Striving for a Better Future

I was passing by this area and saw people dancing and celebrating (Dec'18, Tel Aviv, Israel)

On October 22nd, 2018 I moved out from my tiny room in Mong Kok and set myself on the business trip to South Korea. I decided to stop renting a place where I would not anticipate living for the next several months. And that's how I became globally homeless. First, it was Seoul for 4 days. General Manager of SungdoMC Max and Marketing Manager Jina took a good care of me during that time, and made sure I was busy. And I was glad to be back to Seoul, after 8 years since my time at Hanyang University as an exchange student (then I started to write this blog). There was an exhibition and I stayed at Airbnb apartment. 

After exhibition in Japan, Nov'18

From Korea I went to Japan for another exhibition early November. Then I went to Shanghai to take care of a group of people from Metinvest, largest Ukrainian steelmaker, as we organized for them China Study Tour and managed to open the doors of Baosteel (for that I inquired individually for help from 1,600 people). After one week in Shanghai I went to Germany for MEDICA exhibition and on the way I stopped in Moscow for couple of days. After that I went to Ukraine, where had tonsillectonomy (surgery for removing tonsils). Then Hong Kong, Thailand, Israel and Italy - that's where I went in December. Celebrated 2019 New Year in Paris with my sister and her (now ex) boyfriend. 

With Dr. Awan at Najd Village, Saudi Arabia (Mar'19)

From Paris I went to Gliwice, in Poland to discuss business cooperation with Chinese distributor. After that I went to Cairo, for business, where had my phone stollen while taking a nap in the mosque (that's whole another story). After spending about 10 days in Cairo, I went to Dubai, we organized workshop about Luna EMG and ArabHealth exhibition. From Dubai I went to Kuwait, that was early February. Then back to Hong Kong for few days to apply for Saudi Arabia visa. Then it was exhibition in Singapore in the end of February. From there I went to Jakarta, to meet a client Dr. Sukanto and business partner in Indonesia. After that I made Chinese visa and went to Shanghai to support Global Executive Forum from the University of Pittsburgh and in-between negotiating with Chinese business partner terms of cooperation for distribution of Luna EMG (a robotic machine designed to help clinically weak patients for rehabilitation). There I had 40 Executive MBA studnets to take care of for one week and bring them to companies such as Bosch, Coca-Cola, General Motors. After Shanghai I went to Saudi Arabia, stopping over in Hong Kong and Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka. I spent a week in Saudi Arabia. We went to 14 hospitals in three different cities, and I had to make presentation and demonstration of Luna EMG. It was one of the most challenging and physically demanding business trips I ever had with regular 12 hours working days. Couple of nights I fell asleep in my suit, being so tired I "forgot" to undress myself. 

Speaking at National Guard Hospital, Jeddah (Mar'19)

Now it is almost 11 pm in Riyadh, Saudi's capital, and I am awaiting for boarding to the plane towards Colombo. In 6 hours I expect to meet with potential business partner and go to three hospitals to do presentation of medical device. Then I'll fly to Hong Kong and go to Guangzhou. Over the weekend we have exhibition there and I also shall give a talk for the participants at International Rehabilitation Conference. After Guangzhou it will be early April and I shall go to Poland for EGZOTech Education week.

Dubai, Jan'19

Over past 5 months I met countless number of people,  touching their lifes, jumping across capitals and cities of the Middle East and Asia. On the question where are you based? I respond by the location where I am physically present. This week my home was Saudi Arabia. I am based in Saudi Arabia. I worked, met customers, spent time with people, ate and slept. That is life and it is happening now. This kind of life style I envisioned about two years ago. Now I have it, but I didn't realize fully there is a price to pay. 

I am away from friends. My newsfeed on Instagram is full of pictures amuzing babies and happy friends who just became parents. I met Sergiy Kirzyk and his wife Natalia when in Shanghai for dinner. Sergiy said it's ok to spend couple of years living this life-style, but I have to settle down eventually. The older you get - the more difficult it will be to start a family, he said. 

Now I can write a book: "How to lose friends, become uninfluential and be single (forever)". Few great people has left my circle. And I started to treasure more those who are still with me and send occasional Hi how are you? on whatsapp.

With Sergiy and Natalia (Shanghai, Mar'19)

Dr Aftab, with whom I had privilage to spend few days while in Jeddah and Riyadh, joked with such working tempo one year can be regarded as three, so can retire earlier. The truth is that I don't want to retire. I want to do business as long as I am physically and mentally capable of. But should it be that intensive? That I don't have energy (both physical and mental) to develop further and rather be more of a robot or machine that executes tasks and in the constant flow of doing? And I feel like life is happening and I am just observing it, like you would observe a leaf following the river flow.

And I am not a kind of Sergii that I would want to be. I begin to notice how assertive or agressive and demanding I could be at times that would put a restrain on the relationship with people. Especially when things go not as I would plan or want them to go. 

Old Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Mar'19)

When in Shaghai, I met Ryan for coffee in Starbucks around Xujiahui area. He is a conference interpreter from Chinese to English, and I was looking for one. Ryan told a story that at his previous company people were encouraged to work over time and they call it Striving for a better future. You won't say that you are working over-time today until 9 or 10 pm. You say: "Today I will go and strive for a better future".

Yet I have a feeling that this is a period of my life I just have to live through and experience it. I do not necessarily enjoy, due to its intensity, perhaps. This is a part of life-experience and the chapter will eventually come to the end. And new one will commence.