From my point of
view, life as an expat has many advantages: fantastic travel opportunities,
great career prospects, a nicer and more affordable standard of living than the
U.K. offers, a diverse network of friends and colleagues – I could go on. But for some, life as an expat holds far more
cons than pros. I’m referring again to
my old friend culture shock (see ‘Culture shock’ post – Friday, 15 April 2011). This year I haven’t experienced this at all,
for me China provides enough familiarity, with an equal amount of quirky
differences, for which I am appreciative.
For others, the balance just isn’t there and China seems so drastically
different to ‘normality’ (whatever that may be), that Mr. C Shock comes
knocking.
It’s nice to
have a basis for comparison as an expat & EFL teacher. My experiences in Vietnam have undoubtedly helped
me to easily adjust to living and working in China. As I’ve previously mentioned (see ‘Familiarity’
post – Wednesday, 21 March 2012), less travelled newcomers comment on daily
challenges they find and differences they do not always appreciate about living
in an Asian country. A colleague
recently mentioned they would take inspiration from me and the way I deal with
situations I encounter in China, which was very humbling from someone for whom
I have such great professional respect.
In short, we can all learn from one another and should strive to help
each other with our demons.
These personal
battles can build up inside people and should not be underestimated. Seeing friends and co-workers seemingly
‘melt’ in front of your eyes isn’t a nice thing to experience. Factors such as work demands, living
situations, social experiences and friend/family matters back in their home
countries can all tip people over the edge.
However, friends
and colleagues who have previously lived in developing countries/second tier
cities in China feel disbelief that anyone could ever find life in Shanghai a
‘culture shock’. After my time in Vietnam
I genuinely feel I could live anywhere: it’s the small things here that I
appreciate so much, but without that basis for comparison others just can’t
relate.
A xx
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