Chinese lesson, translate "gou" into english what do you get?

So I haven't written on this blog in a very long time, but that is because I have transitioned over to my new blog on my website: www.chinarepoffice.com . On the website we discuss many business related topics dealing with China and its business environment.

Today an incredible thing happened that I felt that I needed to write about and share with all of you. Before I tell you I must paint you a picture of the area around my school, fit is a 10 minute walk from the bus stop to my university, and there are many dogs wandering around the street. This past week a new restaurant opened up on the way to my university. With that out of the way I must tell yo about today!

I went out with some of my students for dinner and they know I am a vegetarian. So we went to this new restaurant and I started to order (yes in chinese!), I order a spicy tofu dish and a sweet and spicy eggplant dish and then they ordered a few more vegetarian dishes. Then the question came, "Arzan can we order meat for us?" and my answer like always is "of course". So they order 2 meat dishes...

We start eating all the vegetarian dishes and finally the meat dishes come out, and they start talking and start eating it... and all of a sudden one of my students stops eating the meat. *light bulb turns on* and Arzan says, " what's the matter why did you stop eating it?" she could not explain it to me in English... and so she tries to explain in Chinese to me...and .... I UNDERSTAND.....why did I understand? well because this week I learned some new chinese words... and one of the words I learned was "Gou"...which translates to... DOG! Yes they were eating DOG for dinner!

Wait... it gets better...as I did not know how to react I started to laugh...

So as everyone else continues to eat this dish, I watch as a girl spits out a dog bone and says " ji ge hen hao chi" "this is very delicious". I couldn't stop laughing....

but wait it gets better.....


So as I continue to laugh, another student says very delicious as she pulls out her phone shows me a picture of her dog and asks me if it was cute!

What an eventful evening! Hence the reason I had to share it with you... I just hope tomorrow as I walk to the university from the bus stop I see those dogs I see everyday...

1 backpack, 11 days, 1 amazing trip to Thailand!

I know it's been a while since I have posted a blog but I have a really good excuse... I've been traveling for the past 4 weeks. So here is a little about my trip to Thailand..

In January my uncle Shahin and I were in Thailand and I must say that the journey was a delightful one spent climbing mountains, hiking through rain forests, snorkeling in crystal blue waters and eating local Thai cuisine.

Each of us carrying one small back-pack we started our tour of Thailand in Bangkok. We arrived and it was a total culture shock for me (there were tourist EVERY WHERE!) coming from China I felt like I was back in North America and it was overwhelming at first. We went to an area called Silom and every local Thai person was hustling trying to sell us anything and everything. The sidewalks were filled with tables and stands selling clothing, dvds, watches, shoes etc.

The next night we took a local long tail boat down the river and went and saw the Grand Palace, Golden Mount, Royal grounds, and a couple of Wat's. When we were heading to the Grand Palace there was a man standing in front of the security booth with a badge and a name tag dressed in a uniform who approached us and took us aside from the gate. He told us the Grand Palace is closed and opens at 12pm. He stated that at the moment it was only open for Buddhists. He befriended us and told us and showed us on our map where we should go in Bangkok (places to visit) in the mean time until it reopens. He then told us that we should tak a Tuk-tuk andhe will drive us to these places, we decided since these places were really close that we would walk (luckily!).. So we continued to walk and passed by another gate to the Grand Palace and noticed that foreigners were walking in and so we followed and found out that IT WAS OPEN! The man even though he looked official was a scammer! There were many of these people in Bangkok trying to steal money from tourists, and lie to them about everything and anything. We got tired of this really fast and by the evening we both decided we had enough of Bangkok and so we took an overnight bus to a place called Krabi.

The Bus Journey!

Just like China, Thailand has overnight buses which for the life of me I cannot figure out how the system works all booked on paper through phone calls. We got on the bus knowing of stories that there is a lot of theft that occurs on these over night buses and so we kept all our valuables hidden on our bodies. We sat in the front seat on the top level of the double decker bus and took off our shoes for the 16 hr journey to Krabi Town. On the way to Krabi, the bus drivers assistant sitting on the bottom floor of the bus had a metal rod with a hook at the end of it and tried to steal Shahin's shoes! luckily he tied them to the metal pole in front of him. There was a 65 year old man from Holland who we had befriended and he saw this occurring while we were asleep and he pulled up on the pole and confronted the bus driver assistant. We were lucky! There were many travelers who had their money stolen from their bags.

Krabi Town!

We found a really nice Hostel that was better then most hotels I've stayed in. There was a lot of thought put into the design of the entire building both interior and exterior from the names of each room, the the custom stone work on the walls, to the plants and pictures that were hung. I would rank this place a perfect 10! 

We spent a total of 5 days in and around Krabi Town. We rented a "motorbike" as the Thai call it ( a scooter in NA) and rode across the city and around the smaller villages in the countryside. We ended up in an area where the Tiger Cave was. This is where a giant Buddha resides on top of a mountain. We made the trek up the 1300 steps of various heights and widths to the top of the mountain... bare footed! It was a gorgeous view at the top of the mountain of the surrounding city. 

We also had the opportunity to visit a National Park  that was 22KM outside of the city. Over here were were able to hike through a rain forest where there was 3 consecutive water falls flowing into each other. We climbed the mountain to the top most waterfall where we enjoyed a refreshing swim. The jungle had many beautiful butterfly's with the most brightest colours of greens, blues, yellows, and oranges. It truly was a great end to a day.  

Ao Nang Beach

We spent a few days around An Nong beach, the first day we were there we had the pleasant surprise of seeing a heard of money's at the end of the beach near the forest. They all came out of the forest on to the beach where they started mingling with the tourists. We were also fortunate to enjoy 2 Thai massages outside under a gazebo overlooking the bright blue ocean. 

Riley? Relighy? Reely? Beach

For the life of me I do not understand how no one knows how to spell the name of the beach. It is spelled so many different ways that I do not know the correct spelling of it. This beach was gorgeous! Straight out of the promotional magazines for Thailand it was the typical white sandy beach seen in pictures. We spent two days here snorkeling, hiking and rock climbing ( according to my definition of rock climbing... Shahin might disagree). We scattered through this mountain and in the center of mountain was a Lagoon. The challenged really wasn't going up but more on the way back down as at times we were unable to see where we could support our feet.

After two hours with some minor cuts and scraps, and shirts filled with dirt and sweat we were back to the bottom of the mountain. 

Chicken Island, Poda Island, Phranang Beach, and 1 other island (I forget the name)

We took a tour to visit 4 islands and to go snorkeling. The crystal blue waters and white sandy beach on each of these islands were spectacular. One of the islands we were able to go into the water and we were surrounded by hundreds of fishes which once in a while nibbled on our fingers, arms and yes even my back. It really was a cool experience. 

Bridge Over River Kwai

We ended of our trip by visiting a city 3 hours north of Bangkok called Kanchanabri where in WW2 the bridge was built by the Japanese prisoners. Some of the soldiers who gave their lives for our countries were as young as 20 years old. The scriptures that was engraved on their burial stones really touched both of our hearts. They left behind mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews. 

Overall we had an amazing time on our trip. We backpacked through Thailand, met wonderful people from across the world and created memories that will last a life time.  

Introducing to you: www.ChinaRepOffice.com

Today January 3rd 2011, is the soft launch for my new website www.chinarepoffice.com.

What do we do?

China Rep Office is a full-service company that can help prepare you and your company for conducting business in China. If you have thought about doing business in China, but don’t know if it will succeed, we can help you test the market to see if your company has potential thrive in China. We match our clients with manufactures that fit the strategic and operational needs of their company. China Rep Office provides you with a local Chinese address, phone number and all the support you need to solidify your Chinese presence.

Why do we do it?

China is gaining speed in its reputation for getting things done faster and cheaper than other parts of the world. China Rep Office can act as a cultural and business intermediary for your company. Partnering with us allows you to focus on your core business functions while we are your “on-site” contact, giving you unbiased, up-to-date information on manufacturers, production quality, and market trends. Since we have a team of staff members composed of both east and west, we are able to meet your needs and handle the communication effectively between you and the factory or business. We do not own or have any affiliations with any of these companies. This protects your interests in dealing with negotiations, quality assurance and delivery.

How you can help.

For the time being if you can take a look at the website and let me know of any suggestions to improve it that would be an amazing start. Add your friends to our facebook fan page. Most of all you can help yourself-- read through the content and learn more about business in China!

Life lesson from the Banyan tree

In my last post I talked about the importance of Guan Xi in our lives. I would like to expand on that idea by talking about the importance of developing strong support systems. I was walking through Wanshi Botanical Gardens the other day, and noticed this tree, it was no ordinary tree, it is called a Banyan tree. The thing that attracted it to me was its branches-- it had vines reaching the ground that would slowly twist together over time to create a thick vertical branches that is meant to give the horizontal branches support in order for the tree to grow wider and taller.

We as human beings can learn a lot from this tree. If we compare ourself to the tree, we would be the main trunk and the horizontal branches that expand out is the knowledge and experiences we gain over our life -- as we grow our branches become longer and thicker. How can we as human's grow our branches thicker and longer?

Surrounding ourselves with people who are going to lift you higher and help you grow in every aspect of your life. If we learn from this tree, the people we surround ourselves with will become the vertical branches (like he Banyan tree), that can expand our develop our growth. When creating the "support system"  or vertical pillars remember that we need different types of pillars that help us grow in every aspect of our lives. You should have spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and  professional pillars.

Our support system needs to be nurtured, we take from it and we give back to it to maximize our growth as human's. Think about growing your support system holistically like the Banyan tree, don't only fill it with groups of people from one area of development, if you do, you will miss out on opportunities in life and will limit your growth.

Guan Xi

Guan Xi is probably the most important word for you to know when you're living or working in China. What does Guan Xi mean? You all know it if you're in business -- it is something we all do. For those of you who are on LinkedIn-- you do it. It translates into "networking" or "connections". The Chinese have a high regard for Guan Xi, as the basis of it's culture revolves around it. It is a little bit more then networking it is formed around relationships, consideration, honor, and respect.

Let me give you a scenario. Say: I have a Guan Xi with Jen and she is selling some low quality pens for $1 each and I have another supplier let's say Brad and he is selling better quality pens for 80 cents each. Since I have a Guan Xi with Jen, (even though the pens are of lower quality and more expensive) I will buy them from her because I know her and we have a connection with one another.

So when they teach you in business class that quality and price matter-- it's not always true.  To 1.3 billion people in the world, it's all about the relationship you have with the other person. So when you or your company decide to conduct business in China, it is very important to develop a strong Guan Xi with people you plan to conduct business with. Business is personal!

Next time you meet someone, try to build a relationship with them that is mutually beneficiary. Don't think to yourself "what can this person do for me" rather, build a relationship based off of affection, consideration, and respect. See where your Guan Xi takes you!

Leading in today's multicultural world

In the world of globalization with technologies such as Skype, easy access to other countries resources --leadership will need to take on a new form. Leaders will no longer be expected to lead a small group of people who are from the same social background as themselves, but to lead groups of people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

Leadership--the process of social influence and the ability for a person to enlist the aid and support from others to achieve a set goal. Many of you who are reading this have done this is some form, through student groups and associations, at work, or even during class projects. Leadership is a great thing, but if you are an effective leader in one cultural domain does that automatically mean you are an effective leader in a different country?

It is my belief that you should build on your skills and knowledge. Sometimes as a leader we are always the ones who are formulating ideas, talking and making decisions. Sometimes it is just better if we temporarily set aside our leadership role when we are in a new environment (in my case a new country, China!) and listen and learn from others. You can learn a lot from others and the environment around you. Always ask questions and be curious about new techniques. It is okay to dig deeper to understand the reason why they are doing something in a certain way-- you will understand their viewpoint this way. At the same time there will be things that both cultures do the same. It's kind of like when you go out on your first date, you look for similarities and differences, "You love Bad Boys 2? Me too!". These commonalities will help each party with accepting new ideas and beliefs.

For those of you who are in school you don't need to travel to a new country to be able to do this. Universities such as Ryerson (disclosure: Ryerson alumnus '10), are a filled with students from many different cultures, next time you do a group project or work with a multicultural team, step back and embrace a new paradigm of leadership.

After you have been able to absorb new ideas, beliefs, and techniques--review, reflect, and compile what you have learned and apply  it as you lead a new cultural group. Once you can do this you will be able to embrace new cultural norms, and become a cross cultural leader.

Trash it!

Garbage. Trash. Junk. Sewage. Waste. Litter.

All of the above should lead (by some means) to one place... a landfill. It is an understandable fact that some people don't have the time to sit and eat and have to consume food on the go. Many of us have been in this situation or at the least know someone who has. If you're saying you don't.. if you've ever been through a drive thru then you're guilty! Don't worry it's ok if you do!

The problem occurs when you're done with that delicious sandwich, or eating those savory fries, or drinking that quenching drink, the wrappers, the containers, and the bottles should be thrown into the garbage and recycling bins. When people toss their litter on the streets, side walks, parks, lakes etc. they are reducing the economic benefit to the rest of society.

Next time you see someone throwing trash on the ground, speak-up and say something to them! This is our planet and each of us are responsible to take care of it.

If you want to take a further step as a conscious consumer then try to reduce the amount of waste you use. Use reusable containers, think if you really need a hard copy before you print documents, be conscious of the amount of energy you use and turn off lights when they aren't needed. These are all just small examples of things we can do to help reduce our carbon footprint.

Will you speak up? Will you be a conscious consumer? Do the right thing and keep our planet clean.