Phew. After a week of preparation and a morning of running errands, I was left exhausted upon the conclusion of today’s meeting. The official name of the event in Chinese was: 中信银行跨境贸易人民币同业合作研讨会. （A mouthful!）Among the parties present were Citibank, ING, BNP Paribas, and Deutsche Commerce Bank. Those who were interested in doing business with CITIC in this area signed a contact known as the RMB Clearing Agreement.  The downside of being in an entry-level position is that while you do most of the preparation work and heavy lifting for events such as today’s, you get virtually no (public) recognition and none of the benefits (e.g. fine dining after the meeting). But I guess that’s how things work in the corporate work. Everyone starts off at the bottom, but through hard work and patience, one may eventually because a General Manage, VP, or even CEO of the company! Through today’s experience, I can also see why many people decide to start their own business. Starting from ground zero at a big firm is extremely grueling. Although starting a business is arguably just as arduous, if not more so, the prospect of being one’s own boss is certainly enticing enough for many people to quit their corporate careers and start off anew.