I’ve been waiting to say this for a while:
Thank fuck for that!
Woo! We’ve decided it’s time to go. I’m tired. I haven’t had a vacation in a long time. Even when I was on vacation my mind wasn’t on vacation, I was always worried about the magazine. In fact, even now, after we leave, I will not only be looking for work, I will STILL be working on the magazine — because, frankly, I can’t really think of anyone who will do what I did, i.e. work my arse off for it because Goddammit I’m going to make it happen no matter what and no petty little person who thinks we are bad evil people just because we did what she couldn’t is going to stop me.
(I have a new assistant who will do the running around and talking to people.)
I will have been here for three years by the time we get on that plane (Neil has been here just over three years). Three years in a place I never had the intention of visiting, let alone living, is a mighty long time.
This is not to say that I don’t appreciate the experiences I have had in Xiamen. I am proud of what I’ve accomplished, and I will be shipping a cartload of magazines home. If I’d been anywhere else, I would not have had the chance to do something like What’s On Xiamen and learn so much about publishing. No way.
Another good thing (I’m gritting my teeth as I say this, by the way) is that my Mandarin Chinese has improved by leaps and bounds. I can now switch pretty instantly between speaking English and Mandarin Chinese. My vocabulary has grown so much (I even know the Chinese phrase for ‘vocabulary’).
I am now cynical beyond all known limits, however. I now know for a fact that Chinese people can be extremely self-loathing and it’s not just my father who’s a racist chauvinist pig. When dealing with Chinese people in business, expect the worst and hope for the best, but chances are you’ll get the worst.
And it’s not just the Chinese, by the way. Foreigners in Xiamen are just as bad, if not worse. Too many behave as though what they do in business or leisure is done while in ‘holiday mode’, i.e. there will be no consequences. They have forgotten the old adage, Be careful of the toes you step on today for they may be attached to the arse you have to kiss tomorrow.
One! More! Month! Yeah!
Does this mean you are leaving??
OK…calm down…everything will be fine. Now that you know you are leaving, maybe you can give us some enlightened insight into some positive aspects of your Xiamen experience…you sound very pissed.You have the luxury of moving away. What if your job was to hand out “Massage” cards in front of the Lujiang hotel for the rest of your life? Spoiled girl!
Your job for the next few weeks is to be positive. Can you do it?..or maybe you can begin your rants on a website regarding all the problems with Singapore. Poor Neil…how does he deal with you? Good luck to you!
Comment by fred in seattle — 21 June 2006 @ 2:16 pm
Er. Ah, someone who is familiar with Xiamen. My job the next few weeks, unfortunately, is not to relax but to produce another issue of the magazine. I’d hoped to be able to take a break, but alas, it is not to be.
This website did start out with rants on everything. And we may not move to Singapore. And Neil is worse than I. I at least have a website on which to blow off steam, or are you unfamiliar with the concept of weblogs?
Comment by Andrea — 21 June 2006 @ 3:02 pm
Yay! Er, where are you heading to?
Comment by Lisa — 21 June 2006 @ 3:21 pm
…of course Im familiar with weblogs…according to you…you invented it in Singapore! Poor Neil……..hang in there mate.
Comment by fred in seattle — 21 June 2006 @ 3:25 pm
Lisa, either Scotland or Singapore.
Fred, I do believe you’re baiting me. Are you PAP smear in disguise?
I’m dead happy we’re getting out, does that count as being positive?
Comment by Andrea — 21 June 2006 @ 3:51 pm
Wow. Three years. That was how long I was planning to stay in Shanghai. And I lasted all of 7 months.
Do I say….congrats!?
Comment by Jean — 21 June 2006 @ 7:25 pm
Wow, running a magazine in Xiamen from Scotland, that is one heck of a telecommute (to say nothing of the weather and culture shock :)
Comment by Terry — 21 June 2006 @ 9:22 pm
wheeee! congratulations. fill up on noodle man ban mian while you can. :o)
Comment by Kristen — 21 June 2006 @ 9:52 pm
Sounds like this move is a good thing. I was going to ask where you were heading, but you’ve already answered it.
Hopefully the month will fly by for you. Good luck.
Comment by Troy — 21 June 2006 @ 10:30 pm
P.S. Fred in Seattle sure sounds like a dick. :)
Comment by Troy — 21 June 2006 @ 10:32 pm
Troy- You are very articulate…you must be another brilliant ESL teacher…or maybe a successful exporter. To be exact, I don’t SOUND like a dick..I am a dick
Comment by fred in seattle — 22 June 2006 @ 9:29 am
Well you both will be missed, (at least until the next round of drinks).
Back in Xiamen Friday, meet for a drink?
(Hey… if you go to Scotland, Neil can start wearing his skirts again…)
Comment by TuTu — 22 June 2006 @ 10:32 am
Fred, you are very presumptuous… you must be another enlightened foreigner who owns a trading company in Xiamen… or maybe works for one. To be exact, Troy lives in Canada.
(BTW, I think you’ve finally found your troll voice. The whole time you’ve been posting I thought you were being very entertaining.)
Troy, I think it will. Time has definitely been going by quickly – only one month to go!!
TuTu, we will see you fer sure. We need to return your DVDs!
Terry, yeah. I will be doing less, and paying my assistant to do more. (This gives me an opportunity to return now and again to visit the magazine office and also stock up on cheap clothing from Everyday Online!)
Jean, you only lasted 7 months?! Wow, I need to use a proxy and read your site more often! Oh wait, only one more month and I won’t have to, I’ll be able to connect directly to Blogspot sites! Definitely congrats, I’m excited.
Comment by Andrea — 22 June 2006 @ 6:14 pm