June 19, 2020
Nothing gives me more pleasure than speaking with people who have high aspirations and then go on to smash these goals and forge for themselves the kind of lives they envision. Colin is one of those people. This podcast and post has him telling me about growing up as an outsider of sorts, being a child of immigrants and going on to work for huge companies before striking out on his own. I also update on Valencia as we go into the final phase in just a few days.
Designing Your Best Expat Life – Colin In China
Colin Thompson is the founder of Oligye Enterprises, a Relocation, expat life and cross cultural awareness coaching company. Colin lives in Shanghai, China with his family. Being there at the start of the pandemic gave him a special insight to the situation, not to mention fear for his toddler son. Born to Jamaican parents and growing up in Canada, and then Kentucky, he felt like a fish out of water in his youth. I had a great time talking to him. I apologise for the lengthy interview, but I’m not really sorry. I wanted to hear it. 🙂
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Highlights of the Designing your best expat life podcast include:
- Kentucky life as a kid and seeing how the other half lived.
- Feeling insecure because of a speech impediment as a youngster.
- Following in the footsteps of his siblings, and why he wanted to :-).
- Changing gears as far as studies, thanks to a professor.
- Being part of the Mentorship program for Ernst & Young.
- Moving on to work for IBM for many years.
- Being in the minority in his working environment.
- What finally made him strike out on his own and the reaction of his wife.
- Eerie beginnings of the Covid-19 pandemic in China and how the government handled it.
- Gathering coaches to step in and volunteer for the public service announcements on the pandemic. (30 x 30)
- His new program born from that, the 40 x 40 initiative.
- Why the pandemic might be a great opportunity to pivot and design a new life.
- Advice for others contemplating life overseas and steps to accomplish it.
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Update on Valencia Spain Life:
The last day of the state of alarm is June 21, so as you can imagine, a lot of people are looking forward to that. Most are eager to travel. Within Spain, air travel opens June 21. For the Schengen countries, U.K. will be included (as of now, they are at loggerheads!) it will start, the next day, June 22. Portugal , at their request will commence July 1. The trains will also start running on their regular schedule and at full capacity. It had been on an anemic schedule during the lockdown.
Just say NO to cruises:
Cruise ships however, are not allowed to dock. There is an indefinite ban on those bad boys, so if you’re planning on doing that, forget about it.They worry about the citizens contacting the virus from travellers. I am quite shocked at the number of people who have signed up for cruises already, sail dates from August of this year. It just makes me think that cheap tickets trumps health and safety. I wonder if they know there are still at least 40,000 workers still stuck on ships (without pay!) as l type this :-(.
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What is happening in Spain: Latest polls
What is telling to me is that the latest poll shows that almost 97% of the Spanish people are extremely worried about the state of the economy. A full 75% of them would have no objection to the government extending the state of alarm, while 73% have no plans to go on vacation in the summer. Travel and money worries are strong. The one thing that everyone can agree on is that a second shut down must not happen. It’s being taken more seriously here.
It’s going to be interesting for sure going forward, and the next few weeks should give us an idea. The buses are emptier than even just a week ago. Very strange times, but we are enjoying the quiet. We are no longer getting the daily updates of covid-19 infections either, but we know they remain low.
How the Spanish Economy Fared:
The government said the economy sank 34% during the confinement. Some sectors exceeded 70%. The banks are forecasting about 40% loan defaults. It’s obvious that the recovery is going to be long and tough. When you consider the fact that they haven’t fully recovered from the last recession, it’s going to be a long and painful journey. I am curious to see what effect this will have on rents and house prices. So far, I haven’t really seen a drop in either one, but it’s early yet.
How is life with you? Have the infection rates been improving where you are or getting worse? Are you getting antsy yet? Is travel part of your plans for the near future, or will you wait a bit like we plan on doing?. I have been enjoying reading the guessing games articles. At this point, that is all they are.
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It wasn’t too long, it wasn’t enough! 🙂 A really interesting life story and success story at the same time. It is people like Colin who should get more air time in the media. The world would be a much better place this way.
Interesting to look at the numbers you shared about Spain. Most of the people seem to be treating this with all seriousness, as they should. I think that the economy is in a much, much worse shape than we feel or see. Illnesses aside, I actually believe that 2021 will be an even stranger year than 2020. As always, I hope that I am wrong… but at the same time, I know nobody can say for sure how things will be. Let’s hope for the best.
Oh good. I’m glad to hear that. I really felt l could have talked to him longer because l also found his story engaging. I do wish more people like him would get coverage as opposed to rap stars or athletes because l feel it is more realistic and obviously a better chance at success instead of the one in a billion chance of being drafted for instance.
They are definitely treating it better than l thought here. The fact that they are willing to sacrifice even more to make sure everyone’s safe really says a lot. God, l hope you’re wrong about 2021, but at this point, nothing would surprise me. All these people wanting to get out and travel, l wonder where the money is coming from. More debt? I will hope for the best too.
That was a different podcast and interesting hearing about Colin’s journey and his inspiration and motivation. And long – I started listening and then had to come back at the end of the day to finish hearing it.
I also am surprised at the numbers of people signing up for cruises. And then the cruise ships keep cancelling because most countries don’t want to deal with floating incubators anytime soon. Canada has banned cruise ships with over 100 crew and passengers combined until October. The smaller ships will now become the problem of the province they’re sailing in and subject to regional restrictions. BC is also planning to release some statistics on the economy next week.
And I actually ordered take out last Friday, first time in a long time. A new poke bowl place – and it was very good!
Yeah…haha, it was long…and imagine, I could have delved into more topics too. Definitely the longest l think of all. I found his journey quite interesting. I love hearing stories.
Yeah, I just realized we got screwed out of our deposit on the cruise that was cancelled. I had been trying to get a refund with no luck, just a frigging voucher and now they announced yesterday that they are bankrupt. It’s a division of Royal Caribbean and l suspect at best, we will get vouchers for one of their cruises. Bollocks!
Glad you enjoyed the poke bowl, and l am certain they appreciate the business. Every little bit is going to help.
Kemkem, I love this podcast. Colin is someone who just goes and gets it, not a procrastinator at all, but a real action man. I had a look at his website, it is very inspiring. He is a very engaging guy, his voice is powerful and reassuring. I can see why you didn’t want to end the podcast. I love that photo of you enjoying a drink in the outdoors, I hope you will be able to do that very soon again. Things are starting to open up here also, we are now considering our options for traveling. Perhaps a motorhome road trip will be on the cards sometime in September…fingers crossed.
Thanks Gilda. It was really interesting talking to him and l had promised just a half hour..lol! but then got carried away. I do like the fact that he is a go-getter, very charismatic and his journey is quite fascinating.
That picture seems like it was years ago. I am finding this new normal very strange. It just all feels strange, like l am off watching a movie and watching it all happen in another dimension or something and it feels the same way for a lot to people l have talked to, both here and the states.
I think you have the right idea with a motorhome trip. Going forward, l think a lot of people will be doing the same. I will definitely keep my fingers crossed so l can travel vicariously through you :-).
You’ve had such a terrific mix of people and I’ve enjoyed meeting each one during your series as there are so many amazing and unique ways to achieve the life you want, as Colin so aptly described. The length of the interview was no problem at all for me as I found Colin’s story and perspective on life fascinating! I especially liked Colin’s point that we really don’t want to go back to our old lives but should be using this time as a pause and reset to identify ways that we can improve our lives going forward. Such a great point to remember no matter what our age or circumstances. On another note, today is the day the borders open between our adopted countries although I’m in no hurry to get out and travel much this summer. I’m rather enjoying this time to pause and think some “deep thoughts” as well as kicking back and just taking time to feel fortunate each day. I may get the urge to scratch my travel itch this fall but for now, going slow and seeing what happens in the next couple of months sounds wise to me. Take care Kemi and keep well!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the interviews. I love finding out how people are making their own ways through life because really, it’s not one size fits all and l found his story fascinating. The pandemic really has been an incredible once in a lifetime opportunity to make change if that’s needed. Safe to say l doubt this will ever happen again on this scale. Yep, no matter the age, it’s never too late.
We, like you are also staying put for now. There is just too much to worry about, especially waits at airports and checks and the unknown of maybe them shutting things down again and being stuck somewhere for a long time. Nothing is off the table now. If and when the itch strikes, we will probably come visit you, train it Faro and then bus to you.. haha! Stay safe.