CHINA
Country Overview:
“Love the food, hate the government”
I arrived in China in May 2013 and left August 2020. I taught English for awhile, did my master’s of politics & foreign policy at Tsinghua University, worked for a year at China Today, and then two years at Xinhua News Agency. I spent most of my time in Beijing, but also traveled to Shanghai, Wuhan, Inner Mongolia, Shenzhen, Panjin, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, Xi’an, Sanya, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Pools And Beaches
Leaving Beijing was the best choice I made this year. I flew to Sanya, Hainan Province to hangout until my visa expires, but also found out that I get an automatic 2 month extension because of the virus. So if need be, I can stay here through the summer. I’m hoping to leave here and fly to another SE Asian country, but it all depends on when/if they open or resume visa services. Hanging out with no plans is nice but I do miss the feeling of having a schedule or something to work on or work towards. My life, like many people’s these days, is up in the air with no real idea of where it will go. COVID-19 has uprooted what resemblance of plans I had after I finished my contract at Xinhua and now I’m trying to make new ones.
At this point, the most I can do is wait until June 1 and see if countries relax their lockdown policies. If not, I’ll continue to stay in Sanya, get some sun, and go to the gym. Not bad for the time being but I’m looking forward to having “the next step” in place.
