I came in on the tail end of the baby boom behind two older brothers and two older sisters, 3 of which were WWII babies. Meaning, I am old enough to have been around the block a few times, but young enough to have a few more trips left in me. My name is Bill Belew
I first went to Asia on Uncle Sam's dime. After nearly 5 years in the Navy where I eventually served as an Intelligence Officer for a Destroyer Squadron ( I could tell you some secrets, but then I'd have to kill you) I settled in Japan and lived there for almost 20 years. While there I started a language school for Japanese www.svecs.com . It grew to five branches in Japan and one on the west coast of the US. More about all of that in subsequent posts.
I moved back to the states about 5 years ago and now live in the Bay Area of San Jose (Yes, I know the way.) I teach classes f2f for a vocational school and online for a national university.
My wife is from mainland China and holds an MBA from a California State University. We often discuss the differences in culture and business practices among China, the US and Japan. Sound interesting? It is to us. I will share some of those stories and our insights (or lack of) here in this blog. For my part, I will lean heavily into introducing Japan and her ways. If you want to do business with someone, you need to take time to know them....at least that is how it goes in Asia.
I have two boys. The older one, Benjamin, is an award winning professional classical pianist in Japan. The younger one, Micah, is a US National Swim Champion.
I used to run triathlons and ultramarathons. I could also be seen hanging off the side of a mountain...or making my way up it as a rock climber. Now I am on a marathon trip and I try to climb back into shape.
In my free time (what free time?) I write non-fiction short stories. You can see some of them at www.writingup.com/blog/wcbelew .
I look forward to telling you what I know about Asia - Japan, China and Far East Russia in particular. I welcome comments, suggestions and questions. If I don't know, I will try to find out.
Bill
Bill, welcome to Know More Media! I'm excited to learn from you.
One subject I hope you'll discuss is China's growing influence on global economics. I'm fascinated by its sheer immensity and the uniqueness of its government. What do you think will lead more business people to look to China for opportunities? For example, the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will probably open many people's eyes, among other things, to the awesome business potential China holds.
Again, looking forward to your posts.
Posted by: Easton Ellsworth | March 2, 2006 9:37 PM | Permalink to Comment