all honesty, everything else would be a bonus. I was also presented with another question, frequently. Is China different than what I remember? And the answer is yes, certainly. It could be the country, the city, or it could be me. But my conclusion is simple: I don’t feel like a stranger here. I feel that the people are more accepting to foreigners, that the environment is more friendly to foreigners. A good example would be the subway. When I lived here back between 2006-2008 I only took the subway twice. Both times were to get to an Olympic event. Line 10 to Line 8. Fifteen minutes altogether, and it was a good experience. I credited it to the Olympics. And it’s 2011, and I take the subway to work almost every single day. The experience is amazingly good. It’s clean, frequent, reliable, and it definitely avoid the horrendous traffic outside. There’s only one drawback. During rush hours, a box of sardines would seem like a very attractive, spacious place to spend time. The train is so crowded, that to have a bag is considered to be a luxury…

Back in 2006, a colleague who was helping me to find a place to live told me that I should live in a foreigner-free compound. I thought about it, and decided that I wanted to live in a mixed compound. One that has foreigners as well as Chinese residents. When the family comes and it’s time to look for a place to live, we will do it again, look for a mixed compound. But currently, I live in an all Chinese compound, and the experience is good. Very good. The neighbors are nice, the house is clean and quiet. It’s a good place to live.

Working at Microsoft is different. It’s easy to sense that people are working on things that are affecting the entire population on the planet. It may sound a little bombastic, but if you just spend a couple of minutes thinking about it, you’d realize that it’s true. Everything we work on touches millions of people around the globe. Operating systems, phones, search, office tools, security, you name it. I must say that email software is an email software. Yet Microsoft Outlook is a fresh breeze compared to what I was working with in the past. Our building at Haidian District is brand new. It looks new and it feels new. It’s a great working environment.

As for me, I was nothing short of lucky. Fortunate. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, came for the grand opening of the new building. His visit was exhilarating.

I know, it’s a small photo, and I’m kind of big.  But you’d have to take my word for it.  Behind me, on the red stage, speaking with pathos and vision is no other than Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft.  After the grand opening, we had a one hour all hands meeting with Mr. Ballmer.  He spoke about Microsoft, about vision, about future, about China.  I’d take the risk of sounding boring, but it was really exciting.

What can I say?  An opportunity to use my absolute favorite word in the English language: Serendipity.  There are multiple ways to translate this word.  One suggests: “the accidental discovery of something pleasant, valuable, or useful”.  My personal favorite is simply “happy accident”…  Lets just settle for “fortunate coincidence”.

Of course, I must say something about the economy. But I should warn you: I know nothing about the economy. Probably like anyone else, possibly less. When I was here in 2008 I suggested that there was a real estate bubble here. I was wrong. In 2008 there was no bubble. Case in point, whoever invested in that real estate market in 2007 doubled their investment. At least. I was talking to a real estate agent the other day, and she said that the prices are still going up despite the government effort to curb them. She said that since taking a mortgage is too expensive, people are coming up with the cash. On the flip side, China’s economy is not only growing, its influence on the world economy is growing as well. Watching the news in the last couple of days I was following the Chinese President Hu in his trip to Russia, Kazakhstan, and the Ukraine. Clearly, China is delivering a clear message: it wants to play a bigger role in World Economy, and frankly, it should, and it will.

The prices here are a little higher than I remember but not by a whole lot. Just as an example, prices in Israel are a lot higher. Just in the last week, Israeli banned Cottage Cheese for being too pricey. Over $2.0 per half a pound strikes many Israeli as overpriced. Not to mention gasoline. The prices of gasoline in Israel may just be the highest on the planet. Actually, the price for a litter of gasoline equals the price of half a pound of Cottage Cheese. Just for comparison, the American price is a third that, and the Chinese half.

Two points for last. I am waiting to be reunited with my family, hoping to not be separated again. And finally, I’m not sure that this post means anything in terms of coming back to being a blogger. But I do know I hope so. Bless you all.

Yes, one last thing. If you like what I have to say, you’ll have to tell me…