Is the adventure over?

Summer in Xi'an

For those I haven’t told, I’m going to be extending my stay in China.  Before I explain why, I just want to say sorry to those I’ve hurt back home with this news.  None of this was ever planned.

            This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make and it’s been on my mind for a while now.  I’ve been thinking about what I can expect when I get back to the UK and in my mind it doesn’t seem to paint an optimistic picture.  Whilst the UK and much of the West struggle to get their economies back on their feet, China is on the rise.  Thinking back four months ago, lying in bed and waiting to start this trip, I remember reading the news.  I remember reading about a bleak economy and a distinct lack of jobs, regardless of what you’d studied or achieved at university.  Taking a glance at BBC news today, not much has changed.

            It’s made me take a more serious look at my life here, what I’m doing now and what I could do if I worked hard enough.  I currently work Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday all day.  The real irony is that I earn more than four times what most of the locals earn working a full week.  Not to mention the fact that I have my accommodation paid for, free Chinese lessons and a contract completion bonus.  However, despite the benefits of living in Xi’an and working for a school like Aston, I don’t see this as a career (at least not yet).  It is, however, a great stepping-stone, which is why I did it in the first place.

Probably the coolest kid in Aston!

            After contemplating my future more seriously I’ve begun to realise the full potential of the situation I’m in and what I could be doing with my time.  Working in China as a Westerner is, well, too easy.  The opportunities to earn a decent living wage (by Chinese standards) are great.  You can earn anywhere between 100-300 kuai an hour teaching English privately; that’s between £10-30.  By my standards that’s a lot of money, but by Chinese standards that’s silly money.  The opportunities to earn a lot increase tremendously if you can speak Mandarin too.  I know, I know – easier said than done.

Xi'an "Jiaoda"

           Like I said though, I work Fri-Sun, leaving my weeks completely free.  Therefore, I’ve decided to enrol at Xi’an Jiaotong University to study Mandarin as an undergraduate degree, starting in September.  Apparently each term is four months long and the year is split into two terms, providing me with four months off a year.  Lectures run from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. and so this leaves me with the rest of the day to revise and still have some free time.  The biggest contrast to the first six months of working here without studying formally will definitely be the amount of free time I have, which will be next to nothing.

            As I’ve mentioned previously, Mandarin Chinese uses a character based writing system.  There are over 60,000 characters in Mandarin.  You’re not expected to know all of these, or even half.  Few Chinese people do.  It’s said that you can get by on approximately 5000 characters; this will allow you to read everyday symbols, signposts and newspapers.  Any specific or more professional/technical areas will obviously require further revision.  If I wanted to set myself a challenge then I’ve certainly done that.

            I guess a part of me isn’t ready to come back yet either.  I think I’ve still got some growing up to do and this experience definitely has a lot to offer in terms of my own self-development.  One of the biggest realisations I’ve come to is just how young I am.  When I first arrived in Xi’an I had a lot of surprised and supportive comments from people saying how “brave” they thought I was for doing this at the age of twenty-two.  They say brave, I call it naivety and perhaps a slight lack of direction.  There are, however, people here who are 10 years my age and have lost none of their desire to continue travelling.  In conversations with people like these I’ve realised it’s never too late to continue studying and directing, or redirecting, your future in the manner to which you see fit.

            Obviously, the hardest thing about all of this – besides the distinct leap of faith – are the sacrifices I’ve had to make in turn.  I’ve now given up everything to be here.  I’ve given up the one thing that meant more to me than anything in the else world.  I hate myself for that, I’m sorry.  I hope things get easier for both of us and I hope I don’t live to regret the decisions I’ve made. I’m also gutted I won’t be seeing my family and friends for what could be a very, very long time.  If you’re ever stopping over, don’t hesitate to look me up and don’t be a stranger.  I’ll try my best to keep in contact.  I hope you do the same.