Experienced Expats

Expat living is an interesting experience especially in a country that is as foreign as China. We continue to meet very interesting people from around the globe who continue to help shape our perspectives. The most interesting are the one’s who have been here for more than a decade.

Last night we had dinner at a very nice hot pot restaurant not far from our home (of course the logistics to get there were a challenge but we did make it). We were invited by a work colleague and his wife who have been of invaluable help to us here in Beijing. They introduced us to three other people who have lived here more than a decade. All of them possess fantastic mandarin skills and also drive in Beijing. These are two skills that we will never possess during our two year visit.

The changes they have seen over the last decade in China are difficult to imagine, especially for expats. They recall when there was only one place that English speaking people would go to socialize, the Beijing Hotel. Today there are so many places to go and so many more resources available to us. They remember when there were virtually no cars on the roads and only a see of bicycles (now that is really hard to imagine).