15 years of living in China, and now finally, my stay here is coming to an end. How would I summarize these years ? Would I change this experience for something different ?
I originally moved here because my dad was transferred to the Shanghai Ikea office. So at first it was not my decision to go here. After finishing high school though I soon realized that the next best move wouldn't necessarily be to go off to some famous foreign university, but to stay here in China, the Middle Kingdom.
This was around 12 years ago, but even then it was evident to me that China was going to be the next big power in the world. Things just move at such an amazing pace here, people are hungry to better their life, and with the worlds largest population it's hard to find and other place with this level of competition.
So now back to the original theme of the post; "the importance of being a bridge." Bridges are often metaphorically used in the sense that they can help to bridge the gap between two things. When I refer to the importance of being a bridge I mean that it's very important, to possess some qualities that let you act like a bridge.
What has allowed me to become a bridge is the fact that I chose to stay in China and learn mandarin fluently. The number of Swedish people that can speak fluent Chinese and that have the kind of experience I have of living here so long and understand the culture is very very rare.
I have sacrificed a lot to put myself in the position I am today. But I will always have an advantage with the experience I have gained from living here. So would I trade it for something else ? No way. Has their been hard times living here ? Like you wouldn't believe. But in the end I think one has to push oneself more and more in today's life to gain an edge and to be a bridge that can help connect and solve a problem.
What is your opinion ?