Here’s the continuation of my look back at 2022 as I answer more questions about my experiences in my nomad life.
The country with the friendliest people for you?
I am already biased towards the Philippines because I’ve been there so many times and it’s known in the world to be one of the friendliest countries. But if I have to come up with something else, I’d choose the countries in Europe.
I spent a lot of time in Europe this summer and discovered that most Europeans are friendly. I’ve spent a bit more time in Scandinavia and in the South, some parts of France, and also Spain, but the special experience this year was Greenland.
Greenland has only about 50,000 people, and the capital has around 20,000. I spent five days there, and it was very special. For me, Greenland would be somewhere where people are very friendly and welcoming.
The most innovative country you have seen and where did you get that vibe from?
From a vibe perspective, Serbia. I was there about a year and 1/2 ago, and I love the vibe in Serbia so much. Some other smaller countries that a lot of people don’t talk about are Slovenia and its capital, Ljubljana. I would definitely go back there. For me, those countries had a great vibe, and I’ve had good experiences there.
Estonians, I believe, are very talented people, and the country has a great deal of potential for innovation.
Where will you open an AS next office?
Uncertain for now but I’m thinking of maybe opening in Eastern Europe. We’re already covered in South America, North America, and Western Europe with the UK. In Asia, we have a presence in Cebu, Philippines.
So unsure to be honest. Maybe Eastern Europe or the Middle East to be determined. Central Asia, wherever there’s a need for that, but for now, no specific plans.
The country that has the most potential in sports, and why?
Potential is a large word for me. I think any country that decides to put together programs, that has a population, and that has people that are hungry to achieve something, is likely to succeed. A great example is Kenya. Kenya has some of the best runners in the world, and there are multiple cultural and environmental factors to explain that.
I also saw the potential in Nepalese people in Nepal, as they can climb mountains because they’ve adapted. And I believe it is also true for football in third-world countries. When opportunities are more scarce than in first-world countries, it drives people’s motivation up because they see sports as an opportunity to achieve some sort of success and experience things in life. They aim to raise their quality of life, get them to travel where otherwise they won’t be able to do so. So for me, that is an added factor to the motivation, when one is trying to achieve something. It’s an intrinsic motivation.
I also have an extensive knowledge of the Philippines due to my work with them. The Philippines has more or less 100 million people.It is an emerging country’s significant portion of publishing lives. So if you provide someone with a bit of infrastructure, with a bit of guidance. doubled with a wide pool of available talent, meaning a large population and quality coaching, you can bring up people.
I think that the Philippines has its challenges. One of them is funding, which is always difficult in developing countries, but they are moving in the right direction and trying to shake things up by investing more in grassroots organizations. The Philippines’ potential for me over the next 10-20 years appears promising. Because as a foreign observer looking at the inside of it, their sports system has a lot of things to work on just like a lot of countries, but there is a will to do it and make a difference since the conditions are there. They probably lack a lot of infrastructures, but at the end of the day, they have a lot of people that would love to get to the next level and use sports as leverage to better themselves, experience things, and have a better life.I think it’s a country that has the potential to do that.
And with that, the 2022 season comes to an end. Truly, never has there been a better time to start doing what you love. As we say goodbye to 2022, we wish you peace of mind and joyous optimism for the coming year. Can’t wait for what’s next!