Goodbye, Blogspot

It has been a long time coming, but I am finally leaving this platform behind, and trying my hand at having my own real blog. Although it has been swell, it is going to be a lot nicer learning WordPress, having control over my own domain, and moving up in the blogging world.

Just to let you know, I will be moving some of my articles from here to my new blog, which can be found at General Quarters. JavaScript redirects will move you to the content that could previously be found on this blog as I transfer the articles over.

I hope to see you there soon!

Oh yeah, and my book is out to. Pick up your copy for Kindle here.

The Taiwan Addendum

Note: This article was originally supposed to be posted on Voyage to Asia as a "sequel" to my post about China hosted on that blog. Since the owner of that blog has not posted this article, I have decided to post it here.

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I think that I will be the first to write about Taiwan on this blog. It is an honor and a privilege.

When my generation thinks of East Asia, we tend to think of the Hallyu Wave of Korea, the anime and video games of Japan, and the ancient culture and economy of China. There is, however, one country that is often overlooked. This country is Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, or “the other China that uses U.S.-manufactured weapons”. At any rate, my ten days in this island nation whetted my appetite for more exploration.

I arrived in Taiwan broken and battered. I did not want to leave Mainland, but my time was up, and my “Hail Mary” attempt at finding employment in Guangzhou did not succeed. However, thanks to a very close friend of mine, my adventure in East Asia would continue for a few more memorable days.

The instant that I touched down at the airport in Taipei, I realized that things seemed a lot less gritty than in Mainland. That is not said to put down Mainland China, as in all honesty, the grittiness has its appeal, but the environment in Taiwan made me feel a bit more at ease. To top things off, the food felt a lot better going down in comparison to some of the things that I had in China that tasted great, but made me suffer later.

One of the first things that I did in Taiwan was hit the gym. My friend was nice enough to treat me to the gym, and I hit chest and back. Malnutrition, lack of rest, and high humidity made it hard to put up the weight, but it was great to be back in a gym after nearly a month and a half of not lifting. I met quite a few friendly locals at the gym that really took lifting seriously, even more serious than the bros in Guangzhou did.

Adjacent to the gym was an Olympic-sized pool that we spent quite a bit of time in. It had been almost a decade since I had gotten into a pool, and I was never the best swimmer, but I still had a good time. In fact, this experience makes me want to swim more back in the States. I suppose that this is a minor example of how traveling is not just about seeing new places, but also about discovering new things yourself or adding new things to your repertoire.

Another thing that I learned in Taiwan was to appreciate simplicity. My friend lives up in the mountains of Miaoli County, removed from the hustle and bustle of Taipei (although close enough to Miaoli to have some convenience), so for the most part, things were quiet and serene. I learned to appreciate living without being wasteful, and even subsisted on a semi-vegan diet. These are lessons that will remain with me in America (hopefully I will be able to use them to save more money and expedite my return to Asia).

I might not need to save too much though, because the living expenses in Taiwan are relatively cheap. Food is very affordable, even moreso than in Mainland (on top of being more agreeable with my digestive system), and if you like bubble tea (some of you may know it as boba), then you owe it to yourself to take a trip to the place that it originated. In California, a boba would cost me about five dollars, but in Taiwan, it only cost me thirty, with thirty Taiwanese Dollars being the rough equivalent of one U.S. Dollar at the time of this writing.

I found Taiwanese people to be quite friendly and helpful in general, and despite all that I had heard, I did not get many stares (maybe they all stared at me when my head was turned). Speaking Japanese may also come in handy in Taiwan if your Mandarin is not up to par as well. Many times when a person that I was trying to speak to could not speak English, we found a happy medium in Japanese since my Mandarin is garbage.

Wanting to extend my time in Asia, I decided to go for another “Hail Mary”. I applied for jobs in Taiwan, and linked up with another friend of mine that was an exchange student at my high school. Her father assisted me in trying to find employment as an English teacher in the township of Yuanlin. Unfortunately, I did not get the job, and to be honest, there is a possibility that race played a factor in this. Given the numerous anecdotes that I have read and conversations with a colleague of mine that has taught there, I would not doubt it, but the positive experiences that I had in Taiwan more than make up for this defeat.

All in all, my time in the ROC was satisfying, and I would like to return as soon as I can in order to explore more of what the nation has to offer. At the very least, I am sure that I can indulge in affordable, quality electronics and barbecue brushes!

Misery Does Indeed Love Company

One lesson that has been driven home by perusing manosphere blogs and forums is that misery does love company. It seems like there is always some loser that either doesn't put in the work, constantly focuses on negativity, or were given an unfortunate genetic curse to the point that it is hopeless for them to attract women. While it is understandably difficult to cheer on others (especially others that may be adversaries) when one is losing, these specimens go out of their way to drag others into misery along with them. They will attack OPs that speak of their success (which is typically ineffective), or target neophytes that are trying to improve their game or take notes from successful people.

Essentially, what these miserable incel trolls do is take advantage of easy prey. Looking at one such example, the now-defunct PUAHate.com, they were doing the exact same thing that they accused PUAs of doing: taking advantage of weak, vulnerable men that were unable to get any. The only difference was that while the PUAs may try to cash in by selling a bill of goods, the PUAHate brigade tried to completely destroy other men's chances in order to feel better about themselves while being virtually surrounded by others wallowing in misery.

There certainly is strength in numbers, so it is natural for people that face the same problems to join up and discuss their issues together. However, when these groups are only whining about the issues without trying to form an effective plan of action to deal with them, one must question the group. Such groups are not worth joining or dealing with and are best avoided. We see such parties in a variety of settings, be it aggrieved communities, social justice Tumblrs, and even on forums from those that are venerated as Alpha males. Yours truly is also guilty of doing this, and I am trying my best not to fall into this trap again.

When someone tries to crush your spirits or encourage you to join them in their tearful circle jerks, it is best to ignore them and continue upon your own path. This is not to say that grievances should be ignored, but it is to say that people that have no solution to deal with these grievances, and only want additional people to cry without taking any proper action towards solving the problem are best avoided.

Racial Divide: The Need for a Black Manosphere

Anyone with any senses knows that Black men and White men (as well as other non-Black men) face very different issues when it comes to dealing with women. For the average White man, all that they have to do is fall off of a plane somewhere in Asia to go from zero to hero overnight. In the case of Black men, yes, we can have some success, but that success is not guaranteed. Perhaps there is Brazil, the Caribbean, or Africa, but even then, there are other issues that Black men must face that other races can skate around.

It is no secret that a great deal of the manosphere is geared towards White men or other races that can pass for White or can say "at least I'm not Black". With that being said, Black men are often met with hostility, or stories of White men conquering places and women that a Black man could not even dream of. If a Black man were to even think of succeeding, he is discouraged. If a Black man finds even a scant amount of success, he is demonized from his so-called redpill "brothers" just as he would be from an SJW. What we must realize is that this is competition, and from the White man's perspective, the Black man is their adversary, or at best, pawns.

Remember that time that I told you to only fight battles that benefit you? This is the time to put that advice to good use. What does it matter if a White guy gets banned from Australia for feeling up Japanese girls? I am a Black man that likes Japanese girls, and he is only out for White men to enjoy them. Of course, the SJWs would not want heterosexual Black men to get full enjoyment out of our trips to Asia either, so why not just sit back and let them fight each other while building our own resources, media, and other solutions so that we may stroll to our prizes? Why should we do battle for White men to be able to have orgies in China like in Marco Polo (while calling us nigger) when we cannot even get a drop of tang, and will not be rewarded with a single concubine for our efforts? Why should we even offer them support or give them props when we are torn down by these very same people for even being seen in China?

Brothers, and I'm talking to my Black Brothers that have any sense, it is time for us to really go our own way. Realistically speaking, we won't be setting up colonies or nations overnight, and sadly, we'll probably still have to go to their grocery stores for water, but at the very least, can we have our own forums? Can we have our own videos on YouTube for Black men addressing our issues? Can we at least ask a Black man that has been to Chengdu if we can get women there instead of asking the White guy that brags about how he can get chicks on the merit of being White?

The divide is here, people, and it is time for us to accept it. Time for us to stop trying to integrate (or be recruited) by movements, left or right of the political spectrum, that benefit us in no way. Time for us to form our own league, go for our own goals, and protect ourselves and our interests from our adversaries, just as they have done time and again. Let us strive for our own magnificence instead of praising that of others, or worse yet, attempting to contribute to it.

New Years Resolutions

So 2014 is coming to a close and we are about to enter 2015. Some people will be making resolutions for the new year, but personally, I will pass on this. I have already set my goals and I have already started moving towards them. I urge you, dear readers, to do the same. There is nothing "special" about making New Year's resolutions that will make them come any truer than if you were to start today, and the sooner you begin, the sooner you can reach your goals and set new ones.

On a personal note, my goals going into 2015 are to study more, gain at least five pounds of muscle mass, eat healthier, and get laid more often without lowering my standards. I have started getting to work on all of these goals now (except for the latter one since there are few women that I am attracted to in my locale, but the other goals will help towards this goal once I have returned to Asia).

I am also announcing a hiatus from blogging until February, since my schedule is going to be packed and I won't be able to do much writing. I still have a couple of articles uploaded that will be released later this week and the first week of January. I'll see you in February, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, of course, provided that they do not run contrary to my own.

Happy New Year.

November Goals Assessment

To begin, I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving if you celebrate it, and I hope that you weren't separated from too much of your cash (or any of your limbs) on Black Friday. We have reached the end of the month, and it is time to look over the goals that we set on the first and see how we measured up.

Make $500 online

I only ended up making a fifth of this goal. I did, however, find other means to make income which should make this a much easier goal to reach by the close of the year.

Read One Personal Development Book

Another failure. I did not even crack open a personal development book this month since I became swamped with other information. there are no excuses for failure, but I am thrilled to report that the information that I have read will contribute greatly to my personal and financial development in the future.

Blog at Least Once a Week

If you have been following my blogs, you will know that I have succeeded with this goal, although most of my posts were on this blog here. My goal was only to blog at least once across all of my blogs, so this objective was completed. I am also ahead a bit in my writing, so I can take the first weeks of December a bit easier and focus on other things.

Regularly Comment on Other Blogs

Yet another failure. I did comment on other blogs, and I recently joined a social network (feel free to add me here) where I have been sharing links and interacting with a few other users, but I didn't complete my assigned task.

Looking at these goals, I have to say that I disappointed myself. Looking back at the month, however, I must say that it was an overall success and that my actions therein will open up new doors for me in the future. I will be recycling these goals next month with one modification: instead of trying to make $500 online, I only have to make an additional $500 by any legal means. I hope that you accomplished what you set out to do, and I wish you the best of luck next month. Let's finish the year strong.

Debate: P4P vs. PUA, Which Is More Alpha?

Recently, I came across a debate on a forum that I occasionally peruse whereon one side, some posters believe that it is more Alpha to pay for the company of a woman, while on the other side, some believe that it is more Alpha to go to PUA (pick up artist) bootcamps and utilize their tactics. Given my knowledge of what an Alpha Male is and my beliefs, it is never Alpha to have to pay in order to sleep with a woman. That is not to say that an Alpha does not ever pay, and that is not to say that we do not all pay in some way, whether it be time, money, or some other resource, but an Alpha should be able to score without paying a woman of the night.

On the other hand, most people that attend PUA classes do not reach the high levels of success that they dream of, and many end up right in the same position that they started from. Of course, some of this has to do with not putting in the right amount of work to improve their game, but some of it is due to the fact that the same tactics will not work for everyone, and also that no matter how good one's game is, there are limitations because there are some women that just won't bite for some men no matter what one does (that was a metaphor by the way). However, for the handful of people that do develop their game and find success using PUA methods, I suppose that this would be the better option.

From my perspective, if one finds it hopeless for them to get laid, it is probably better to just pay for it than to waste money on PUA lessons that are not guaranteed to get them anywhere. It is a greater evil to finance another man's lifestyle that will shit on them when one could pay the same money or less to get a sure shot of having it with a woman (that if paid enough might literally shit on them, if that turns them on).

Personally, I do not claim to be Alpha, but I would not want to pay for a woman (other than paying for a date or something along those lines). I do like to win, but there is just something off-putting about going the P4P (pay for play) route, so I do not indulge myself in it. I would not want to attend a PUA camp either though, especially if I had to come out of pocket for it, since I find it even worse to put another man on a pedestal and finance his lifestyle when mine is lacking, which is what I often see in the online PUA community (pretty “Beta” behavior, for lack of a better term). For this reason, paying women for sex wins this battle, although it cannot be classified as “winning.”

A Catalyst Alone is Not Enough

In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance that increases that rate at which a chemical reaction takes place. In our day-to-day lives (aside from the chemical reactions taking place in our bodies and all around us), a catalyst can also be a person, thing, or event that causes us to take action or change ourselves. Some can be negative, such as financial hard times or deaths of people close to us, while others can be positive, like reading a motivational book (or blog post by yours truly), or meeting a successful person that you want to emulate, and others still may be neutral (or could ebb towards positive and negative depending on one's perspective) such as religion or the goals that we set. A any rate, catalysts light fires under our asses to make changes in our lives that we deem necessary to advance.

Once you have found your catalyst (or it has found you) and the fire has been lit, do not think that your life is in the bag. It is going to be up to you to kindle the fire into an inferno of self-improvement and development. There are many people that satiate themselves in self-help material or prayer, then wonder why their lives are not improving at all. This can be due to "paralysis by analysis", fear, downright laziness, or other causes, but if this behavior persists, one will find themselves right back in another rut.

 A catalyst on its own will not cause a chemical reaction; reactants are needed. In the case of your personal development, the "reactants" will be your passions, your goals, your visions, your skills, your work, and any other factor that will contribute to your success. These aspects must be cultivated and put in motion in order to find success since it will not fall out of the sky for most people, despite how many self-help books you have read, or prayers you have sent up to GodJesus, the Bear, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or my personal favorite:

Wake Up: It's the First of the Month

It's the first of the month, and that means that it is time to reassess your goals. If you made any New Year's resolutions back in January, then you still have two months to get back on track and try to make those changes. Let's try to finish this year strong.

Use whichever tactics you find necessary to get your goals done. These can be affirmations, setting higher goals and falling short at your real goal (or maybe even reaching your lofty goals, you never know), tackling your objectives piecemeal, or whatever other methods you may have to keep your targets in mind and get things done.

My personal goals for this month are as follows:

Make $500 Online

This can be by freelancing, from ad revenue, or other means, as long as I make $500 or more. This money will go towards my travel to China next year and should not be touched for any other reason.

Read One Personal Development Book

I want to read at least one personal development book from cover to cover this month. It may be a shorter e-book, but I at least want to finish one as long as it provides information that can help me out in my life.

Blog at Least Once a Week

It looks like I am already off to a good start with this goal. I want to write at least one blog post per week, either on this blog, my fitness blog, or my tech and gaming blog.

Regularly Comment on Other Blogs

I hope to communicate more with other bloggers in my niches, so I will be commenting on more blogs this month. I plan to comment at least five times a week on different blogs.

I will be keeping these goals in mind all month and striving to accomplish them. I urge you to do the same, then reflect upon your progress at the end of the month. Let's finish strong, people.

Dating Chinese Women: Xi'an

After spending some time in Guangzhou and Changsha, I reported to work in Xi'an. Xi'an was not really as open as the other two cities in terms of social life from my perspective, and my "daygame" methods, which consisted of being spotted by a curious or intrigued female, or using the WeChat to find language exchange partners did not work well there. It seemed like the wall around the city was not the only wall, as most of the ladies that I encountered would stare at me, then put up a shield when I tried to make eye contact in return.

It was not until I started hitting the clubs that things turned around for me in terms of meeting approachable women. I only had two experiences that could actually be called "dates" in Xi'an, and neither of them ended with intimacy. I still had a decent time in the city overall, aside from the stares, filth, and shouts of hei gway, but I cannot say that it was a great place for me in terms of dating Chinese women (although it was a decent place for casual hookups in the club).

One of the clubs that I went to was relatively close to my job, so I would usually hang out in the area, then show up at the club about an hour after it opened. This club was relatively tame compared to some of the other venues that I would peruse in Xi'an, but I would still get free drinks, and occasionally, see a girl that I liked.

One night when I was doing my usual "be the only foreigner/person that dances normal in the club" routine, I was approached by a gentleman that wanted me to drink with him and his buddies at his table. They had a bottle of whiskey and a few bottles of iced tea, which seemed to be the favored drink at this particular establishment. I had a few drinks, after which, everyone wanted to take pictures with me. One of the girls in the group, we'll call her "D^2", coerced me to sit next to her. When I did not move quickly enough for her liking, she began yelling at me in Chinese, grabbed me, and tried to force me into the seat adjacent to her. Feisty; I liked it, despite feeling a bit uncomfortable.

After the pictures were taken, what D^2 did made me feel even more uncomfortable. She slipped her hand in my pants and began frigging me, yelling furiously at me in Chinese. At this point, I did not know what to do, but her friends took her away, apologized (like I needed an apology), and went on their way. Noticing that the spot was mostly a sausage-fest, I decided to retire for the night.

I ran into D^2 about a week later after coming home from a successful night at a different club, walking home with a couple of roses from a sweet young thing that refused to utilize KTV rooms for the singing that they were made for. She recognized me and we had a small conversation, exchanging WeChat information. Another week passes by, and we are setting up a night out going clubbing and having dinner.

Long story short, all that I got out of this "date" was a few more free drinks and some dancing. I had a good time, but I did not seal the deal, nor did I even get the dinner. D^2 bid farewell and entered her taxi. I had a fun night out and I still chat to her from time to time though.

Dating Chinese Women: Changsha

The city of Changsha is the capital of Hunan Province, the city where Chairman Mao converted to communism, and home of many prestigious universities among other things. The food is delicious, and the ladies are even more so! Going to Changsha during the summer was a real treat for me, and I ended up spending five days there rather than the three days that I had initially planned due to a train ticket mistake. Looking back at my experiences in that city, I certainly cannot complain.

My most memorable date in Changsha was with a girl that we will call "V". I met her on WeChat using the "Look Around" function one evening when I was bored. To my surprise, I had several greetings from people in my area; hers was the one that stood out the most. We chatted for a bit, and I learned that she was a senior at one of the city's universities. I tried to set up a language exchange that night, but since she was busy, she agreed to meet me the next day.

She did not flake on our meeting, and showed up at the nearby McDonald's just as we had planned. McDonald's is not the kind of food to have a language exchange over, despite cultural imperialism and all of that rot, so "V" took me to a restaurant that specialized in Hunan cuisine. We shared an incredibly spicy dish (paid for by "V") while holding a conversation about life, travel, and music. It occurred to me that "V" had a particular interest in Black men, but unlike Japanese women that I have dated in the past, she seemed more interested in me as a person than what entertaining stereotypes I could live up to.

It started to rain hard that night, and "V" did not want to stay out too late, though she wanted to spend more time with me. I suggested for us to continue our language exchange (or rather English lesson, since I only learned how to properly pronounce the number 6 in Chinese) in my hotel room. "V" lost her interest in studying English, and wanted to study something else.

Changsha was probably the best city for me when it came to dating Chinese women, and all of the delicious restaurants there give plenty of options for setting up restaurant dates. Changsha would certainly be a place that I would want to work when I go back to China if I can find a good gym there. Next week, I will talk about one of my experiences dating in Xi'an. You may also want to go back and read about my experience dating in Guangzhou.

Lessons from China: Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Although I failed to learn Chinese during my stint in China over the summer, I did learn and relearn some important life lessons there. The most important lesson that I learned was that one must leave their comfort zone in order to unveil and capitalize off of opportunities.

This does not mean that one has to leap directly into the danger zone, but taking a few steps outside of the box, especially for starters, can open up new worlds. In my case, going to China in the first place was a step outside of my comfort zones of Japan and the United States (comfortably numb in the case of the latter). The next step was to open up to people, despite language barriers and racial barriers (both real and perceived).

The Danger Zone

This somewhat more outgoing approach to life lead to numerous opportunities (mostly chances to drink or get laid, but I won't complain about that), and numerous friendships that may develop into more profitable relationships in the future. In order to profit, one must be able to reach people, and one way to reach people is to venture out into the world and get to know people.

Of equal, or perhaps greater importance is stepping outside of your mental comfort zone. Many people have been mentally conditioned for failure for a variety of reasons. Some of us have been so thoroughly conditioned that failure becomes a habit. We seek sources to justify our failures, such as sob forums like the now-defunct PUAHate, and consistently put ourselves down, making our lives even more miserable and the lives of our competitors easier. This is a habit that I am trying to cast off completely.

This is not to say that life does not have obstacles, but if we do not take that step forward, we will never be able to surmount the obstructions that life may throw at us, instead staying stagnant as life passes us by. In order to change my mindset, I have begun a program of serious study. This includes studying those that have succeeded in realms that I wish to succeed in, as well as reflecting on my past experiences and comparing notes with those in similar situations that are seeking solutions to common problems.

I have not reached all of my short-term goals yet, but I am a few steps closer to doing so. I am also more open to and aware of opportunities that present themselves. I hope that those of you reading this are willing to take that first step out of the comfort zone towards your objectives.

Excerpts from Xi'an: Up in the Club

This is yet another semi-response to a post found on VoyageToAsia. The author there talks about things that he does in China that he does not do in the United States. One of the items on his list is clubbing, which is a commonality since I only go clubbing in China (and Japan; I hope to hit the club at least once in Taiwan too in the future).

Of course, the most obvious reason why I like to go to the clubs in Asia, and seldom go in America is the women. I have a penchant for Northeast Asian girls, and really do not find American women of any race to be attractive. Also, despite anti-Black racism in the Asian dating scene, I find Asian women much easier to vibe with than Western women. There are a few other reasons why I prefer clubbing in Asia to clubbing in America though:

Free Drinks for the Foreigner

There was a stint in Xi'an where I was going to the club every night, in part just to get free drinks. Just about every night I went out I would get free drinks just for showing up and doing a few dance moves. If I just wanted to get buzzed for free, I could hit the club, drink on someone else's tab, and maybe make a few friends.

Nobody's Throwing Bows

In America, we always hear about people getting beaten, shot up, or stabbed in the club. There is no way I'm going to come out of pocket to have a slim chance to dance with women I'm not attracted to and risk being the victim of violence by some faux-Alpha that wants to impress his girl. Yes, violence has happened in Asian clubs, but is is far less common. Usually, the only holes I have to worry about going home with are those of a pretty young thang, not a 9mm.

Relaxed Dress Codes

With regards to foreigners, at least, we can show up looking like slobs and still get VIP treatment. Of course, this applies mainly to White guys, and there are clubs where Black guys or foreigners aren't even allowed in (although I never encountered that), but I got away dressing down when hitting the clubs. It felt good to stroll into the club for free with shorts and a plain white tee, whereas in America I'd probably be ushered away due to the dress codes. This probably varies from club-to-club, but in general, dress codes have never been an issue in my observation.

People Still Like to Have Fun

There are quite a few clubs in China where people will only interact with their own group of friends, and clubs where people are indulged in taking selfies, but there seems to be a higher ratio of people that just want to have a good time. In the States, people just seem to want to look cool or act tough, but in Asia club-goers seem to be a lot friendlier.

As always, your mileage may vary, but those are my reasons.

Excerpts from Xi'an (Abridged): Living

I'm going to be posting some memoirs from my time in Xi'an, China this summer. In order to avoid becoming the next ChinaBounder, I'll be leaving out some of the good parts, at least on this public blog. I also don't want to bore you too much with rambling, so I'll try to keep it as short as possible.

I arrived in Xi'an on July 12th, two days later than I had anticipated since I didn't get the right date on my train ticket from Changsha. I was initially impressed by the layout of the city, as well as the cleaner appearance compared to the cities that I had visited in southern China. I would later find out that this wasn't the case, but the initial grandeur gave me a good impression of the city to begin from.

The honeymoon ended the very next day when I realized that people were staring at me. In retrospect, some of it probably was curiosity, but everything that I had read about racism in China, as well as the hostile facial expressions worn by the denizens of Xi'an in comparison to the milder facial expressions and smiles of Guangzhou and Changsha residents made me feel like I wasn't welcome. To make matters worse, there was constant spitting, and given how close my hosts' nasty projectiles landed to my feet made me realize that many people indeed wanted me to leave their city.

This treatment led me to hunkering down in my filthy apartment while avoiding contact with others, aside from work. Work itself was enjoyable. Interactions with my students and coworkers were the high points of my time in Xi'an until I decided to take more chances. I appreciated my students and coworkers, and they will always have a place in my memories, but outside of work, I was a loner. This is partially due to my position in the social dynamic, but I realize now that it truly is my nature. That isn't to say that I do not like to interact with others (especially beautiful women), but I do enjoy my time to myself.

What else did I learn?

Bring More Money than You Think You'll Need

It's not a good thing to go broke in a foreign country. I made the mistake of taking a local friend's word when it came to prices. As a foreigner getting set up, things are going to be more expensive than they would be for an established local (especially an established local that does not seem to value cleanliness). Also, a lot of the information that one may read online is old and prices have increased since then. Assume that things are going to be expensive, and if you find things to be cheaper than expected, at least you have savings to fall back on.

Use the Environment to Your Advantage

This could be the physical environment or the social environment. Down in Changsha, being an English speaker made me more valuable. People seemed to be more curious and open-minded about foreigners, including Black Americans. I was able to segue language exchanges into dinners and more. In Xi'an, this was not the case. However, when I didn't have enough money to get food, I was able to survive off of free samples at the local supermarket. The ladies there warmed up to me after seeing me every day, and would essentially give me full meals as "samples" in exchange for the chance to practice English on a foreigner.

If I needed to get hydrated, I'd have to wait until the night. Going to the club became a regular part of my daily schedule, and I would always meet a group of Chinese people that wanted to welcome me to their country, found me interesting, or just wanted to get a foreigner drunk. Just about every time I went out, I'd get free drinks, and occasionally I would get lucky with a Chinese girl (or two). I found Xi'an to be a lot friendlier at night than during the day.

Deal with Discomfort

I am the type of person that likes comfort, security, and luxury, but these things are not always guaranteed. I wouldn't want to live in harsh or filthy conditions indefinitely, but if it pays off, it might be worth dealing with. I learned that I can live without many of the comforts that I indulged myself with in America, and I have found myself being more efficient with my time and money. Looking back on it, I probably should have stayed for a year, then worked my way up to more comfortable living conditions. At least I have learned things that will help me the next time that I go to China, as well as with life in general.

I'll talk about some of my other experiences when I get around to it. Right now, I'm trying to build my funds, muscles, and skillset back up so that I can be a better person next time I visit the Middle Kingdom.