Hey Everyone!  This is my first post to a new blog I have set up to document my travels to Asia (and various other places) for work and pleasure.  There has been so much to see and do as I’ve begun to travel a bit more for work, and I’m slowly coming to realize that there’s far more to share than a tweet or Facebook post can possibly show. There are also people in my life that aren’t on social media (Hey Mom and Dad!) and I figured this would be a good way for them to see what I’ve been up to.  So I know I’ll get at least two hits on this!  Maybe one from my wife. Maybe. If she’s bored.

First up – How the heck did this (Asia thing) happen!?!?

Way back in February I was sitting on a beach in Mexico with my wife, her sister, and my brother in law enjoying the last day of our relaxing vacation in Playa del Carmen (see relaxing photo above).  My phone rang, and it was my boss asking if I’d be interested in filling in for somebody who had just resigned in the Asia Pacific region.  My company has a global reach, and we have quite a few active projects in the region.  It was important to ensure that we maintained momentum and continuity out there, and I was happy to help out. Before I knew it I was on a plane to Singapore!

The last couple of months have been pretty amazing.  I’ve spent time in Singapore, Australia, and am currently sitting on a flight bound for Japan.  I’ve learned so much about my company, the people out here in the region, and have had the opportunity to spend time with some of our senior leadership.

As a recent MBA grad, I’m also way more interested in how businesses tick than the average IT nerd.  In addition to ensuring that our IT infrastructure is operating smoothly, I also need to be aware of the needs of the regular business folks – supply chain, operations, manufacturing, sales, etc.   I’ve already learned quite a bit in the short time I’ve been traveling around, and I hope to share my key takeaways with all of YOU!

Obviously, I can’t share specific details about what my company is up to, and names will be withheld or changed to protect the innocent.  However, I expect that my broad lessons learned around technology, business, and culture will be easily transferrable to multiple organizations and industries.

First blog for me.  I am excited!

Grammar nerds. You will be infuriated by this site.  You have been warned.

Feel free to also follow my adventures on Twitter @globalitguy and on Instagram. I also post more mundane things and complaints about airlines on twitter @ernierapoza