Things That Make You Lose Sleep

By Eric Rodriguez

I barely closed my eyes last night. And not for the reason you’d expect. Our group has come a long way in two weeks but I still didn’t feel that we were anywhere near prepared to present. Yesterday we did a practice run of the presentation before Dr. Melnick, Professor Shi and Jenny. I was expecting to be raked over the coals but surprisingly we got some constructive feedback. The feedback was to focus more on our solution and make a case of it with evidence.

I know that a lot of my doom and gloom approach has come from my desire to do well. The faculty has been nothing but kind, gracious and supportive.

I re-read my last blog where I said that I could not envision turning out a finished product on time. Even as late as last night I felt the same way. Someway, somehow, we managed to pull it off this morning. We turned out what I think was a pretty handsome set of posters.

I still don’t think our argument is as strong as it could be but Professor Melnick gave me some great advice: “Explain why you’re making the recommendation that you are.”

Evidence for our solution was scarce, so my next best alternative was to try to sell my solution. Right or wrong, part of public administration is selling your idea. Facts are important but selling your policy is important too. I’ve had sales experience in my job, and I think I was able to throw a somewhat successful pitch by using what evidence we had and then selling it.

That said, I don’t think Professor Shi was convinced. He is very critical but in a constructive way. Americans, in particular, need more honesty and less sugar-coating on the work that they do. I admire professors who will question your work and point out your weaknesses. For that, I am grateful to have worked with him.

This morning, after we gave our final presentations before the class and weathered a few questions, we got to see our posters on display in a public area on campus. It was very gratifying to see our work on display. We had about two hours to speak with faculty and students who viewed our work. I still can’t believe we all got through it.

So why couldn’t I sleep last night? Despite my nerves about having to present, that was not what kept me up. I laid in bed last night thinking about all that I had experienced over the last two weeks. Again, I felt like I had barely just arrived in Hong Kong. I also felt like I’d been here forever. It was the strangest case of what I would like to call temporal disassociation that I’ve ever experienced. All of the experiences of the last few weeks were racing through my mind. I wanted to shut them off, or at least slow them down so I could go to sleep, but I couldn’t. Part of me was relieved at the fast approaching end of the course. My heart was also heavy knowing all of us, who had grown so close so quickly, would soon be parting ways in just over 24 hours. The gravity of what I’d learned and experienced was also heavy on my mind. How will Hong Kong continue to grow and thrive? How will the people and government solve the many problems that threaten its future? Who will be the winners and who will be the losers? What would happen to the farmers at Mapopo?

I also thought about my last weekend in Arizona before coming to Hong Kong. I remember thinking that I would probably come back a slightly different person. I already know now that I am a different person, a better person. I’ve known for a while that there was more to life than dollars and cents and profit margins and bottom lines. But after this experience, that conviction has been further strengthened and solidified.

I also know that I cannot continue to take so much for granted. I know that everyone on this planet has to do more to sustain our way of life and I would like to help lead that change. We have to change the way that we consume. And we all have to collectively learn to value long-term solutions over short-term fixes. One of my City U classmates, Lilly, summed it up perfectly. One can spend a lot of money on a nice pair of shoes that will last for years. Or they can buy a new pair of cheap shoes every year. A simple, but applicable way we need to look at consumption and how to frame our approach to sustainable solutions.

So that’s it, we’re done. In a few hours, we’ll be heading out to a banquet to celebrate our completing of this course. After that, one more night on the town as a group before we go our separate ways. I’m looking forward to a few days on the beach in the Philippines before I return to The States and back to reality.