5 Ways I Vow to Enjoy China More

It's true- it's true- my Chinese adventure has turned out to be worlds different than I imagined it would be. I believe it was the overdosing on Rockstar Energy Juice when I was in the US that caused my bloated misconceptions. At least I admitted it, huh? Well, I refuse to wake up each morning and continue to think "Yep, it's still China outside" as a bad thing.

So here it is, the 5 ways I'm vowing to enjoy China more...

Less Movies, More Experiences

With the easy availability of movies through websites like Tudou, it's quite easy to spend your days catching up on movies, tv shows, and the like. Granted I think it's great to be budget minded and not spend the entirety of my salary on nights out at the bar, but there's only so much of China that you can enjoy from the comfort of your living room.

So what does this mean? I haven't found my adventurous side yet but I'm hoping it's just in a latency stage right now. One of the highlights of Xiamen (where I'm currently teaching English- how's that for an introduction?) is Xiamen University and all the hidden treasures that surround it. Apparently it's cafe central and I haven't even taken advantage of it. Well, if I want to enjoy China more, I need to go on the hunt for that treasure. Who knows? Maybe I'll discover my adventurous side by then.

Cooking is My Friend

As I write this, I'm marinating some chicken in a Lemon-Herb concoction. It's nothing Food Network worthy but it's a great change from my original bottle of beer and bag of potato chips dinnersI used to have when I survived on 800RMB (110 USD) for one month. Did you realize that the kitchen isn't as scary of a place as you might imagine? In fact, some amazing things can come out of it.

With that, if I feel myself getting hit with the blues (or worse, the mean reds) I am promising myself that I will run to the kitchen, check the contents of my peewee sized refrigerator and put my skills to the test. I doubt each dish I throw together will be something that I would share with others but that's part of the fun of it. Since I'm one of those laowai bachelors, my cooking skills are more of a delectable distraction rather than a necessity so most mistakes will go unnoticed (unless bad taste can travel to my next door neighbors which then I apologize in advance.)

Keepin' It Positive

If you've spent any time around expats here in China, it's pretty easy to get bombarded with negativity. They'll complain about the taxis, the food, the people, the jobs, whatever. Me, I'm saying no to that. There's no room for negativity for me. If I keep this resolve to stay positive, I hope I'll be able to overcome that. I don't want this blog to become pity central but rather a place to share small moments that wouldn't be experienced on the streets of Boston, my last place of residence in the US of A. If I could pinpoint why some foreigners here are soaked in negativity, I would say it's that they lost their appreciation for the mundane and small moments that life is truly about.

Poetic Reprogramming

This is a concept that I've been throwing about for years but haven't been able to make happen yet. Some literature is more piercing than others. Some words want to take residence in your brain while others are ones that you've become acquainted with but will will never be significant enough for you to make a difference in your writing and speaking. And sometimes, you have to say no to status quo and pick up a book that will change the way your brain thinks. By frequenting new cafes and raiding the library in my school, I'm hoping that my cognitive processes are not so insurmountable. In fact, they can be reprogrammed by the poetry of those who have come before me.

Why is this important? Difficult experiences arise, Bad China Days happen, and negativity just might happen but in the past, there have been writers who tackled so many of these situations and have expressed themselves in ways that can change our beliefs and transform our experiences into spiritual encounters. Yeah, that's what I want.

Just Get It Done

There's a reason for the name Licensed to TEFL. I'm a teacher who absolutely loves his job but also has other things that just need to get done. However, I'm learning that many of us expats use these tiny obligations to avoid the larger world outside of our apartments that can be a bit frightening. A blog post that should be written, a kitchen that should be cleaned, a friend that should be called, shopping that needs to be done- those things are important and you should just get them done. I'm going to stop hiding behind them and using them as an excuse and just get them done so I can conquer the rest of these resolutions.

So there you go, I have a plan in mind and it's put out there in the world to look at. What's your plan?