Exploring the tunnel to the North Pole was interrupted so we could board the vans for the fishing derby last night. Only eight fish were caught by two dozen people. The first catch came when a Chinese executive fished in the hatchery.
The language barrier hindered a few of us from stopping the executive from fishing illegally. I asked another Chinese colleague to help us inform the executive. She chose not to say a word to keep harmony and show respect, resulting in his unbridled fishing expedition. Once the catch was in hand, a Finn quietly asked him not to fish in the hatchery any longer. It was an interesting lesson in cultural differences as the Americans wanted to make sure he didn’t break the law, while the Chinese respected his decision.
I had an in depth chat with a young French woman who was facing some difficulties and was seeking her purpose in life. I shared God’s perspective on His plan for our lives and she showed great interest in learning more. Unfortunately, our conversation came to an abrupt end when one man who was hoping for some personal time with her, sat in between us and changed the conversation.
We shared a typical Finnish dinner buffet including reindeer. We also ate the fish that we caught (I didn’t catch a thing). All of it was very good. The dessert had some unique little berries that tasted absolutely wonderful.
I woke up at 3:00 am this morning with sunlight pouring into my room. The eye mask I wore didn’t make much difference, as my body felt the light and my mind thought it was 8:00 am. So, I sat in bed thinking until my 5:30 run with my Filipino associate.
While yesterday was filled with two deadlines and an urgent customer issue, today was straight forward and simple. I gave an impromptu talk at the request of an associate and it went well. Our meetings just came to an end and I have some free time to play ping pong with a few of the guys, followed by dinner in the highlands.
I’ll head to the airport at 5:45 am tomorrow for my first of three flights to get home. While the weather and time with the team was great, I will look forward to getting home and enjoying a three day weekend.
BTW, I made a contact that will help facilitate one of my Tween adventure stories being made into a graphic novel. My contact also has connections with investors in the entertainment industry.
Signing out from Finland.
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