Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way…

Hey-o peng-you! (That rhymes, pronounce it puhng-yo)

Things have really died down here. I am not the only one who feels like they’re treading water. Much talk has devolved into meals and activities planned upon returning to the glorious 美国 (meiguo, America) or how glad to be leaving soon. Some are leaving as early as the 14th, most the 17th, and I’m not gone until the 23rd. I don’t know if it’s a sign of how long I’ve been here but I almost just typed in 23th.

Aside from trying to memorize a bunch of characters and grammar patterns, a lot of my time recently has been spent focusing on things to do after graduating. I’ll be done with school (or undergrad at least) this May and I’m going to want to try to figure out everything I’m applying for by November, which means brainstorming now.

You may have heard of the Rio Tinto incident that is ongoing. It’s an interesting Goliath vs. Goliath case of a commodities multinational vs the PRC central government. Usually my faith in the Chinese authorities is less than zero and I’ll take the reverse of their accusations as true, but this is a bit different. If there’s one thing the Chinese seem to know how to do, it’s attract foreign investment. From the rise of Shenzhen to the prevalence of McDonald’s, they seem to have that down. And every investing company looks at long-term security. So for China to move and arrest an Australian and 3 Chinese executives of Rio Tinto it’s hard to reject their assertions out of hand. There may be some backpedaling but China still seems to be (unsurprisingly) something of a Wild West legally speaking.

I don’t think this will have much of an effect on me as right now I don’t plan on going into business in China. Currently I’m looking at teaching English in Taiwan after graduating or getting a Master’s through the National Defense Intelligence College. The Taiwan gig is the current frontrunner. It would be nice to get a full year of foreign experience, and a true, solo immersion. I have unquestionably learned a lot here, but sitting in a dorm with 50 other foreigners doesn’t count as immersion.

I probably couldn’t get a job teaching in one of China’s top cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, or Hong Kong, and I’m not sure I’d want to spend a year in Xi’an, Tianjin, or the like. Qingdao would be the closest thing I might be able to accept. Taiwan pays better than the mainland, it is easier to get a job, and is cleaner, and Taipei is much more internationalized.

The NDIC program looks interesting too. Although attending ‘regular’ school, it also pays a salary which is nice. There’s also no obligation for either party at the end of the year-long program but it gives great future contacts and if I do well, I’m confident I have the abilities to gain full-time employment. It might be nice however to have that extra year of foreign experience before doing this.

Finally, law school remains at outside chance. My parents would certainly like that route, and they are right that it opens a lot of opportunities, but it’s also 3 full years and a lot of money so I have to weigh that very carefully.

So 2 of my 3 current possibilities are directly related to this program. To me that signifies money well spent. Studying abroad is awesome and I would recommend it to anyone, but you don’t want to make it one big vacation.

In less dry news, we had a program talent show over the last weekend. There was dancing, singing, and erhu action all by those more talented than I. Also, delicious pizza from Papa John’s. In America it might have only been average, but it’s the closest thing I’ve had here to an American style pie.

I’m getting even more excited about school and work this semester as these days progress. I’m looking forward to dying of brain overload in my History 600 class this semester. It’ll also be nice to go back to my work and start up a positive cash flow instead of this dreadfully negative one I’m on now.

Just some other random thoughts: I’m not paid by them, swear, but I really like www.skritter.com for learning Chinese. It’s subscription-based now, but totally worth it. Also, I have a friend in Beijing whose computer totally died on him. He’s now running Ubuntu. I actually reformatted my computer twice over here, thankfully my recovery partition worked out. To be without a computer over here would be a pretty big downer. Pending acquiring train tickets, that same friend and I are going to Harbin after our programs end, on the 16th. We have 4 or 5 days there which should be plenty to see everything. The city is famous for its ice festival in winter, but summer is cheap which is a nice benefit.

And that’s where I’m at right now. As the program winds down I’m looking forward and so far I like what I see. Finals are done, and all that’s left is a slow burn in Tianjin before Harbin and then gone.

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