Outside your comfort zone

Hello! I'm Danny, but most people call me by my full name, Danny Dang. I am not sure why, but people have always used my full name, and usually by emphasizing my last name.



My parents immigrated to Canada during the Vietnam War and were placed in Creston, BC. Here, I was born into a small town of less than 5,000 people. We moved to Cranbrook then to Vancouver where I have spent most of my life.


Growing up I was a pretty shy kid. I was terrified of speaking in front of people, or being in situations where I was the focus of attention (eg. presentations). It has taken some time, but I am happy to report that I have gotten over it. I comfortable talking to strangers, leading groups, and presenting on topics that I am passionate about.


I have been fortunate to work in the hospitality and tourism industry where I get a chance to meet and talk to so many different people from around the world. Having the 2010 Olympics hosted in Vancouver helped tremendously. For some reason, I have not traveled outside of North America before. My first trip overseas was at the end of 2014 where I went to Hong Kong and spent several weeks being immersed into the local culture and atmosphere. This trip opened my eyes and my desire to explore the world.


I love exploring the different neighbourhoods of cities and towns, that I end up going back several times. It is probably why I have not ventured out off this continent much (so much to see and eat!). 2015's goal is to see and experience more, which has me booked to go to Italy (Florence) at the end of May. Hoping to see some parts of France, Germany, and the UK as well.


I guess the point of this is to do something that takes you out of your comfort zone. Put down that smartphone and say hello to someone you're standing in line with! Travel somewhere new and try something different, especially the local cuisine. No need to look for that chain restaurant from back home.


You'll never know who you'll meet and the stories they will share!


Sincerely,


Danny Dang
danny[AT]dannydang.com
Vancouver, Canada

PS. Feel free to send me your favourite travel tips, places to visit, and eateries to try. I still have lots of traveling to do!

Comments

Post a Comment

Favorites

This is a puzzle.

Beyond this message a challenge awaits; In the listserve, no links are allowed, what a cruel fate! The first clue must be deciphered by ROT 8. . Let me know and just email if your brain needs a spark Your first clue is just after this punctuation mark / dsoqwj vwxwfvafy lge jgtafkgf af lg cadd s egucafytajv Listserve Puzzle listservepuzzle[AT]gmail.com
Read more

21,612 is a lot

Hi, everyone. I'm a teenaged girl. I'm not arrogant enough to think that I know much about the world. I'm 18, a freshman in college, and I struggle every day trying to see into the future: into what might be, where I might go. Recently I've decided that my destiny in life is to be a high-school biology teacher, but ask me again later and perhaps that will have changed. One thing I feel passionate about is body modification. Somehow my standards of beauty have developed in a way that put piercings, tattoos, implants and scarification at the forefront. However, my parents have threatened to cut off their funding for my education if I modify myself in any way. I already have piercings, and though my family will never see them due to their private locations, I would love to be able to share this important part of my life with them and express myself through modification in a more public way. Essentially, they have rejected my lifestyle, and through this, they have
Read more

Tiny wings

Hi all, I want to write about a subject that is very close to my heart - bees! I started bee keeping last year, and have two colonies right now. These two already managed to supply my family and my friends with more than enough honey, and keeping the bees is a tremendously satisfying activity. They smell so good, and are very tidy animals, and are just very, very interesting overall. The insects' way of dealing with the world is just so very different from how we as mammals approach it - it seems almost alien. Anyways, what is probably most impressive is the workload these little animals deal with. For one kilo of honey, they visit 4 million flowers, and fly a distance equivalent of more than 4 times around the earth. Think about that for a second. And then, if you start to think about how they "furniture" their housing themselves by the wax they sweat out, how they can control temperature inside the hive to the tenth of a degree, how they collectively make decisions i
Read more