Moving on....

Moving is sometimes momentous

Looking back on my time in Singapore, it’s amazing, quite amazing that I’ve been here almost 8 years already. 

I recently celebrated my 40^th birthday, as if you didn’t know, and while I haven’t managed to update my blog since then, it was a truly wonderful affair – and I hope I’ll get time in the near future to do just that – and perhaps share a photo or two.  I know many of you are not on facebook and didn’t see the pics yet.

At my birthday speech in Singapore, I listed out a long list of changes since I landed on these fair – if ueber-hygienic – shores.  And there were many.  It seems the place hasn’t slept for a second in the intervening time and upwardly-mobile buildings are testament to the ongoing development of a relatively tiny plot of land on the nub of the Malaysian peninsula.  And more is planned – unstoppable?  Undeterred?  Certainly, unabashed..!

And it is amongst all this continuing change, which I, too, find myself crossing a Rubicon of my own that will bring about a huge transformation in my life.

I’ve had the blessed good fortune to travel the world, to work in many different places and meet marvellous people from all walks of life.  Working in Paris was beautiful beyond belief; living in Tokyo, tantalisingly unique.  Then came Singapore and travel from a very doable base to places of exotic superlatives such as Bali, Langkawi, Borobodur, Angkor Wat and Chiang Mai.  (Indeed, I’m zipping off to Burma in a couple of weeks’ time to wonder at the temples of Bagan.)

I’ve sipped tea in Beijing, guzzled gyoza in Kyoto, scoffed dim sum in Hong Kong, built houses in Mongolia, been awestruck at fireworks in Sydney, discovered a charm oft-hidden in Manila and still yearn to know and see more about Asia.  And yet....

And yet, the time has come to move.  And move quite a distance.

There is a place in the world that is actually growing faster than China, believe it or not.  There is a place that holds great promise and potential.  A place where corruption and state kleptomania rob its own people of health and prosperity.  A place that holds the most beautiful sights on earth; I’m moving to Africa.  Kenya to be exact and will live in Nairobi.  I will stay at Synovate and take on an operations role covering 10 markets.

Business will take me to incredibly legendary (and sometimes infamously so) places across sub-Saharan Africa.  Where I once would say, “I’m boarding the plane for Delhi”, or “I’m about to zip to HK and BKK for a few days”.  I will probably find myself quipping, “About to board for Lagos”, or “Just got back from Tanzania & Mozambique.”  My excitement is almost tangible.

Am I nervous?  Why of course, I am.  I think that’s natural when I’m over-turning, up-rooting my current way of life in such a radical way.  But I feel that trepidation is mollified by the wonderful adventure that awaits me.

So there you have it: I’m off on a new journey; off to write a new chapter of my life; off to find new challenges, new friends & new traditions.  I might even pick up a bit of a new language – they speak Swahili over in Kenya ;-)

I suspect that my blog will get more updates from now on as I discover a whole new world: a world that is AFRICA.