I’m finally in Taipei!

Whew! No matter what I say about being a global citizen, not having a home, etc, there’s nothing better after a long trip than to be in familiar surroundings.

My parents picked me up at the airport yesterday after 24hrs of flying and layovers. A hot bowl of wonton soup, fresh Taiwan pineapples and a hot shower later, I felt completely relaxed.

Its good to be home . . .

On the vital role of stability

Is Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda a saviour, a murderer or both?

Kagame was the leader of the Rwandan rebel army in exile that finally ended the Hutu led genocide and secured the country. According to Deo, he even executed his own troops for seeking revenge against the Hutus and prevented a reverse genocide. However, the Rwandan army, under the guise of protecting displaced Tutsi refugees in the Congo from the Interhamwe (Hutu militia), has also taken control over the diamond and precious mineral assets of the Congo which has subsequently led to the displacement of more refugees, continued violence and instability in the region.

I do not blame Kagame, as the leader of his people, he must do what he can to feed them and maintain stability in his country as it tries to recover from the genocide. But the reality is that even heroes must be pragmatic, lives must be sacrificed for stability.

The prerequisite for microfinance or any type of intervention for that matter really comes down to stability. Without it, any type of intervention would be an exercise in futility.

Deciding which Med School

This weekend, I attended Visiting Days at Dartmouth Med School. I met with incoming and current students, faculty and administrators and even looked at some properties to buy.

Today, as I depart DMS (I am now in Narita in transit on my way home for two weeks), I have decided to attend DMS. I suppose you could say that they sold me on the school but part of me also feels like it was forgone conclusion. This school really fits me well.

Its appropriate then that I explained the Chinese word ‘yuan’ or fate/destiny to Deo this weekend as we were sitting down to a meal together. Is it fate that the first student host I contacted was busy that weekend and I got to live with and get to know Deo back in October? Was it Yuan that I interviewed with the Chairman of the Admissions Committee who recognized my achievements in business instead of holding my non-medical background against me? Was it fate that I had a great conversation this weekend with the former Dean of DMS who incidentally was stationed in Taiwan in 1955 as an Army doc and urges me to get involved in US-China affairs?

I don’t suppose it always works out this way for all pre-meds, but somehow I think choosing DMS was yuan fen.

Rwanda and the Heart of Darkness

Deo and I talked today about Rwanda today. Deogratias is a first year student at DMS who I met last year when I came to interview. He escaped from the genocide in Rwanda 1994, lived in refugee camps and came to the US and has been involved in public health fighting AIDs in Africa since then. We have become fast friends and he is one of the big reasons I am coming to DMS.

We talked about the war and its aftermath. Deo showed me a Nightline special about the aftermath of Rwanda now playing itself out in the Congo where people have been dying at a rate of 0.5 million a year from ongoing fighting, disease and lack of food. The final episode in the series talked about coltan, the precious conductive metal used in cell phones that has led to SEVEN different guerilla armies fighting in the Congo displacing millions of refugees. The commentary about the Congo, the diamond and coltan minerals feeding the rich while starving the poor really makes you sick.

Watching this made it apparent to me that it is critical to come up with solutions to counteract both the poverty and disease that are killing people. We gotta get working on implementing microfinance in these areas . . .

Some websites about the ongoing conflict and the DVD . . .

Congo War and the Role of Coltan

NIGHTLINE: HEART OF DARKNESS SERIES DVD

Home on the Plane?

As I was responding to Marvin’s latest weblog entry about Japan and China, I realized something about identity that I wanted to get down.

I absolutely agree with Marvin that China has overtaken Japan as the modern economic superstar. Japanese these days are rushing to learn Chinese, taking business trips to China and Japan is increasingly relying on China’s growth. There are plenty of optimistic young people in Japan (Saya included) who might even decide to move to China to live and work.

However, I was reminded during my trip to Japan and China that language and location are important factors in creating and maintaining one’s personal identity. My friend Yasu, who went to high school in Taipei with me, speaks Mandarin, Japanese and English. Yasu told me this trip that despite the business opportunities in China, he wants to stay in Japan because he can truly BE himself there. He can express himself in Japanese language and among Japanese people in ways that he cannot in English or Mandarin despite being fluent in both languages.

At the end of the day, I think that there is a place for every person where they can feel most comfortable being themselves. The right environment somehow brings out the best and truest aspects of one’s personality. Hence, when I think about my own struggles with identity having lived in between two cultures, I come to the conclusion that home for me is really the confluence of friends, family and people living around me that allow me to best express who I am.

For this trip, the times I felt most comfortable were:
– introducing a local doctor to help my ailing grandfather in Shanghai
– meeting a useful business contact whom I liked personally in Shanghai
– eating with Saya and my family
– wandering around on my own in Japan
– writing new thoughts on my blog

I guess the only other thing I could have asked for from my trip would be to have more time to travel, read, think and write independently but I suppose I will get plenty of time to do that in South Africa

Unfortunately, sometimes the most comfortable “place” for me seems to be on an airplane going from one place to another.

Shanghai: The Next Bubble

In Shanghai, I saw several things that really amazed me.

From the swanky bars, restaurants, cafes, and boutiques of Xingtiandi to the inconspicuous alleyways of Taikang Lu, “incubating” the next generation of fashion designers and artists, I saw places there that rival the swankiest of neighborhoods in Manhattan or Harajuku in Tokyo. The prices were high even by western standards yet many of the local Shanghainese shopped, sipped and strolled frivolously as I imagine their counterparts do in Beverly Hills or on Fifth Avenue in NYC.

As if that were not enough, the next day, our broker took us to see some of the finest new villas and apartment complexes in Pudong. We passed Spanish style villas complete with two car garages, private gardens and furry, short-legged pets; gated high rise buildings with sweeping views of the Bund; elite boarding style secondary schools and luxurious parks. All around us, we felt the buzz of excitement, wealth is being created in Shanghai, and WE CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS IT!

Day 5: Its 2am in Chicago

Six cities in six days. Yep, I love traveling. This has been my schedule lately

4/30 HUANGSHAN – walking around in mysterious man-made grottoes near Huangshan, no one knows who made them and why

5/1 SHANGHAI – last day in China after a whirlwind tour of Shanghai and Huangshan

5/2 TOKYO – stopover day, dinner and lunch at Ji Soo’s place in Akasaka, randomly saw a friend in the bay area and finally a nice long sleep

5/3 SF – moving boxes all day (thanks to Marvin and Ariel for storing my stuff and my bro for lending me his car)

5/4 CHICAGO – visiting friends from college, nice dinner at a local izakaya and watching Ali G on DVD

5/5 HANOVER, NH – going to DMS visiting days tomorrow!