How encouraging to see so many flourishing enterprises in Central Virginia. And how enjoyable to get first hand experiences with some of them during our March VALOR seminar. We visited Madison Wood Preservers, Senterfitt Farms, and Step-at-a-Time Farm, - all thriving local ag-based businesses. And we learned about Crisis Communications from both Corrine Geller,… Continue reading Eat, Drink, and be Married
Upon my return from Vietnam – by all accounts an ascendant “Asian Tiger” economically and culturally – I was asked a number questions, including the following: Were Vestiges of the Communist System Still Evident? This is front and center on most minds. Propaganda was plastered everywhere in the city, emblazoned with Ho Chi Minh -… Continue reading Tales of an Intrepid Journeyman (to Vietnam)
Day 11 of #VALORVietnam is complete. The once well oiled travel machine that is VALOR now more resembles the Vietnamese telecom system - a bundled and tatered mess, lacking in consistent access to much of anything (especially energy). You could say we lost our #SWAG. Any semblance of winter back home is replaced with air… Continue reading Saigon to the Mekong
Today we took a break from touring agribusinesses to focus on the history of Vietnam. Vietnam's "modern" history is ancient to us; the Vietnamese have been a people for over a millennia, whereas Americans as a group didn't exist until around 1776. Modern Vietnamese history can be divided into four phases: (1) occupation by the Chinese,… Continue reading A Visit Down Memory Lane
Today we woke up in the Mekong delta of Vietnam, south of Ho Chi Minh City. The preferred method of travel in this area is by the river, so we boarded our boat and headed out on the river to see the area. Our first stop today was to a brick kiln where the locals… Continue reading A day in the Mekong Delta
Our first full day in Vietnam was spent learning about the people and the culture of the country we would be spending the next two weeks with. Our first stop was in the small village of Chuc Son where we visited an orphanage and got to use some of our servant leadership skills that we… Continue reading First day in Vietnam
After leaving the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, Hoi An was our next stop. When we first exited the plane, we saw the famous "China Beach."While we didn't have much time to enjoy the sand, it is a place where we left a mental "bookmark" to make a return visit to vacation. The sand that… Continue reading WE SAW SAND IN HOI AN
This morning we toured the High Tech Agriculture Park on the edge of Ho Chi Minh City. The park is used by the government, universities, and private companies for research. We first saw a lab where they were taking tissue cultures from orchids for herbal medicine. They also raise orchids and sell them to hotels… Continue reading Friday, January 15th
VALOR Class II sprinted through the end of our Vietnam journey with a packed final day. In a country that seems to be in perpetual motion, we fit in well. Beginning the day with a boat ride to the Mekong river's largest floating farmers market, we saw the wholesale beginning of much of the produce… Continue reading Farewell Vietnam
Experience - it is what shapes a man (or woman for the "inclusive" editors out there). Everyone is shaped by this little thing we call life. My life's journey has been up and down, some good times and some times that just plain sucked. I wouldn't trade them for anything, though. It's who I… Continue reading Life is treasure
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