Although I had considered a career in the arts, I opted instead for business school and joined Bank of America’s International Department. Speaking good Spanish at the time, I was bewildered—but not entirely surprised—when I was assigned to the Asia Division and later transferred to Indonesia. My banking career involved assignments in Jakarta, Singapore, London, East Africa, and Chicago. I have described Chicago as the most dangerous, and Singapore as the cleanest. Despite my initial misgivings, I found living in South East Asia fascinating, frustrating, and life-threatening at times. Inspired by Paul Theroux’s Asian collection, The Counsel’s File, I have written a collection of short stories centered in Southeast Asia, California, New York, and Illinois. EastLit, the online journal promoting English literature on South Asia and South East Asia, published two of my stories in 2014: “Raju” and “A Complete Overhaul” (which made EastLit’s list of Top Thirty of Asian popular literature):
