cheapie

i think i've mentioned before that part of my job is selling HEV drivetrains to md and hd OEMs. i love that part of my job.

there might be some opportunities opening up china for me to do so there with my company and i'm seriously considering it.

anyone here been to china? could i semi-comfortably take my family there? i'm not a person that's dependent on luxuries and i could easily get by with smaller accommodations. i think it would be a great opportunity for my career and for my family to get exposure to the world outside white-bread middle america.

what do you think? and no, i don't speak a lick of chinese.

__________________
70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders

Daedalus

How long would you be there? Which city/province would you be in? What transitional provisions does your company give? Where would the kids go to school? I love China, but it's quite a different place. I would have to think long and hard before committing myself to go there for an extended period, and I don't think I could take my kids if I had any. I know my fiancee would not go. Ironic she's 3/4 Chinese, more than me, heh. I have been there 3 times, the last time in April. Most of the country is still really poor, but the middle class, those who make upward of $10k/year, is growing fast, maybe around 500M residents right now. The things that jump out are how hit-or-miss things are not being able to speak Chinese, how just plain dirty the air is, how *crowded* the cities are, and how fast things are changing and the rate of construction in the cities. I would have no problem living there if I spoke the language. Maybe the company could get you a bilingual student as a part-time family assistant.

gear02

It would be a HUGE culture shock for you Cheapie, and I'm Chinese (albeit an ABC). I think it would be a good experience for your family in the short term. Your kids would go to an American or international school so they wouldn't be affected too much.

ShawnLee

I agree.

Going expat isn't easy, but it is a good growth experience. More closely, watch for your kids and see if you can get their enrollment in an international school paid for, or subsidized.

__________________

cheapie

an abc? and we'll see. i need to chase down a couple of leads to see how real the opportunities are.

Dave_7

American Born Chinese = ABC. China is different. I'd consider going there for work as an individual in a heartbeat. If you're wife is juiced about the idea, go for it, if not... I suggest reconsidering. It's quite different.

Dave.

ray

If you are in one of the major cities, I say go for it. It will definitely take some adjusting, especially with young kids, but like you said it's a great opportunity to expose them to a different world than what they are used to.

guiseppewv

One of my closest friends, who has been to China on many occasions, said you would be surprised at how bad the pollution is. I had a chance to go to the Olympics but she talked me out of going. She is a well traveled person and she goes on medical missions to many third world countries. I value her opinion very much and I trust her a lot.

Jeffbx

My neighbor from just up the street has been there for about a year of a 2 year stint for GM & he took his wife & young kids (12 & 10, if I remember correctly) & I was just talking to them a few days ago about it while they were home for the holidays.

The good: they live in an expat community, so the wife & kids are around english speaking people from around the world, & the kids go to an english speaking school. They're learning tons about the culture, etc. They have a driver, maid, etc. so that's nice. Easy travel to other eastern places (Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo) esp. on trips to/from the States.

The bad: difficult to shop, language is of course a huge barrier. Food is an issue, since western food is difficult to find & very expensive ($12 for a jar of peanut butter). Native food is foreign to them & they find it hard to get used to. Meat handling isn't exactly to the same safety standards you'd see here in the states.

The ugly: I don't remember exactly where they are, but I believe it's in/near Bejing, and the pollution is so bad there that there has been literally about 2 or 3 days in the past year that they've actually seen the sun & sky. There are little to no regulations on pollution there, so I can't imagine it's very healthy.

Jabberwocky

I backpacked around China for a month last year and there was definitely some culture shock.

The pollution is incredibly bad. In Beijing, there is a constant haze of smog. Sometimes I would blow my nose and there'd be some black gunk in the snot. (sorry, not trying to gross you out)

The good thing is how far money goes. In the major cities, you can live like a king if you wanted.

__________________
It seemed like a good idea at the time.

forumtroll666

If you look at forecast for China, it does not look to bad. But I'm glad I don't have money invested there now =D

http://www.prognosmakaren.se/index.p...per&Itemid=103

mcs328

LOL. My wife and I had the same thing happen in Shanghai. We blow our nose and we had gray crap come out. Good to know that's a "normal" thing to happen to us.

__________________