It's a man's world

My move to China was not very well thought out. I didn't learn any Mandarin before boarding the plane overseas. I didn't get my visa until the week prior (which wasn't actually my fault). I booked my flight late. I should've brought more clothes. I needed to go to the dentist beforehand, yet did not.

Those were just some of the logistical concerns. When I got here and started settling in, people would ask me, "Is China what you expected it to be?"

I guess I wasn't mentally, nor emotionally, prepared for this move. Unlike my move to Argentina, I had months to think about and just get excited over the life change that was about to happen. But China came at me suddenly. I got the job about a month before the move, while just getting accustomed to being back in the US and out of South America, I took a trip to Hawaii and then to Florida, leaving me about a week to prepare for my move.

So the answer to the question has always been that I didn't know what to expect because I honestly didn't even think about it that much. Was I culture shocked being here? Well, not really. I travel so much that it takes a lot to shock me.

There is one thing which I am surprised that didn't cross my mind before moving here. The sad fact is that China, along with many other Asian countries, is a white man's playground. I didn't take into account the types of people a teaching job here would attract. Now, I came here because it paid pretty well and I thought I'd experience China, somewhere I had never been before. And I like teaching; it's what I normally do for a living. I failed to think about other possible motivating factors of why specifically white males would be drawn to this region.

I'd say this topic has been at the forefront of my observations and analyses since I've been here. But I'm a bit tired after writing two blogs, so I shall continue this more in depth at another time.