More on Kaohsiung

Hey! I thought I've waited long enough to write an update on how I'm doing down in Kaohsiung, so I thought I'd give you a quick update.

Job

Before I started the job, I suppose I had some fantasy about how it would be me sitting in front of a computer and just effortlessly selling steel. Of course, now that I've started the job and been to a few suppliers to visit, I realize it's a lot more complicated than that. First of all, I've got to develop personal relationships with the suppliers so that I can get the best possible price from them. Second, I've got to watch market prices like a hawk and know when you will get something from a sale and when you won't. Third, I have to go aggressively find purchasers and end users instead of sitting around and waiting for inquiries to come.

I've also been reading about the physical properties of steel and the elements that go into it, as well as the crystal structure and grain of the steel which are some of the reasons it's so strong. It might not be useful for actually selling the product, but I find it interesting.

The boss is very nice and the working environment is great. They give all the sales people a lot of respect and let us do our job.

So far, I haven't really done much except learn some basics about how to operate our software and visit some suppliers in person (very productive). Those visits also gave me a chance to be a guy in a dress shirt walking around a factory with a helmet on. I felt like I was in a movie.

Jennifer

She's doing well right now. She is considering getting a job at this point since she's starting to feel a little bored at home, but I'm not gonna push her or anything (I sorta like getting a lunch box every day and having a home made dinner!). We'll see what she wants to do as time goes on. Other than that, she's well. Jennifer's family lives so close by (35, 40 min. drive?) that we've already gotten to see them 5 times in the two weeks we've been operating down there.

Quality of Life

Things are still great in this catagory. No need for the A/C, just open the windows and smell the fresh air blowing through the house. Great, cheap food. Big, comfortable bed. Two very cute cats, one of which likes to play a game I've named "spider cat" (the cat lies on it's back and then uses it's claws to drag itself along the floor using the sofa for leverage. He'll crawl from one end of the sofa to the other upside down like this). Over all, things are great.

I've got a free gym in our complex I've been using as well as a nearby driving range/ golf course (one bucket at the range is only US$2) as well as a super cheap and super close batting cage. Between the three of those, I have a way to have fun and get my exercise while not getting too tired of any one routine.

Bad parts

Well, the main bad part is missing everyone from back home, really. I can't wait to get a chance to see everyone.

I still don't have the internet at home, so forgive the lack of updates and slow repsonse to emails and other communications.That's all for now!