I have just noticed that this is my 500th blog post. I would never have thought when I started this project that I would have written so much. It started because a French friend in Nanjing suggested that as so many strange things happened to me, I should start a blog. So I have Pascal to thank for the idea. God knows where he is these days.
When I first came to China – to Nanjing – I didn’t know how long I would be here. I had lost all my money and needed a new start. I came with a rucksack and a box of books and £600. I had a one month tourist visa, no job and the contact details of a guy called Canadian Pete with whom I had been communicating regarding a spare room.
I hated that flat and was only there for a few weeks. I didn’t even have a bed. The living room didn’t have a window and generally it was a depressing place to be. I moved into the house of a Chinese family who were friends of my 1992 friend. I was there for over a year but they were pretty rough and apparently they were teaching me bad Chinese words.
Thanks to another guy called Guy, I was able to get a visa through his company which allowed me to work for the British Council for five years. He really didn’t know how valuable that visa was. It meant nothing to him but everything to me. Thanks Guy.
Andy was moving abck to Switzerland and he offered me his flat in Shanghai and I thought, why not. I had been travellig there every week anyway. So I upped sticks and moved to Shanghai. I have bene very lucky with the flat and pay a pittance in rent for a nice flat in the best part of town. Thanks Andy.
After a few teaching jobs I am now a company owner and trying to make my fortune in the Middle Kingdom. I am currently sitting in a bar in Hong Kong working on my podcast and drining wine and waiting for the rain to abate.When my business was failing in the uK and life was depressing I would never have thought I would end up here.
When I first came here I thought it would be easy but it’s far from that. There have been a lot of false starts, failed business ideas but I keep going, looking for the next big thing. Will it be podcasting I wonder. Let’s give it a go anyway. See what adventures it brings
I have so many people to thank for my good life here in China, so many generous Chinese people from Nanjng and Shanghai. I have bene to most provinces and have met the most wonderfully friendly people and experienced no nastiness at all, no unpleasantness. I have had my stuff stolen of course but that’s merely an irritation.
China, I will be here while I have my health and while I can make moeny but not forever. It’s not a country to grow old in.
Keep going!