Half a Year In and I Feel Fine

Reflections on My First Six Months Working Abroad

Six?

SIX?!?

Have I really been here for half a year? It’s almost unbelievable to me. At some points, I feel like I just arrived yesterday. Hong Kong is still a fresh place, full of surprises, adventure, new people and new experiences. It’s still exciting. But on the other hand, I feel at home here. I have settled in, for sure. And I can see myself out here for a good chunk of the future. So half of me easily believes it’s been six months since my arrival on November 9th while another half thinks the math is wrong and I’ve only been here mere weeks.

The Star Ferry, my favorite way to get from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon

My memories of life back home are as fresh as ever, though they are twenty-six weeks in the past. I remember my first Homecoming at Villanova, when my departure was imminent, only a few weeks away. I remember a going away party in New York like it was just last night. And that final evening, frantically doing laundry and packing, all while watching the Yankees win the World Series, is still in my head. I remember that car pulling up in front of the house, I remember the three day stop-over in London, and I never will be able to forget sitting on the plane, on the runway at Heathrow, as the engines fired up and the wheels started rolling.

I suppose these events were so special and so important that I will always keep them on ice, ready to relive and recall in the blink of an eye.

Perhaps even harder for me to grasp is the fact that next week, I will celebrate the one year anniversary of my graduation from Villanova. A few days later, June 1st will similarly mark the one year anniversary of my first day of work in our New York office. Where has the time gone?

Leaving my life behind to start anew in Asia hasn’t necessarily been easy. There were days, even weeks in the beginning, when I felt very alone. Thankfully, with so much to see and do, being alone in Hong Kong isn’t the worst thing in the world. And being alone is in no way a synonym for being lonely. Once I started to make friends out here, things really began to take a turn for the better. The people who have come into my life in the past one hundred and eighty days have truly made this whole thing most worthwhile—new friends from all over the world, in Hong Kong for many different reasons.

First friends: Julian, Jurre, Becca and me on Blake Pier at Stanley

Being away from home has presented its own difficulties, especially at Christmastime. This stretch is by far the longest I’ve ever gone without seeing my mother, father and sister, and lots more time still has to pass before we have our first reunion.

But the memories of these past months are worth it, and I’ve never regretted my decision to move for a single moment. From the American Cemetery in Manila to feeding that elephant in Thailand to sampan rides in Aberdeen Harbor and endless trips on the Star Ferry, life out here has truly been an adventure. I've made friends who have touched my life, even though some of them have left Hong Kong since completing their work assignments here. But, thankfully, many of my new friends are here indefinitely, as I am. I feel that I have grown and matured in many ways in the past six months, and I’ve learned so much—not just about business but about myself and the world.

With my friend Becca, an Australian who did an internship here

Right now, I don’t even want to think about leaving Hong Kong (except for a vacation, of course). It couldn’t be further from my mind. And luckily, with my situation, who knows how long I can wait before considering the issue! I love that this is an open-ended assignment, and that I can really submerge myself in life out here without having to worry about returning home at some predetermined date. The future is a blank page, and I can’t wait to fill more of it in!

Getting Back on Track

“Don’t fall into the typical just out of college trap, which is that they love to waste time analyzing and hate to pick up the phone and build the relationships that will make them money.”

Well, I can’t say I wasn’t warned! Nonetheless, I still stumbled over what is apparently a very common snare for recent graduates. That above quote came to me via an e-mail, the words of my boss in New York City. He’s a great guy who’s given me a lot of guidance since even before my first day of work last June. And he’s still just an e-mail away when I need some words of wisdom.

In addition to simply being a recent college graduate enamored with analysis, there were several factors that ‘trapped’ me into failing to build trading relationships. If I could reconstruct the advice for a new employee, I think my version would go something like this:

“Don’t fall into the typical ‘just-arrived-in-a-new-city’ trap, which is that you’ll be so preoccupied with weekend trips, after work events and new friends that you'll forget to pick up the phone to build the relationships that will make you money.”

Not only is it more grammatically correct than my boss’s advice, it also addresses key factors that most contributed to my mistakes.

You see, even before I left for London, I could tell I was getting a little stagnant at work. Worrying too much about nighttime plans, busy putting together weekend itineraries or just, perhaps, enjoying life in Hong Kong a bit too much, I saw myself getting off track and knew I had to do something about it. Little did I know that my telephone was the key to success, and that by using it more often I would see immediate results.

But maybe I had to stumble and lose my balance a little. It certainly wasn’t a hard fall, and I can say I had a very pleasant trip! Now I’m refocusing on my job with renewed passion, and (surprise, surprise) enjoying work more and more.

View of Victoria Harbour from our office in 2ifc

So now that I’m back on track at work, I’m going to attempt to get this blog back on track, as well, since its original purpose has almost completely vanished from my posts.

When I was first asked to maintain this blog, the emphasis was to be on business and starting my new career. However, it quickly turned into a record of my Asian adventures. While I can’t say that’s a bad thing, I want to make sure to keep at least some of the focus on my job out here. Of course, in the future I will continue to chronicle the more interesting aspects of life outside the office. But for now, I’m going to write a bit about my work.

At my desk in the new office, with our city view in the background

The past few weeks I have been cold calling like mad. There have been days when I’ve called 20 or more contacts all over Asia. I’ve been working my way through the countries, starting with Indonesia, then moving onto Malaysia and now focusing on Singapore. Every now and then, I try to find a more exotic number to call, like one in Fiji or Sri Lanka or even Cambodia.

Quite often its fun to make the call, even if that's hard to believe. Other times it’s painfully dreadful. It all depends on who’s on the other side. Sometimes I get lucky and speak with a very friendly and receptive trader. Other times I get a rude jerk who seems very disinterested. But worst of all is when I never actually speak to the proper person at all—getting passed around from one operator to another, to a trader who doesn’t speak English to yet another operator until we somehow arrive at the mutual conclusion that there probably was no hope from the beginning and that the call should have ended before it even started. This happens most often when I call Vietnam.

The best cold calls leave you feeling confident and on top of the world, and the worst ones aren’t really so bad. I mean, in the end it’s only a telephone call. Still, each morning I dread the thought of making that first one. Once the numbers have been dialed and the ringing starts, I am fine for the rest of the day. But I have this strange, unjustified apprehension in picking up the phone that first time each morning. It’s kind of like jumping into a cold sea—once you’re in, it’s fine, but you have to convince yourself to take the plunge. This is something I’m working on, and maybe one day I will succeed in overcoming it!

One of the unexpected joys of cold calling is—believe it or not—being put on hold, as the music rarely fails to put a smile on my face. I have to wonder who makes the executive decision of what song to play for the enjoyment of those on hold at Asian banks. I’ve heard an instrumental version of Let It Be by the Beatles, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik played on glockenspiel and even the perennial Christmas tune What Child Is This in the middle of April! Other times I get some tacky jingle with chipper voices singing the name of the bank, or its slogan, in simple harmonies. I never thought I’d say it, but I look forward to being placed on hold every day!

Of course, before I can make a phone call, I need to find people to call. I spend a lot of time trying to find contacts, and there are countless ways to do this. Most often, I use my Bloomberg terminal to find the name of banks and traders in various countries. For example, if I enter the word “trader” in the search box, I get a list of literally hundreds of thousands of traders all over the world, most with contact phone numbers. I can then distill that list by limiting the results to people in the Asia-Pacific region.

My Bloomberg screens, which, among other things, help me find contacts throughout Asia.

Even more specifically, I can narrow the list to people working in Hong Kong, or the Philippines or South Korea. If I have a more specific contact in mind, I can search for the name of a particular bank and then view the names and phone numbers of its employees. Each person has a Bloomberg profile, and if it seems promising, I will print it out and add it to my growing stack of future cold calls

Sometimes just walking down the street I see an ATM or branch of a bank I haven’t heard of, and by searching for that bank, I can find other names. This was the case when I went to Kuala Lumpur a few weekends ago. As I walked around town I saw scores of unfamiliar banks and noted the names. The next week at work, I searched for contacts at those banks, several of which lead to successful calls.

I can even use Facebook to help me find contacts. Since traders are friends with other traders, if I can get onto the page of a potential cold call, I can also view his or her friends. I can then search for them on Bloomberg to find out whether they are an appropriate contact to pursue.

I have a little speech written out and in the beginning I kept it open on my screen during every call. It isn’t really good to ‘recite’ my information lecture-style, so I have to make it sound more spontaneous. Still, there is information I need to include, so it’s never a bad idea to have that document nearby when I make a phone call. I pick a profile out of the collection, make sure there’s a smile on my face and then dial away.

As the call proceeds I make little notes on the page, writing down names, pronunciations, other phone numbers, e-mail addresses and types of securities traded. During the call, I also try to send the person a quick Bloomberg message, because seeing the message come through while on the phone with me is a good way to ensure they will remember me. And when the call is over, I write a few lines at the bottom of the page detailing the call, the next steps to take and anything else that is necessary.

The notes at the bottom help me when I go through the pile later on. Usually it simply has the date I called, the name of the person with whom I spoke and how receptive that person was, along with an indication that I sent over our company profile and financial data or added the person to my price distribution list that gets sent out to all of my customers.

The notes make it easier for me to remember the conversation I initially had, and sometimes provide an unintended laugh as I re-read what I wrote. One of my first calls to a bank in Indonesia resulted in the following note: “Called on 11/19… nobody seems to know what’s going on…” Last week, I wrote that a contact at one bank in Malaysia “will not be trading USD debt for a couple of years so call back in May 2012…”

The city view from the other side of the office

As an inter-dealer broker in the emerging Asian credit markets, there is a ton of business to be done. But, as my boss implied with his quote, it’s strongly based on the relationships you can make with traders. So while I’ll continue to make the calls to new accounts, I can’t forget to keep in touch with the accounts I’ve already called. Hopefully many of these relationships will start to grow.

The way a broker like me makes money is quite simple. I have to put together trades between buyers and sellers. In the morning, Trader A calls me and says he wants to sell a certain security, say the Indonesian government bond maturing in 2015, at a certain price, say $114.00.

I then use Bloomberg and the telephone to contact other traders and hope to find one who’s interested in buying that same bond. When I find one, he will tell me how much he is willing to pay, in this case let’s say $113.00.

Now that I have two interested parties, I have to keep going back to each of them, as the seller lowers his offer and the buyer raises his bid. Hopefully this continues until a price is agreed upon, such as $113.50. For each bond traded, I would make a commission. Considering millions of bonds can trade each time, working hard to put together the trade can really be worth the effort.

However, if a price is not agreed upon (say the seller will not sell for less than $113.75 and the buyer will not pay more than $113.25), I will try to make more phone calls and find another interested buyer or seller who can step in and get a trade done.

At the end of the month, my commissions are totaled and I get half, with the company taking the other half. In this respect there is no limit to how much money one can earn in a month. Realistically, getting started takes time, so I am fortunate to have a safety net base salary. It’s the best of both worlds: there is no limit to how much I can make, but I am guaranteed a minimum amount regardless.

As I said, now that I’m back on track again, I’m really enjoying work. While I’ve always liked the job, these past few weeks have been even more rewarding, interesting and satisfying than ever before—proof positive that I’ve found my way back to the right path. It's hard to believe it's been almost a full year since starting this job, and almost six full months since I arrived in Hong Kong. It's been a wonderful and exciting journey, and it's still only the beginning!

A Weekend Away

In some ways, working overseas is similar to studying abroad. For example, I know that if I had a job in New York, I would spend most of my weekends in the City, with trips back home to New Jersey fairly often and perhaps an occasional visit to Philadelphia. Apart from that, I don’t think I would be traveling very much.

However, since there are very cheap flights from Hong Kong to scores of other Asian capitals, I have fallen into a habit of taking a short weekend trip about once a month. Back in January, I went to Manila. In February, I had that wonderful vacation in Thailand. (March was one long trip to London.) And this past weekend, for my April installment, I went to the Malaysian metropolis Kuala Lumpur.

A row of Malaysian flags outside of the National Museum

I think I’ve mentioned before how dismal Hong Kong’s weather has been since I’ve come back from London. I can’t really complain that it rains all the time, because it doesn't. I can’t even complain that it’s cold, because it's not. But it has been constantly cloudy and dark and—well—dismal. Thankfully, Kuala Lumpur was graced with at least some bright sunshine each day. And it was the first sun I'd seen in weeks. During April, Kuala Lumpur also gets a generous helping of rain each day. Usually it comes all at once, in the afternoon. And, as they say, when it rains, it pours. Still, the morning sunshine was delightful, and I didn't mind the rain one bit.

Friday night was practically a lost night for me and my friend Eric, who suggested we take the trip. What we didn’t realize when we booked our late flight was that Kuala Lumpur International Airport is actually a good hour outside the city! Even after clearing customs quickly, we still didn’t make it to our hotel until after 2am! After a quick beer and some late-night street food, we went to bed.

Up bright and early on Saturday morning, we jumped on the Kuala Lumpur Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour, a great way to cover a lot of ground in the short amount of time we had. We saw the Central Market, the Royal Palace, the National Mosque and plenty of other sights from the bus. At other spots, like Chinatown, the National Museum and Merdeka Square, we hopped off the bus to explore further.

KL's Chinatown

Over the course of the day, Eric and I began to realize just how diverse a city Kuala Lumpur is. As we explored different parts of town, we saw so many different cultures all coexisting. There are temples, mosques and churches. There are Western tourists in shorts and tank tops, Muslim women covered from head to toe and everything in between. Parts of town felt like Hong Kong, other parts were Indian-influenced and still others felt like the Middle East. It was a fascinating tableau of unimaginable variety. Just when we thought we knew what to expect next, Kuala Lumpur threw another surprise at us. We certainly learned that you can't pigeonhole this city; maybe you can with others, but definitely not with KL.

The gates to the National Palace

Of course, I had to run out of money during the trip, and my dad had to send me emergency cash via Western Union. When similar situations have arisen in other international locales, I’ve always had the easiest time locating a Western Union. But in Kuala Lumpur, it couldn’t have been more difficult. It seemed each branch I happened to find had something wrong with it. Two were offline for receiving money when I stopped in. Another, in the Post Office, could only dispense cash on weekdays. And yet another, in a bank, was only open during banking hours, which I had just missed. Luckily, I stumbled upon one near Merdeka Square—and although they were offline too, they were able to direct me to a nearby sister location that they assured me would be open. And it was—phew!

Merdeka (or Independence) Square

Just after collecting my money, the obligatory Saturday afternoon downpour started. So, we headed to Cosmo's World, an incredible indoor amusement park with an insane roller coaster that has to be seen to be believed. It includes loops, drops and spins, and basically whisks riders around the entirety of the gigantic room. It was truly a breathtaking ride—so much so that Eric and I rode the coaster three or four times!

Cosmo's World, with the incredible indoor roller coaster

Kuala Lumpur’s most internationally famous sight is, without doubt, the metallic and impressive corporate complex that houses the Petronas Towers, which held the title of world’s tallest skyscrapers from 1998 to 2004. The towers are especially striking when all lit up at night. Even if the illuminated towers had been the sole sight we had seen that weekend, I still would have rated the entire trip as completely worthwhile. They were that stunning.

To best appreciate the sight, there is SkyBar, on the 33rd floor of the Traders Hotel, just across the street from the towers. Luckily, my friend Erin had visited KL during her post-Thailand travels, and she advised me to call ahead to reserve a good table. Our windowside perch offered a stunning view of the city skyline, as you can see from the photo below, which I took on Saturday night.

The view from SkyBar

Sunday morning, before our mid-afternoon flight back to Hong Kong, Eric and I managed to fit in one last attraction that had been recommended by several of my friends who have visited KL: the Batu Caves. If you ever make it to the city, I don't think a visit would be complete with out a sidetrip here. Truly a sight to be seen, words cannot come close to describing the Batu Caves.

The caves were fascinating, ridiculous and strange all at once. I’ve never seen anything quite like them, and I don't think I'll ever forget them. Located just outside of the city, the caves include Indian temples, long staircases, huge statues, giftshops and restaurants, tourists and faithful pilgrims, men wrapped in snakes or holding lizards (that you can take photos with) and, most memorably, hundreds of curious monkeys.

Of all the memories I have of Kuala Lumpur, none is so vivid as that of the rambunctious monkeys who hold court in the Batu Caves. They are everywhere, and they are seemingly unfazed by humans. That is, at least, until you approach one of their young, which I mistakenly did. I don't think I will ever forget the mother monkey (below right) hissing and lunging towards me after I crossed some invisible line and got too close to her baby (below left).

Perhaps the most bizarre thing we encountered at the caves was an Indian family, all barefoot, carrying a palm tree up the steps to the main temple. If that wasn’t strange enough, a baby happened to be dangling inside a cloth swing hanging from the tree’s trunk. As monkeys ran amok, tourists (myself included) snapped photos and water dripped from the cave’s ceiling, the family vigilantly pushed forward until reaching the temple!

The Indian family making their way up the steps

In the end, I can say I really enjoyed my weekend in Kuala Lumpur. True, I will not be rushing back next month, but I know that when I find myself there again, I will be in a diverse and fascinating place where there are plenty of things to see and do.

The Hong Kong Culinary Scene

Although the weather has been far from ideal here since my return to Hong Kong, it’s been great going back to all of my favorite places in town. I’ve caught up with my old friends, made several new ones and certainly enjoyed working typical business hours.

Quite honestly, life has been wonderfully boring these past two weeks. Nothing terribly exciting has happened since my last post, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each day. Since I have nothing new to write about here, I figured this might be a good time to talk about one of my favorite things about Hong Kong—its dining scene. As with any international city with a diverse group of inhabitants, there is no end to the city's culinary treasures.

Still, whenever I speak with people back home, they are constantly questioning me about what I eat out here. Americans have this idea that I’m feasting on cat, dog and other domesticated animals, which, of course, couldn’t be further from the truth! In reality, Hong Kong is just as sophisticated, dining-wise, as American metropolises like New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. However, there are some unique dining opportunities that I particularly enjoy.

High on my list of dining adventures is dim sum, a very popular practice here. Dim sum literally means “to touch the heart” and families gather often to enjoy the experience. Versions of dim sum vary widely, but my favorite variety is the old-fashioned custom involving a crowded restaurant filled with noisy diners, bamboo baskets full of dumplings, and trolleys being pushed around the room by less-than-friendly old Chinese ladies. Few of these establishments are left, but fortunately there is Lin Heung Tea House on Wellington Street in Central. I try to go here as much as I can, and I always recommend it to friends. It might be the most intimidating meal you'll ever eat, but it's sure to be one of the most memorable.

The unassuming entrance to Lin Heung Tea House

The first time I went to Lin Heung Tea House, I was completely bewildered. In fact, I was so overwhelmed by the whole thing that I almost walked out! (And it only gets slightly easier on return visits.) Basically there is no hostess to seat you. You must find an empty seat at a table full of strangers and sit down. Then a man comes up to you and mutters a few words—which I never understand—and suddenly a tea cup, chopsticks and spoon appear in front of you. Before you know it, the cup is filled with tea leaves and hot water, you are handed a slip of paper and, again, you are left on your own.

Pretty soon, you notice the trolleys being pushed around. With your slip of paper in hand, you chase down a trolley, lift the tops of the bamboo baskets to see what’s inside and point to the basket (or baskets) you want. The lady behind the cart will stamp your slip of paper depending on what you choose, and at the end of your meal, the stamps are added up to determine the final price.

Hustle and bustle inside the restaurant

Honestly I don’t think I ever could have done it by myself that first time. Luckily, seeing my distress, a friendly, middle-aged Chinese lady named Sheena sat me down at her table, explained the way things worked and even suggested the best items on the trolleys! Thank God for her or I surely would have missed out on the whole thing.

Of course, there are other restaurants in Hong Kong that serve dim sum off of English menus. You are seated by a hostess, and there is no intimidation (or trolley) involved, but these places are nowhere near as fun as Lin Heung Tea House.

Another facet of the dining scene in Hong Kong that I love is Super Mondays, a two-for-one deal at dozens of restaurants each Monday night. Basically, for every entrée ordered, a second entrée is given for free. It’s a reasonably-priced way to try a new restaurant and a great start to the week! And you can choose from tons of different options and cuisines: popular steakhouses, a typical French café, wonderful seafood places, upscale Italian trattorias, a casual Mexican spot (where I happen to be eating tonight) and several others. The only problem is that Super Mondays is very popular among the expats in Hong Kong, so it’s wise to book your table early to avoid being turned away as a walk-in.

Perhaps Hong Kong's most bizarre restaurant is Modern Toilet, an Asian chain that, food-wise, is similar to Ruby Tuesday or T.G.I. Friday's but has a decorative emphasis on toilets, showers and other bathroom-related items. My friend Maddie, a Villanova '09 graduate, sent me an article about the restaurant way before I even left home, and one Saturday night I tried it out with my roommates. Basically, each guest sits on a (lid-down) toilet, with shower nozzles overhead. Underneath each transparent glass table are porcelain sinks.

Not your typical dining room

At Modern Toilet, drinks comes in mini ceramic urinals and most dishes are served in their own personal toilet or bathtub, as you can see in the photo below. While the food isn't exactly sensational, the—What is the proper word?—unique—ambiance makes for a memorable meal anyway. If you've ever imagined what it would be like to dine in a public restroom, this place might be the closest you will ever come.

With my roommates at Modern Toilet

And as if sitting on a toilet, eating out of a bathtub and drinking from a urinal weren't enough to emphasize such a bizarre theme, Modern Toilet's chefs opt to take things completely over the top with dessert, throwing any attempt at subtlety to the wind! If the whole thing weren't so amusing, it would probably be downright disgusting. But in the end, chocolate ice cream is always delicious, isn't it?

Dessert at Modern Toilet...need I say more

Somehow, even with terrible service and passable food, the novelty of Modern Toilet keeps bringing in the crowds. Of all the potential descriptions (repulsive? vulgar? offensive?) it remains for me—ineffably and indelibly—charming. I know I will be back again, especially if I have friends visiting who have never seen anything like it before.

Of course, all your American chains are here in Hong Kong as well. You'll find Burger Kings and McDonald’s galore; there are Pizza Huts and California Pizza Kitchens to spare; and count on seeing Pret-a-Mangers and Starbucks on every corner. There is even a 24-hour wannabe-diner called the Flying Pan, which serves omelets, eggs Benedict and other American favorites. While it’s not quite authentic, it still does the job when I feel a craving for a good New Jersey-style breakfast no matter what time of day!

There are more exotic choices too—I’ve already written about the delicious snake soup I enjoyed back in January—but rest assured that Hong Kong is a modern city full of dining options to suit all tastes, adventurous and mundane. The possibilities are endless, but it’s such fun to attempt to try them all!

London Finale and a Return to Normalcy

Well I am back in Hong Kong now, and nearly (but not quite) caught up on all the sleep that I missed out on while in London. It was definitely a great three weeks, though I don’t know if my body could have taken much more of that grueling schedule. Funny, when I worked the night shift in New Jersey before moving out to Asia, I had very little trouble adjusting to the hours. I had a regular schedule that I followed almost every day, and it couldn't have gone smoother. Things were so much harder this time around. Chalk it up to London being such a fascinating place with so much to do. I could never bring myself to sleep when there was a constant stream of possible time-fillers.

Piccadilly Circus at twilight

Anyway, my final week in London was every bit as wonderful as the two that preceded it. A couple of fellow graduates of the class of 2009, Lauren and Chrissy, passed through town, so we met up for dinner and drinks around Leicester Square one night. They were at the tail end of a grand adventure that began (of all places) in Hong Kong, lead them throughout Thailand, continent-hopped over to Amsterdam and finally landed them in London, where Lauren's sister Lindsay (a 'Nova junior) is studying this semester.

Lauren, Chrissy, me and Lindsay

Way back when they had first started planning the trip, the initial idea was to have a reunion in Asia. With the breaking news of my three week assignment in London, things just happened to work out in our favor, with our visits coinciding completely by chance. Funny how that worked out, no? And I'm so glad it did, too!

During my last week, I also finally made it to the Imperial War Museum, a place I’ve wanted to visit ever since my first days in London back in the summer of 2006. It was an incredible museum, full of planes, bombs, tanks, army uniforms, documents, weapons, a life-size WWII-era British home and even an entire section of town recreated to mimic London during the Blitz. It was a stunning museum, and I feel so stupid for taking so long to get there.

Imperial War Museum

On Thursday I caught the matinee of Noël Coward’s comedy Private Lives, which is one of my all-time favorite plays. It was a well-done production starring Kim Cattrall, and I had a really good seat to boot.

On Friday morning, after my last day of work, I went to the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court, and watched the barristers (in their wigs) question witnesses in a murder trial! I had no idea what case I was going to view when I arrived at the courthouse, even as I was shown where to sit in the public gallery. I figured I would get some boring divorce proceeding or something similarly dull. To my surprise, the first witness being questioned as I sat down was discussing the blood and fabric samples she found on a knife a young man used to stab his stepfather! The case was fascinating to watch, and held my interest until the court adjourned for lunch.

That last weekend, two of my friends from Villanova who are both studying abroad in Europe came to visit me. Nick, who is doing a program in Urbino, Italy and Mallory, who is studying in Brussels, Belgium made my last days in London amazing, completing the trip with a bang! We rode the London Eye, saw a musical in the West End (with Sporty Spice in the lead role!), toured the Tower of London and strolled around town revisiting all of my favorite spots.

With Mallory and Nick on the London Eye

At the Tower of London, with a guard in the background

In front of Tower Bridge

I can’t believe how quickly the weeks in London flew by, and now I am back to Hong Kong, just in time for Easter. The office is closed for Good Friday and Easter Monday. It is also closed on Tuesday, as well, in observance of the Ching Ming Festival, a traditional local holiday for welcoming in spring and remembering deceased family members. It doesn’t always coincide quite so perfectly with Easter, but this year we are lucking out with a lovely little five day weekend!

It’s nice to be back, see my Hong Kong friends and, most of all, have a normal working schedule! I'm easing back into the life I lead a month ago and looking forward to the promise of even warmer weather as spring arrives.

I will always look back on my time in London with a huge smile and great memories, and hopefully I will be able to go back again—even if just for a short visit—sometime soon!

Traitor's Gate of the Tower of London

Old Friends and Great Times

These past weeks in London have been amazing but exhausting. Maintaining my Hong Kong working hours has given me the opportunity to experience London during the day, allowing me to visit museums, historical sights and art galleries that I had missed on my previous visits. I’ve had the chance to meet up with lots of friends from Villanova, too, which has been a real treat. But I hardly ever find the time to get a good night's sleep... or rather a good day's sleep.

Our London office

Since I work from midnight until 10am, I have most of the day free. Luckily the weather has been mostly bright and sunny since my arrival. Surprising for London, but definitely welcome!

I am staying in my U.K. boss Neil's apartment in a part of town called Limehouse. It's not far from the office, and as Neil usually stays in his country house in Surrey, I have the place mostly to myself. It’s up to me how I want to arrange my schedule after work: sometimes I go right to the apartment and sleep, then go out in the mid-afternoon, and then head to work around midnight; other times I head out immediately after work, meet a friend for lunch, and then head back to the apartment to sleep, waking up around 11pm to get to work on time; still, other days I push myself really hard—I head out right after work and keep going until I have to be back again! There is usually a penalty for this last option: I am so exhausted that I have no choice but to catch up on missed sleep for the entire next day.

Limehouse, the area where I'm staying


Living room of my boss' apartment

When I first got here, I made a list of all the things I wanted to do while in London—a hodgepodge of old favorites (like the Tower of London), things I’d always wanted to do but never gotten around to in the past (like the Charles Dickens House) and several attractions I’d never heard of before but somehow found out about during this trip (like the Saatchi Gallery). Slowly I have been crossing the items off that list, and it has been wonderful.

Yesterday was a particularly busy day. After work I headed to the Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House, then went to Temple Church (of DaVinci Code fame) and next took a tour of the Benjamin Franklin House. I barely had time to get back to my apartment to change for a Villanova “Alumni in London” reception that evening, after which I came straight to work!

Effigies of Knights in Temple Church

Main Altar of Temple Church

The Villanova event was a definite high point of my time out here so far. When I first walked into the reception, I saw several Villanova staff members who I had gotten to know throughout my time at school, and it was great to catch up with them and hear about the exciting developments taking place on campus. I was also introduced to the twenty-two VSB freshmen participating in the Global Citizens Program this semester, and it was so nice to talk with them about the program, hear about their internships and answer their questions about my own experience.

There was also a fair amount of other alumni in attendance, ranging from recent graduates like myself to established professionals who have been living out here for many years. Even an old friend of mine showed up, Clint, who I had completely forgotten was working in London. It was a long but fantastic day. Of course, I’ll be going right to sleep after work ends, but it was definitely worth it!

This past weekend was pretty exhausting as well! My friend Shannon, another VSB ’09 graduate, came to visit me. Shannon works for Deutsche Bank, and she is currently doing a three month international rotation in Geneva, Switzerland. Another passionate London lover, Shannon had her fair share of favorite sights and pubs she wanted to revisit. (In fact, Shannon did the same summer study abroad program in London that I did, except one year after me.) It was great hearing about her Swiss experience, and it’s always good to catch up with an old friend.

Shannon and I paid a visit to the old dorm where we both stayed when we studied in London

I’ve actually had the chance to meet up with quite a few old friends since I arrived. On my first Sunday, I spent the day market-hopping around East London with my friend Allie, a current Villanova junior who is studying abroad here. I can’t remember the last time I ate so much, but everything was delicious and it was a great day.

On Friday I met my friend Wemi, another VSB ’09 alum, for dinner near Bond Street. Wemi is preparing for the major ACCA exam, a comprehensive and grueling series of 14 accounting tests taken over three years! Her family has an apartment in London, so she is taking courses at Kaplan to get ready. Wemi is hilarious and an absolute delight to spend time with, so I’ve loved meeting her for lunches and dinners over the past weeks.

The biggest surprise visit came my second weekend, when Facebook informed me that my friend Laura, studying in Prague, had booked a last-minute flight to London for three days! She sent me a message, and we met up in the Tate Modern, an art museum on the South Bank of the Thames. Laura transferred from Villanova, somewhat reluctantly, midway through her sophomore year, after gaining admission to a prestigious nutritional health program at the Steinhardt School at NYU. Since then, I had only seen her a handful of times in New York, so a reunion in London was most welcome.

Laura and me in Trafalgar Square

Laura's final day in London happened to be the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day, and there was a big parade through town, ending at Trafalgar Square. Following the parade, there were concerts and other activities going on, so of course it turned into a big outdoor party! Since all of London seemed to be there, it's no surprise that I got to meet a few other 'Nova juniors studying abroad in London who wanted to catch up with Laura.

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St. Patrick's Day Parade near Trafalgar Square

I've even met up with my old Villanova roommate's sister Kirsten, who also happens to be studying here this semester. Her brother Shea and I were in the same orientation group back at 'Nova, and eventually wound up being junior year roomies. He's still one of my best friends, and he put me in touch with Kirsten when I told him I'd be in town. She seems to be having an incredible experience, and I loved hearing all her stories.

I can’t believe so many ‘Nova connections have come together across the Pond! There just seems to be a constant flow of current students and alumni passing through this town, which, sadly for me, is not the case in Hong Kong. The combination of old friends, a great experience in the office and the brilliant sights and attractions of London have made the first two weeks of my UK stint an unforgettable experience. I am definitely looking forward to the one week I have left. Hopefully it will be just as memorable!

Goodbye/Hello

Greetings from London!

Somehow, I always wind up here. And I’m fine with that, because London is high on my list of favorite cities in the world. Ever since I studied and interned here the summer after my freshman year, I’ve been in love with this place. Lucky me… Since graduating from Villanova in May, I’ve been here three times already. I never knew a job in Hong Kong would entail so many visits to the U.K.

While training in New York, my bosses wanted me to see how our London office operated, so they sent me out here for a week. You see, the new Hong Kong branch is an off-shoot of our London operations, so they felt it was important for me to get a feel for the way it all works. When I left to go back to New York, I thought I had seen the last of London for some time.

Then, on the way to Hong Kong, our CEO needed to make his annual review of the London office. Since we travelled together, I had four completely free days to enjoy the city while he did his work. Again, as we headed to Heathrow for the big flight, I said goodbye to London for what I assumed would be years.

And now I’m here again—for three weeks—to work out of the office. Lesson learned: never assume anything. I’m very much looking forward to spending more time in this great city.

Since Kevin and I are the only two employees who work in the Hong Kong office, there is only one person for me to learn from—Kevin himself. But it’s never good to limit your learning to one person. Imagine if you only had one professor for every subject in college. It’s always better to have exposure to different approaches and techniques. That way, you can really come to develop your own style, which is, in essence, why I’ve been sent here.

This trip was the brainchild of my bosses in New York, and I think it's a great idea. Since the London and Hong Kong trading days overlap, I can keep in touch with my Asian accounts and also take advantage of the multitude of different brokering styles to be found among the London staff.

Hong Kong has been wonderful, and I’m looking forward to returning in a few weeks, but things have also changed a lot since my last update. Sadly, I had to say my first Hong Kong goodbyes over the past two weeks. Mostly by coincidence, the friends I had been making were only in the city on a temporary basis, either as interns or on short-term job rotations. I always knew friends would be leaving, but I didn’t realize three of my best pals, Jurre (also one of my roommates), Becca and Harriet, would all go within a week of each other. That’s why I’m glad to leave for awhile now, too. Goodbye, Hong Kong... Hello, London! This trip couldn’t have come at a better time.

Out in LKF one last time with Becca, Jurre and Harriet

And another issue came up: with Jurre gone, Julian and I were faced with the prospect of getting a random roommate assigned by the landlords. It could have been anyone—a middle-aged Chinese lady who speaks no English, a forty year-old Turkish man who works in a local hotel, or anybody else. Really, all bets were off! Luckily, we met a 22 year old French kid named Guillaume who had just arrived in Hong Kong and was looking for a place to stay. We put him in touch with our landlords and solved the potential roommate crisis. He moved in earlier this week and the three of us get along very well.

On Thursday night I got a chance to show my ‘Nova pride by attending a college fair at the Canadian International School. Since most admissions counselors cannot make it out to such fairs, it’s common for young alumni to represent their alma mater instead. So not only did I get to talk up Villanova to young expat students, I also got to make friends with other young people living or working in Hong Kong. Funnily enough, Guillaume, the new roommate, was there as well, representing his school. And we made a new friend with a young lady named Samantha who I met for a few drinks the next night, before my flight. So even though I've had my fair share of goodbyes over the past few weeks, I've also had quite a few hellos, as well..

Hong Kong makes air travel as easy as it can get. You check in and leave your bag in town, at whatever time is convenient for you. I checked in for my 11:35pm flight at 2:00 in the afternoon. My bag was sent to the airport, I got my boarding pass and I went back to work for the rest of the day.

I met some friends after work, and at about 10:15pm, I got on the ‘Airport Express’ train to the terminal, only a 24 minute ride from the city center! Since I had my boarding pass already, I just had to clear security and head right to the gate—completely hassle free and no need to arrive hours early. I was in the airport for less than 50 minutes by the time our plane was ready to take off. I do not understand why other cities have not instituted similar systems.

I've just arrived at our London office to drop off my bags, and I will be meeting up with some of the guys who work here in a few hours. Tomorrow I will probably hang out with my friend Allie, from 'Nova, who is studying abroad here. And I’ve already gotten a taste of the brisk winter weather I’ve completely managed to avoid this year, since it rarely falls below 55° in Hong Kong and is usually much hotter. Even with freezing temperatures on the horizon, I’m really looking forward to the next three weeks!