Happier Abroad Forum Community

Hello everyone...and thank you so much, Winston, for creating this fabulous website!

我喜欢你的网页。
Wo xihuan ni de wangye.
I like your website.

Since last year, I've been aspiring to travel to some of China's big cities, and possibly live & work there if I like it. I've always dreamed of living in a big city, and have been mesmerized by photos of Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Chongqing -- particularly of the size, modernity, cleanliness, and the plethora of bright colors everywhere.

My whole life has been spent in the American Midwest, and in the Oklahoma City area since age 8. I feel like I'm the complete opposite in many ways from most Americans -- especially those in the Midwest and South. And the more I live, the more different from most Americans it seems that I become. (For example, I'm a secular humanist, an individualist, a non-voting libertarian, a goldbug, I've already had a vasectomy and don't have nor want children, am into "natural health" and the organic lifestyle, and am a *huge* megafanatic of happy, sappy, bubbly dance-pop music!)

As you can probably tell, it's been extremely difficult -- if not impossible -- for me to find close friends and a girlfriend here.

So last year, I began learning Mandarin, and have made it my goal to find a job in China by the end of 2009 if I like it there. I have both technical and customer service backgrounds. And as my Mandarin skills improve in the coming months & years, then eventually, maybe I also could work as a native-English interpreter for Mandarin in China (assuming it's in demand).

Perhaps eventually I also could become a dance-club DJ, or even open my own club there. And once I'm inspired enough, I might also write, compose, and record my own catchy dance-pop and pop-rock tunes in both Mandarin and English. Wouldn't that be something....

Anyway, it's a real inspiration to find a forum like this, and I look forward to frequenting this board for a long time to come!

我很高兴认识你们。
Wo hen gaoxing renshi nimen.
It's nice meeting all of you.

(My MySpace page is http://myspace.com/discopro)

Hi Joe,
Welcome to my forum. Glad to have you. You sound like a very interesting guy, bold, courageous and daring enough to think and live outside the box.

Have you been to China before? Why are you fascinated with the cities there as opposed to other cities? I find it fascinating and exotic too. There is an expat site for there, but I don't remember the link. You can check OrientExpat.com though.

The Chinese women you see in the states don't represent what you see there. There you can find tall young girls with silky smooth skin, like you see in Chinese movies and soap operas.

Lots of wild nightlife in the cities too I hear. And things are cheap there too. Plus the locals have a high respect for Westerners and always show their best face to them.

It's great that you can learn Mandarin. A white person speaking Mandarin in Chinese countries always shocks people there.

Are you on my mailing list yet? If not, would you like to be?

I look forward to reading more of your posts.

Regards,
Winston

I appreciate the welcome.

谢谢！
Xiexie!
Thank you!

Regarding the Chinese cities, in the Asia forum I'll be discussing more about why I'm so interested. I haven't been there yet, but will be going in the not-too-distant future.

Definitely add me to your mailing list. My address is discopro@hotmail.com

Ok XieXie!

Your Mandarin is probably better than mine, so you might have to teach me.

Like you I love karaoke too. Maybe we can sing together someday.

How did you find out about this site, by the way?

Ni zschi wan jung gwo shau jay mah?

Ni2 Hao3, Joe!

I took a semester of Mandarin in college. It was pretty fascinating, but I've forgotten almost all of it.

Saying "Peking duck" is fun in Chinese:

Bei3 jin1 kao3 ya1 (low high low high)

Have you ever heard Cantonese? Listening to their 6 or 7 tones blows my mind.

Good luck with your plans.

--Jackal

If you want to really leave the states for good and find decent employment fast it's not hard to do. About 5 years ago i sold most of my belongings on Ebay or gave them away. I attended a TESOL training program in Thailand then got employment in South Korea.

If you have a college degree and you're a native English speaker getting work as a teacher in Korea or China or other parts or Asia is fairly simple. Its just a matter of location and how much you are willing to work for.

I would suggest selling most of your belongings or putting them into storage at a relatives house and just go over seas. It took me about 9 months from the planning phase to the actual doing.

You should use south Korea as a jumping platform to China. You could work there for a year or two and save a lot of money then move onto China. I heard China can be a good experience if you happen to get a good school but they don't pay much.

You may not want to teach for too long but it is a way to get your feet over there and make a living while exploring other career opportunities.

Daves ESL is a good spot to get a sense of overseas teaching and jobs available: http://www.eslcafe.com

I've been teaching and completing a graduate degree in education online. I'm not sure if I want to continue teaching in the long run for a school. As I think I will shift over to internet education and research once I finish this last semester I'm in. It's more about having backup credentials on paper for me. I notice Asian countries like people with lots of certifications and degrees. With a graduate degree there is always a job waiting if needed.

Information, research and learning from the internet is the next wave of education and I will be starting to put my effort into that phase of my life starting April with an Internet presence. Trying to move away from working for others to being self employed.

If you have any questions about finally getting out of America let me know. I was a technical customer service rep for Verizon Wireless before finally leaving. Customer service is an ok job for a year or two but it gets boring and annoying after a while. Not a good long term career choice, only short term.

There are call centers in China which would maybe hire you but you would only make slightly more then the locals do which defeats the purpose. I could work for a call center in Philippines but I would not make that much just the same as the locals. Tout being an American with good English skills and you should do alright in any Asian country. You are clean-cut also which is a plus as having longer hair and tattoos gets stares a lot.

If you look on mininova.org and type "Pimsleur" you could download their language programs for free. Just download "bitlord" (google search)and do a search for a free isp blocker for your computer and you can download whatever software or other stuff you need. That's what's great about living overseas, I can use Bittorrent's without worrying about the government snooping into my downloading.

WWu777 wrote:How did you find out about this site, by the way?

Ni zschi wan jung gwo shau jay mah?

I found Happier Abroad during a Google search of the words, "Is this all there is to life?" and "Feel like you don't fit in."

As for the Chinese words in your message, the only Western-alphabet written Chinese I understand is Pinyin.

So, I'm assuming you said, "Ni chiwan Zhongguo xiaojie ma?" 你吃完中国小姐吗？ "Are you finished eating a young Chinese woman?"



Or did you say something else?

Mr S wrote:If you want to really leave the states for good and find decent employment fast it's not hard to do. About 5 years ago i sold most of my belongings on Ebay or gave them away.

I appreciate the logistical expat advice. I'll probably make my first trip to Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Shanghai late this year (or early next) to see how I like it. Once I've experienced it, then I'll begin my hardcore logistical planning in true force.

I totally feel the same way as you about working at a call center. I started at my present job last July, and the job really has become quite boring! It's definitely not something I'll stick with long-term. Being on the phone for eight hours a day, five days a week, does "get to me" after awhile.

See you around...

I did that before. It sucks. Right now I have the joy of dealing with patients in an emergency room, and going through doctor's forms and notes to assign a code and billing for insurance claims. it's tedious. I myself am in school to become a Nurse. then if I want to travel, I can go anywhere and make decent bucks. It's good to find something you like and that can be something to take with you so you can be wherever you want. I hope you have fun when you go to China. i heard it's a very fascinating place, and that the economy is getting pretty good-China is pretty much outsourcing the US in textiles and other material goods. It is nice to meet you, and I wish you the best.

DiscoPro_Joe wrote:

WWu777 wrote:How did you find out about this site, by the way?

Ni zschi wan jung gwo shau jay mah?

I found Happier Abroad during a Google search of the words, "Is this all there is to life?" and "Feel like you don't fit in."

As for the Chinese words in your message, the only Western-alphabet written Chinese I understand is Pinyin.

So, I'm assuming you said, "Ni chiwan Zhongguo xiaojie ma?" 你吃完中国小姐吗？ "Are you finished eating a young Chinese woman?"



Or did you say something else?

W: Wow if you keyworded my headline then we must have a synchronicity in our thoughts. hehehe. You know about Carl Jung's theory on coincidencies and synchronicities right? They are a breach reveal the interconnectedness of the collective unconscious.

What I was trying to ask was: "Do you like Chinese girls?" hehehe.

DiscoPro_Joe wrote:

Mr S wrote:If you want to really leave the states for good and find decent employment fast it's not hard to do. About 5 years ago i sold most of my belongings on Ebay or gave them away.

I appreciate the logistical expat advice. I'll probably make my first trip to Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Shanghai late this year (or early next) to see how I like it. Once I've experienced it, then I'll begin my hardcore logistical planning in true force.

I totally feel the same way as you about working at a call center. I started at my present job last July, and the job really has become quite boring! It's definitely not something I'll stick with long-term. Being on the phone for eight hours a day, five days a week, does "get to me" after awhile.

See you around...

W: China is so big though. How do you know where to go around there? Which city? I heard from a lot of people that Shanghai is very exciting and dynamic. Lots of positive reports from people there.

What do you know about Shanghai? Did you research it?