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Q: Do you know what your expat friends come from?
Not "where" but "what".
Often when you meet other foreigners the first couple of minutes will be exchanging basic details about nationality and occupation. I've just realized that I have a couple of friends that whenever we hang, we talk about present and future, but almost never the past prior to China.
Are some of us running away from something? I am not thinking about hiding from the mob, but maybe a divorce, a "personal breakdown" or other life shattering events.
Are you in China because you ran to something or because you ran from something?
Personally I would never have gone to China, had I not met my wife back home. Sometimes I wish my mindset had been on "fresh start" as I think life in China would have been easier that way.
Well personally the what of where I come from is a mis-education - shitty jobs - yawn factory existence - bank robbery - escape - Interpol chase - name change - white slavers - close shave - two weeks in hull of cargo vessel - hit an iceberg - washed up on beach of Beihai - sex-change - school maam - marriage to Texan - yeehaw - ouch.
(The truth's in there somewhere).
mArtiAn:
Well I didn't want you to find out this way, but when you get back tonight we've really gotta talk.
i chose not to ask why anyone comes to China to work. I prefer to let them speak if they want to or not. I would socialise with ex-pat's based on their personality and take them at face value. My own reasons? they are many and varied........
Scandinavian:
is it a sensitive subject. I don't dig if people try to avoid whatever topics I bring up, but I don't consider this tabu
I came here because I wanted:
1) to run away from ALL of my problems and lose myself for a long time.
2) to learn more about different cultures.
3) to see if all the Republicans, who were saying that China is God's way of punishing us, were correct or not
4) to get the answers to hundreds of "WHY" questions I had about China and the U.S.
5) to fulfill a childhood dream of seeing China
6) to improve my communication abilities, work ethic, etc.
7) a fresh start
9) to improve my Chinese capabilities
10) to find a significant other and start a family.
11) to broaden my horizons and open my extremely closed mind.
13) to learn how to count
It was quite an adventure. I achieved all of my goals in China, and then some. I find it much easier to communicate with people back home. My hearing sucks, but struggling for over a year to understand broken English made it so much easier for me to communicate with others back home.
Hulk:
Never really needed a job before... like, ever. I've never needed money. In China, I threw myself to the wolves and tried to survive on my own. I'm too spoiled and needed that.
Some people choose alcohol and some people choose China to hide
Sooner or later alcohol will help you in China
