Transit

January 18th, 2013

Yangon, Myanmar

Song of the Day: Final medley from the movie Pitch Perfect (one of three movies I saw on the plane)

Mood: Jet lagged

Transit

So often in life, we want to complete what we're working on, achieve our next goal, or simply move on. On a trip, once the bags are packed, it is so easy to want to be at your destination that transit can be seen as a major inconvenience.

Yet, we miss out when we rush through liminal periods. So much of life's richness is extracted when we process our experiences. These transitional times are opportunities to refocus and prioritize what to pursue in the next season. I agree with Socrates' conclusion that "the unexamined life is not worth living" and I reflect in order to become a deeper person and live a more meaningful life. I didn't take as much time as I wanted  to reflect when I lived in Detroit, and I want to capitalize on this six-month period to prepare for business school and beyond. Transitioning to Yangon made me excited for the potential of my trip.

Saying goodbye well

At my church, I had volunteered to help my friends with a couple exciting organizations they are starting in our community. On the flight to San Francisco, I sent a draft of financials to support one of their business plans. I felt relieved as I had officially completed everything for which I had volunteered.

During my layover, I sent my farewell e-mail to my friends at BCG. I enjoyed reminiscing on all my great experiences at BCG, updating my friends, and giving them a way to stay connected to my life. I received input from the Insightful Associate which, per usual, helped me better say what I wanted to communicate.

With my inbox down to the single digits, it felt like I could finally move on and be fully excited for my upcoming adventure.

The Humble Genius

My friend, the Humble Genius (see picture), drove to the San Francisco airport and took me out to the Cute Creperie. I learned two important things from the Chinese crepery: 1. Lychee is not a good substitute for boba 2. Taro is better in pastries than as a tea flavor. The rapper Mike Jones might like his purple drank; mine was not as delicious

Having a meaningful conversation with him and continuing to see the fruit in investing in our friendship over the past 6 years made me so grateful for friends like him. One of my goals for the trip is to gain greater clarity about how I want to invest my time at business school. Meeting with the H.G. further confirmed my hypothesis that investing in relationships needs to be a main priority. Close friendships are essential for how I can care for and help others and for my own well being.

Cultural understanding

My transit helped put me in the right mindset.

As someone that is 6'5", long flights can often be terrifying for my legs. I had called ahead to try to get an aisle seat on my 13 ½ hour flight, but I didn't know how generous China Airlines would be with leg room. When I got on the flight and saw my seat, I was thrilled. Exit row for the win!

The whole flight I could stretch out fully and by the time I landed, I wasn't even sore. What a blessing!

On the 4 ½ hour flight flight to Yangon, the guy next to me had no problem putting his arm on top of mine on the arm rest or having his leg touch mine. Americans quite prefer to have personal boundaries, but when I've been in other countries like India, there is a completely different paradigm of personal space.

I realized that this trip will be full of minor inconveniences and it will be a very long trip if I get annoyed and mad when anything isn't like America. Instead, I can appreciate the pleasant surprises like extra legroom and renew my mind to appreciate the amazing opportunity I have to travel.

Stay tuned for initial thoughts from Yangon…