80 Conversations Around the World in 80 Days

I want Aleksandra Gumowska's job. She's a 28-year-old journalist at Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland's highest circulation daily, and she's been charged with the very plum assignment of having 80 conversations with people in London, Paris, Cairo, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, San Francisco and New York. All in 80 days.

Aleksandra's email requesting a meeting arrived shortly after one rather frustrating meeting with a local journalist, so I wasn't really in much of a mood to speak with another journalist. But of course, as an entrepreneur, turning down meetings with press is not really an advisable option. So I dutifully dashed off the obligatory reply saying I'd be happy to meet for a chat.

This morning, I met Aleksandra at IFC Starbucks for breakfast after my morning jaunt to the gym. We clicked immediately. She explained the project she was working on, which I found fascinating. I actually wanted to interview her about her experiences thus far. In Hong Kong, she's meeting with the Cardinal, a sexologist and a Polish expat architect (one of the common threads is that she has to have conversations with Polish expats in the various cities). She's also looking for a young (i.e. under 35) novelist as well people who have affairs outside of their marriage (interviews would be anonymous of course and is really just for background for a longer, more literary piece on love and relationships in the 11 cities). I couldn't actually think of any young novelists off the top of my head. On the other hand, I do know people who fit the second description, but it's a bit awkward asking if they would like to be interviewed for that particular reason.

I asked her who her most memorable conversation had been with. It was with the British adventurer/explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes over a 200km journey outside of London in his car. One of his most impressive accomplishments was running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days in 2003 after having undergone a double heart bypass 4 months earlier. It was surprising to hear that Hong Kong was the first city she's visited on this trip where she did not feel safe. I always feel incredibly safe in Hong Kong, but then again, I know the city and speak the language. What might shock a lot of Hong Kong people, however, was her observation that Singaporeans dress more trendily than Hongkies. Granted, she admitted that she's only been hanging out in Wan Chai, not exactly the hippest of Hong Kong neighborhoods. But I do agree that in Singapore, there seems to be a more laid-back creative vibe. And the fact that I've found it so difficult to come up with a young novelist for Aleksandra to interview is also testament to Hong Kong's rather unfortunate cultural desert reputation. One friend who works as a creative director actually commented: "I don't read Chinese books anymore. The bestsellers all have to do with investing in the stock market and the novels are all rather uninspiring."

When I asked him whether he knew any married people having an affair, he didn't even have to pause to think.