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Published: July 23rd 2009
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Questions were raised. Curiosity was piqued. Concern abounded.
What had happened to her? Well, fear not, dear readers. I am alive and well. I apologize for the many fortnights that have passed since I last put pen to paper (or, rather, fingertip to keyboard). My life has been a whirlwind of activity, though not the sort I had previously anticipated. Let me explain.
I returned to the United States after two years spent living, working, studying and traveling throughout China in August of 2008. I imagined a joyful celebration of my return, with parades held in my honor, children lining up on tiptoe to catch a glimpse of the worldly traveler, and ticker tape flying through the air over New York City. Alas, as the country fell victim to the global recession, celebratory activities of every kind were canceled, including for me. All joking aside, it appeared that I had returned to the U.S. at the most inopportune time imaginable and it became my job to make the best of it.
As I disembarked from the plane, savoring my first freedom-filled steps on the gloriously independent soil of the United States of America, I was looking
forward to seeing my family for the first time in six months. I had a job prospect waiting for me in the great city of Chicago. I had a plan for my future. A mere two weeks later, the job offer had been rescinded over financial concerns and I found that the most perfectly laid plan was no longer of any value. It seemed I had to start over from scratch.
Once I'd gotten over the initial disappointment, the reality of the grave situation facing the global economy began to sink in. Night after night, the national news began with the somber faces of Brian Williams and Katie Couric, telling us about yet another family facing foreclosure, the great hits to the stock market, and the loss of confidence in American leadership of foreign nationals around the world. It was hard to take in. As months passed and the news got steadily more depressing, it was difficult to see my own situation in a positive light. After all, most college graduates don't relish the thought of moving back in with their parents. I am fortunate enough to have a good relationship with my set, one in which we are
able to freely and clearly communicate with one another, which has made the situation not only bearable, but often enjoyable, for all parties involved. However, it is neither my wish, nor theirs, that I remain living at home any longer than necessary.
For an all-too-brief, six week period, I was hired to coordinate a summer program in China for undergraduate students wishing to serve as volunteer English teachers. The position was to be based in Changsha, Hunan province, China, which is in south-central China and nearly equidistant between Kunming and Beijing. I was terribly excited at the prospect of returning to my second Motherland and introducing China to a group of 17 students, the majority of which had no prior knowledge of the country. Unfortunately, and rather sadly for all of us, I received word about one week prior to my departure for China that the program had been canceled by the Chinese government over fears of swine flu. It seemed that the Hunan provincial authorities were certain that a group of young Americans would arrive in China, riddled with swine flu, and thus, start a national epidemic. At present, China has been relatively untouched by the pandemic, and
understandably hopes to remain as such. The loss of this job, after so many months of what felt like fruitless applications to other jobs, was quite hard to take. I really had to push myself to take a step back and take stock of my circumstances, as relative to others'. My home was not about to be foreclosed. I did not have any children going hungry at night. I had no student or car loans to worry about paying off. Despite the blow to my ego, I was in relatively good shape and in no position to complain.
However.
Re-entering the U.S. job market after two years abroad has been difficult. Add to that the thousands of recently unemployed professionals with in-country work experience and the stakes rise dramatically. I have never regretted my decision to move to China for those years, feeling that the environment I lived in exposed me to learning opportunities far beyond those I would have gained in a graduate school classroom. I am able to communicate with people from all over the world, even discussing American foreign policy in Chinese with North Korean friends at school in Beijing. I have made contacts
with people from around the globe. I gained supervisory skills while employed as an English trainer at international corporations across Beijing. Living 7,000 miles away from everything I grew up with provided me with a heightened sense of self and made me confident in the person I am today. I do not think I would have been able to achieve the same level of self-awareness and communication skills had I remained in the United States upon graduating from the University of Wisconsin.
But.
I am still searching for a job after eleven months. Fortunately, I have been able to do freelance work for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing over the internet. I edit, and occasionally retranslate, the English language editions of the
China Blue Book series that discusses legal, environmental, educational, economic, and population growth development in China. Each book takes about six weeks to edit; I've completed five books for the CASS. It has been thrilling to see my name in print in the acknowledgments section of each manuscript that is bound for reference shelves in the libraries of English-speaking countries around the world. I am so grateful to have had this
experience for a myriad list of reasons. Most importantly, perhaps, is having interesting and challenging work that allows me to gain new skills and experiences for whatever future job I may have. Secondly, I am continually learning more about China's legal, educational, and other systems, which provides me with expert regional knowledge and training. Finally, I am able to maintain my Chinese language fluency by reading the original Chinese version whenever I come across an English passage that is not translated correctly.
Over the past year, I have certainly learned the importance of appreciating the little things in life. Just today, I found a piece of jewelry that I had believed lost forever and was able to rejoice in that small victory. These past months of living with my parents have been occasionally trying, yes, but also an opportunity to reconnect with them, and other family members, that I hadn't seen for so long. I was able to use my own network to help a friend land a new job after she had been laid off. At 25 years of age, I am not where I thought I would be, but I am learning that so much of life is what you make of it. And I am choosing to make each day a happier one than the last.
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Lee Sorensen
non-member comment
Bravo!
This may sound crazy, in view of your employment challenges, but you are an exceptional writer; able to capture feelings and insights and write them down. As one who made his living as a writer for many years, I really appreciate this talent in you. People who don't write have no idea how much work it is. So Bravo for your writing and best wishes in your job search. I hope you will continue to post to your blog as things progress.