Travel

Two miraculous weekends. The light at the end of the tunnel let me meet three other pilgrims. We all came from different directions, having conquered different sets of milestones: birth, education and upbringing, places traveled, relationships, life lessons.

The world is indeed small. The weaver of this web of network is kind and generous. A connection formed through a pair of fabric souvenirs, and another through my sister. It is easy to say that our commonality is just our nationality, but nationality has always been a lame excuse for me not to explore friendships and relationships. My nationality, in my experience, implies self-interest of survival, lack of commitment, and apathy. But guess I am wrong!

I met my first business partner ever. My effort of venturing out to the east side of the DC Metro area was fruitful. Thanks I-4 Workshop. Thanks curiosity and courage. I cannot be happier about my inclination to listen before speaking. I listened to a life story and a dream of this young man with this inquisitive mind. His mind brought me to the shelf of ideas in the back room of my mind. I picked up an idea that I thought I was going to pursue in loneliness, and then laid it down for display. Talk about vulnerability! The whole duration of the workshop felt like a Grand-Canyon-size dam just broke. I have never been to the Grand Canyon; I never tasted this water before. 48 hours of optimism and ideation. I was putting together the pieces of the puzzle with no boundaries or pattern, now with a buddy. Low-cost ... Engineering ... Customization ... All parts contribute to the value of the product. A product! And here comes along another. Three engineers/businessmen/creators are about to embark on a journey of original production. I met my first TWO business partners ever.

And it did not stop there. They may call me crazy but I skipped two class sessions for California. Another meaningful travel (thanks for the reminder Afar Media ... I am expecting your first shipment).

California. There lives a woman (with the mind of a man, some say) who falls in love with her ideas and dreams everyday. She shared this love with me, along with good food and hospitality. No wonder she is adored in her marriage.

We talked about problems and solutions. About our endurance and our craving for challenges. What's next?

Bali. Plot of land. A house. A store. Consignment, of goods and Ideas.
"Can I be your business partner?", I asked. "Oh my God! ...", she replied.

She has got a wealth of knowledge, experience, leadership, and drive.

And I am still overwhelmed. I can't put what I have into words.