Why Are You Moving to China?
This is perhaps the most prevalent question from family and friends. There are so many reasons. I thought I would briefly explain a few. I figure when I’m longing for my Thursday night viewing of The Big Bang Theory, craving freshly made, extra greasy, donuts from the bakery dive down the street, and crying because I miss my family, I can re-read it and reassure myself we made the right decision! They are in no particular order and all of equal importance.
1. Adventure and Love of Travel
It is true, we have both travelled abroad a bit. Casey student taught in Belize. I took a 10 day history course in Russia, and another in education in Malaysia. We both took a whimsical 12 day trip through Europe. What a learning experience that was! It is one thing to travel with a university in a country and quite another to travel independently. It’s much more adventurous and rewarding. You may miss some of the prized tourist monuments, but you learn a great deal more from the people you encounter along your journey. You always gain more pleasure from the smallest discoveries. Do you know in Rome you can walk underground in a subway tunnel, up some steps, and just as you enter the daylight, pouring in from the subway opening, at the top of the concrete staircase is the Coliseum? … the same coliseum that housed gladiators. It is a spectacular sight! Or that the Muslim men that I travelled with through the Malaysian rainforest were some of the most polite and peaceful people I have ever met in my life? Their kindness was beyond that I have ever felt. Or that African villages, created by run-away slaves, called Quilombolos exist throughout Brazil. Each experience abroad has added great value to both our lives. After each adventure, we have both yearned for more. … more adventure and more understanding.
2. Education and Intellect
It is the most wonderful and enriching experience we can share with our children and as a family. I feel like every paper I’ve written, every speaking engagement I have attended, and every professional development session I’ve given in the past 3 years have included globalization. It is important that the interests of the world are evaluated, rather than those of only the global elite. This requires authentic experience and education. We are giving our children this opportunity! Not only will our children attend an international school alongside students from countries around the world, but Casey and I will have the opportunity to teach and learn from these students!
3. Financial
The cost of living in China is much cheaper. It will afford us the finances needed to travel. On our salaries, in the United States, we can’t afford a trip to Florida, much less Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Himalayan Mountains. We want to share and relish in these experiences as a family, not just in retirement.
I read a blog earlier today that presented the same question.
WHY MOVE YOUR FAMILY ABROAD?
IS IT SOMETHING A TWO WEEK VACATION ABROAD CAN ERADICATE?
I suppose it’s not. It’s not an erratic decision we made without intense discussion and considerable thought. We are excited about this journey!
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain
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