7 Years in China

We spoke to Saif, a British expat who has lived in China for 7 years!

So what is it like being in China for 7 years? Well basically it’s “wicked” innit. I mean I come from a life of poverty but I always worked hard and got a good education with good results, partially thanks to my fathers Pakistani work ethic and slipper motivation. I initially tried to find a job in the UK in 2013 during the recession, however that was very difficult to do with no work expedience. So, I went to a jobs fair in Leeds and managed to get in contact with an agency that recruits teachers in China.

Thankfully through them I managed to arrive in China, Jiangsu. Being born in Hong Kong and having a mother who was also born in Hong Kong, it wasn’t really much of a cultural shock. Although the city I worked in was a bit small, it reminded me of home as I come from the British countryside – so I particularly liked it.

Over the years I managed to get involved in the local culture, from being able to master chopsticks, to learning the language and lastly learning the local dialect as well. My initial intention was to work here for one year and return to the UK, however not everything goes as you planned innit.

I met my wife, we dated for 3 years and then got married and now have a lovely daughter. What attracted me to stay in China was that I really enjoyed my job here, the cost of living is very low and I certainly couldn’t enjoy the lifestyle and have as many opportunities as I have here in the UK. By the age of 28 I always wanted a house, a car, and for once in my life some nice things. I managed to achieve all that by the age of 25 in China, a feat that I am certain I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish in the UK.

However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t struggle at all. Initially what I struggled with was the constant staring as I live in a small city, and people even followed me around – of course out of pure curiosity. But as the city has expanded significantly over the last 7 years, more foreigners have arrived and now I don’t get stared at as often. Initially, the city only had one shopping mall and rt-mart. Now I believe it has around 6 or so shopping malls and plenty of places for entertainment and so forth. I am very pleasantly surprised at the rate of progress here and I hope our lives get better and better.

So to conclude, I love the people here, I love the culture, I love the food and I love the pace of life.

Writer: Saif (writer and proofreader)