Why not move to China?

I’m on Amtrak for the last time today. That sounds like I’ll never ride Amtrak again in my life — I hope that’s not true. Amtrak has been such a major part of my life from childhood visits to relatives a few times a year to a solo trip around the country with multiple 30-hour train rides. I find peace and reflection when I ride the train which is why I’m now writing about my upcoming move.

In less than four weeks I am moving to Shanghai, China with my spouse. Three months ago, it was just an idea and now it is about to happen. It’s an exciting adventure: we are about to put everything in a shipping container, get on a plane, and live in a city we know very little about. I tell people the news and they are shocked, amazed, and excited for us. How many people do you know who have moved to China or another country? It’s a rare opportunity that most people haven’t experienced or even heard much about from friends.

Having worked in technology, I often heard about people moving to Silicon Valley or San Francisco. That’s a whole world away with a very different culture than the East Coast. Even moving to New York City or Washington, DC from Philadelphia is culture shock with taller buildings, more than two subway lines, and many more people and stores and opportunities everywhere. Yet these contrasts pale in comparison to a move to China.

My spouse moved internationally five years ago from Sydney, Australia to Philadelphia. There are many things I can list that he had to adjust to: cold weather, driving on the right, ugly beaches… But he had the benefit of a local expert. I had been living in Philly for over six years and could answer all his questions. It was easy, on the scale of international moves.

When I moved domestically from New York City to Philadelphia in 2005, I knew one person in the city and had no job lined up. I didn’t have a plan and only knew that I wanted to live in a different city. It took me just 24 hours to find a room on craigslist and move in with a couple of bags of clothes. I applied to a variety of jobs and found work through a temp agency. I was young, optimistic, and ready for change. Everything was possible and I wasn’t worried about making money. The move was easy.

I’ve now spent 1/3 of my life in Philadelphia. I’ve been enamored with the city since my first visit at 8 years old. Something about the size of the city, pride of its residents, and the depth of history preserved in the buildings and neighborhoods appealed to me. So I joined the small population of 1.5 million which proceeded to grow for the first time in 60 years (source: 2010 census).

Ten years is not a long time in the context of a life span. 1/3 of a life sounds longer. But length of time in a location is not reason enough to move. We are moving for a job opportunity. To be honest though, my spouse could have found job opportunities domestically just as easily. He selected this job because China is a growing market and he wants to be a part of large growth at his company. It presents a new challenge which will give him valuable work experience. But is that enough of a reason to move to a country where we know no one and can’t even hope to read or write the language?

To answer the question of why we’re moving, I reflected on our prior moves. My spouse moved to Philadelphia so we could be together after dating for 1.5 years via Skype and in-person visits every 3–4 months. That was an easy decision because I was pursuing a bachelor degree with support from my job while his department at work was downsizing and he was ready for life changes. When I moved to Philadelphia, I only knew that I didn’t want to live in New York City any more. I was considering moving to San Francisco because I liked the city when I visited. It has so much to offer — history, culture, ethnic diversity, public transportation, and the water. So why did I choose Philly? It was easier: cost of living in Philadelphia was cheaper than New York City and San Francisco, it was still close to my family, and I could walk all over downtown. Essentially, I chose which city to move to based on convenience. Done — in just 24 hours from decision to move.

As I reflect on the decision process and reasons for moving to Philadelphia, I realize that convenience is at the heart of this move too. My spouse received a job offer and the company is supporting us throughout the move. But moving across the world is never easy. So why disrupt ten years of roots? Why go through the hassle of moving at all? I had a dream job, we own our apartment, we’re close to my family, we have a network of friends, established hobbies and we like Philadelphia. Why leave all of that?

Why not?

I frequently remind myself that things which are easy bore me and that’s why I choose to do things that are difficult. I am intellectually curious and I like to experience things first-hand. I enjoy exploring new places, learning languages, and meeting new people — all things that are essential parts of moving to a new country. I don’t know much about Chinese culture or history and so this is an opportunity to learn so much. And to do so first-hand!

I can list out all the things I’m excited about and all the reasons I tell myself and my friends about why we’re moving. But it really comes down to the fact that an opportunity presented itself that made it convenient to move and we have no strong answer to the question “why not?” Our lives are at a point when we can easily say yes to this opportunity and, I imagine, these opportunities don’t present themselves often.

So we are saying goodbye to Philadelphia and the USA. People ask when we will return to which I remind them that three months ago I had no intention of leaving Philadelphia, let alone the USA. I can list some current ideas of what to do after the two-year term of my spouse’s new job but part of the fun of this move is the opportunities we may find which we didn’t even know existed. The last organization I worked for has a mission statement which captures this idea: Inspiring girls to explore the possibilities of technology to empower their future careers — TechGirlz

I look forward to exploring Shanghai in order to learn what’s possible in my own career and life.