Andelu’s Rants from Shenzhen

I never tire of the various questions that people ask when they find out I live in China. Questions such as: why do you live in China? What is it like? What are the people like? Will you ever move back to the States? What do you miss?  Maybe secretly and deep down I like the attention from doing something different and that most people can’t imagine - living in a foreign country.

 Most people who have traveled in China seem to believe that my daily life must just consist of the things they experienced during their trip.  Experiences that are centered around: horrible traffic where everyone goes and no one stops; shopping for fake anything - Rolex watches, purses, DVD’s, Polo’s; cheap massages; beggars; exotic and elaborate feasts at meal time; and visiting places like The Great Wall or the Terra Cotta Warriors.

Sure, each and every one of those experiences exists in my life but they do not make up my life. Those things have become background noise while I go about working and living. At one time I never imagined or thought I would want to drive in China now it is no big deal and much preferred over taking anything other then a private taxi. In my opinion, fakes are a waste of money. The old adage, “you get what you pay for” shouldn’t be thrown out the window because something is cheap compared to list prices back home.

Bootleg DVD’s aren’t fake, they are a staple of life in China. As long as I can buy DVD’s of the newest movies and hit TV shows from the US in front of Wal-Mart and next to a police post, why shouldn’t I? There is no other way to purchase them in China, only a couple of dozen censored foreign films ever make it to the theatre and I gladly pay for a movie ticket when they do - like seeing Superman 3 in a theatre almost to ourselves on a Friday night. A bulldozer rolling over and destroying a million DVDs is a photo and publicity stunt for the western press and nothing more.

 I have had my share of foot and body massages, tried acupuncture and cupping and don’t much care for any of them. Would much prefer to save those dollars, no matter how few, for my quest to visit all the China provinces and 100 countries.

The simple fact is my life is made up of the same things as my friends and family, just some place different. That place is exotic to some, but to me China has become home. On my “About Me” page I talk about my comfort zone being expanded and learning something new everyday, which is true. Lifelong learning and expanding comfort zones can and do happen to people everywhere without their having to move half way around the world from what they know and their hometown. For me those two things didn’t seem to happen the first couple of years, at least consciously, while living in Shenzhen but now they are addictive! So the reason I love living in China so much really is because each day is a challenge; my comfort zone is stretched and expanded; my cultural knowledge is broadened and best of all I grow each and every day. Not a day goes by where I don’t learn something about myself and others.