Fish Out of Water

Like fish out of water, I was gasping for the basics in everyday life that we often take for granted. Even in a prosperous city, Shanghai, where my feet first landed, I felt out of air.

Before I move on to my attempt to solve the mystery of this magnificent land that everyone wants a piece of and perpetually blindsided by, here's what led up to our decision to move abroad. One of the things I am forever grateful for that Josh and I share in common, is that we tend to act fast on what we long for, because life's too short, it's now or never.

A few months prior to our wedding, we started entertaining the idea of living abroad. After the wedding, we no longer had wedding planning distractions and just weren't ready to settle and start the same repetitive cycle for the next 50 years of our lives. The timing was perfect and we were fortunate to work out deals with our respective companies, so we got on our ways. Josh flew out 4 days before me to attend a leadership conference in Singapore, where he would take on the role in managing business development and marketing in Asia. The week following his departure, I would fly directly to Shanghai, where I continue my career in clinical research leading global studies.

While I packed my belongings into 4 overweight suitcases, I thought about the experience that laid ahead of me. It is what I would make it to be. Having only been to China once in my life for only 3 days, I felt apprehensive and excited. Having been in the work force for 9 years, I'm not quite yet jaded, but I'm also not the newly grad that think I can change the world. I bear enthusiasm, but also know to roll with the punches. It's not unheard of that China is a tough market to penetrate. It is a mystery and follows the unspoken rules, or lack of. Though my looks may mesh me in with the majority, the truth is my Taiwanese and American roots set me worlds apart. I reminded myself the reason Josh and I are doing this, it's that comfort was getting on our nerves. We need to do what we set out to do, to keep an open mind and face the challenges. The world is our oyster and we need to maximize our experiences. Or so I told myself, but I was skeptical, nervous, and couldn't wait.

Next up - My first 2 weeks in Shanghai!