Wall Street

Is greed good? A timeless question posed from one of Hollywood’s most infamous capitalist. Atop the 101 building, Inside of KPMG Taiwan I felt as if we were thrust inside the world of one Gordon Gecko, A major player in the 80’s film Wall Street, who accumulated an immense fortune while brokering massive mergers and Leveraged Buyouts.

Inside of the swanky suite we sat discussing challenges and global trends that we face in business today and of tremendous opportunities that lie on this small island. Sitting there, I could not help from fading in and out of fantasy land; picturing myself seated at that very table, reviewing earnings for the year’s end and probing staff to see if we have met our years projections. Snapping me back to reality was a noisy helicopter passing swiftly below our 68 floor suite.

The question of whether or not is greed good seemed to become less and less relevant. From the amenities like personal yoga lessons and back massages which are offered to KPMG employees. These benefits allow you to shed the stresses of work and city living almost instantly. Without greed could all this be possible? How soon before I am able to enjoy such lavish living?

Preparing for our descent, we were herded and packed tightly into one of the 45 computer operated elevators, inside the second largest building in the world.

Day 3 Part 2

Day 3 Part 2

This afternoon we had a guided tour of the Confucian temple in Taipei, which was so enlightening. Scott, who was our English speaking guide, led us through the history of what only grazed the surface of Confucianism and what it means to be Taiwanese.

Seemingly everything in Taiwanese culture is rooted in some type of meaning; each temple is constructed with a purposeful and guided direction. The sculptures that bordered the outside of the temples were especially appealing in how they told detailed stories of former humble kings and patient brothers.

When you hear the stories and the meaning behind the stories it affords you the opportunity to understand of the actions of this culture. By yielding yourself to the Taiwanese way of life, it is an absolute certainty that you will gain so much more in return.

Day 3 Part 1

Day 3 Part 1

I’m riding on the bus on our way to the museum, I can’t seem to ignore the fact that there are seriously like a 7/11 store on every street. I think they may be like the speedways back home. I mean, yea there are tons of people packed onto a tiny island but really, how many slurpee’’ do you need?

Were staying at the chaiting youth center, and I must say the campus is really beautiful. Since we arrived to check in yesterday afternoon I’ve seen the grounds staff tirelessly working to trip hedges or sweep the walkways.

Day 2 Part 1

My day started off with a very early a.m. run with Gannon and Arianna, which helped to kick start my day.  It is really astonishing to see how much America culture has an effect on the people of Taiwan; the people were so excited to see us, they blew their horns at us and waved while they passed speedily on their scooters and in their cars.

Spending time jumping from bus to train and back and forth has afforded me the opportunity to come into contact of with the people and has given me the chance to practice some of broken mandarin hahaha. It was a thrill trying to master some new phrases and doing it with the correct enunciation.

Day 1

Made it into Taiwan today after a loooong united airlines flight. I managed to knock down  two chapters in my new read ("How I found freedom in a Unfree World"), a couple in flight movies, not to mention ALL the free food I could get my hands on.We experienced some delays flying in, which wasn't a big deal for us; However we are stilling missing four other group members. Not to worry, they should arrive by morning from Tokyo. I'm loving it so far, no signs of jet lag!

Special Thanks!!!

I would like to again thank all my friends and family that have donated their time, money and effort to make this trip possible! It is greatly appriciated, many thanks

Boarding to Narita, Tokyo!!!!