By popular demand (10 people is a demand, right?), I've decided to keep a blog while in China (mainly in Yantai, China, hence the name).
I decided to call the blog "Yantai Superstar" as my brother's fiancé told me that I would be considered very beautiful in China, because of my big eyes and angular profile, and so it became a joke with my friends that I would become some kind of local celebrity, doing toothpaste ads. You'll have to keep reading the blog to find out if any of these predictions become true.
A synopsis of "why/how I got here":
About 3.5 years ago, I moved to NYC after college, knowing a few people and with only the promise of an internship that I hoped I could make a job. And the risk worked. But, nearly 3 years into an experience design/project mgmt/production mgmt role at the same company, I got laid-off. The company however was a stifling management culture with disgruntled employees. I think like most first jobs, my youthful energy and drive were exploited, while my strengths were wasted. I can say this however and still also mean that it was a really valuable growth experience and an opportunity to build some great relationships. But, the layoff? It.Was.A.Good.Thing. Nothing like feeling free, even if being free is harder.
Unfortunately, the economy squashed the promise of great opportunities and so for months I taught dance/fitness classes (Crunch Gyms), private-party bartended (Red Bull) and did some small-time performing, as I looked for an interesting job in/out of my field. It wasn't there in NYC.
So my brother, Jamison, who has been working in China for a number of years, very generously offered to let me come live with him and his fiancé, Se Ah (like "say ahh"). It was an opportunity to learn Mandarin and become more marketable while I figured out my next steps.
Jamie and I used to get along like this:
We get along better now.
Clearly it was an offer too good to refuse. So I packed up from the only city that I had lived in as a post-college adult, said goodbye to my amazing friends and paralleled my life 4 years ago. I guess that I've always put faith in the power of a risk.
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