A Rookie’s Journal (part 3): Racing to the finish line
Find out how Scott’s journey as a first-time VA in the field progresses, in this last installation of “A Rookie’s Journal”.
Week 3. Racing to the finish line…
Saturday and Sunday, December 12 – 13
One of the benefits of CESO work has certainly turned out to be the down-time, which can be spent seeing the sights and diving into the culture. My clients have been kind and generous with me. Not only are they receptive to new business ideas, they’re exceptionally hospitable. Over the weekend they took me to see the Marble Mountains and Hoi An – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Monday, December 14th
Back to work on Monday, focusing on tomorrow’s final group meeting with senior management. I hope we can agree on the current situation and some proposed directions. Then, I’ve got to get writing the final documents I committed to in the CESO work plan. My personal ‘aha’ moment is when I realize I have to turn over fully finished product to Phuong before she starts translating. No edits afterward! Or we won’t have a written plan document to share with our client at our final meeting on Saturday. And, doing it my usual way would have Phuong translating well into the following week – essentially unpaid overtime. So, uncharacteristically for me, I have to write complete, coherent narrative; passing the work-in-progress onto Phuong in real-time and foregoing any opportunity to re-write. My brain hurts, but let’s get to it!
Tuesday – Friday, December 15th – 18th
The third and final group meeting with senior management goes well. Phuong and I then retreat to write and translate. The weather even cooperates – turning windy and rainy, so there is little temptation to do anything else but work. I have particularly enjoyed social evenings out with other CESO VAs, as we observe cultural differences and reflect on whether our work is making a difference. We remind each other that our local clients had the self-knowledge to ask for assistance. That’s a great first step in making long-run change. On Friday at 1:00 pm, I write my final words just before Phuong gets the chance to translate. We dispatch English and Vietnamese versions to the client and to CESO. Final meeting tomorrow.
Saturday, December 19th
We hold our final meeting with the CEO and with Phuc also joining us. Highlights of the Plan and some of my observations are shared. I think its gone well, and the CEO seems to really appreciate the recommendations, which he says he’s already working on. The management team hosts Phuong and me to a delicious buffet lunch… and we are done! I get a small gift from the client. I provide Phuong later with a token of my appreciation for her work and her hospitality. An amazing first CESO assignment for me. I hope that the work is up to standard and I’ll be invited again! Only paperwork to clean up, a couple of days of r & r in HCM City, and home to Vancouver in time for Christmas.
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