About BoaoInn

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Female

Currently Lives:

Boao, Hainan, China

Citizen Of:

United States

Past Expat Posts:

Mexico

HR/Relo
Professional:

Provider of Expat-Related Services & Products

Some Forum Posts:

China: Struggles as an Expat woman:

I've been in China 6 years. I've made major moves three times and each time I experience culture shock. You have to re-tune your ears to the local accent, re-establish shopping circuits and re-create your sanctuary..er, I mean home. I am married to a wonderful Chinese man so I am looking at China for the long term. He is a journalist and our recent move took us to Hainan Island where his coverage area was primarily rural. The first year I suffered from severe loneliness as we were in a larger city(500,000) but there was absolutely no other foreigners and very few locals who could speak minimal English, all of whom were men. I languished fearing for my mental stability until I realized it was up to me to do something about my situation. I was not going to make it unless a drastic change was made as I was spending more and more time holed up in our apartment avoiding all of the pointing and staring whenever I would venture out. The solution for me was to move to an even smaller town and open a little B&B by the beach. The smallness of the town solved the pointing and staring as the locals soon realized I was living there with my Chinese husband. Seeing the same friendly faces everyday eased my sense of isolation and I began to build rapport with the townsfolk in a way that was impossible in the larger city. I would begin to recognize people out of context; my egg lady at the bank lobby, my fruit seller walking down the street, my mechanic as he rode his motorcycle. What's more they would recognize me. The B&B took off thanks to Lonely Planet and I am now having excellent interactions with visitors from around the world. I am proud of the little life I have been able to carve out for myself. It's been a lot of hard work and steely determination and yes, plenty of blood, sweat and gallons of tears. However, I can truly say it feels like home. I would be happy to connect with other expat women in China to share my experiences and to give as well as receive encouragement and support.

China: Culture Shock in China:

I've been in China 6 years. I've made major moves three times and each time I experience culture shock. You have to re-tune your ears to the local accent, re-establish shopping circuits and re-create your sanctuary..er, I mean home. I am married to a wonderful Chinese man so I am looking at China for the long term. He is a journalist and our recent move took us to Hainan Island where his coverage area was primarily rural. The first year I suffered from severe loneliness as we were in a larger city(500,000) but there was absolutely no other foreigners and very few locals who could speak minimal English, all of whom were men. I languished fearing for my mental stability until I realized it was up to me to do something about my situation. I was not going to make it unless a drastic change was made as I was spending more and more time holed up in our apartment avoiding all of the pointing and staring whenever I would venture out. The solution for me was to move to an even smaller town and open a little B&B by the beach. The smallness of the town solved the pointing and staring as the locals soon realized I was living there with my Chinese husband. Seeing the same friendly faces everyday eased my sense of isolation and I began to build rapport with the townsfolk in a way that was impossible in the larger city. I would begin to recognize people out of context; my egg lady at the bank lobby, my fruit seller walking down the street, my mechanic as he rode his motorcycle. What's more they would recognize me. The B&B took off thanks to Lonely Planet and I am now having excellent interactions with visitors from around the world. I am proud of the little life I have been able to carve out for myself. It's been a lot of hard work and steely determination and yes, plenty of blood, sweat and gallons of tears. However, I can truly say it feels like home. I would be happy to connect with other expat women in China to share my experiences and to give as well as receive encouragement and support.

Date Joined:

6/17/2010

Total Posts:

2

Posts/Day:

0.00