59th Stop: New York City, NY (Part 3)

On Sunday afternoon, I left John’s place to meet up with my new hosts, Charles and Liz, at the Museum of Modern Art. John lent me his university ID so all three of us could get in for free. Thanks John! I was really surprised by all of the beautiful women I saw, “just waiting to be picked up, picked up” (I’ll send you a post card from Estonia if you can figure out what song this comes from).

Later that night, we went for a gourmet meal in one of Liz and Charles’ favorite restaurants called, Momo Fuku. They told me about their work and travels: Liz works for a handbag design outfit and Charles works from home as a day trader. They were recently in the Galapagos islands and will soon be traveling to Barcelona (lucky!).

On Monday, I went up to Harlem to run a private Wordfast training and on Tuesday stayed in downtown for the training. Why is it that every time I’m on the Eastern seaboard during the winter, I always get a snow storm, blizzard, or ice storm? Impossible for some people to get to the training, difficult for the trainer as well!

On my way there, when trying to hail a cab, I asked the guy who arrived after me where he was going and if he wanted to share one. It turns out he was going in the same direction, only farther! When I got out, he insisted that he’ll cover it and thanked me for letting him share (cabs were few and far between in light of the ice and flooding conditions).

We managed to have the training but got off to a late start. A big thanks to Kristyna from Wordfast for inviting everyone for lunch!

One more night before leaving and I took Liz and Charles out for dinner. I had been dying to go to La Bonne Soupe, a restaurant my Aunt and Uncle recommended to me about 15 years ago. I was 16 years old when I went there for the first time with Dave M. during a high school theater trip. We had the lunch menu which consisted of a salad, bread, soup, mousse au chocolat, and wine or coffee. When the young waitress asked with her thick French accent if we wanted wine or coffee, I replied wine. We were amazed, getting served wine in a restaurant when you’re only 16 years old considering the fascist liquor laws in the USA.

John, Charles and Liz

We walked home that night and saw a few sights: Rockefeller Plaza, the MET... Thanks for showing me the really cool whispering echo effect at Grand Central Station!

Can you hear me?

Don't shrug!

The next day I was on the Amtrak train to Washington DC (with a slight weather delay, go figure). Thanks again to John, Liz, Charles, and their respective roommates/family for hosting me. Thanks also to all the Wordfast trainees and Kristyna! See you soon, but definitely during the spring, summer, or fall!

Next stop: Washington DC!

54th - 56th Stops: Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, and Los Angeles, California

Justin and John

My first stop in Southern California was to see my brother and his family in Mission Viejo. We had a lovely visit in 80° weather and the sun. Justin took me to see a massive construction project he managed a couple years ago: Pelican Hill. This place is amazing, check out the website! Kudos Justin on a job well done! Thanks Justin and Bridget; it was great catching up with you and the kids.

Pelican Hill

Alisa from the Newport Beach Jaycees, whom I met a year ago in Tunisia at the world congress and happily saw again in Japan, was organizing a cocktail hour with other members and would host me on Tuesday night. Great turnout and surprising since there was a JCI member there on vacation from Antibes-Sophia Antipolis, right next to Nice! Thanks Alisa for organizing this event and to all who came out; it was a pleasure meeting you over drinks and dancing later on with the most motivated among you!

John with NP Jaycees: Alisa, Linda, and Tara

The next morning, I drove into LA to run an in-house Wordfast training. Despite the fact that my two trainees, Patricia and Michelangelo, were recovering from their company holiday party the night before (open bar!), they did a good job staying focused. I really enjoyed working with them and wish them the best of luck with Wordfast!

One more night in LA, this time downtown. Ron, one of my best friend’s uncles, offered to host me that night. I met Ron several years ago on one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on: a one-week cruise on a private yacht in the Bahamas. Ron had his own work holiday party to attend that evening, so I met up with an old friend from high school, Brian, who works in the on-line dating industry.

It’s funny how Facebook can help rekindle relationships. I wished Brian a happy birthday (thanks to a FB alert) a month or so ago, and one message led to another and we were soon meeting up in LA for dinner! Brian and his girlfriend, Katie, took me to fantastic gastropub where we engorged ourselves on truffle pasta, tuna carpaccio, and more succulent fare over the course of 3 hours. I think we actually closed the joint. Thanks again Brian and Katie for the splendid dinner. I’m really happy we got a chance to catch up and look forward to your visit in France!

Ron and John

Later that night and the next morning, I caught up with Ron. We even had time for a little Facebook lesson. Go Ron!

We went over to his work, TCW, an investment firm, for a tour and lunch in their dining room. Ron was in charge of the food services department for several years. We’re not talking Sodehxo, though. This is three-star gourmet dining for the staff to keep them in the company, meeting and exchanging with each other as opposed to going out to restaurants for lunch. Ron once told me that some people didn’t want to leave the company because they had no idea what they would do for lunch!

How do I turn on the TV?

And that wraps up the visit on the West Coast. Thanks again to Justin, Bridget, Alisa, Ron, Brian, Katie, and everyone else I had the chance to meet!

Next stop: Minnesota!

53rd Stop: San Francisco, California

Even before I had ever been to San Francisco (this would be my second time), I had always felt drawn here. I had said to myself, if I ever return to live in the USA, it would be San Francisco and nowhere else. Why? I guess the culture, the personal freedoms, the scenery, the climate, the people, to name a few. San Fran, you once again lived up to expectations...

I flew back to the future, meaning I left Tuesday night and arrived Tuesday afternoon, and met Nate at the airport. Coincidentally, Nate was just coming back from a trip to Minneapolis, our mutual home town, arriving just an hour before me! We got a cab and caught up on the events in each others’ lives for the past few years.

I knew Nate from high school but only really got to know him at the University of Minnesota. Nate went into journalism and now works for the Press Democrat, a Sonoma county paper, covering business and wine. He recently won an award for some investigative journalism into property dealings that ultimately led to an investigation by the attorney general. Kudos Nate!

Nate is also one of the reasons I’ve been wanting to surf for so long. The last time I saw him (in San Fran), him and another friend, Matt, told me all about their new passion for surfing and it sounded so inspiring that I’d been wanting to try it ever since. Ok, that’s enough about Nate, even though I’m tempted to tell you a really funny story from my wedding involving him...

When we arrived at Nate’s place in the Mission, an old Sears Roebuck store that eventually got converted into lofts, we where met by Tess, Nate’s new roommate who works in industrial design, designing furniture as a freelancer.

I was having a nice time in San Francisco and could go on for pages, but I’ll try to speed his up. Here are some photos of murals and parties in the Mission...

Party wall climbing

I ran two Wordfast workshops downtown for translators during the week and in the evenings, went out with Nate and his friends, including Aaron, a math professor whom I really appreciated. One night, we went to a couchsurfer meet-up downtown and I also coordinated with Lando and Joel Yau to meet us there.

Lando and I met in Mauritius and he recently came back to look for work and settle in San Francisco. I met Joel Yau in 2008 when I helped organize France’s first street painting festival outside of Nice, Les Craies d'Azur. We flew Joel over from California to participate in the festival and show us how it’s done! He stayed with my family in France and we had a blast. Ever since, we’ve stayed in touch and it was really great to see him again.

Madonnari and Vagabonds

Another friend from high school, Adam, noticed via Facebook that I was in San Francisco and him and his girlfriend Rose happened to be there randomly that weekend as well. So we all met on Friday night and stayed out till the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday afternoon, Nate and I left for Bolinas, north of San Fran, to go to the birthday party of Matt, the surfing friend and erstwhile neighbor, and another person. Matt grew up down the street from me in Minnesota and now works as a dentist. Every year, him and his friend rent a house overlooking the ocean in this small hippy community and have a crab fest. I say hippy community because there are some hot springs where people generally bathe naked and locals have been known to tear down the sign that tells people how to get there!

Driving down the mountain to Bolinas

Before the party started, Nate and I threw our wetsuits on and tried to catch some waves. Unfortunately, the surf was calm though it was quite the sensation to be surfing at night in the fog. After surfing, we strolled through the local Christmas crafts fair before it closed and drank some delicious homemade eggnog. Then I called Véronique, one of my trainees from my Wordfast training the other day, who happened to live in Bolinas and who had told me to call her and stop by if we wanted to. Sure, why not!

Véronique served us some whisky and popcorn and we spoke with a couple of her friends and her husband, a famous writer by the name of Charles Fox. Charles has been living with multiple sclerosis for more than 20 years. He is quoted as saying, “It's good to be alive. It's a gift, an extraordinary experience. We only have this very brief time, and it's important to take full advantage of it.” I couldn't agree with you more Charles! Thanks again Véronique for having us over, it was a pleasure meeting everyone!


By the time we got back to the house, the crab fest was well underway and about 15 people were there having a splendid time. Once we ate and drank our fill, it was time to walk down the beach to the local pub, listen to music, sing along, and dance! We were in luck because there was a great band from Canada playing that night; I was extremely happy to hear the cover of Tryo, a French reggae group.

Matt in a hat and Nate

The next morning, I got up early to check out the waves. There wasn’t enough surf to make it worthwhile so instead I walked along the beach with Laurel and caught a beautiful sunrise.

Nate and I got on the road by 9:45 because we had an hour’s drive ahead of us and my flight was 11:30!

Thanks Nate for hosting me in San Francisco and Matt in Bolinas; that’s 5 more bednets to protect 5 more families from malaria! I had a wonderful time with everyone and look forward to catching up with you all again soon.

Next stop: Orange County and Los Angeles, California!

41st Stop - Denver, Colorado, USA

Wordfast Sno Cones

Where am I? What time is it? It’s not easy traveling through 16 time zones in less than a week and crossing an international dateline somewhere in between... The hardest part was the 4-hour delay in Seattle. It turned a 36-hour trip into 40 hours! First things first, find the hotel and go to bed.

I have to thank Wordfast tech support guru David, my roommate from the Czech Republic, for inspiring me to get out of bed and go to the hotel gym in the morning. Nothing like a workout, swim, and rooftop hot tub in the chilly Denver morning air to kickstart your day.

David catching up on the latest news

Thursday and Friday I helped man the Wordfast booth at the ATA Conference trade show. Wordfast definitely has the coolest giveaways at these things: winter hats and icy blue sno-cones! We met up with Jamie, another Wordfast trainer, his wife and others from her company, German Language Services, for dinner that evening at the Wynkoop, a great brewery/eatery for unique beers the next time you’re in Denver.

Interestingly, Virginia from Spain was in Denver for a company meeting at the same time so she popped in and joined us for a couple drinks! Great to see you again Virginia!

Friday night, Wordfast hosted a party at the Rock Bottom Brewery for conference attendees. It doesn’t take much more than free drinks and food to convince more than 100 people to show up. During the evening, we collected donations for bednets and managed to raise $125. Thanks to everyone who helped buy bednets and thanks to Wordfast for matching that amount. That’s 25 bednets and more than 25 families protected from malaria over the next 5 years.

Wordfast is always full of surprises

The trade show ended on Saturday afternoon, but I left too hastily because I forgot my computer charger! I went back to get it but someone had given it to the electrician. This person didn’t have it and no one was much help so I had to go out and buy a new charger. The drawback of having a Mac is that not many stores carry products for it. I had to go out to a suburban shopping mall to the Mac store, pick up an $85 charger and get back to town before the buses stopped :-(

Two smart cookies

I got back late but met up with two Fulbright scholars from Russia and the Ukraine, Ekaterina and Victoria, for dinner. Nice meeting both of you and good luck with your studies!

Explaining the in's and out's of Wordfast 

Sno Kones as snowballs melt in your hands, not in your mouth

Jamie and John cracking Wordfast

You too can be a part of the Wordfast gang

Wordfast party time!

I want to thank Wordfast and Kristyna for inviting me to attend this conference, for helping to raise funds during the party, and for the good times! I also want to thank David, my roommate for buying 5 nets and for the morning workout motivation! Thanks to all of you and see you soon I hope!

Next stop: Osaka, Japan!

40th Stop: Tokyo, Japan

Forgot to take good pictures in Tokyo

At the beginning of the year, when this trip was still in the early stages of planning, I was a little disappointed because one of the translation industry’s biggest events, the American Translators Association Conference, was being held in the US, right before I had to be in Japan for the JCI World Congress :-(

While I was in Kuala Lumpur, Kristyna Marrero, Head of Sales for Wordfast, sent me an e-mail and asked if I could come to give them a hand at the Wordfast booth. Sure, why not! This meant, after just returning from France, leaving KL for Denver, Colorado, with a short stopover in Tokyo!

What luck! Tokyo had been dropped from the itinerary and now I had the chance, albeit short, to meet up with Ryan and Josh, two friends from high school who were living and working there as a headhunter and English teacher/musician respectively.

Congratulations to Josh who recently had a baby and to Ryan who just got married this past summer! Good luck with your newest album Josh and do keep us posted! Thanks Ryan for arranging the meeting and best of luck with your new family. Hope to see you guys again soon.

Next stop: Denver, Colorado!

Guess how old Josh and I are in this photo?

27th Stop - Mumbai, India

The first thing that greeted me when I stepped off the plane in Mumbai was the thick, humid air that condensed into beads of water—or was it sweat—on the back of my neck. I would be spending three weeks in India during the monsoon season so I had better get used to it fast.

I went straight from the airport to Manich’s place, my host, in Santa Cruz West. Manich is probably the best person who can give you a crash course on India politics, the economy, and Indian society in general. There is always a disclaimer, considering that India has more than 1 billion people and nothing is the same everywhere. You have to consider that each state has its own language, add in the mix of religion and different values and you get something similar to the melting pot in the USA, at least in Mumbai.

On Friday, some locals from www.CouchSurfing.org were organizing a walking tour of downtown Mumbai, so Manich and I joined them, at the end of the walking part, for dinner and ice cream. Thanks again DJ for organizing this and for the delicious ice cream!

After dinner, we decided to go for drinks at one of the tourist hotspots. This gave me a chance to get to know some people from the group a little bit better: Aurore, an English teacher from France, who had just started a round-the-world trip, Jasmine, also from France and 19 years old, who would be spending a few months in India before going to Cape Town to pursue her studies; Narendra, from India, who owns an adventure team-building company; Rupsa, from India, who is a writer; Nachiket, from India, who works for a market research firm; and Javier, from Spain, who has been working in Mumbai for the past year or so.

After the drinks, the few left standing, meaning Narendra, Aurore, Jasmine, Rupsa, and I, went to the Zenzi Bar night club to dance. Thanks Narendra for taking us all there and for the thrilling ride through Mumbai!

Saturday evening, Nachiket invited everyone to a Krishna dance recital at Iskcon (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). When I first got there, I went into the main temple area where there was a religous ceremony taking place, people singing and a little bit of dancing, but mostly clapping or foot tapping. I looked around for the group but couldn’t find them. I kept texting back and forth with Nachiket, until I gave up and went to eat a samosa. Only about a good half-hour later, I realized that they were in the auditorium! I finally managed to find them and enjoy the last part of the dance recital.

Afterwards, a few of us headed back to Manich’s place for a small party. Thanks Manich for hosting a party for everyone!

By Sunday, I was finally going to do some typical tourism: check out the Bollywood beachfront hotspot in Bandra West, take a local train, check out the Colaba area and the Gateway to India monument. I went with Rupsa, her roommate, and Robert, a young German student studying to be a doctor, for lunch in Bandra West, then down to the tip of Mumbai for pictures and a relaxing Sunday afternoon walk with Aurore and Jasmine. We ran into one of Rupsa’s painter friends on the boardwalk and another DJ/photographer friend, MC Roops, next to the Gateway to India. Thanks Roops for the great photos and collage!

From Monday till Friday, I mostly worked, running a Wordfast training at the Instituto Hispania with six participants and an on-line training with four people from around the world. Nothing too exciting except that I did manage to forget to pick up my visa at the Vietnamese embassy.

Do you believe in fate? Strangely, I had said to myself before applying for my visa that if I had any problems getting it (I was worried about the time it would take), it would be a sign that maybe I should change my plans a bit. So when I failed to pick up my visa, I decided to return to Casablanca, get my car and drive it back to Nice, but more importantly, spend a couple of weeks with my son, Louis. Oddly, I had just met Lando in Mauritius who was planning on driving the car back to Nice for me, but I didn’t want to mess with destiny. It looks like the round-the-world trip is going to be somewhat hub and spoke as well!

Next stop: Bangalore!

25th Stop - Antananarivo, Madagascar

It seems as though the length and extent of my posts are a good indication about the quality of the destination, people, and experience. Madagascar is no exception to this rule. It’s really been a fantastic time, much more than I could have ever hoped for.

I had a nice long drive back to Tana, sitting next to a young girl who was vomiting every 45 minutes or so. No worries though; she had a stash of plastic bags and kept things rather clean.

I went back to Paul’s place for one more night. He had a prior engagement and ended up not coming home, so I went to bed early to get some sleep before the training I was giving the next day.

Wednesday was a great day. I trained five colleagues on how to use Wordfast Pro at a beautiful venue overlooking the entire city. This venue was a Catholic seminary and one of my trainees pointed out that the church has some of the best property in the city.

Wordfast trainees

After the training, I met up with Paul and his colleague Cédric for dinner at the Shakamanga restaurant downtown. Cédric has been living in Mada for two years now, working as a graphic designer for his brother’s IT business. He’ll stay at least another year before trying to work in the United States. Interestingly, Cédric’s mom used to be a member of the Junior Chamber in France; I’m glad I got a chance to tell him more about the association and hope he hooks up with some of the great people I met last week.

Dera came and picked me up at the restaurant, we grabbed my things at Paul’s, and then went back to Valérie and Dera’s home. Dera shared some photos and videos with me of his trip to Mauritius, and we enjoyed some nice scotch from his exceptional collection. We also talked about future business opportunities and parenthood. Thanks again Dera for the interesting conversation!

I got up early the next morning to have breakfast with Dera before he left for work, then I went with Valérie to her office for a couple of hours. Valérie has an off-shore call center called Ma Dactylo that offers solutions for data entry, accounting, administrative assistance, hotline support, and sales calls. Feel free to contact her on my behalf if you need any of these services!

View from the seminary

We both finished up some work, spoke to Fred in New Zealand on Skype about surfing when I'm out there in November, and then went for lunch with some of Valérie’s friends. It was very interesting to meet and discuss politics with a judge and Hérisoa, a JCI Senator and advisor to the Minister of Finance. Unfortunately, it was getting late and I had a plane to catch, so we ate and ran to the airport. Got there just in time!

Thanks to all the JCI members that met up with me. Another big thanks to Paul, Dera, and Valérie for hosting me a few days during my stay in Tana. Thanks also to Wordfast who will be buying a bednet for every trainee I train during the trip. That makes 8 bednets altogether, 8 more families protected from malaria for the next 5 years. Thanks to all of you and best of luck until we meet again!

23rd Stop - Antananarivo, Madagascar

Have you ever dreamed of going to Madagascar to discover the exotic flora, landscapes, and fauna? I had, ever since I leafed through a guide book at the local library seven years ago. I was so excited that as soon as we reached the coastline, I had my eyes fixed on the trees, looking for lemurs swinging to and fro. At an altitude of several thousand feet, it probably would have helped to have had a pair of binoculars. The landscapes were breathtaking, however.

First time in Madagascar and first time after nearly three months of traveling that I would stay in a hotel. Though torn about not meeting more fantastic people and buying bednets, I was looking forward to having some time to myself–and by myself I mean me, my computer, and Facebook!

My taxi dropped me off at the Menhir hotel, just south of downtown Antananarivo (or Tana for short). Downtown is perhaps an overstatement. Tana looks more like a larger version of a village in Provence, with rolling hills interspersed by rice paddy plateaus and dotted with vibrant painted homes and buildings. The contrast with the azure blue sky, red earth, and lush green flora is strinkingly beautiful.

Back to the Menhir, this quaint hotel owned and operated by an ex-pat from Brittany named Dan, is located in a quiet neighborhood across from a police station. This reassured me as I was a little nervous at first because of the coup d’état in early 2009 and the unrest it ushered in. Ever since, inflation, uncertainty, and high unemployment have plagued the country.

Dan was very friendly and later introduced me to Clément, another ex-pat who works in the costume design business in Mada, but also runs the restaurant in the hotel for fun. In case you are interested, Clément is looking for someone with experience who would like to run the show during the week while he is at the factory. it is a Moroccan restaurant (he lived there for 10 years or so). If you are interested, go ahead and contact Dan so he can put you in touch with Clément!

Interestingly, Clément was the third person I have met so far on this tour who has been to North Korea. He lived there for several years, working for a textile company. If you make it to Tana, make sure you drop in for some of the best couscous I’ve had in awhile. It’s so good that even government ministers and people from the French consulate pop in for lunch (I saw several VIPs on at least three occasions). Thanks for the game of chess and the excellent food!

On Monday, I went into town and gave a Wordfast demonstration at the Centre National d’Enseignement de la Langue Anglaise (CNELA). Thank you Stéphane for helping me to organize this, thank you Mr. Rasoloheritsimba for allowing us to use your facilities, and thanks to everyone who showed up!

Upon leaving the CNELA, I was met in the courtyard by three members of JCI Tana: Mirana Olivia, Seder, and Tuv. We talked a bit and made plans for me to give a talk on Wednesday night during their general assembly about international opportunities in JCI. As we parted ways, I told them I was taking the bus back (dressed up in suit and tie with LCD projector and computer in hand) which thoroughly surprised them. Well it makes sense every way you look at it: mass transit cuts down on pollution, lessens traffic, and saves pennies. I think Mada has the cheapest bus fare I have ever paid: 300 ariary or slightly more than €0.10!

On Monday or Tuesday night (I can't remember), Dera, another JCI member and former national president called me up to meet for dinner. He picked me up at my hotel, then we picked up Valérie, his wife and also former JCI national president. We went to the Café de la Gare in downtown and had a delicious meal. It must have been national presidents night out because at the restaurant we bumped into Yannick Moati, former national president of JCI France! Message for Guy T.: Yannick te passe le bonjour ! Thanks Dera and Valérie for a lovely evening out on the town.

After a few nights relaxing stay at the Menhir, I packed bags and headed off to Paul P.’s place, a young French IT ex-pat working in Tana whom I had contacted via www.CouchSurfing.org. Before leaving the Menhir, I told Dan about my project and he jumped at the occasion to buy a bednet. A big thanks to Dan and everyone at the Menhir!

Paul was living in another part of town and his place was difficult to find. The taxi made a couple of wrong turns and we ended up on the worst road I have ever seen in my life. Off-roading through the Tunisian desert in a 4X4 outside of Tozer was a cakewalk in comparison with this! With help from local zebu herders, we eventually found Paul’s place.

I dropped off my things, then Paul and I headed into town on his motorcycle. I hung out in a hotel downtown working on a few things all afternoon until the JCI meeting that night. At lunch, I met Hery Andriamiandra, a former JCI member who is now the editor-in-chief of a IZA Magazine, a nation-wide monthly business magazine. Thanks for giving me a copy of the magazine Hery, it was a great read!

That night, I gave a one-hour talk during the JCI Tana general assembly about how you have to seize the day to be the change. I touched on some ideas picked up from other trainers and shared experiences from the past 4 years as a member of JCI, about how important it is to have a positive attitude, say yes to opportunity, the importance of envisioning in order to move forward and how we should challenge ourselves and others to be better in all aspects of our lives. The message seemed to get across as the members left with “Yes” on the tips of their tongues! Thanks Mirana Olivia, Seder, and Tuv for organizing this encounter.

The night was young so we went out for a bite to eat, some drinks, and a karaoke jam session. I was amazed at how good some of the members could sing. Thanks for the song, the laughs, and for teaching me some key phrases in Malagasy : mi fat fat be ianoa (all of you)! One more stop to meet up with Paul and his friends for a drink and then we went home.

The next morning, I left a suitcase at Paul's and got on the road for Toamasina with the intent to stop off in a virgin forest in Andasibe and frolic with those ever-elusive lemurs.

Next stop: Andasibe and Toamasina!

4th Stop - Prague

After finishing up a translation on Monday morning, I hit the road again for Prague. As I got closer to the city center, I felt more and more lost. For some reason, I decided not to follow my printed out directions. Big mistake. An hour or so later and a spin through a parking garage by accident, I ended up getting pulled over.

Apparently, I turned down the wrong road. As I was following the patrol car, I must have missed the sign. Fortunately, I didn’t have a Czech money on me for the “fee” and the policeman let me off with a warning.

I met up with Milan Condak, another Wordfast Trainer from the Czech Republic and we talked about training and the future of Wordfast. Milan also showed me some machine translation software that works with Wordfast called PC Translator. Thanks Milan for traveling 8 hours for our meeting; it was a pleasure meeting you and I wish you lots of success for the future.

Milan and I parted ways and I went on to the Corporate Social Responsibility Powwow I had planned via ProZ.com. Generally, a powwow is an informal gathering of translators to network, share experiences and have fun. During this powwow, we talked about values and how to transform them into concrete actions via your business. I also invited local members of JCI Prague to talk about what they are doing in the community to create positive change and network with the translators in attendance. A special thanks to Ewen, Anthony and Adeline for joining us and sharing with us what you’ve been doing in JCI Prague. Thanks as well to Pavel for helping with the organization of this powwow. Pavel is going to be organizing a ProZ.com International Conference in Prague in early October and I know he is going to do a great job! I hope I can make a special detour for it... Finally, a tremendous thanks to the everyone in attendance. Together, we all chipped in a raised enough money to purchase 5 bednets!

During the rest of my stay in Prague, I mostly visited with Marika, Ewen, and Adeline. I learned that there is no tolerance for drinking and driving in the Czech Republic (0.0%) despite being the country with the highest consumption of beer per capita in Europe (the world?). Marika also showed me a really cool video on YouTube of a Spartakaida in 1985. Imagine 240,000 people coming together in a stadium with enough room for 6 soccer fields and performing a synchronized dance routine... if you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself!

Thanks again Ewen and Marika for hosting me in Prague! I bought 2 bednets in your name which will help protect two families from malaria for the next 5 years. Looking forward to a weekend in Prague next time ;-)

Next stop: Berlin!