Bye Bye 2011

So that was how Year 2011 ended.

I was extremely busy and overwhelmed by work in the last month of 2011. The loading increased sharply after my business trip in Germany, and eventually became the center of information in the company for some cases, collecting, sorting, distributing information, and also the main contact window for the customers overseas. More than half of the phone calls for business were to other country in the world, in working hours and midnight.

2011, the year of change, and might be another milestone in my life. The others are 2002, the year of moving to the United States of America with ambitions; 2007, the year of moving back to Taiwan with depression; 2008, devoted to Life Insurance business and pursuing a life without an employer and work for myself only. In 2001, I was offered a job with bigger challenges and opportunities.

I entered a completely different industry. At the first I was kind of lost as I seemed not to belong to any departments in the company, I didn't in charge of any things except translating the documents. And the situation changed when I had my first business trip in November.

I had been in many exhibitions before, but not as an exhibitor in any of them. That was my first time to stay in a booth for four fully days, from 9 am to 6 pm. I could tell that my sense of business had come back to me. In insurance industry I did the direct sale, but now I am a part of the gigantic international supply chains of disposable medical device. It was made so clear in the biggest project I had been taking care of recently.

I never saw this day would have come to me again. Having my own desk (and someday my own office maybe), working with a group of people, business flight, weekly meetings, conference calls, negotiations and monitoring projects. Sometimes I still felt surreal and sometimes I missed the days I could call off anytime I want.

Other than my career, we have other great things happening. Helen's Jazzercise business was stabilized and grows steadily. The night on the New Year's Eve at dinner we talked about how it was like in the first year when Helen just started the first class from scratch. It had seemed far far away. And Helen now is fully running the business on her own. My assistance and consult is no longer required. She is capable to conceive, organize, prepare, and execute a yearly event for her members now. I see a strong-willed and confident woman in her.

And Ethan moved back to live with us from Helen's parents' house for good. This was the first year to go to the kindergarten starting to build his social skills and many other things which will go with him for life that we couldn't provide at home schooling. Now he is a happy and popular boy in his class. I still try to keep close contact to his teachers to exchange opinions and observations help Ethan to find his guidance.

That's our 2011.