Guangzhou

It seems that every week I’m talking about some new plan or scheme or dream. Stepping back though, I can at least see for myself that I’ve been putting a little more time and attention into my pursuits, and that they’re no longer just things I run into in my free-fall.

A very short time ago all I could think of and talk about was the Peace Corps. I was invited to Peace Corps Ukraine and despite the turmoil there I was over the moon. I spent countless days up til all hours doing every sort of research the internet had to offer. I really learned a lot, which I do not in any way regret, although maybe some sleep in those weeks would have helped me face reality a little sooner. So for several reasons it became clear, about two weeks ago, that I am not in fact able to go to Ukraine with Peace Corps. I’m not going to write about all those reasons, but let it suffice to say that some were financial, some were medical, and some were prudential. I am not joining the Peace Corps.

While it came as a major blow that my childhood dream which seemed to finally be coming true was not going to become a reality, I simultaneously acknowledged that I still have a lot of momentum going towards moving and working abroad, and that I should not waste the headway I’d been making. So I did a rather abrupt about face and have been doing my best to make the situation the best it can be. So this is where I unveil my next attempt at a short term plan! *cue drumroll*

Yesterday I interviewed with a school in Guangzhou China for a teaching position. Less than 24 hours later I have received a shiny new job offer, and I’m ready to leap at it! I have a friend living in China who has worked in the past with this organization, although he’s up in Beijing. He visited me for a couple of days a month ago and was able to tell me lots about what it’s like to live and work in China, as well as giving great insight into Chinese culture. It was only shortly before this that I was once again considering China as an option, and his enthusiasm seemed to seal the deal. I’m a little disappointed that I won’t be nearer to him up in Beijing, but this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I won’t squabble over details.

So what remains to be done is the application for the Chinese work visa, which should take about two months, and if everything goes according to plan (I feel like I’m jinxing myself by saying that) then I will be flying out of the US in early January and preparing for 12 months in Guangzhou. I even get free language lessons for the duration of my job there! It’s a pretty sweet deal.

So if I disappear again briefly from my blog in the next few weeks, somebody should probably come find me – I’ll probably have burnt my eyeballs out doing unseemly amounts of reading and research at the ole computer, and I will very much need to be saved. But hey once I’ve recovered my vision I’ll probably have horrifying amounts of useless information to share with you about China’s culture and history, and about my plans for the future.