Humble Czech teacher gave me lesson in life
I have always liked to do things differently since my schooldays in California in the 1970s and '80s. Back then, if you were an exchange student in the United States, you went to Europe to broaden your horizons. I was the first to go in the opposite direction - to Canberra, Australia, for seven months. Later I also went to China, Taiwan and Korea.
I grew up in the Bay area of California, which was a great place but very conservative. I was a competition swimmer from the age of 12 and captain of the water polo team. I was also regarded as a leader and my friends looked to me to make decisions.
Luckily, my parents were very supportive in whatever I did. Dad was in banking and mum was an entrepreneur with all kinds of projects on the go, including a childcare centre. I probably inherited my entrepreneurial streak from her.
I always watched the news to know what was going on, including even the weather. Dad also took me backpacking. We would go camping and that stimulated my interest in geography and geology.
By the age of 10, I was elected to a board so that it could get feedback from kids of my age. I was also heavily involved with the local marine wildlife centre, which rehabilitated wild animals and returned them to the wild.
As a result, I can say with certainty how important extra-curricular activities are. Having lived in Hong Kong for many years, I believe parents here emphasise studying too much to the detriment of other activities. We are in danger of breeding drones and robots. I don't believe that's what society needs to make our environment better. I have found kids here develop interests at 13 or 14 but then aren't encouraged to take them further.
My school had 2,300 kids. One of my greatest teachers was my secondary school coach, who was from the former Czechoslovakia, from where he escaped at 18 when it was still communist. He swam across the River Danube with just his passport and went on to raise three children, who were all great athletes. He was a humble but motivated guy who encouraged us to try things so that we could surprise ourselves and others with the results.
I was an able student and did well enough to get into university. I was good at maths and numbers, and I also enjoyed writing and geography.
I decided to go to Berkeley to study political science and economics. That led to work placements in Asia, including the Trade Development Council in Hong Kong.
After graduating, I worked in Japan as the only foreigner in a seafood company. I felt guilty doing it as I knew what was happening in the oceans, but I wanted to learn more. I lived with a family for two years and it was a great experience. Then the economy turned and I came to Hong Kong to promote exports from the US to Asia.
I went back to college to do my masters' degrees. The first was at Johns Hopkins University, where I studied international relations. I studied the Three Gorges Dam project on the mainland before it was built. Everything that was written then is happening now in terms of large environmental impact such as forest loss and soil intrusion.
I then went to the University of Pennsylvania, where I studied finance. That led me back to Asia and asset management with Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong before moving on to entrepreneurial start-ups.
In this line of work, you need to be good at handling setbacks if you are to survive.
Doug Woodring was talking to David Phair.
