Changes in China
Added 2016-01-10 09:05:35 +0000 UTCChina in 2008 was not the place it is now.
When I first got here, there were hardly cars on some of the roads.
Entire places in the city (Huizhou) didn't even exist.
I can drive around areas that were totally farmland, but are now skyscrapers.
In my city alone, the population has gone from 2 million, to 5 million, in 7 years.
It's hard to explain, and you have to be here to actually understand what shocking growth this is.
Is it going to keep going?
I'm not sure.
But what I do know is that I miss being able to see the mountains (they are blocked by hundreds of empty apartment buildings)
I miss the friendly locals that you could bond with (mostly outside province folk now).
I miss hearing the local language (despite not understanding it)
I miss being able to go to crazy and random villages just by riding 5 minutes outside of the city.
I miss paying 1 dollar for lunch (more like 10 dollars now)
I miss when a beer in a club meant 12 beers.
I miss using carrying an actual dictionary in my pocket.
I miss the struggles with the language that gave life that extra bit of exoticism.
I miss the bewildered stares of Chinese people who were not quite sure where or what I came from.
I miss getting lost.
Maybe it's not China that is changing so much.
It's me...
Comments
Yeah, but there was something to it haha. It helped me remember words a little better. Now it is so convenient to translate everything and not commit it to memory. Thanks man!
laowhy86
2016-01-16 05:11:02 +0000 UTCI would have loved to be here in 1986. Must've been crazy!!!
laowhy86
2016-01-16 05:10:21 +0000 UTCThe dictionary thing is horrible, I'm glad we can leave that behind... Nice list though!
Mark
2016-01-11 22:37:33 +0000 UTC
