Nam Nam

There have been so many times I have wanted to pop in here over the past few months, but the IT dept of my new company was very specific on only using my laptop for work purposes, so I didn’t dare.  I finally got around to purchasing a new IPad though after months of doing everything on my phone, so that should make it easier.

It has been a crazy few months and time has been flying by. Funnily enough, C now finds himself in the position I was in this summer, ie having to chose between jobs.  He had actually given his notice to his current employer and was supposed to start his new job December 8, but now his employer recently came back and offered him a new role. The first job has a better salary and would be better for his career long term, but the hiring manager seems kind of crazy.  The second offer would be interesting and less stressful, but with less pay (still a bit more than he’s making now though).  So there have been a lot of restless nights for him lately as he goes back and forth between the two.

I have been mostly enjoying my travel to the US, and I swear, I thought my heart was going to burst last week when my 22 month old niece came running up to me, calling « Nam ! ».  (She can’t say her S’s yet). The fact that I have been around enough that my niece and nephew recognize me as more than just a face in the phone has been incredible, and it was one of my driving factors for taking this job.

This last trip was a wild adventure though. I drove 2200 miles all across the US, and seeing so many different parts of the country has really opened my eyes to the divisions we are facing as a nation.  My reality in Minnesota is so different from X’s reality in NYC and Y’s reality in Arkansas. Our shared values used to be what united us in the past, but what happens if/when we no longer have those?  I was glued to the TV the night of the midterm elections, and was disappointed, but not surprised, by the results.  It scares me sometimes how easily we can be manipulated and how so many people just blindly believe what they see/hear on TV or on the internet. I’m downhearted by how unwilling people (on both sides) seem to be to question whether it is the truth or even consider other viewpoints.  Then again, things in France/Europe don’t really seem to be much better... But I keep coming back to "United we stand, Divided we fall".