Same Part Of The World, A Different Mission!
Door: Marijn Sprokkereef
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Marijn
02 November 2012 | India, New Delhi
Dear friends and family, "Namaste" from New Delhi, India!
A warm welcome back to my travel blog! It has been over two years since my last update to you. Back then, I wrote to you just after I returned from a full year of backpacking throughout Asia. “So what has happened in the meanwhile and why are you back in India?!”, you may ask. Guess what: I’m just about to tell you all about it :-)
A few practical things first. I plan to start posting on this blog regularly (monthly) again. If you would like to receive an automatic e-mail whenever there’s a new post, you can fill out your e-mail address on the left side of this website. If you want your e-mail address to be removed from the mailing list or if you want another e-mail address of yours to be used, please send me a short message at marijnsprokkereef@hotmail.com. You can also leave your comments underneath my posts. That’s all there is, so please enjoy reading about my new travel adventures in the East!
Returning from Asia late 2010, I had literally spent my very last Euros, Yens and Rubels on my return trip. Not by plane, but by a memorable train ride on the Trans-Mongolian Express, all the way from Beijing to Moscow. Freshly graduated from Law School, pretty much broke and without a paying job, it was obviously time for me to start working. After living a while at my parents’ place, which has proven to be a great and warm starting and finishing point of many adventures, I moved to The Hague in order to find work. Highly impressed by my experiences working with the Cambodia Tribunal in Phnom Penh the year before, I aimed high and tried to get into one of the many international legal institutions which are united in the city of international peace of justice. Having a decent legal background and relevant field experience in Cambodia, on my cover letters to the International Criminal Court, the Special Court for Sierra Leone or the Yuguslavia Tribunal, I didn’t even get a single (non-automatic) reply, let alone an invitation for a job interview…
Changing my strategy quickly, I decided that it may be well worth trying to work for a while at a commercial law firm. In that way, I could combine getting practical work experience with making money. After visiting a large career event in Amsterdam, I got in touch with a medium sized commercial law firm and after a few phone calls and an interview, they offered me a legal internship at their office in Utrecht, which ultimately resulted in a job offer. Even though I did like my colleagues and the fact that there was a lot to learn for me, over the next year I soon found out that this (commercial) legal work was not the kind of work that would make me happy in the long run. With my employee feeling the same way, I would stop working there and start searching for work which would be a lot ‘closer to my heart’.
Every now and then, unexpected things happen in one’s environment which may just push your life in a new direction. This happened when me and my brother, Sander, got a text message from our father on the 6th of may this year, reading: “Dear boys, for the next two years, your father will be working in Hanoi, Vietnam!!” … Until then, my father had been a school teacher in the Netherlands for most of his working life and although I knew he was looking for an opportunity to fulfill one of his longlasting dreams: living and working abroad for a longer time, it was only when I read that text message that I suddenly realised he was really doing it. He was appointed as the director of the Dutch school in Vietnam’s (beautiful) capital, Hanoi! My father has caught me by surprise before. I remember for example that time we were travelling in South Africa, 2008. Thinking he would not dare to go bungeejumping with me (I wasn’t even sure whether I had the guts to do it myself), he inquired: “Well Marijn, did you already arrange a jump for the both of us?!” … This time, he surprised me again. Could I be convinced to join him another time...? With my job at the law firm coming to an end and with the great experiences and the small network I had built on my last visit to South-East Asia, I guess in fact it was not really a question… :-)
Without a doubt, my father’s new adventure and ultimately my decision to follow him to Asia, has a big impact on our family life. My parents, who have been happily married for over 30 years (!!) have never physically been that far from each other for such a long time. My mother, doing very well at her own job in an elementary school in the Netherlands, decided to keep working there for at least the first year of my father’s stay in Vietnam. After that first year, they will decide whether she will be joining my father, of course depending on how things will evolve. And my brother would also be missing half of our family. Luckily enough, my parents have thaught us that love is also about giving your beloved ones room to fulfill their dreams in life. That’s what happening now and that’s what made our decision a lot easier!
So here I am, writing to you from a cheapish hotel room in the backpackers’ area of New Delhi, at the beginning of Asia Part II: Exploring New Opportunities! My plan is, in short, to find a job in this region which would be as much fulfilling to me as the semi-legal work I was doing in Cambodia with the victims of the Khmer Rouge. My strategy is to use my network in order to see and experience as many different kinds of work as possible. Every good opportunity that I will get, I will go for!
… Before I forget: all suggestions and tips are mostly welcome!! …
Ideally, my new job would be in South-East Asia, close to my father. However, being fascinated by India on my first visit to this surreal country, my first stop was certainly going to be India. Because in India: “Sab Kuch Milega”, everything is possible! At the end of November, I will fly from Chennai (India) to Bangkok (Thailand) and after spending a few days there, I will catch a flight to my father in Hanoi, who’s nice apartment could be an ideal place to continue my job search :-)
Over the last three weeks, I made a good start by applying for a few jobs, meeting up with some of my friends and by extending my professional network. The second day after arriving in Delhi for example, a friend of mine from Utrecht invited me to join a seminar that he organised on entrepreneurship at a University in Delhi and the day after, he made me even speak at an International Conference on Human Resources Management! Besides that, I have joined a new Indian/American friend on a trip to Ahmedabad (West India) to experience the work she’s doing for a local NGO with children’s rights and with micro-finance. In the meanwhile, I celebrated an Indian festival with her friends and colleagues: “Navratri”. Nine nights of doing traditional Indian dances in the most gorgeous outfits, it was a truly wonderful experience. After visiting Diu, a very relaxed former Portugese settlement on India’s West coast and after visiting Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace in Porbandar, now I’m back in New Delhi to make plans for the next few weeks.
Dear friends, that will be all for now. As you have read, I’m ready for my new adventure: “Same part of the world, a different mission!!”. Wishing you all the best, I’ll end with a quote from the founder of modern day, independent India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever”.
Looking forward to be hearing from you and a warm “Namaste”,
Marijn
A warm welcome back to my travel blog! It has been over two years since my last update to you. Back then, I wrote to you just after I returned from a full year of backpacking throughout Asia. “So what has happened in the meanwhile and why are you back in India?!”, you may ask. Guess what: I’m just about to tell you all about it :-)
A few practical things first. I plan to start posting on this blog regularly (monthly) again. If you would like to receive an automatic e-mail whenever there’s a new post, you can fill out your e-mail address on the left side of this website. If you want your e-mail address to be removed from the mailing list or if you want another e-mail address of yours to be used, please send me a short message at marijnsprokkereef@hotmail.com. You can also leave your comments underneath my posts. That’s all there is, so please enjoy reading about my new travel adventures in the East!
Returning from Asia late 2010, I had literally spent my very last Euros, Yens and Rubels on my return trip. Not by plane, but by a memorable train ride on the Trans-Mongolian Express, all the way from Beijing to Moscow. Freshly graduated from Law School, pretty much broke and without a paying job, it was obviously time for me to start working. After living a while at my parents’ place, which has proven to be a great and warm starting and finishing point of many adventures, I moved to The Hague in order to find work. Highly impressed by my experiences working with the Cambodia Tribunal in Phnom Penh the year before, I aimed high and tried to get into one of the many international legal institutions which are united in the city of international peace of justice. Having a decent legal background and relevant field experience in Cambodia, on my cover letters to the International Criminal Court, the Special Court for Sierra Leone or the Yuguslavia Tribunal, I didn’t even get a single (non-automatic) reply, let alone an invitation for a job interview…
Changing my strategy quickly, I decided that it may be well worth trying to work for a while at a commercial law firm. In that way, I could combine getting practical work experience with making money. After visiting a large career event in Amsterdam, I got in touch with a medium sized commercial law firm and after a few phone calls and an interview, they offered me a legal internship at their office in Utrecht, which ultimately resulted in a job offer. Even though I did like my colleagues and the fact that there was a lot to learn for me, over the next year I soon found out that this (commercial) legal work was not the kind of work that would make me happy in the long run. With my employee feeling the same way, I would stop working there and start searching for work which would be a lot ‘closer to my heart’.
Every now and then, unexpected things happen in one’s environment which may just push your life in a new direction. This happened when me and my brother, Sander, got a text message from our father on the 6th of may this year, reading: “Dear boys, for the next two years, your father will be working in Hanoi, Vietnam!!” … Until then, my father had been a school teacher in the Netherlands for most of his working life and although I knew he was looking for an opportunity to fulfill one of his longlasting dreams: living and working abroad for a longer time, it was only when I read that text message that I suddenly realised he was really doing it. He was appointed as the director of the Dutch school in Vietnam’s (beautiful) capital, Hanoi! My father has caught me by surprise before. I remember for example that time we were travelling in South Africa, 2008. Thinking he would not dare to go bungeejumping with me (I wasn’t even sure whether I had the guts to do it myself), he inquired: “Well Marijn, did you already arrange a jump for the both of us?!” … This time, he surprised me again. Could I be convinced to join him another time...? With my job at the law firm coming to an end and with the great experiences and the small network I had built on my last visit to South-East Asia, I guess in fact it was not really a question… :-)
Without a doubt, my father’s new adventure and ultimately my decision to follow him to Asia, has a big impact on our family life. My parents, who have been happily married for over 30 years (!!) have never physically been that far from each other for such a long time. My mother, doing very well at her own job in an elementary school in the Netherlands, decided to keep working there for at least the first year of my father’s stay in Vietnam. After that first year, they will decide whether she will be joining my father, of course depending on how things will evolve. And my brother would also be missing half of our family. Luckily enough, my parents have thaught us that love is also about giving your beloved ones room to fulfill their dreams in life. That’s what happening now and that’s what made our decision a lot easier!
So here I am, writing to you from a cheapish hotel room in the backpackers’ area of New Delhi, at the beginning of Asia Part II: Exploring New Opportunities! My plan is, in short, to find a job in this region which would be as much fulfilling to me as the semi-legal work I was doing in Cambodia with the victims of the Khmer Rouge. My strategy is to use my network in order to see and experience as many different kinds of work as possible. Every good opportunity that I will get, I will go for!
… Before I forget: all suggestions and tips are mostly welcome!! …
Ideally, my new job would be in South-East Asia, close to my father. However, being fascinated by India on my first visit to this surreal country, my first stop was certainly going to be India. Because in India: “Sab Kuch Milega”, everything is possible! At the end of November, I will fly from Chennai (India) to Bangkok (Thailand) and after spending a few days there, I will catch a flight to my father in Hanoi, who’s nice apartment could be an ideal place to continue my job search :-)
Over the last three weeks, I made a good start by applying for a few jobs, meeting up with some of my friends and by extending my professional network. The second day after arriving in Delhi for example, a friend of mine from Utrecht invited me to join a seminar that he organised on entrepreneurship at a University in Delhi and the day after, he made me even speak at an International Conference on Human Resources Management! Besides that, I have joined a new Indian/American friend on a trip to Ahmedabad (West India) to experience the work she’s doing for a local NGO with children’s rights and with micro-finance. In the meanwhile, I celebrated an Indian festival with her friends and colleagues: “Navratri”. Nine nights of doing traditional Indian dances in the most gorgeous outfits, it was a truly wonderful experience. After visiting Diu, a very relaxed former Portugese settlement on India’s West coast and after visiting Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace in Porbandar, now I’m back in New Delhi to make plans for the next few weeks.
Dear friends, that will be all for now. As you have read, I’m ready for my new adventure: “Same part of the world, a different mission!!”. Wishing you all the best, I’ll end with a quote from the founder of modern day, independent India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever”.
Looking forward to be hearing from you and a warm “Namaste”,
Marijn
-
02 November 2012 - 09:09
Josine:
Ha Rijn,
Fijn zo'n samenvatting van je leven de afgelopen 2 jaar! Ik merk dat je alweer helemaal in je element bent en ik geniet met je mee :-)
Knuffel, Josine -
02 November 2012 - 09:42
Paul:
Ha die Marijn,
Mooi inspirerend verhaal! Veel succes met de zoektocht de komende tijd en hopelijk zie ik je begin december in Hanoi.
Groeten, Paul -
02 November 2012 - 09:53
Bertie:
Lieve zoon ver weg,
Je hebt een goed onderbouwde verbinding gemaakt tussen je twee reizen in Zuid-Oost Azië!
Mooi en ontroerend vind ik het wat je over ons, "thuis", schrijft:-D
Volgens mij voel je je als een vis in het water daaro in the South-East of Asia!
Ga verder met genieten, boor je contacten aan, deel je belevenissen en geef pap van de thuisblijvers ook een paar liefdevolle knuffels door!
Veel liefs van mam
-
02 November 2012 - 10:31
Rob:
Hey Marijn!
Leuk om je verhalen weer te lezen, zorgt voor een goede werkonderbreking hier ;-). Zo te zien heb je je vanaf dag 1 weer helemaal thuis gevoeld daar! En de traditional indian dances moeten je ook vast goed zijn afgegaan haha.
Enjoy en spreken elkaar snel!
Rob -
02 November 2012 - 11:43
Filo:
You are a genius my dear friend! So much respect...don't worry you are a winner, I am sure you will fulfill your dreams soon.
Please keep me in the loop, i would love to receive your updates.
Love,
Filo -
02 November 2012 - 12:45
Nathalie :
Alle verhalen uit Azië maken mij nieuwsgierig dus zo ook jouw blog! Prachtig hoe je je dromen najaagt. Krijg er Fernweh van ;)
Geniet van elk moment!
Nathalie -
02 November 2012 - 14:00
Eddie:
Hey Marijn, nice to read about your new adventures and that you're doing well.
Have a save onward journey!
A quote from Wendell Berry:
"It may be that when we no longer know what to do,
we have come to our real work
and when we no longer know which way to go,
we have begun our real journey."
grtz from cold and wet Holland
Eddie -
02 November 2012 - 14:52
Andre En Ans:
Lieve Marijn,
Wat een prachtig verhaal en zo mooi geschreven!!
Succes met alles wat je onderneemt.
Dikke knuffel van ons -
02 November 2012 - 15:42
Dorrit:
Hoi Marijn, wow wat een verhaal! Spannend. Het ga je goed. ik mail je! x Dorrit -
03 November 2012 - 11:27
Erik:
Living on the edge, never a dull moment! Wat mooi om te horen dat je niet voor de zekerheid kiest van een baan waar je je niet lekker bij voelt, maar voor het avontuur gaat! Heel veel mooie momenten toegewenst!
Grtz,
Erik -
03 November 2012 - 13:27
Erik A. Sprokkereef:
Lieve Marijn,
natuurlijk kon je niet achterblijven.......................nu was ik je voor !
Zo kan het gaan in iemands leven, je volgt mijn levensmoto aardig op:
"Geniet van het leven, want het duurt maar even............"
Als je dromen hebt, moet je ze laten uitkomen: dubbel plezier.
Niet alleen zeggen, maar ook doen. Daar heb jezelf het meeste aan.
Ik zie je graag 30 november verschijnen in Ha Noi, waar wij samen weer
een stukje originele levensgeschiedenis gaan schrijven: vader en zonn abroad !!!
Mijn leven heb je goed verwoord, met respect voor je vader en moeder.
Jouw leven neem jij in je eigen hand, daar heb ik respect voor..............
Xin Cao en Hen Gap Lai, je vader in Ha Noi / Viet Nam -
03 November 2012 - 13:51
Lianne:
Hey Marijn,
Je begrijpt dat ik je avonturen weer op de voet ga volgen! Mooi om te lezen hoe je in korte tijd alweer zoveel hebt beleefd :-) Ik twijfel er niet aan dat je je plek gaat vinden! Heerlijk dat de weg ernaar toe zo avontuurlijk is en vol verassingen (stiekem een beetje jaloers natuurlijk, haha) Go get 'em! ik kijk al uit naar de volgende update....
gr, Lianne
-
04 November 2012 - 18:38
Camiel:
Hi Marijn,
Super om via je blog deelgenoot te mogen zijn van jouw avontuur, je hebt ogenschijnlijk een goede keus gemaakt!
Hartelijke groet,
Camiel
-
05 November 2012 - 05:39
Smiley:
Hi Marijn
Truly inspirational! Wish i were as brave as you are...one day soon I hope! Really great meeting you - I hope our paths will cross again soon!
Keep me updated :)
Smiley -
13 November 2012 - 11:48
Charlotte:
Ha Marijn,
Super verhaal! Ik heb me aangemeld voor je blog. Ben benieuwd naar je volgende avonturen. Ik zal je vanavond ook weer even een update sturen! :-)
x Charlotte -
15 November 2012 - 03:21
Neil Wilson:
Great blog buddy really enjoyed reading it although kind of knew about the content from our conversation in Varanasi, which strangely made me feel very priveledged! You are one of the good guys in this world and I pray that God will bless you richly.
Your English friend.
Neil -
13 December 2012 - 20:14
Lisenke:
he marijn,
wat leuk weer je reisverhalen van je te lezen! haha je hebt het maar kort volgehouden in NL ;) ik herrineer me dat ik tijdens mijn eigen reis door zuid-amerika jouw verhalen las...
ik ben zelf ook van plan weer terug te gaan naar Zuid-Amerika, het zuiden van Chili, om samen te zijn met mn vriend.
leuk om je verhalen en zoektocht te volgen, veel succes met het vinden van een baan
groetjes Lisenke
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