“Enchanted by Asian virture, I dream of fulfilling my ‘Asian Dream'”

Have you ever had a deep-seated feeling so rooted in your psyche that the longing was undeniable?  I have had this feeling once before.  At the age of two years old I had an undeniable passion to dance.  Within fourteen years time my deep-seated longing was fulfilled, as I became a professional dancer in New York City.  I learned from my career success as a performer that one’s internal voice….. the longing….. the knowing….. the sense of familiarity cannot be overlooked, but needs to be recognized and embraced.  I admit this now after three decades of compartmentalizing my passion for a life in East Asia.

My introduction to the East Asian region was not by way of classroom teachings, but by way of a neighbor who had adopted a newborn baby girl from China.  Everyday as I waited at the bus stop, I looked forward to catching a glimpse of the cutest baby I had ever laid my eyes upon – darkest of hair, big brown eyes, palest of skin, and a smile from ear to ear – my interest was piqued.  As my career blossomed as a dancer/singer/actress, I was introduced to many in the entertainment field who had descendants from Japan or China, but who were far removed from their family and cultural heritage.  Years later, when I transitioned from the entertainment industry to the Las Vegas hospitality industry, my world broadened to a scale that left me extraordinarily content.  I was now interacting with colleagues from South Korea, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, and China, all of who were recent transplants to the United States.  Everyday my ear became more familiar with the phonetics of each of the languages.  I developed an acute awareness of the separate and distinct cultural nuances, as I greeted and worked with casino guests from numerous countries across East and Southeast Asia.  During my ten years as an operations manager in a mega-resort environment, my appreciation for the varied East & Southeast Asian cuisines, holidays, religions, and philosophies has only become more pronounced and endearing to me.

My evolution was further amplified by my return to school where half of the student body was from China, South Korea, and Japan.  In the classroom environment, I gained first hand knowledge of working on a team to complete graded projects.  It was at this point of my life that I learned about the hard work ethic, high standards, and commitment to excellence my East Asian teammates embodied.  For the first time since my days as a trained dancer, I felt a sense of like-mindedness with those that had grown up half a world away from me. Within a blink of an eye my life shifted, it was clear my core psychological attributes aligned to a greater extent with Eastern thought rather than my native Western thought processes.  My epiphany gave me zeal to engage my classmates on a far more social level, which allowed me to have candid conversations about my interest in the East Asian life.  Now, ten years after starting my undergraduate education, my life is far my fluid between my American upbringing and my adopted East Asian approach to life.  My social visits are far more frequent and meaningful with my East and Southeast Asian friends; my dietary habits are healthier with tofu, seafood, and vegetables as my main staples; my singing voice has returned with regular trips to an authentic karaoke club; my knowledge of East Asian history, religion, medicine, philosophy, and business etiquette has broaden considerably; and my linguistics are improving as I attempt to learn the Korean and Mandarin languages.

Today, I am enrolled in the World Executive MBA program at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  I am studying international business with a focus on East & Southeast Asian business models.  My ambition is to combine my experience as a consultant of customer service strategy and training, with my knowledge of operations & management to heighten revenue growth for the business sector. I graduate in a year’s time and plan on traveling to South Korea, China and Japan for the first time in my life!  After a few sightseeing trips of historical significance, my ambition is to enroll in a language immersion program, and begin networking for employment opportunities within the East and Southeast Asian region.  As I live and learn in South Korea or China, I look forward to experiencing first-hand the culture, people, architecture, holistic medicine, food, and sightseeing destinations found across the East and Southeast Asian continent.

The years of life have shown me not to hold back on my dreams, but to relentlessly pursue the vision and internal voice that speaks to me in moments of quietness.  I am no longer interested in compartmentalizing my passion for East Asia; I have given in to the sweetness of the experience that awaits me in the coming year.  The Eastern focus of team success, priority on family, and high expectations will help me become a far better person tomorrow than I am today.  There is no doubt my personal and professional success is rooted in a vision I have come to coin as my “Asian Dream,” a substitution of words born out of commonly articulated “American Dream” exalted in my country of origin.  My two decades of exposure to East and Southeast Asian peoples in both business and academia, have allowed me to see that the way of life I want to pursue, is one of balance and camaraderie. For now, my development will be relegated to the classroom and my social interactions with my East Asian friends.  Yet, with each day of learning here in the United States, it brings me one day closer to fulfilling my “Asian” Dream-Come-True:  A place where I will permanently live, work, and play.  See you soon!

*Christine LeClaire is the President of Service En-novate, LLC, a consulting firm focused on elevating the consumer experience through guest service training, talent management, leadership development, and guest service measurement. Prior to opening her own company, she was mentored in the hospitality industry by Steve Wynn, affording Ms. LeClaire the opportunity to work in every division of a hospitality organization over the course of ten years. During this time she opened three hotels – Bellagio Resort Hotel, & Wynn Las Vegas, Wall Street Marriott, in an interest to maximize her exposure to hospitality operations. 

Ms. LeClaire is now undertaking research to prove the financial value of customer service and is working towards grant funding for her anthropological based experiment.  She received her B.S. in Hospitality Administration from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas; and is completing her World Executive MBA at The George Washington University.  Ms. LeClaire can be reached at Christine@ServiceEnnovate.com for pen pal requests or letters of interest.