In this time of increased personal mobility and global connectivity the world is nowhere near as big as it once was. The days when you made a home for yourself near the place you were born are long gone and, certainly in places like the UK, multiculturalism is now well defined and spreading. Whilst a discussion of the cultural implications of such movements is beyond the scope of my question it does present an interesting challenge…
Going on holiday somewhere exotic is one thing. Relocating there is a completely different proposition.
I don’t usually like to talk about myself here but I’m going out on a limb today - ever since spending a few months living, working and travelling out in China last year I’ve wanted to go back for a longer dose of the excitement, energy and adventure I found there, but am struggling to find the right path. The traditional route is to study Chinese or teach English out there, neither of which really appeal to me - I ideally want to work and use the skills I have to do something both personally enriching and meaningful to a wider audience of some sort.
I may be asking too much but luckily I have age on my side (I’m 23), a lack of personal responsibilities, and a valuable few years of experience working as a technology consultant (loose definition!). My investigation has so far proven that finding an opportunity out there is probably going to come down to a large amount of research and an even bigger dose of luck. I am however willing to bet that someone out there within a few degrees of separation of here (if not an immediate connection) knows of some opportunity and it’s just a matter of making that connection which is partly why I’ve written this post.
So what to do? Preferably something related to technology and the internet but am quite open to something new. Finding a job with a local company is probably out of the question as I’m currently in London and don’t have a Chinese work visa. The best route appears to be through a western company who require native speakers with the appropriate skills.
The challenge I have set myself is to relocate myself to China (or possibly elsewhere in east Asia) within 1 year or less. It’s not that I’m unhappy with what I currently do but would like to try something a little different before it’s too late!
Any help or advice anyone might be able to offer would be hugely appreciated - I’m easily contactable either by commenting below, the contact page or via my profile on LinkedIn. Thanks!
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This time last year I was finding my feet during my first week living in Beijing. I can hardly believe it’s been a year since that fateful adventure and at the same time I’m pining to get back out there. There is something very alluring about the adventure of living somewhere which is so foreign (for want of a better word) and developing at such a fast rate.
© AP
That said, I don’t particular envy my friends in China right now suffering severe snow blizzards and ice storms. What makes it all the more worse is that the bad weather has come just as the time people are heading off for the annual spring festival. For many migrant workers this the only time of year that they have the chance to head home and see their families which for some is now an impossibility. Many have been stuck at rail stations for days.
© AP
If you are unlucky enough to have got caught up in the chaos you may want to check out this innovative mashup map service Google has created to show the current weather and transport across the country. [via]
If anyone is looking for a highly-motivated English-speaking business analyst/technologist/project manager in China please get in touch!
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September was all about Korea so it’s about time to get back to the basics and a little more random! The past few weeks have been predictably busy at work. I’ve been busy designing a web service API (Application Program Interface) for a major organisation which basically allows it to syndicate it’s content and data to others for various purposes. It’s been an interesting challenge with many different aspects to it, not just technical, but that’s about all I can say here!
iPhone UK Launch
We’ve been waiting so long for this magical piece of technology to hit British shores that you would imagine the hype would have died down by now but since getting my hands on an iPod Touch for a few minutes I for one am still very excited! Yes, it’s not cheap, not 3G yet, and Apple haven’t exactly warmed to the 3rd party apps/hacks but it still marks a landmark device which fuses a host of technologies in revolutionary ways to create something pretty unique. The iPhone is just the first step in changing the way we interact with technology, the internet, and ultimately each other. I’ll certainly be lining up on Nov 9 to get my hands on it!
Harry Potter - WARNING: *POTENTIAL SPOILERS*
During my long flights to and from Korea I read the final Harry Potter instalment. To be honest I was a little disappointed. Two-thirds of the book are spent with the characters in a tent arguing with each other and the rest watching countless other characters getting killed in rather predictable ways. After all that Rowling could have at least killed Harry off properly without all this resurrection nonsense and then a sappy flash-forwards to their future lives. I guess there’s no satisfying everyone and it’s somewhat sad to see the end of the series.
China Is Getting Ready
“In the name of ensuring stability and harmony in the country during the 2008 Olympic Games, the Chinese Government continues to detain and harass political activists, journalists, lawyers and human rights workers. Get involved: www.amnesty.sk” [via]
I know Amnesty is somewhat controversial but I still wholeheartedly believe that China are continuing to sweep human rights under the proverbial carpet. It’s such a shame because the Olympics were the perfect opportunity for China to clean up it’s act. As I once heard someone say, China likes to seem democratic on the outside but on the inside it’s as despotic as it ever was. The sad thing is that many of the Chinese I’ve spoken to don’t really care as long as they have a satisfactory quality of life.
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