Creating a New World...

The Chinese 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP) is being decided upon by the National People’s Congress this month; March 2011. It’s a tradition for centralized, authoritative governments to use this kind of policy making “plan”. Of course, The Party has drifted away from its soviet roots into the protector of the current socialist market economy. We’ll probably keep hearing about these plans in global news media for years to come.

Hearing this news got me starting to think about my FYP. My father often thought about our family plans in 5-10 year increments… especially when moving house. So how would I consider my last fiver years compared to my next five years?

I moved to China in 2005, but found the cozy city of Zhuhai in 2006.  Technically, I’ve been in Zhuhai for 5 years studying Chinese, exploring some website ventures, teaching English, and travelling around Asia. But the next five years are going to look pretty different.
Here are my tasks and goals:

1) Location: Return to the USA, preferably the Boston area.

2) Employment: Work in the field of Instructional Design and/or Performance Improvement.

3) Finance: Create a savings plan and pay off my student loans before my 30th birthday.

4) Family: Visit my relatives at least once a year. (US and Canada)

5) Love: Date a Harvard Master’s degree candidate. (Chinese background is a plus)

6) Property: Create a “home base” which I can call my permanent address. (After snow-balling my student loans)

7) Online: Grow EFET’s online learning program and take on more students. Increase partnerships with teachers.

8: Health: Plan regular hiking and kayak trips in Summer. Lift weights regularly. (Put weights in front of the bathroom door!)

9) Travel: Accompany family/friends who want to visit China during the holidays! Retrace the Piscopo lineage back to Taurasi, Italy.

10) Language: Keep a respectable fluency in Chinese (and Spanish if needed).

Not everyhing can be accomplished at the same time. In fact, I still need to clarify what I mean by “increase partnerships” and “lift weights regularly.” At least this is the starting point and I will create more details under these categories as I find time. What about your 5 year plan? Are you in the middle of one now or just finishing one? Share your FYP below!

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