Questions, part 1

- Why are you going to China?

In short, I'm going because I can. In length, I'm going for a host of reasons. One is to learn Chinese. As an ABC, the fact that I essentially knew no Chinese bothered me for as long as I've cared about it (which is an admittedly short period of time). I'm currently taking a beginner's Chinese class at the local community college, which is helping my ability to speak and understand immensely, but I know that it's very easy to lose what I've gained, much less continue my learning. When it comes to personal things like that, I'm not very self-motivated.

Secondly, because I want to learn more about my culture. My parents, unlike many Chinese emigres, assimilated enthusiastically into American culture, and passed that on to me. All of my friends until college were non-Asian, and most were white. Even in college, the vast majority of my friends and acquaintances were non-Asian, and mostly white. It wasn't until I moved to Boston after graduation and started making an effort to meet more Asian people that I started having Asian and Chinese friends. While I've always been Asian, it's been a personal effort to start identifying more as Taiwanese/Chinese and in some small way, going to China is part of that.

Thirdly, and I'm gonna be blunt here, the economy sucks, and there's really no time like the present. I have a Master's in Library Science which in this economy doesn't really do a whole lot. Every single librarian job is flooded with applicants, all the way from recent graduates to those with many years under their belt who got laid off due to budget cuts. Picking up new skills and stories to tell in China will not only be useful in an interview, but the intangible value is immense compared to staying in the States and trying to eke out another month's living from temping or part-time work.

If you have any questions for me, please ask! I'd love to answer anything I can.