My new base in Beijing's 'Guomao' district, the location of China's World Trade Centre.
Last week was a special one for me for two reasons. Firstly, it was the last week of my 28th year on this planet. Secondly, it was my first week of formal, full-time employment for over three years! (Following a stint working independently, I have been hired by British firm Control Risks to join their APAC business intelligence team.)
With the coronavirus pandemic raging on, this is a slightly strange time to start a new job. Like many workplaces in China, our Beijing office has been operating on a rotation system, meaning that it was unusually quiet. Access to the building is only possible after submitting to multiple temperature checks and filling in various forms.
With many of my colleagues working from home or other regional offices, almost all of my interactions were through Skype or email. I nevertheless felt an incredibly warm welcome from colleagues, and found it surprisingly easy to build rapport with them, despite us never having met in person.
In fact, I was amazed at how technology is currently being leveraged to mitigate the impact of social distancing policies. From client webinars, to remote access software and company calls involving over a hundred people, there is a clearly a 'new normal' emerging, and it seems a decent second-best to conventional working practices. (By the way, have you heard of "virtual coffee breaks"? Apparently they are all the rage...)
Despite the extraordinary powers of technology, my working week was not as productive as I had hoped, at least not with the training and projects originally allocated to me. Rather, I found myself running around Beijing screening stocks of ventilators being procured for urgent use in the UK, expected to see its peak of coronavirus cases later this month.
Ventilators have become hot property in recent weeks, seen as a lifeline for the most severe cases of COVID-19, for which there is currently no known treatment. This has turned the global medical equipment market into a sort of 'wild west' shoot-out where buyers try to out bid each other for stocks in supply-rich countries such as China. (It has even reportedly driven some actors, including US security agents, to hijack shipments.)
Needless to say, this was not at all what I had expected during my first week on the job! But it was an exciting and fascinating introduction to this kind of screening work. And it was a refreshingly hands-on task in an era where much of the working world is turning increasingly virtual. It was also extremely rewarding to know that ventilator stocks I checked could go on to be used in saving the lives of people in my home country.
At a time when many are feeling uncertainty of both life and livelihood, I feel extraordinarily lucky to have what appears a stable opportunity with a committed employer. It has taken many months of deliberations, applications and immigration paperwork to get to this point. But somehow, in the end, it has all worked out.
So to anyone who may be feeling doom and despair right now, I hope my experience can provide some hope. We are undoubtedly entering a period of economic slowdown, one which may be more protracted than we have experienced for generations. It will inevitably lead to devastatingly difficult realities for many.
But the looming recession, like the pandemic that has caused it, will not last forever. And as the dust settles on this crisis, a new wave of abundant and exciting opportunities is sure to appear on the horizon.
For the time being, I wish friends, family and contacts nothing but good health, happiness and prosperity. While I am going to be increasingly busy with my new job, I will make it a top priority to stay in touch with you all.
I also hope to keep up some of the things I have pursued or revived during this recent period of lockdown and transition. From urban gardening, to reading, cooking, piano playing, and writing this blog.
Hopefully, with this new career move, I can get closer than ever before to that most elusive of human states, the so-called "work-life balance". Along the way, your continued support and readership will be immeasurably valuable.
So thank you, take care, and keep in touch!
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