The first place I lived abroad was in Kumamoto, Japan. Click here for the Wikipedia entry on Kumamoto. Kumamoto is a wonderful place. In my estimation, it's a hidden gem of Japan. It's the southern island of Kyushu and is hot and humid in the summer with cold, but not unbearable winters. It's a big, modern city, but the nature surrounding it is stunning. The Amakusa Island chain is also a short drive and is beautiful. Great food, lovely people, and wonderful nature makes Kumamoto a place in Japan not to be missed. And in my humble opinion, Japan is a country that every human being should see before he/she dies.
The second place I lived abroad was in Jilin, China. Click here for the Wikipedia page on Jilin. Jilin is, in my opinion, an authentic Chinese throwback to Chairman Mao's China. It's industrial and during the winter, thick layers of smoke fill the air due to the coal burning furnaces in every building. It's not like Beijing and Shanghai, which are as modern as any city in the world. Northeast China is still developing and it's evident. Much of the Communist style block apartments still exist and relics of the Cultural Revolution are still visible. Winter in Jilin is not for the faint of heart as temperatures routinely get as low as -20 Celsius. The people in Jilin are wonderful and most are very interested in foreigners because they rarely if ever encounter one in person. I loved my time here and miss China very much.
The last place I lived abroad was in Nha Trang, Vietnam with 3 months in Australia and 2 months in America sandwiched in. Click here for the Wikipedia page on Nha Trang. Vietnam is a beautiful country with excellent food, beautiful beaches, awesome mountains, and friendly, warm people. Unfortunately, most Americans can only think of the war when Vietnam is mentioned, but I can assure you that the Vietnamese have moved on from the war and view people on an individual basis, not on what country they are from. I love my life here as I get to go to the beach everyday, teach wonderful people, and make friends easily. Nha Trang is a town centered on tourism, so I have met people from over 30 countries and I have even met some Chinese and Japanese visitors that I was able to speak to in their languages. Nha Trang is not first world by any means, but it's got first rate people and beautiful scenery and that's good enough for me.
Socal now!
