I’m sitting in the international terminal at JFK trying to catch up on a few last emails, Facebook posts, and calls before I head off to London. Since leaving Durham after finals I have been to New York City, Vancouver, and Connecticut and am already feeling a bit travel worn, but I know that it’s just the beginning as I head across the Atlantic to travel through London and Paris for three weeks before going Hong Kong.
I believe this trip is going to be well suited to experience the full extent of the current financial crisis. I started in the Research Triangle where cheap mortgages led to heavy development over the past 5 years – many developments which now aren’t selling or are in foreclosure. Then, in the tri-state area I heard many a “sad” story about unemployed bankers and hedge fund managers who had dealt in the securities used to fuel those mortgages, and exacerbate the problem. While in Canada I noticed how much stronger the dollar was as compared to even 6 months ago when oil prices (Canada is the largest exporter of oil to the United States) were at record highs. Now I start the next part of my journey, heading to London to see how Europe’s major financial center is coping. I’m curious to compare their attitudes to those in the tri-state area and see what they think about the US’s role in their current financial troubles.
London will be a good precursor for my visit to Hong Kong, Asia’s financial center. How will they all compare? What will be the same? What will be different? Hong Kong will also serve as my gateway to mainland China. There I will be able to compare the manufacturing in Gouzhong to the textile plants and light manufacturing of North Carolina.
Obviously there is a lot to see and do, but first I need to get to London and find a pub to watch the fireworks from!
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