Accounting may not be so bad after all...

I'm back from Memphis. Everyone who asks me how it was, the first thing I have to say is that it was a culture shock. I was there for about 5 days, primarily to work and eat BBQ so I didn't see much other than delicious BBQ and Beale street. I think my experience could be summarized in the following:

- Where are all the fresh veggies?!??!?!??! All I saw were welted lettice and soggy tomatoes.
- Everyone is ginormous. So much, that it's the first time where I saw obesity an issue in America. I only saw 4 skinny people out of hundreds I encountered.
- There are no Asians. People kept staring at me, and some workers at the warehouse tried to holla at me.
- I didn't realize this, but they are extremely racist in the South. Talking to the head of the warehouse, he was talking about his family and how he met a girl in Tennessee and had ended up marrying her. He mentioned that "Southern Belles" talk about how they would never want to live or interact with those "Yankees" and still refer the Civil War as something caused by the "aggressive north." It was my first time fully understanding why they had an Asian population of 2%. And that any sense of niceness that Southerners show is just a facade for whatever crap they may be talking about you or your culture behind your back. It was daunting to realize that America is composed of 80% of these types of people, and that I've been sheltered in my diverse LA bubble. I've traveled through various countries, and yes, I expected such perspective in each respective country, but never in America, the supposed melting pot of the world. It was just another blow to any sense of identity or belonging to this country.

In any case, it was an overall interesting trip. I definitely wish I could have had time to do some sightseeing, but it was truly a whirlwind of work at the warehouse. I felt really sick once I returned I think from all the food I ate. My body suffered a shock from a part-time vegetarian diet to an all-smoky-meat diet.


On the bright side, I've been feeling really encouraged relating to my career. There were two things I came across (thanks John for the first).

1. You don't have to be an accountant forever:
"Accountant To Play Football For Miami Dolphins"
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201204/accountant-play-football-miami-dolphins

This article talks about an accountant from Florida that ends up being recruited to the Miami Dolphins, which is practically like a 0.00001% chance.


2. Even if you are an accountant, your number-crunching can serve a greater pupose:
"Accounting for International Development"
http://www.afid.org.uk/

This website shows volunteer opportunities in which you could help organizations abroad in need of better financial infrastructures. They have needs in all accounting related fields: financial planning, preparation of financial statements, bookkeeping, internal audit, etc. For the first time in my life, I have a desire to grow my understanding and knowledge knowing that one day I can use it for such purposes. That's awesome!