Last Saturday I did one of the things that I don’t like very much – sorting out my paper files. We return in 10 days to Israel and the moving company will arrive tomorrow. To my great surprise I actually enjoyed the process and it was not the chore I thought it would be. I found myself reading documents that were written 3 years ago about business plans and ideas that went through my mind at the time and checking back on them with 20/20 hindsight was quite exciting. It reminded me of browsing pictures from my youth, or from my 7 month trip to South America. We’ve spent 4 years in Beijing. The experience has been amazing and I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of my “China” experience. It’s hard to describe how many different new things we have experienced here. We have learned Chinese. Even after 4 years it still remains the toughest language for me in the whole planet. We have started up 2 internet companies that together employ over 30 employees. All are very devoted and form a strong family like culture. In both websites combined – over 40 million unique visitors have visited so far.  I can’t grasp this number – 40 Million! I got so used to this number that I forget to stop for a second, breath and look at the achievement. I managed to sing “Lan Lian Hua” in Chinese several times. We have raised over 2 Million dollars from investors and generated many long lasting friendships.

Change in priorities

We arrived in China as a couple and we return to Israel as a family with 2 children. I can’t describe the intensity of our love for them. The part I miss the most is sharing the joy of raising them with my family in Israel, particularly our son’s grandparents. It’s hard to believe that after 4 years in China, I have nothing bad to say about China. I love this country. I enjoyed living here and I admire the way this country is managed. It is clear to me that China’s role in the global economy will become even stronger as we move forward. The progress I have made in my personal career here in China is huge. I feel that every year in China was equal to 7 years in any other country (very similar to a dog’s year). The intensity and the speed of change and development is so much greater than Israel. Most of the circumstances show me that China is and will continue to be the future. But something in my gut and my heart, something that I can’t describe in words, directs me back to my family in Israel. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Special Thanks:

The 1^st, is to my wife Irit, who has supported me during the ups and downs. Without her I wouldn’t have gotten past first base. The 2^nd is to my 2^nd “wife”, Guy.  Guy has been my Yin and my Yang over the last 4 years and helped me balance myself and Meijob. The 3^rd goes to our lead investor and member of the board Arik, a true angel, if ever there was one. To the Meijob family: Philip – for following our vision and values with such devotion, your management capability and the passion you have for people and your desire for them to achieve their personal best. You are one of the best managers I’ve had the pleasure to work with; Evelyn – for the biggest heart I ever met; Lika – that I would have taken in a suitcase with me to Israel; Jackie – One of the best developers and devoted employees I’ve ever come across; Gil – for the great initiatives, charisma and management capabilities; Hongyin – for making Meijob’s development procedure robust and organized; Saprina – for leading the marketing with great results; Helix – for mastering the SEO and PPC while leading Meijob to new traffic records;  Vivian – for the distance she made in 3 years in her career at Meijob;  Alon – for the great improvement in our Employer site design; Eric for the attention to details that makes our site strong and healthy; Fei Shuang ge – for the great development of our Employer site and matching algorithm; Angela – for taking over Susan’s responsibility with enthusiasm; Mei for the love she projects to her environment; Rui – for running the daily operations of the office and last but not least – Andy for taking over the IT operations, developing our office, as well as our website’s IT environment and a tremendous ability to solve any problem that presents itself. I want to thank you all and let you know that I carry you in my heart, no matter where I am, you will always be with me and you will always be a part of me. Having co-Founded Meijob with Guy Rotberg, I will continue to influence and challenge the strategic direction of the business in my role as a Director of the Board in the hope of making our dreams come true.

My love to you all, Barak