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When I first moved to Vietnam, I anticipated staying for five years, as I felt I needed to give it as much of a go as I did my time in Japan.  If I look back at my Japan experience after year two, I think, “Wow, I would have never come back with the appreciation for Japan after year two as I did after five.”  Naturally, of course, but also because I hadn’t really fallen into my pace of life and routine which allowed me to flourish in year 3 – 5.  BIG difference in my work and lifestyle in those last three years than the first two.

As the end of my contract in Vietnam was approaching, and Kurt and I were having some discussions regarding the owners plans for the group, I sat down with myself and re-evaluated my situation.  Our discussions were sort of a wake-up call for me and I wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing by renewing my contract.

Vietnam is a much more intense city than Shizuoka, Japan or San Diego, California.  Everyday poses some challenge, whether in a taxi ride or with work or even establishing a social life in what turns out to be a small town, Hanoi.  I considered the direction of my career, having made a conscious decision to return to sales and marketing after a six year break with teaching and traveling. I have really missed teaching over the last two years, despite rising to the challenges of a much more demanding job.  There was something very special about walking into a classroom full of fifth graders and teaching them to connect via a language that was not their own.  There was something so utterly delightful about playing Simon Says and singing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” with kids who never got tired of the program and who participated with a ridiculous amount of enthusiasm.  Dare I say that a classroom full of eleven year olds is much more my element than an office with a computer and a very long TO DO list.

At the same time, I am a creative person at my core, and working in sales and marketing allows me to tap into these qualities on a much higher level.  And I’ve loved working with my sales teams to push their own boundaries of creativity, to help them to think  “outside the box.”  For these two years, I have very much been a teacher, but on a much more complex topic than getting my audience to understand the meaning of, “How old are you?”  I’ve had any number of a-ha moments with my staff, and when a certain point or message hits home with them, I am also deeply satisfied.

I’ve had to take another look at my personal life, which was the biggest factor in my deciding to return to the States for now.  At 40, I’m still an independent woman.  And while my spirit of independence will always remain, I do have the desire for a partner and family.  As I’ve said to some, “I really want to find my dude.”  And I don’t think that is really possible for a Western woman living in Asia.  Most definitely, the men who come to Asia are interested in Asian women or come to work with their families in tow.  Many of the single men I’ve met are a good decade younger than me.  And while a little rendezvous with a twenty-something can be a heck of a lot of fun once in awhile, I never can take the encounter seriously.

With my window of time to have a child closing, I need to put myself in a better and, shall we say, more productive environment.  And so my decision to move back to the US is largely a personal one. I’m not at all ashamed to say that…I believe a healthy personal life makes for a more enriching professional one.

There are a lot of huge question marks in front of me.  Kurt and I haven’t even decided the day I will return to San Diego, although it won’t be later than the 15th.  Once I land, I’m mostly interested in enjoying the heck out of the holidays, however I plan to squeeze in a bit of business before too much holiday cheer. I know I will insist to squeeze my niece to death as I have missed her so much and wish I could reach through the computer screen when she’s on skype with my folks.

And once I return, I’ll do a lot of thinking.  What do I really want out of my life.  Where do I really want to live and what kind of life do I envision for myself??? Those are pretty hefty questions and I’m at a point in my life where I need to find the answers.  A new chapter is about to begin…

What’s in a name?

I received another e-mail today from one of the owners addressed to “Shana”.  I have politely and formally asked three times now to spell my name correctly and frankly, it’s getting on my nerves. I know my name is unique, but that extra N really isn’t so difficult. It’s not like my name is Shanikwatara, but spelled with a Q but no U only on the day of the full or new moon.  I think addressing one of your top-level executives incorrectly is rude and disrespectful.  I’ve been told it’s not that big of a deal and it’s not the end of the world. Don’t worry about it?

I was set to write a different blog entry on this topic, one which focused at the heart of the issue – why my name is not being spelled correctly – but I landed on Google and did a search for the name Shanna and Shana.  Wow!  Both have some cool results!  So forget the fact that my name continues to be misspelled at work – look at what I found!

It turns our that the name Shanna was famous in Shanna the She-Devil of  Marvel Comics. I think that’s hilarious!!!  Look at how awesome she is – Dang!  Wish I was that voluptuous! According to Wikipedia:

Shanna the She-Devil is a fictional jungle adventuress in the Marvel Comics universe. (Thank goodness she’s fictional!)

Shanna O’Hara Plunder is the daughter of a diamond miner named Gerald O’Hara. Born in Africa, she spent the majority of her childhood growing up in the jungles of Zaire. At the age of six, her father went to kill a rogue leopard that belonged to her mother, Patricia O’Hara. While hunting for the leopard, Shanna’s father accidentally killed her mother. This traumatic incident led to Shanna’s lifelong crusade against the use of firearms. After the incident, Shanna moved back to the United States to live with relatives. Shanna grows up to become an accomplished Olympic athlete, specializing in competitive swimming and track and field. She then became a licensed veterinarian.

My goodness!  I don’t think I can compare to that!  What a woman!

I also remember a really trashy romance novel I had for years on my bookshelf with the title Shanna.  Here’s the description from Amazon:

Behind the foreboding walls of Newgate Prison, a pact is sealed in secret — as a dashing and doomed criminal consents to wed a beautiful heiress . . . in return for one night of unparalleled pleasure.

In the fading echoes of hollow wedding vows, a promise is broken — as a sensuous free-spirit flees to a lush Caribbean paradise, abandoning the handsome stranger she married to the gallows. But Ruark Beauchamp’s destiny is now eternally intertwined with his exquisite, tempestuous Shanna’s. And no iron ever forged can imprison his magnificent passion . . . and no hangman’s noose will deny him the ecstasy that is rightfully his.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very sexy stuff.  Written by trashy romance novelist Kathleen E. Woodiwiss in 1977, whose other titles include best sellers Ashes in the Wind, Forever in Your Embrace and Moonlight Enchantress.  (photo below) Goodness gracious!

Also for your reference, Wikipedia lists:

Shanna is an American feminine given name, and may refer to:

Shanna Collins (21st century), American actress

Shanna Compton (21st century), American poet

Shanna Crossley (born 1983), American professional basketball player

Shanna McCullough (born 1960), American pornographic actress

Shanna Moakler (born 1975), American model, actress and reality television star

Shanna Reed (born 1956), American dancer and actress

Shanna Slone (21st century), American singer

Shanna Swendson (21st century), American author

Shanna the She-Devil, a fictional jungle adventuress in the Marvel Comics universe

Shanna Wylie (How can you call her baby) Waiting to exhale cd

 

That’s quite a list!  But with S.H.A.N.N.A. posing such a challenge for some, I thought I would look up S.H.A.N.A to see if this version of my name had any fame attached to it.  And what do you know – Shana is a really awesome Japanese animae character!  Look at how cute she is (main photo above)! Shakugan no Shana means Burning-Eyed Shana. Her existence is a bit more complicated than the She-Devil:

The female lead of the show and a Flame Haze. Initially she is concentrated solely on her duty as a Flame Haze, going as far as to not bearing even a name. She sees Yuji only as a Torch, an object, marginally interesting because of his status as a Mystes. However, she slowly opens up to Yuji, coming to think of him as a person, despite being a Torch, and eventually comes to love him. Until she met Yuji, she was identified by only her Flame Haze title “Flame-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter,” or her nodachi, Nietono no Shana (贄殿遮那, “Vairocana of the Offering Room”). Yuji, in his need to humanize her, chose to name her “Shana” after her sword.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shana has a habit of saying “Urusai! Urusai! Urusai!” which means “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” whenever Yuji asks her questions or makes remarks that disturb her original point of view. But in reality they really care for each other. She has a great fondness for melon bread. Shana later comes to the startling conclusion that she loves Yuji, and even confesses it to him in the last episode of the first anime series when she thought she was going to die, but he does not hear what she said. Shana is continually torn between her mission to protect the balance, and her love for Yuji. Due to a decision she made near the end of the first season of the anime version, the closeness they once had begun to erode as Yuji kept a distance from her because of it. Yuji adopts a viewpoint similar to Shana’s in the beginning of the series. However, Yuji comes to realize that he was wrong, and their relationship seems to be restored.

I love that she shouts “urusai” all the time. Poor little Shana seems to have issues with men. I totally identify with her!  ;p

While this complicated little j-heroine seems to be the only noteworthy Shana on the internet (save the town Shana in Tehran, Shana Banana who makes banana bread and Shana Morrison who is apparently a “famous” singer), I rather like her image and her feisty little character.  Considering my splendid five years in Japan and my connection with special eyes, I think I might just “go with the flow” and start using Shana with one N.  Of course the minute I do this, the owner will probably purposely start spelling it with two, just for kicks.

 

 

 

 

Looking ahead

On the cusp of my one year anniversary with Apple Tree, of living and working in Vietnam, and on the heels of my travels overseas to London and Morocco, I can’t help but think about goals for next year.

Usually when I work at home, I have the TV or some music on in the background (or as the weather is pleasant now, my windows open which lends plenty of background noise).  A line from one of the movies on HBO was, “Life is an occasion. Rise to it.”  And it caught me and made me think.  Have I risen to the occasion this past year?  Has my life been well-rounded?  Have I achieved all of my goals?  Have I taken the bull by the horns and checked off all the boxes on my personal to-do list?  No, no, no and oh yeah – NO!!!

I am actually very sad at how quickly I lost sight of myself this year.  Right off the bat, work projects gobbled up me and my time, my thoughts, my every waking moment.  And we all know that that is not the person I am or the type of person I aspire to be.  I am not all about work.  Yes – of course – I will always have a strong work ethic, be dedicated to my job…but when I don’t attend to my personal life on account of my job being too much…..Well then, Houston, we have a problem.

I know almost nothing about Hanoi.  I can’t tell you what the best restaurant to go to is because I haven’t really tried enough of them.  Outside the events at the Press Club, I’m not to sure where is the best place to go to have fun. I don’t really know that much about Vietnamese cuisine.  I eat most my meals at work.  At my desk.  I have about 7 words of Vietnamese down, and 5 of those are so I can direct taxi drivers.

Sure, I have made many great friends, and certainly strengthened those relations I had coming into this post.  Project Shanna 2009, though, a total bust.  Absorbed the local culture?  No.  Made a good group of Vietnamese friends? No.

Usually I wait until the end of December to pick my personal theme for the year.  (Let’s not even touch on the fact that I did not live up to my personal theme for 2009.  Nor my professional one for that matter.)  But after hearing that line in that movie, I’ve already decided my one theme for 2010.  Rise to it.  And with all my power, and spirit and resolve – I will.

 

All work, no play = boring Shanna

Yup – I just checked.  I have a pulse and I am breathing.  Barely keeping my head above water, but breathing nonetheless.

I have been traveling and ridiculously busy this October.  I fly tomorrow to London and then to Marrakech for trade shows (and a few days of fun).  I’m bound to meet interesting people and do something more fun than sit at my computer and work ‘til my eyes bleed!

So sorry to neglect the fun part of my life and all you fabulous people.  On the bright side of working like a mad woman – ??? – Um, I’m thinking of that one.  Let me get back to you.  ;p

More posts will be coming soon.  I’ll probably even draft some on the plane!

 

More Responsibility, Happy Me

June has been a month with many meetings and travel.  I’ve been to Saigon twice already, a third time next week and spent this last week in Laos looking after our properties there.

The meeting I attended today, gave me a huge boost in confidence and really helped me fall in love with my job, all over again.

I was called into headquarters in Saigon to discuss our online marketing efforts for our hospitality group.  To say that we are ‘average at best’ is an exaggeration, even.  We have outdated websites and no strategic plan in place to drive traffic to our hotels.  This is a project I am excited about and eager to be successful.

Since my office is at the Press Club, where two of my sales and marketing teams sit, I spend A LOT of my day on managerial issues and frankly, correcting English.  On site, I am the only native English speaker, and so I am constantly being asked to proof documents.  Heck, even one of our business partners, who should be providing us perfect copy, asked me to proof their marketing materials (that’s an entirely different issue for another day).  The press release sent out at the time of my arrival completely glossed over my five years as a teacher in Japan.  Yet I find that that entire experience comes into play more often than my years in marketing, alumni relations and hospitality.  In many ways, I am a teacher and mentor to our Vietnamese and Laos staff members.

In addition to this unwritten bullet point in the job description, I love the variety of challenges my job presents, such as balancing the day-to-day stuff versus the big picture projects.  I’m learning new things every day, I am kept well on my toes, and I see a great and long future with this company and in this type of position with other hotel groups in my far-away future.  I have a very long TO DO list, I still need to find the time to get organized, still need to balance out the personal life, but it’s all good.

In a nutshell, I think I’ve found my gig and I’m digging it.

On the Bright Side,

Shanna

This is a brain map!

If all goes well and all gets approved, these scribbles will turn into a new online sales & marketing department with me as a team leader!

I am sooooo not kidding!

I wish I were hilarious enough to make this stuff up.  But unfortunately, this photo is the reality of my life at the moment!

To put it in a nut shell…Big rain storm. Lots of wind.  Crappy building.  No over-hang on the roof to protect this back wall.  More rain.  Rain, rain, rain. Unsealed walls.  Walls absorbed the water.  Water came through to the inside of the house.  So wet, it ran down the walls and flooded the floor.  My maid (bless her) freaked out, but cleaned it all up and did good by putting all my belongings in the guest room.

I’ve ‘evacuated’ the master bedroom as it is so humid in there with those wet walls.  I’m living in the guest room with all my belongings.  Cursing the management for their lack of care in fixing this super huge problem. Laughing at them because the crew that came today did not install an over-hang on the roof, but simply put a sheet of metal over the corner of the roof.  Not a permanent fix, but what the hell do I care.

Found a nice agent who will take me to look at more places this Wednesday.  Found one house online that I really like.  Hopeful.  Will keep you posted.  Too much drama to write this out like a normal person.  Tired of this nonsense and so very ready to move on. I have so much work to do, I don’t have time to deal with the apartment drama crap!  I really hope the house gods like me!

 

On the Bright Side,

Shanna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m Still Liking It

I’m such a goof! That’s me with Thomas and Kurt on the Emeraude, just taking a bunch of silly photos.

Without a doubt, this past week was the worst week I’ve experienced in Vietnam.  The house leak situation, my foot,  a bank transfer fiasco and the tailor screwing up 3 suit jackets really tested my patience.

There is no question Vietnam, and Hanoi in particular is a challenging place to live.  It is a far cry from the orderly and beautiful life I lived in Japan.  I’ve missed the simplicity of my life there very much recently.

While I am sure that as I get adjusted to my job, to my new surroundings, to my new life, that I will have a bad day or two sprinkled among all the great ones.  My teaching background comes in handy here.  I’m as much a teacher as i am a Director, Sales & Marketing.  I provide lots of opportunities for professional growth for the sales staff I work with.  And it is satisfying when they learn a lesson and do something well on their own.

I also love what I’m doing.  My job, as I’ve mentioned, is a big one, and there are so many projects for me to tackle.  I like that.  I am energized by having a challenging job and a division of the company which has sooo much potential for greatness.  In most of my jobs, I have created or built-up departments, and it is no different here.

I am loving being back in hospitality, and being in a much more expansive segment than the private club industry (although Kurt and I reminisce how easy it is to just take care of one club versus an entire group of properties!).

I’m still working on my personal life, as I need a serious boost of attention there.  But I’m taking steps to fulfill this aspect of my life…it’s not going to happen overnight.  I’m meeting new people all the time and trying to get out more so that I can continue to meet new people.

The thing is – I love the adventure of living life abroad.  The challenges which are presented to me only make me a stronger and better person, more patient, and lend experiences which I would never have in the US.  And I like that.

So while it seems, like this week, that the odds are not in my favor, I know that I will come out on the bright side of all this a much better person.

So when Kurt asks me every once in awhile, “Are you still liking it?”  I have to say, without a doubt, “Yes.”  And I am.  I’m still liking it.

 

On the Bright Side,

Shanna

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