During the last two weeks, I have been working from home a lot more to take care of our new puppy, Piper.  Since I am housebreaking her, I am not working in my office upstairs but down in the living room at the coffee table.  I am sitting on a terrible couch that has lot its firmness over the years.  But butt hurts, so I am constantly squirming and changing positions.  During phone conferences, I typically am standing (or pacing) which is better.

But it has me thinking about office space.  I’ve visited a bunch of offices of start ups and seen some really progressive things.  Yoga balls, exercise desks, really ergonomic setups.  Some have had themes that make me think of Disney World.

Places like Accenture that have consultants that are often tasked out have floating desks.  But typically the nesting urge takes over and folks work at the same desk daily.

Well, I am not looking for a fancy new age environment.. but one thing I would like is some variety.  I suppose it wouldn’t work in reality when most folks what to nest in one comfortable spot.  But that’s what I am craving right now.. the ability to spend a few hours at a normal desk, then maybe move to a stand up station, maybe the next day work in an outdoor space.

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I have been in China for just over a week now.  Kodak has a super talented office in Shanghai.  More specifically in the expat-heavy Pudong area.  This is good for me as it means I have access to western things (read: food).  In the neighborhood I can walk to the super-store Carrefour (much like Walmart.. which also exists here but isn’t in my neighborhood).  In there I can buy virtually anything (except pharmaceuticals as simple as Advil..).

Fortunately I have some good friends in China (just spent the weekend visiting one in Hangzhou), but it still can be lonely traveling by yourself to a country where you don’t speak the local language (note to self: learn Chinese).  Even the western folks (read: white people) that I run into are not keen to engage in conversation (they tend not to be English speaking from what I overhear).

The Internet is filtered here (google it, I am not bothering with explaining the details).  And TV is likewise limited.  I brought some books, but there is only so much time you can spend reading.  So I work.. not healthy, but it occupies my time.. and it is a business trip so I might as well give the company their money’s worth.

But I have come up with a list of things for any future trip I have the opportunity to go on (other business trips have never demanded such a list).

• Bring a USB drive loaded with movies and TV.  An ipad would suffice.
• Alternatively, I would buy a cheap DVD player and leave it at the office for future stays (and coworkers).  There are lots of DVDs available on the sidewalk.
• Bring medications.  It’s a huge pain to get over the counter drugs, so just bring plenty.  Coming to a time zone shift such as this (13 hours from New York), you should bring your favourite sleeping aid (normally I go with the pain killer PM version).
• Bring travelers cheques.  I have never had to bring these before, but I’ve found the ATMs to be a total nightmare in China and my credit cards are not accepted always.
• Find a way to relieve stress.  The culture and pace here is insane.  The driving is really something (Hangzhou being worse than Shanghai).  Everyone is in a rush.  It’s go-go-go, me-me-me all the time.  I tend to remain relaxed but after over a week it has gotten to me.
• In the winter months it’s REALLY cold.  The temperature might say 10 degrees celsius (50F) but at least in Shanghai, it is damp.. you feel the cold.
• It’s really cold.  Bring warm shoes in the cooler months.
• It’s really cold.  Bring plenty of layers in the cooler months.

All in all, it has been a good experience albeit exhausting.  I highly recommend visiting Hangzhou.. I’ll post pictures eventually.  If you go, stay at the Rulai Free Soul inn.  The location is great and it’s a nice calm retreat.

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