Whatattractsmigratoryhumanstotakewingintheirhomelandsandalightonaparticularforeignshore? WhydoesanexpatmovetoItalyorColombiaor... toChina? Whatmakessomeofthemstayforyears?
IponderthatquestioneverytimesomeonebackintheUSasksme: Whenareyougoinghome? Somepeoplesayitwithaninflectionthatseemstomean: Whenareyougivinguponyourcrazyideasandcomingbacktowhereyoubelong?
Ithinkthatinflectionisalittlesharperamongthosewhocan'timaginelivingwherethehistory, cultureandlanguageareverymuchunliketheirs.
Onthefirstquestion, surelythetopreasoniseconomic. Incase, withthekidsgrown, thechancetoliveandworkinChinaseemedlikeawaytosatisfymywanderlust. IhadlivedinLatinAmerica, whereIcaughtthebug.
Whatisthispleasureinlivingsurroundedbyexotictongues? Whilesamenessiscomfortingtosome, itisn’talwaystome.
IwilladmitthateverywhereabroadI'velived, I'vehadsomedayswhenIgetaggravatedoversomethingthat'sharderformebecauseit'sdifferent. Mosttimesit'snotbecauseit'sbetterorworse, it'sjustdifferent. Sometimesit’sculturalmisunderstandings. OthertimesI'mfrustratedbymylimitedabilitytoexpressmyselfinChinese.
Thesefrustrationsarenotparticulartoanyonecountry, and, onceIthinkaboutit, Iusuallyfindit'smyownproblem.
Mostdayslifeabroadisrelativelyroutine. Occasionally, mywifeandIhavewhatwecalla "badChinaday", whichisadaywhenwe’refrustrated. (Icouldhavecalledabaddaybackhomea "badUSday", andImaydothatwhenIgoback.)
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