LAST DAY IN MANILA

Today is our last day in Manila. I have to say that this week I’ve been dreading leaving this place. We’ve made a lot of friends, and just as we are getting assimilated, we have to leave. Even the staff has been saying their goodbyes. Yesterday was our last day in the office, and it was tough to say goodbye to some people who helped us over the past few months. I am not sure there is anyone more nostalgic then me, so it’s tough. Life here is so much simpler, and just thinking about returning to my life in the US I can already feel the angst. Just this week alone, I had four e-mails from three banks requesting me to join their teams. It’s good to be “in demand” and have your work recognized, but in the end, it’s going to be tough to go back to a regular project after doing something like this.

One of the roles I was offered was to run the largest treasury merger our firm has ever done. It sounds like a really good opportunity, but I know exactly where it will lead, how my life would be sucked up by work again, and how the work I would be doing really wouldn’t make the world a better place. Once you live on this side for a while, it’s a realization that I’m not sure you can ever recover from. It is as if a light goes off, and you realize that you feel better about yourself, and your life when you’re doing work like this. Even hanging out with some of the younger crew of our client, they have really important roles, and they are all truly happy (that’s generally a Filipino thing though). Yesterday morning, one of them (aged 23 or 24 years old) got to represent the client on a radio show talking about climate change, and the Copenhagen conference. The night before, we all hung out, and in jest I interviewed her and tried to stump her. I couldn’t. She was incredibly prepared. Two days ago, a Whale Shark (butanding) was found dead in Manila bay. The shark had no signs of damage, and the autopsy yielded that the shark had trash and nails in its belly. The shark was 2 years old. They had a proper burial for the shark as well, and one of the younger crew of the client made a statement at the funeral. It made the front page of the national paper. My point is that the opportunities they have are just as challenging as those in the private sector, and they are doing very important work – much more important than running the largest treasury merger.

What’s next?

I tried to get onto a project in Africa or Europe doing something similar, but I was told no. Our firm has high demand at the moment, and I am technically on loan from my business unit. Before I start work, I need to decompress for a while, so I am going to spend two weeks in the region on personal travel. I’m starting out my trip to visit some friends in Singapore, and then heading over to India and travelling for about a week. I’ll be stopping in London for a night on my way back, but can’t stay out here too much longer.

Longer term, I want to go to business school (met a ton of LBS folks on this trip) and I think I’ll try and do another ADP role next summer. Hopefully I will be able to do this on a yearly basis.

As for the blog, I think I’ll keep posting here for a few more weeks. Thanks for following my blog over the past few weeks, and thanks for all your comments and e-mails! I've had my fair share of tough days, and your support has really carried me through.