Note: I originally posted this article on LinkedIn.

I went to the University of Michigan in 1994 and became a fan of their football team since then. Since I came back to Indonesia in 1997, it has not been easy being an American football fan in this part of the world. Besides the non-existent fan community, the time zone difference makes it hard to watch games.

As a Michigan Wolverines fan, my best day this year was the 28th of November (the 27th in the US). It was the day when we beat our heated rival Ohio State Buckeyes for the first time since 2011 (and only the second time since 2003). I woke up at 2 AM that day to watch the game. Although the season had been going quite well up to that point, most Wolverines fans, including me, suffered from PTSD after years of beating and had little expectations for the game. The Buckeyes were also having an excellent season and came into the game ranked number 2 in the country. Well, this year turned out to be different. By the time the game ended around 4:30 AM, I was so happy I might have cried a little.

Note: I originally posted this article on LinkedIn.

I recently watched the excellent documentary (and Academy Award-winner) American Factory on Netflix and it gave me more than a 2-hour weekend entertainment. Having started my career on the floors of a General Motors warehouse in Michigan, the movie brought back a lot of memories. While I now work in FinTech, the movie made me draw parallels in this increasingly cross-cultural and global world.