I've lived in China for three years now. It's the country I've spent the most time in outside of America, and although it took awhile to warm up to, China has definitely stolen a part of my heart.
It's very easy to see the negative parts of a country when you first move there. Some people stay in this negativity throughout their time in said country while others, thankfully, can grow past that and welcome the culture and beauty. It really saddens me to hear coworkers and passersby dwelling on the vast differences and nonchalantly dropping racist comments like litter on the ground.
Living abroad isn't for everyone. Living in China is certainly not for everyone. But those who can embrace the culture and land are in for a spectacular treat.
What I'll miss most:
Tea 茶
Obviously, you can get tea anywhere, but the tea here is so fresh and plentiful. I never knew there were so many types of tea, and each one has a specific health benefit. I will most certainly miss my daily mugs of rose tea in the morning.
Mandarin 普通话
Albeit difficult, there is fun in learning characters and perfecting tones. I've finally surpassed my Spanish with Mandarin and really enjoy holding simple conversations with strangers.
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| Learn simple characters through Chineasy |
The single most awesome website of all time. One-stop shopping for basically everything you could ever want in life and then some. Not only can you buy everything under the sun at a seriously unreal price, but most packages are delivered within 2 days. How will I live without it?
Food 食物
Actually, I should be more specific -
homemade Chinese food...but some restaurants are still high on my list. As someone with an extremely sensitive stomach, this took awhile to grow on me. I won't even attempt most street food - partly for sanitation fears, partly for being way too picky. But if you do come to China, you must try
jianbing...a delicious, safe, snack that everyone likes. Seriously, everyone.
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| Jianbing seller |
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| homemade spicy lotus root |
History
For someone who comes from America, a land with short history in the grand scheme of things, China's vast history is so fascinating. My favorite era in Chinese history is the Cultural Revolution, but unfortunately it is very difficult to get much information on it here. At least there are tons of other things to learn about!
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| Temple of Heaven, Beijing |
The area I live in Guangzhou is very new and stuffed to the brim with expats from various corners of the world. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a "community" feeling, which is what I miss most about Qingdao. I have no photos, but you can imagine the neighborhoods where children and parents play badminton in the street and the elderly gather under the street lights to play mahjong at night. Local craftsmen and sellers gather at the gate to sharpen your knives or sell you fruits and veg, laundry dries in the breeze and families walk their dogs. A beautiful memory.
It's a bitter-sweet feeling to be leaving...of course with the hopes of returning some day.
The new adventure begins in July - this time to Indonesia.
