Thank you for sharing. Career and life pivots are much tougher when they’re rife with international implications. Best of luck in your next moves, and to your partner.
Thanks for sharing this. As a generation we grew up with a horizon where global mobility could be a matter of our choice. Of course we can still decide where we want to live, but legal and physical security more than just economic opportunity or personal preference, is taking more weight in our decision making.
Although I see the uniqueness in your story in terms of time/place/events, somehow this is a story repeated over and over in the modern era with foreigners in China. I’ve experienced it myself in another industry (finance) calling it quits much too late in 2019. But I do believe all us one-time ‘China guys and gals’ were here for a bigger reason. Maybe some day we’ll figure out what it was ;-) All the best with your onward travels.
Thank you. I guess I stayed longer than most. All my friends had left in ‘20. There were some folks left in Shanghai, but most long haulers left Beijing. I guess I also hope to add the story of being someone fully integrated into Chinese tech companies, which is unique because there weren’t any other peers in similar companies as far as I know. But I do feel everyone had similar moments where they had to recognize the bargain they struck with China no longer made sense. It is a well traveled road but a story worth telling.
Why not just move to the free and democratic ROC (Taiwan)... All the joys of the mainland (more actually!) without the downsides of authoritarianism...
I mean I was born in Mexico. I guess I have always had a complex relationship with authoritarianism. Beyond my partner being a mainlander, I rather just live in a country where I have citizenship for a few years. Living on visas sucks. I have stories.
Thank you for sharing. Career and life pivots are much tougher when they’re rife with international implications. Best of luck in your next moves, and to your partner.
Sad to hear. Good luck for you!
Thanks for sharing this. As a generation we grew up with a horizon where global mobility could be a matter of our choice. Of course we can still decide where we want to live, but legal and physical security more than just economic opportunity or personal preference, is taking more weight in our decision making.
Although I see the uniqueness in your story in terms of time/place/events, somehow this is a story repeated over and over in the modern era with foreigners in China. I’ve experienced it myself in another industry (finance) calling it quits much too late in 2019. But I do believe all us one-time ‘China guys and gals’ were here for a bigger reason. Maybe some day we’ll figure out what it was ;-) All the best with your onward travels.
Thank you. I guess I stayed longer than most. All my friends had left in ‘20. There were some folks left in Shanghai, but most long haulers left Beijing. I guess I also hope to add the story of being someone fully integrated into Chinese tech companies, which is unique because there weren’t any other peers in similar companies as far as I know. But I do feel everyone had similar moments where they had to recognize the bargain they struck with China no longer made sense. It is a well traveled road but a story worth telling.
Why not just move to the free and democratic ROC (Taiwan)... All the joys of the mainland (more actually!) without the downsides of authoritarianism...
I mean I was born in Mexico. I guess I have always had a complex relationship with authoritarianism. Beyond my partner being a mainlander, I rather just live in a country where I have citizenship for a few years. Living on visas sucks. I have stories.