Behind the Great Chinese Firewall
Living in a foreign country presents all sorts of challenges from a new language to cultural differences to new ways of doing things. It is very demanding and draining trying to constantly adapt to a society into which you don't really fit. Fortunately, as Americans we are very accepted here in China and face relatively little bias, but that doesn't mean life is easy. Last year, I spent a bit of time with a young man from the US named Alex. After he had been in China for about two months, I asked him what he missed most about the US. He didn't miss a beat. "The convenience. Everything is so much harder to do here. I didn't know how good I had it in the US." It was a great answer and the reason I really support Americans having a cross-cultural experience in a nation that isn't first world and in a place that isn't a resort. We faced a major challenge this year which we are still battling against: The Great Chinese Firewall. Thanks to the technology C