For the uninformed.. . I have been back home for about a month now. My adventure that started on 19 May ended on Dec 10 2006, with a flight from Shanghai back to Singapore. It was with mixed feelings as i picked up my luggage and walked out of Changi Airport.
While it was awful knowing that it was The End, I was glad to be home, and that i've made it through (relatively) unscathed. Not that i was too worried by the doomsayers when first i started out but my i feel sorry for my family who were constantly worrying about me all the time while i was away.
SO.. Reality bitch slaps too hard and all too soon. Its time to get back to the real world again, and i'm back my ex company working until end January.
However, i'm glad to announce that in 2 weeks, another brand new challenge for 2007 awaits - my great leap forward to a new job in Hangzhou, China!
Goodbye Merlion, Hello Mao! New country, new job, new life.
Most of my friends thought i was taking my idea of a "change of scenery" was abit too far. Yes, yes, i've heard it all before. "but Why?!!","ewwww, why china?!", "China is a difficult country to work and live in, with dodgy hygeine and sanitation", etc. but oh well, i like living life on the edge. Birdflu, here i come.
Besides, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that China is going to be the next economic giant, if it isn't already. And it is exciting to work there and experience all the changes and development first hand. Mandarin is probably going to be the lingua franca in the not-so-distant future so it probably pays for me to get there and sort that out - what better way to do it than a 100% language/culture immersion. In fact, given how poor my Mandarin is, it was pretty amazing how i landed that Hangzhou job.
AND.. there are still so many places to visit in China.. you can't peel the backpack off me just yet ;-)
Since 19 May, i've visited bits or passed through Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, U.K., Spain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Poland & China. At times, travelling on my own was tough but i told myself that a bad day travelling was still better than being one of those poor sods stuck in a cubicle at work! ha! Along the way, i also met up with old friends, strengthened our friendships, and made some cool new pals. Together, we had gawked and gaped at some amazing sights, cursed at some really steep slopes, braved the most dodgy toilets, and gulped down some questionable home-made wine. Waayheyyy! i survived!
So, as a tribute to the mastercard ad,
# of countries visited: 13
# of times i went to the wrong airport for my flight: 1
# of times i had cravings for my favourite Newton carrot cake: >25
# of friends made: countless
# of photos taken: >2000
Amount of money spent: too much
Experience of a lifetime: PRICELESS!!
And at the risk of sounding like an awards acceptance speech, i thank everyone who had made my trip such a fantastic and memorable one, and if anybody has any doubts about trying this out, don't think too much - just go for it!
Happy New Year to all!!
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