The word deai, meaning "meeting" or "encounter," is being used more frequently in Japan to bridge the present and future. Having been recently transferred to Singapore, MC employee Satomi Kishi is involved in the sale of liquefied natural gas (LNG). In this article, she discusses her various encounters - and all that she has gained from them - in a country known for its kaleidoscope of races.

Is it really possible to balance one's career and private life? That has been one of the challenges I have embraced since beginning my assignment here in Singapore about two years ago.

Singapore stands out for its diversity of races, culture and values, and I was struck by something a female manager said to me not long after my arrival.

"Why limit your possibilities when you are young?" she asked.

Here in Singapore, it is common for both spouses to work, and many women who have children return to their jobs just a couple of months after giving birth. The people here regard both the workplace and home as two equally essential and balanced aspects of life. I also choose not to worry about how changes in my career may affect my future private life. Instead, I believe that my life both at the office and away from it will evolve naturally and as an extension of who I already am as a person.

I was seconded by MC to Diamond Gas International (DGI), a company based here in Singapore that is engaged in LNG sales and market development throughout Asia and around the world. My job is to deliver LNG produced by MC's North American LNG projects to electricity and gas companies.

Due to the COVID-19, DGI's employees are working from home now, but operations at our projects in North America are still underway. My work is vital to maintaining a stable supply of LNG during this crisis, so that the utilities providers can continue to support infrastructure so essential to quality of life.

Japan's energy self-sufficiency rate is only 10%, and it is often referred to as a "country without resources." By being engaged in the energy sector, I am helping to bring peace of mind to Japanese citizens, and I proud to have a job that lets me do that. I am also grateful for the many deai that I have been blessed with, encounters that helped to instill those values and that appreciation within me. Those are the kind of things that will help us to pull through this difficult situation.