It’s almost impossible to live in China and not run into at least 1 other expat during your travels. Often, we’ll catch a glimpse of a passing expat and wonder, “What’s their story?” While it would be impossible to encapsulate every expat’s story into a f
It’s almost impossible to live in China and not run into at least one other expat during your travels. Often, we’ll catch a glimpse of a passing expat and wonder, “What’s their story?” While it would be impossible to encapsulate every expat’s story into a few archetypes, there are some expats that are more common than others. Do any of these sounds familiar? Which one are you?
1. Educators
2. The Businessmen
While no one is quite sure what business these people are in, it almost always begins with “start” and ends with “up.” Kidding, but there are a high number of foreigners here who dream of having a start-up based in Shenzhen. While they cannot quite explain to you the demand for their “cat hair dyeing business” their passion is undeniable. On the other side of the coin, there are a number of foreigners in Shenzhen who bring much needed business consulting skills to growing Chinese businesses. In many cases, business people will get transferred here to the Chinese branch of their company and end up liking it so much that they stay on for years and years. Many of them often come with their families and raise their children here. They tend to be a very stable and grounded people. Many of them long to return home, but fear that they wouldn’t be able to readjust to their country of origin after such extended stays in China.
3. Party Animals
The name says it all. They could be any one of the other foreigners or none of them at all. He could be the vacationing Australian who loves traveling or the English teacher who likes to cut loose a few times a week.
You can find them at many of the trendy haunts around town with a mixed group of Chinese and foreign friends. They tend to be quite friendly and easy going. They’re fun to talk to, but they can be famously rowdy after one too many shots of Baijiu.
4. Oh, Wanderers!
This is everyone’s personal favorite at some level. Perhaps, long ago, they came here with a purpose, but that purpose has long been forgotten amidst boozy nights best left unmentioned. Were they born 600 years ago, they may have been a sage or a wise man and been valued for their obviously high, albeit misdirected, intelligence. They often speak Mandarin and the local dialect quite well and knows many of the best spots to hang out and may even be able to help you out in a pinch, but they’re also the person who might get you into a pinch late at night. At their best, they are helpful and friendly guides to newer foreigners in China and at their worst they are pragmatists who are only looking out for Number One. They may or may not have a military background… it’s all very confusing and unclear and they tend to prefer it this way.
The waylaid traveler is someone we might hesitate to call a good person, but they’re undeniably entertaining and interesting and can regale you with stories about all sorts of escapades across China. Perhaps that story about being on the run because they owes someone money is true–or maybe they’re full of it. We’ll never know, but we sure love to hear the stories that pour forth from their mouths and we even may feel a bit sad when they suddenly uproot and move to another country to repeat the cycle once more.
5. World Travelers
This person may be a combination of any number of the above foreigners, but the bottom line is that they love traveling. Sometimes we question just where they’re from because they’ve traveled so much that their accent is hard to place. They sounds British, but with a slight southern American twang. Maybe they’re Chinese, but they’ve lived abroad longer than in China and doesn’t fit in anymore. We don’t really know. They often grew up traveling; perhaps mom or dad was in the military, worked for the church or some other profession that required extensive travel. Either way, the traveling bug bit them early and they don’t seem interested in a cure. They’ve probably been to at least 20 countries by the age of 30 and are looking to increase that number as much as possible over the next few years. Naturally, they’re a bit worldly and very curious.
Chicken Feet? No problem! Baijiu? No problem either! Sleep outside? Where else was I going to sleep? Ha.
They are usually very interested in authentic cultural experiences and might shun places with too many foreigners and not enough locals.
They may or may not come equipped with strong language skills, but they usually have the best translation technology around and a natural affinity for language along with amazing pantomiming and gesticulating skills to get their points across to the clerk at the store or restaurant.
