November 06, 2002

Sometimes you just gotta move forward when things don't go according to plan. Such is the case with the horrible luck I have had with my shoulder and neck. Because of the expenses involved with the treatment, and the setbacks resulting from hours of studying, I have had to withdraw from school and look for a job. I have to tell you that I am not at all happy with this turn of events as I wanted to really bring my Chinese language skills up to another level. Heck, I was seriously considering another semester at the university after this one finished! Anyway, since stopping my studies and starting the job search, the improvements to my neck and shoulder have resumed. Further proof that this was the best decision I could make in terms of my health. Still, I am really bummed-out at my misfortune!! I just never expected such a thing to happen, and now that it has, I simply need to move on and make the best of what I have now, and start looking toward the future, which, I hope, allows me to resume my studies.

So, what does the future hold? Well, I kinda already have an idea. I have accepted a teaching and Director of Studies/teacher position with a company based in Australia. No, this doesn't mean I am going to Australia to work! I wouldn't want to leave China now because I am still in love with the country and am, despite the laments you read above, still so dern happy living here. No, instead I will relocate to the the city of Chengdu in Sichuan province. Not a bad gig as far as I am concerned since Sichuan province is famous for three things: 1. Giant pandas. 2. Sichuan food (woo-hoo!) 3. Beautiful girls. The last is definitely true, but not so much more so than in a northern city like Beijing. WARNING - WARNING: SERIOUS DIGRESSION ALERT!!! => There are just so many pretty girls everywhere in China! Problem is not with seeing one, it's with meeting and finding one you can connect and communicate with!! The process of finding the right girl is just not as easy or dream-like as many would guess, and I often have to offer-up this explanation to friends who are shocked to discover that I am without a significant other. In fact, I often have to explain the same to many of the Chinese people I meet. It's not uncommon for them to ask me if I am married, ever was married, or if I have a girlfriend. When I reply in the negative, it often makes me, at least momentarily, feel like a real loser!! So, let me just warn any guys with big plans on conquering any and all they encounter here that they will not have such an easy go of it, and are likely to be disappointed and blown-away by the cultural differences and difficulty communicating. I have met several sweet and wonderful girls, but have been challenged with not only the before-mentioned difficulties, but also with timing. You see, some of the girls I have met that do speak English well are intent on going overseas to study, already have a boyfriend, or are just not on the same wavelength as me. No big deal as I am sure the right one will come along some day. In fact, I am more than content with making new friends and going out for fun. One interesting tidbit: Most of my Chinese friends are girls. Why? How? Well, either it just worked out that way, or based on my own still developing theory, girls are just more open to communicating with a foreigner. A lot of guys are more wary of me and some even seem to flat out dislike me because I am a pasty-white guy! I am certain that as I become more and more acclimated to Chinese culture, learn the language better, and meet more people, I will eventually find the right gal. So, I think it is not going to be so tough especially considering my current knowledge and acceptance of Chinese culture.

Wow, what a tough call!! Didn't know if I should start a new paragraph here or continue on in the last with what started out to be a description of my new job and the Chengdu! Maybe I should have started a new paragraph when I went off-track about girls. Ugh!! I don't know, and I guess it doesn't matter since this is a casual piece of work. So, as I was saying, I will be living and working in Chengdu, also known as the City of Brocade or the City of Hibiscus. For more information about Chengdu, please click <HERE>. For a better map, click <HERE>. I will certainly add more in the future as I come to know the city more and more. For now, the biggest difference I can see between these two cities is Chengdu's more liberal use of wood for decoration and even construction. In Beijing the most dominant color is gray because of all the cement. Can be pretty dreary especially when the trees lose their color. Chengdu also has a lot more green because of its more southerly location, and overall the scenery is much more pleasing to the eye. Also, Beijing is a very dry city, while Chengdu seems to get a lot of rain. During my recent one week stay, I think I saw the sun for half a day. Thankfully, it was always a very light rain or even a mist. so it didn't seem so bad.

As I mentioned above, the job title is Director of Studies but I will also be teaching. The students attend the school for the purpose of passing the IELTS exam and beyond just that, preparing for classes overseas in advance so they don't have to take a 1 year preparatory program once they do. This can save them significant amounts of money in the long run, and can shorten their stay. Although I did do some teaching during my one week in Chengdu, it's probably too early for me to paint an accurate picture of what the work is going to be like. Another plan of mine is to live off-campus in my own apartment despite the concerns some of the administration has about my safety. They are concerned for my well-being, but I just don't like the idea of living and working within the same complex. Also, I want to mix more with the locals and experience a less sheltered life. I guess I'm just a little stubborn about some things!

When do I make the big move? Very, very soon! Perhaps in the next couple weeks. Seems a little too soon, but they really need me at that location as soon as possible and I have agreed to go. This means I need to say my goodbyes to friends and classmates, clean the apartment, get a new visa, and pack my things in a relatively short amount of time. It also means I will be saying goodbye to Beijing, and this gets me pretty depressed thinking about it. Even though things can be pretty ugly and crazy here, I have become so used to it that they are insignificant. More important to me is what Beijing stands for in terms of Chinese history, and culture. It really is a capitol city in all respects!! Also, I will miss the people of Beijing....a lot. I have made some good friends with several locals and have become pretty comfortable with the language they use. Once again, I will be traveling to a part of China that uses a different local dialect and will have some difficulties because of it. While I am sure I will come to love my new home of Chengdu, I hope that I will have future opportunities to return to Beijing!!

Well, that's going to be about it because I need to get back to the packing and preparations to leave. Look for a new journal entry in a few weeks!! Don't want to look? Sign-up for my mailing list. Instructions are located at the bottom of the home page.