Exactly a year today we got on a flight and left America, with just three big suitcases and a small suitcase for the three of us! Since then, we have experienced so many new things, but the most precious of all is all the people that we have come across, whom we would have never met!
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai is such a beautiful city! I can still see the rolling hills, the green paddy fields, feel the warm sun rays, taste the endless selections of fresh fruit… I miss the unhurried pace of life.
Mr. Li is actually from Zhongshan, but has spent many years in Thailand building a string of successful businesses. He’s now building a new business in the Greater Mekong Subregion. He has been generous with his help since even before our arrival in Thailand, having never met us in person before! He and Mrs. Li and their son are all so nice. What touched me the most, is that when I felt stupid for being conned ¥10,000 (~$1,600) shortly after our arrival in China, he told me that I shouldn’t feel stupid, but instead I should continue to treasure and protect that pureness of heart.
R. is the manager of the spa resort during our first few weeks in Thailand. He was professional cyclist from the U.K., then a personal trainer, then a penniless yogi in India. On one of his trips back to Thailand, he met this beautiful woman in a train station whom he married later. Now they live with their son in Chiang Mai. He is so laid back!
P. is a Thai lady that is in charge of PTIS’ restaurants, hotels, spa, and properties. She lived in Australia for many years and used to manage the hotels there. She is such a nice lady and she is smitten with Sam.
L. is the tennis coach in PTIS. He is from a minority tribe in Myanmar. When the missionary left his area as a kid, all he was left with was an old tennis racket. From there, he managed to become the national tennis champion in Myanmar, with his entire tribe’s support who pooled money to help him. He ended up receiving more training in Japan and has devoted his life to tennis.
D. is a veterinarian who’s been devoting her life to wildlife animals. Every month, she seems to be somewhere in Nepal, in Singapore, in somewhere dealing with some wild tigers etc. Her husband D. retired after having spent many years in Hong Kong working in international finance. They came to Chiang Mai (from Montana), around the same time we did. Their kids went to PTIS and Sam got along with them well.
Jim left U.K. at the age of 53, after many years working in financial services, and went to South Africa. He is now semi-retired, in Chiang Mai (see his blog: http://jamoroki.com). He is sweet, gentle, and young at heart!
Zhongshan, China
Zhongshan is such a sleepy little city by Chinese standards (its population is around 2 millions by official counts). There are about 5,000 foreigners living here, with the majority being Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese from Hong Kong and Taiwan. With big cities like Shanghai and Beijing, you don’t think twice about seeing a foreigner. With a third-tier city like Zhongshan, I always wonder how these people end up there. Their stories fascinate me.
J. and M. are sisters from Russia. They run the little cafe close to us where a lot of foreigners from our development go and hang out. They are very friendly, and always full of information whenever we ask a question, everything from taxi drivers to international schools. They have made our transition to China a lot easier! They are now opening a second restaurant close by.
M. and C. are Mr. Li’s friends. They live in Kaiyin as well. They are retired and they have given us numerous help during our first few months in Zhongshan. They ran us everywhere, from the local Notary to the car dealerships, to the Immigration bureau, and countless others. They are gentle, good-natured, generous, patient. Their son E. went to the same school as Sam, and now they are ready to start their own adventure! Actually, M. went to Seattle a few weeks ago, and C. and E. are going to leave in just a few days so that E. can go to high school in America! Adjusting to America for them is probably a little easier than adjusting to Zhongshan for us, but nonetheless, it takes a lot of courage. Best of luck to them.
C. is the daughter of M. & C.. She used to study in a boarding high school in Atlanta in America. After 9/11, she completed her studies in China, and now works for a hotel in Macau. Her boyfriend J. is an international business lawyer in Macau who came from Portugal originally. When we visited Macau weeks ago, they showed us the ultimate yummy Portuguese egg tarts, the disappearing harbor, and the quaint little cafe with the best coffee in Macau!
P. and R. are from Singapore. R. is in charge of a marina-building residential project in Zhongshan and will be here for a few years. Their son and daughter go to the same school as Sam. The two girls just love to play with each other and constantly ask for playdates.
N. came from the ghetto is America, but managed to pull himself together, and ended up teaching English in Zhongshan, and selling specialized signs online. He is married a Chinese girl. They have a 3-year old daughter. He’s now managing a party popper manufacturing company, but still sells his signs and does private tutoring. He is one hard-working man!
H. is Sam’s tennis coach. He was born in Taiwan but moved to Texas since he was 4. He studied computer science and worked in that industry for a while, but his passion is tennis, so he’s been in Zhongshan for the last ten years building his tennis coaching business. He’s very much tied into the pro-tennis circuit and works extremely hard (too hard).
S. is one of H.’s coaches, also from Texas. He used to coach Andy Roddick since Andy was a kid. A few years ago, it came to him in a dream that he should moved to China, so he got hook up with H. and moved here. He coached Sam for quite a few sessions and the two got along really well. They talked everything from tennis to rock and roll. Unfortunately, he’s now back in the U.S. for an operation. Hopefully, we’ll see him back here soon.
G. sold a successful business in the U.K. and now owns a 3-D prototyping company in Zhongshan. I never quite got the story of how he ended up here.
P. is from the same area in U.K. as Gary. He worked in a cruise ship before, then went to West Africa, met a Chinese girl M. (from Guangzhou), and a week later, they got married! They lived in the U.K. for many years, and now they are in Zhongshan with their young son. They own a software company with their partner S.
S. was born in Zhongshan but left for Australia since he was 4. Now many years later, he’s married to V. from Hong Kong, whom he met when she was studying in Australia. They also spent some years living in the U.K. but have moved to Zhongshan for the last few years. S. can speak Chinese but not read, so he’s managed to memorize the character for beef in Chinese. Whenever he’s in a restaurant by himself, he would look for something with “beef” in it because the waitresses would otherwise be very impatient with him as they expect him to read the menu himself and not ask questions on what’s available.
J. and D. are from Huntsville, Alabama. D. used to work in the company finance area. A few years ago, they adopted a girl from China, and that just changed their world completely! They have since been devoting their lives to running this non-profit foster home, first in Beijing, and now in Zhongshan. Every day, they try to save sick and disabled orphans, and try to find them a good family for adoption. They are very special people.
The stories are endless. Years ago when I was a little kid, I read this book by a famous Chinese writer called 艺海拾贝, which roughly translates to picking up seashells (or treasures) from the sea of literature. I feel like that we have been transported to brand new beaches, discovering beautiful seashells in these new seas of people. Happy Anniversary to us!
A Journey of Many Thousand Miles 