I have a dream. It involves Asia .
While I like my job and all, for the past two years I’ve wanted to move to Asia . Not sure where exactly, but I have a vague plan teaching English, acclimating myself to the country and then branching off into reporting. One of the first things cut from newspapers were the foreign bureaus, so it’s up to enterprising people like me to fill the void. I already have the money saved up.
Can I do it? I don’t know.
Do I want to? Within a year.
+I would learn how to speak Mandarin, which will be extremely useful when I begin reporting.
+China
+There’s a good chance my brother will be living/working in China
-No Google? No blogs? No Thanks
-The awful political environment makes reporting not only frustrating, but borderline impossible. The stifling environment is not something I’d enjoy.
-The pay, while decent, isn’t the best considering the burgeoning wealth in the country
Dealbreaker: The lack of press freedom isn’t conducive to my life goal. Still, somebody has to try to do it (even if it means getting shot).
+I’ve been here and I know that I love it. I already know that I could eat the food everyday and not get sick of it (as long as I have the occasional grilled cheese sandwich). I know how awesome the beaches/parks/nightlight can be, and it’s something I’d love to be surrounded by.
+Seeing my friends over there would be a joy, and I know that they’d help me out as I get started.
-While I could live comfortably on the pay, I wouldn’t be able to save much. I’d also spend a lot of money partying with my friends.
-Almost all of my Thai language skills have been forgotten, but learning Thai doesn’t seem like the most useful effort if I want to report in other countries.
-There are lots and lots and lots of Western people in the country, so the job market is that much more competitive. Also, there seems to be no shortage of writers. I want to go somewhere more untapped by the media. At least the press is relatively free (unless you’re talking about the royal family).
Dealbreaker: While I’d love the lifestyle and know I’d have a lot of fun, it seems harder to get into reporting here. Also, while the pay is decent, it’d be difficult to save up money. Having money would make the foray into foreign reporting easier.
+Once again, learning Mandarin would be incredibly useful for my foray into international affairs.
+From what I’m told, the pay is among the best in the continent. Saving money seems much easier to do here.
+They have pro baseball here. How awesome is that?
+A fair amount of press freedom, and the fascinating/frightening political situation with China
-I know some people living there, but I don’t know if they’ll be around if/when I get there. Aside from them, I have no support network there. I’d do it on my own. Thinking positively, after I do it I can say I did it my way. Still, it's a little intimidating.
-Out of the three countries I’ve been looking into, I know the least about Taiwan
Dealbreaker: I’m too uninformed to say. The food doesn't sound the best, though.
So I’m still nowhere near a decision. It’ll come to me sooner or later. Every Sunday night, right before work, I usually stay up until 2 a.m. doing research. The only thing holding back is how I’d miss my parents. I’m not one to get homesick, but in all my travels I always had a return ticket. That won’t be the case if this move happens.
Coming up next: I will discuss some of the wild card countries. The ones I’m not thinking of too seriously but could definitely happen. Malaysia Cambodia Vietnam
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2 comments:
"I would learn how to speak Mandarin, which will be extremely useful when I begin reporting."
Interesting!
Learning Mandarin can be fun and joyful!
Japanese adopts a lot of Chinese characters, so, some Japanese know the advantages of the Chinese language. A learned Japanese states that Chinese language is very systematic and logic. He looks at Mandarin from a different angle.
Some people say the sound of Mandarin is poetic.
I am a published author with 5 books on www.amazon.com. I’d say the writing of Chinese characters could be beautiful.
It’s also very interesting to note that every Chinese character and pronunciation has a reason or logic behind. That means we can learn Mandarin much easier if we understand the reasons or logic behind. My books demonstrate how easy learning Mandarin could be!
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Actually, learning Mandarin can be entertaining and fun!
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I'd like to recommend the following wonderful book to you.
The first book, Learn Chinese Through Song!: The Popular Chinese Nursery Rhyme: Two Tigers ISBN: 1439265062, is about one of the most popular Chinese rhymes for parents and child.
(URL: http://www.amazon.com/Sam-Song/e/B002BX3790/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0)
* Almost everyone knows the song Frère Jacques (Brother John) -- There are probably 50 versions of the song, in many languages. This song's Chinese version is "Two Tigers," which is very easy to learn. It's interesting to know that almost everyone in China and Taiwan sang "Two Tigers" when she/he was a child, because it's very easy to learn.
By googling "two tigers Chinese song", you could find quite a few videos sung by some lovely children and adults, though some have slightly different lyrics.
By reading through the book, Two Tigers, you will be able to sing the rhyme in minutes and remember it forever!
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If you could sing this popular Chinese rhyme, everyone will respond with a big smile and claps!
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;-)
Hey friend,
What an exciting plan :). Right now I just lost my job and I'm grappling with some visa stuff, so Taiwan and I aren't best friends at the moment, but overall I think it'd be a great opportunity to live and work here. I hope we're still around to show you the ropes!
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