The Monsters Arrived

It’s been 2 months with no update – I apologize for the lack of blog posts!

Here’s what has been going on with my life. Wake up, eat, go to work, eat, keep working, eat, go home, sleep. Pretty exciting, huh? Then on my off days, I catch up on my much needed sleep, go to lunch with some friends, explore somewhere new in Beijing, watch some Netflix, and order food in. 

Of course, I attend the teacher events my company offers like a painting class and the annual party, but besides that, I have realized that I am now used to the working life here in China now.

Oh, but yesterday there was the biggest sandstorm that Beijing has seen in 13 years, apparently, and I didn’t even know it was happening until the day after. Check out some of the awesome pictures that showed up on WeChat (messaging app) because of this crazy storm.

(The city wasn't really attacked by these monsters - just to be clear. The pictures were modified by someone who has too much free time on their hands but has a great sense of humor)

Within what feels like a blink of an eye, I’m now approaching the 9-month marker of this year long contract – AKA time to decide what to do with my life. As most twenty-something-year-olds, this is one of the scariest questions to be asked, yet I feel as though it is the question that I get asked the most. The answer changes every day, every hour, and sometimes every minute. I catch myself talking to my roommates about this all the time, bringing up new ideas each time. I sometimes think the people asking the question are like the monsters in those pictures hounding me for an answer!

I just have to keep reminding myself that I’m making enough money to pay for student loans, live a happy and healthy life, and even save a decent amount (which some people don't manage at all) all while living in one of the largest cities in the world. What more could I ask for? Yeah, sometimes the job gets to be a bit much, but that’s for any job. My coworkers keep it fun for the most part, and the company has so many advancement opportunities – I’d say I have it pretty good.

I’m going to try and keep this updated more than once every two months with more cultural things that I have become accustomed to or even just interesting stories about my everyday life. Stay tuned!

*Update on the Chinese names blog – a girl has started a company to help Chinese people pick out English names for a small fee so they won’t end up with stripper names like the ones I mentioned in a previous post. Pretty smart idea - check it out!