To begin, here’s a little bit about me: I’m 27, I graduated from university two years ago, I’ve been working as an R&D engineer ever since then, moved in with my girlfriend last year, and my blogging adventure started just a few months ago. I joined the Yakezie not long after that.
Hearing all of these thank yous must get tiresome after a while, Sam, but I need to say it: Thanks for starting such a cool community, and thanks, everyone, for making the Yakezie great!
The beginning: My own background
My early childhood was tumultuous, and I never stayed in a single location for more than a couple of years. There were family feuds, bankruptcies, and a divorce + death in the family when I was very young. It wasn’t a great time overall, but we were helped out a lot by my grandmother, and I learned some important things over the years.
The first important lesson I learned is: nobody gets to choose their starting circumstances. It is unfair, but it suffices to say that with six billion people on the planet and the randomness of life, the odds are against being born into bliss.
Nonetheless, I still consider myself extremely lucky to have been born in North America. I consider myself to be very fortunate in terms of the chances, opportunities, and help that I’ve been given, and perhaps these hardships only helped me to appreciate it that much more. The second lesson I learned is: it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from: you can make a real difference in this world, and in someone’s life.
I was introduced to the game of poker a few years ago, and I’ve been able to draw a lot of parallels between the game and life. The way I look at it is that everyone is born with a different poker hand. We don’t get to choose the starting hand, but we can choose how we can play it, and we can even influence the outcome of the hand. As my fellow blogger Barbara Friedberg has also said, “there is no point in getting frustrated over the things that you cannot control”. It’s better to focus on what you can control and change.
My journey
My own interest in personal finance started when I started going to college. I spent my college and university years living on my own and paying the majority of my own expenses. When I started out on my own, I didn’t know much about managing my own money, and I didn’t know anything about finance. I was very lucky to have some help from my grandmother when it came to tuition expenses, but I had to make up the rest myself.
I worked part-time to support myself during these years, but I didn’t practice the best habits: The money went out as fast as it came in. I bought myself a new car after going through a couple of $500 beaters, spent more money on fun and various things, and I often found myself in over my head. I was putting myself into debt when I should have been saving my money and building my future, instead.
I had friends at the time that somehow managed to max out two credit cards, and were in the process of consolidating their debt onto another credit card. I knew people that had made the mistake of taking out 2+ mortgages on their home and then spent all of the money, and were in the process of going bankrupt. By observing and learning from these experiences, I learned valuable life lessons for my own future.
I met my girlfriend in college, and she introduced me to a different set of values on money and life that I had not been highly exposed to before. She personified in her own family just how successful one could be through hard work, dedication, and perseverance. There is a saying that exists in many cultures that if you want to know who someone is, look at who is around them. I believe this works in more ways than one. With a good example to look up to, I was increasingly motivated to start turning my own situation around, and I started to put some money aside as savings. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Here is the next life lesson I learned: if you want to improve yourself, surround yourself with people better than you; people you can look up to.
I left the country to go on an exchange trip to South Korea in 2007. It was the first time I had left the country since maybe 6 or 7 years old, and it was the first time I had ever been so far away from home. It would be an understatement to say that it was an incredibly eye-opening experience. I discovered just how different cultural values and the way of doing things could be, and found that I could learn a lot from that. The Asians are all very focused on saving and investing, not only in terms of money, but also in terms of investing in your self. I learned to look beyond my own local bubble, and I lost much of my pre-existing bias regarding the superiority of the Western way of life that I had had up till then. The lesson I learned from this is: you can become a broader and deeper thinker by exposing yourself to different cultures and ideas.
Why I started to blog
I became significantly more interested in finance and economics following the meltdown of 2008. I was very curious, and it didn’t make sense to me. I began to do a lot of reading, and through that, I was exposed to many new ideas about money, politics, and the western way of living. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore; it was like I had been living in a cave all of that time, and I finally saw what was outside. I had swallowed the red pill.
As time went by, I realized just how little I actually knew about the world, and I realized how much there is to learn out there. Once again, I went back to the idea that if you surround yourself with people better than yourself, you can become better, too. I met new friends over the years that were examples I could learn from and look up to. One of these friends, Mich, would often have interesting commentary on the markets and on his trades. We would talk almost every day, and I thought that it would be great if he started publishing his thoughts to the world at large, to share them and validate them with others. I encouraged him to start his own blog, Beating the Index, and while I was helping him get started, my own interest in blogging grew. I decided to start my own blog, and that’s how Invest It Wisely was born.
Where I’m at today
I finally graduated university in 2008, and with a full-time job, I’ve been able to focus more on saving for the future. One of my dreams is to get out of the rat race, but like Jesse from PFfirewall, retirement doesn’t necessarily mean I want to sit on my ass and do nothing. Instead, it means that I’ll have the freedom to work on my own terms, without worrying about whether I’ll make enough money to pay off the bills.
Me and my girlfriend recently bought a place together; I’m not completely sure it’s well-advised given the continued potential for economic storms, but there needs to be a balance to life: we can’t spend all of our time wondering if the sky’s going to fall! I know that as far as we go, we made the right choice together.
Blogging has been a really great experience for me. I have learned from so many different perspectives, and my eyes have been opened even more. Having access to people from so many different cultures and backgrounds really shows how situations are different, and also how you can learn from the wisdom of each fellow blogger and reader. If you want to improve your own understanding of something, start writing about it and share it with others.
Why I joined the Yakezie
During my blogging adventures, I kept seeing this golden flower on different sites with the words “Proud member of the Yakezie challenge.” I kept wondering what this was, and I eventually clicked on one of the badges to find out more. I read the entire post, read the comments, then I read the one month update, and I liked what I had read so far. It seemed like a pretty cool community, and it felt like something I would also be proud to be a part of, so I put up the badge and the joining post, and a new adventure started!
As it has turned out, the Yakezie happens to be a very wise and generous community of fellow bloggers, and I have really enjoyed the interactions that we’ve had along the way. I know that I’ve said it before, Sam, but you really started something cool with the Yakezie.
The future
One of the themes I’ve touched on in my blog is the theme of “life expectation”. “Expectation” and “expected value” are terms that I’ve borrowed from poker, and the meaning behind this is that everything we do in life should make our lives better, not worse. Everything that we do today has an impact on the future, and affects how much value we get out of our lives.
In my personal life, I will be continuing Mandarin Chinese courses in the fall, and I am taking a more proactive approach when it comes to my own physical and mental health. Graduate school will come sometime in the not too far future, as well. I am always a little envious when I read about fellow bloggers with children; it would be a lot of work to raise kids with everything else going on, but I think we would both be loving parents and the rewards would be worth it. This will be something else to consider more seriously as time goes on, along with officially tying the knot and all of those other things that are a part of growing up and starting a life together.
My plans for Invest It Wisely are to continue improving my writing skills and the quality of my content, and also work on improving my marketing skills. My goals are to continue increasing my visitors and reach, and I eventually want to start looking at monetization. I have already had a few offers, but I don’t want my income to come from less than legit sources. I don’t want to nip my site in the bud in exchange for a few quick bucks!
I have read from those of you who give to charity, and I don’t think I am doing enough there. Giving money away is an important part of charity, but I am more of a doer, and I would like to go back overseas someday and get involved in some hands-on work, perhaps as part of an organization that helps to build homes or delivers help and capital where it is most needed. Giving money away helps, but it’s also impersonal. My life has already been changed by seeing in person what true poverty is like, and seeing as how I have it so good in comparison, I feel that I need to do more. I look up highly to those among us that are doing more, around the world.
One of the great things about the Internet and about blogging is that it’s very easy for information to flow both ways. I have learned a lot from you guys, and I’ve benefited from the many discussions that we’ve had with each other. You guys inspire me.
I look forward to the growth of the Yakezie, because I believe that we can all learn something from each other, and that we can all grow as a result. I know that we can do great things together, and that we can also share these great things with others. It’s a win-win situation, and I can honestly say that I’m proud to join company with you guys. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone else, and here’s to the Yakezie’s continued success!
You can also build your own fund by yourself for only $9.95 with Motif Investing. They are the most innovative financial tech company in 2015 according to Fast company!
-Kevin @ InvestItWisely
P.S. If you would like to read more, here are a couplemost popular articles of all-time, as voted by you, the reader:
Kevin, great story of overcoming obstacles and making the best of difficult circumstances.
“If you want to improve your own understanding of something, start writing about it and share it with others.” I totally agree, I feel the same way with some of the things I write about as well. That’s a great point.
Nice job.
Hey Jason, you weren’t caught in spam hell, were you? ;)
I read a small stanza somewhere… “teaching is mastering”. In writing, we are in essence trying to teach others what we know, but at the same time, doing so increases our own mastery of the subject. It definitely helps to improve one’s understanding of something, especially through the two-way discourse that follows on a blog.
Ha ha! I sure was…and still am (at least I think so since Akismet has yet to get back to me!!)
Kevin, great story! I agree totally, that we would all benefit from visiting other cultures. It is an eye opening experience to see how others live. There are a lot of happy people in the world who don’t have a new car, fancy home, or an iPad. What they do have is family, friends, and faith.
Those who haven’t traveled would benefit from doing so. It is worth the investment.
Thanks for sharing and good luck in your adventures and plans!
Exposing oneself to different cultures around the world really broadens the mind. It shows that we have it pretty good, and you’re right, you don’t really need to spend a ton of money to find happiness and joy in this world!
Great post Kevin! I really like the poker analogy of doing the best you can with the hand you’re dealt.
Poker is pretty cool. I’m not a pro at it or anything, but I’ve learned quite a few things from playing that translate pretty well to life, and vice versa!
Kevin,
Thanks for your candor in sharing your own story. Through Yakezie, I feel like I already know you some, but this post filled a lot of gaps. Your penchant for seeing more of the world is (in my opinion) a personal metaphor for your life journey. You are stretching yourself educationally (studying Mandarin Chinese and maybe graduate school) , relationally (hint of wedding bells some day) and with your blog (plans to better your writing and marketing).
I appreciate your input and involvement in Yakezie. You are a great team mate.
Kevin,
Thanks for your candor in sharing your own story. Through Yakezie, I feel like I already know you some, but this post filled a lot of gaps. Your penchant for seeing more of the world is (in my opinion) a personal metaphor for your life journey. You are stretching yourself educationally (studying Mandarin Chinese and maybe graduate school) , relationally (hint of wedding bells some day) and with your blog (plans to better your writing and marketing).
I appreciate your input and involvement in Yakezie. You are a great team mate.
Hey Joe,
That’s a pretty interesting way of looking at it. I believe in continual growth and challenge, although I sometimes have to kick myself out of complacency ;) I’ve also enjoyed the dialogues that we’ve had together, and congrats again on the new addition to your family! As I said to Khaleef, that’s where your true wealth lies!
“if you want to improve yourself, surround yourself with people better than you; people you can look up to.”
That is so true and so important in developing as a person. You need to challenge yourself and surround yourself with people who will help you build your values. I think this is why being in the Yakezie is so beneficial.
Great story!
I completely agree. I’ve really benefited from being a part of the Yakezie, and what’s more, I feel that it’s been a mutual benefit all around. Just like misery likes company, the opposite is true as well: success builds off of success!
Great post Kevin! It is so true that we are lucky to be born in North America, and that people are born into all different kinds of circumstances. It is up to us to make the best of the hand we are dealt, that is for sure.
I envy the fact you have been exposed to other cultures, as I have only traveled the US and Canada. Different perspectives can definitely open your eyes, and really make you think about how you live your own life. One day I will get to travel, but that is still a few years out.
Keep on writing!
Kris
Hi Kris,
I hope the day isn’t too far out for you! I was able to travel to South Korea when I didn’t have much money saved up; for many of these countries, the most expensive part of the travel is the flight. If you don’t mind backpacking around a bit, you can live in those areas very cheaply. Even if you book hotels, you can find decent ones for only a couple of 20s a day.
If you can save up the vacation time, I recommend you go for a month or more and explore, so you can really dip your toes in the culture. As long as you avoid the tourist traps, I guarantee you won’t regret it.
Great Story, Kevin! It’s fun to see the different reasons that people have come to the blogging world and also to the world of personal finance.
Yep, we’ve all had our own paths that have brought us here together. I find it so cool how the Internet can connect people from all around the world like that…
Hey Kevin, Very interesting story! And you are so right about how lucky we are to be born into a society where we don’t have to worry about whether the drinking water is safe or whether we’ll be able to eat tomorrow.
I didn’t know you were a poker player too. I always make my poker analogies to taking calculated risks in order to reap rewards. Something every blogger and entrepreneur must do! Short term variance (luck) is eventually over-ruled by a +EV (positive expected value) move in the long run. Give me any topic and I can come up with a poker analogy for you!
Nice! Have you ever played on a semi-professional level? I find the bankroll analogy to be pretty useful when it comes to investing. The reason we don’t put all our eggs in one basket (or go all-in with our entire bankroll) is cause even if we’re right, things can still go bad that are out of our control (luck), and then your entire stash is gone… then it’s back to the penny tables ;)
Never played professionally, but consider myself moderately successful at the game, and I know my limitations. And I did play in the WSOP ME last year. Lasted about 3.5 days, just short of the bubble, but one of the best weeks of my life!
You played in the main event? That is really cool… did you end up playing against any of the big names?
Thanks again Kevin for all the encouragement and help, i am glad blogging was contagious in your case :)
The journey’s just beginning, Mich! ;)
Hey Kevin, thanks for sharing your story! It sounds like the time you spent overseas had a great impact on you. Any plans on moving to Asia permanently after “retirement”?
I really don’t know. Aside from my travel experiences, I’ve been living in the same area all my life, so I’m tied down in one sense, but I don’t want to be tied down. I feel there are so many more opportunities out there if you are willing to haul up the anchor and set sail. I would certainly like to spend some more time there, really living there, and not just for a few weeks of vacation.
It’s wonderful hearing your story; where you started out, what motivates you, and how you are on an never-ending quest to better yourself. I think it’s terrific that you’re continually turning life experiences into learning experiences. Great to get to know you better, Kevin!
Thanks, and great job on getting the staff position at Wise Bread!
Hey Kevin, been great getting to know you throughout the challenge so far and really cool to read your story.
My childhood did not gleam of perfection either. We have two choices in life, sink or swim. Some of us are wearing no clothes when we are thrown in the water and some of us are equipped with full army kit……. Whatever happens we can all come out swimming if we put our effort in the right places and swim with people who will help us float.
My early adult life was a financial mess and although I am not on the same path as you with investments and things I am on a good financial path….. Things will turn out right with the right attitude.
I believe that so long as one has health, a proper mind, and time, any situation can be turned around. I also believe that we live in a unique time, since there’s a real chance that many if not most diseases and disorders are going to be cured within our lifetimes. With time on your side, I think it really comes down to your attitude and will to survive. With the right attitude, and a little bit of luck, you can succeed!
Glad to see that you turned things around too, Forest, and keep pushing hard on that insanity challenge!
Thanks for the introduction! Good luck with your goals – I look forward to seeing how far the Yakezie will go!
It looks like it’s really taking off! Congrats on your excellent progress in Alexa up until now… looking forward to 50k!
Relating to being inspired by others, some years ago I was introduced to and inspired by
the term “Financial Wellness”. It represented a somewhat different perspective on “things”
material and things financial. Like physical wellness it embodies many elements and serves to clear one’s vision so as to see many before unseen or unrecognized opportunities in life.
I am fortunate to have been so inspired.
Well, I’ll admit this is a pretty clever solicitation ;)
Wonderful story Kevin! I think I am blessed to have born in a third world country. Yes, blessed. It makes me appreciate what we have in the US a LOT. So I totally agree with you that everyone should travel more and see how others live.
Great to get to know you better!
You aren’t from Sri Lanka by any chance? I know a guy from there whose family is now spread between the UK and Canada, and I’m impressed with how successful they are. I think many people from areas where things don’t come so easily tend to be more entrepreneurial and they seize opportunities that others miss. Looking forward to seeing Wealth Informatics continue to grow!
Close :) from India!
That’s one part of the world I definitely have to visit someday, too!
Great Post Kevin. Really cool that you’re taking mandarin. Have you been taking courses at the rate of 1 or 2 a year since you graduated school, or did you have a period of time where you did not take any courses?
Hi Jeff. Mandarin is actually not as hard as it sounds. Memorizing the characters is a pain, yes, but the grammar is actually very simple and logical!
Come to think of it, I’ve taken a course every semester since I graduated except the summers and the fall of 2009. I haven’t felt like a student since I graduated in Spring 2008, but I guess I’ve been one of sorts!
Excellent post, thanks for sharing an introspective introduction.
You mention kids – I can tell you, they’re awesome. Best thing to happen to me. Also, I too agree with the idea of learning of other cultures. About 20 years ago, I visited China for over 3 weeks as part of a school program. Much different times than now! Coming from suburban Chicago, it was quite an eye opener, especially for a younger person. While I’m glad I’m living here in North America, I can appreciate having seen a very different culture up close.
Nice! Yeah, I can’t even imagine the changes that have taken place from the late 80s/early 90s to today! It’s incredible how fast the east is changing, and how quickly they are rising up. That must have been a really interesting experience… I didn’t know China was as open to foreigners back then, how did you have the opportunity?
[…] Were you ever curious about why I started blogging, where I come from, and where I want to go next? I reveal all of that and more in today’s Yakezie Member Post. Check it out! […]
Wow great write up about yourself, I really enjoyed reading this! I just realized that these existed here, I’m looking forward to learning more about other PF bloggers who I see all the time!
Thanks, and good luck on reaching 800+!
Wow, you and I have some similarities in why we are blogging. I’m the same as you with respect to blogging helps me keep my eye on the ole financial ball. But mostly, I’m blogging to enhance my communications skills too. Surprisingly, since blogging, I’ve discovered that not only can I write better… I also communicate verbally more coherently too.
I feel like the Yakezie group is much like a family of perfectly positive members! I’ve discovered bloggers that almost are a reflection of the way I think (or perhaps I’m a reflection of how they think…).
Thanks for the great writeup on your history, I feel like I know you that much more!
I’ve also noticed that I’ve become a little bit better at communicating by writing and engaging in conversations with the readers. I don’t do much talking or writing (other than code) in my day job, so it helps to keep my thoughts flowing coherently!
Kevin,
Excellent member post, and way to share with us your journey! I agree regarding cultural immersion. We need to go out there and see the world, learn another language, and embrace other ways of doing.
Great job focusing on Chinese. Definitely the most important growing language of business in the world with China’s superpower emergence. What field are you thinking about for graduate school and where?
I like the idea of doing something to give back as well, instead of just giving money.
Very good of you to provide shoutouts to Barb, and to Jesse!
Cheers,
Sam
For graduate school, it seems like the most likely option is an MBA. I have been a little ambivalent about doing it because I already took commerce classes as part of my bachelor’s, so I’ve already covered a lot of the material before. Also, I’ve always thought that the type of job you get with a MBA requires you to be a good BSer, a suave speaker, and comfortable presenting in front of tons of people. Well, I’m not that great at BSing, I am not a suave speaker, and I have a big phobia of public speaking. So, I’m not sure if it’s really right for me.
On the other hand, I did get honors in my BA program, so I could cut off several classes from the MBA program and complete it in less time. I can also consider it as simply a signal, rather than having it confine me to a certain set of jobs in particular. I’m still thinking about it!
I should add that although I could learn to overcome the phobia, I would hate having to do a job that required me to BS every day ;)
Kevin, I truly enjoyed reading your story. You touch on so many different areas relevant to us all (monetization, charitable efforts, motivation for blogging, etc). Incidentally, I really enjoy your blog a lot and check it so often that I sometimes find myself a little ticked if it wasn’t updated since my last visit. This takes a lot nerve since I barely update my own blog :) Well, thank you so much for sharing your story.
Thanks, that’s probably one of the best compliments a blogger could receive! I’m still experimenting with finding the proper balance between posting frequency, post length, and post topics, and also ensuring I don’t spend all of my evenings in front of the PC blogging, haha. It can get addictive! I am starting to introduce somewhat more “controversial” posts in the aim of provking some deep thought getting some good discussions going. Let me know what you think!
Love this member post: it really satisfies my curious nature and a big reason, I think, that we all follow blogs. That, and learning from others we can look up to. Isn’t the blogging world great for that? Your travel experience piques my interest; I, too, experienced travel overseas and living in another culture for the first time as a young adult, and it affected me forever. (I’m not so young as you! ;)
Thanks for your candidness and open spirit, it really shined through. :)
The blogging world lets you enjoy some of the benefits of travel by being exposed to different personalities and ideas, all within the comfort of your own home!
I still recommend travel whenever possible, and I hope to do some more within the next year if I can.
“if you want to improve yourself, surround yourself with people better than you; people you can look up to.” <–Donald Trump thought the same way. Just looks where he is gotten himself. No reason you can't do it either! ;)
He was on to something good then! I’m learning that the path toward success requires a bit of humbleness. I believe that people are more willing to help when it’s not self-serving. It takes a bit of reciprocity, and also acknowledging your weaknesses and then building up on them!
Thanks Kevin. I totally agree about how impactful going abroad can be. I haven’t been to very many countries yet but am really grateful for each one I have been able to see. Even just going to a different city or state can really open our eyes too and help us become better people.
I haven’t even been to many places, myself, but just a couple places where I stayed for a while were enough to have a great impact. There is so much out there to see!
Kevin,
You’re awfully wise for a 27 year old.
And you’re my wife’s favorite blogger. I rank second.
Andrew
Haha… my girlfriend probably feels the same way. She hears enough from me without ever having to visit my blog on top of it :P
FWIW, Andrew, I would have been honored to have a teacher like you when I was in school. I did have some good teachers along the way, but I think if there were more like you, the world truly would become a better place over time.
That is a wonderful intro. I really like what your grandmother had to say about making a difference in the world. I agree 100%, wherever you start off, you can make a difference if you are serious and take the steps.
Yep! Improvement is always better than stagnation.
Wow! I’m so impressed by your attitude and what you’ve already done in 27 years! I think exposure to other cultures is not emphasized enough in the U.S. My sister-in-law is Canadian and her nieces and nephews all travel the world; her American kids not at all.
I would say even in Canadian culture it is not emphasized enough, but it depends. Before I did it, I didn’t really know what I was missing; I would say that if you have the chance, go for it! That is really cool that your nieces and nephews get to see the world!
Kevin:
I really enjoyed reading your story. Your writing style is very engaging, and your path reflects the highs/lows life has to offer.
So where’s the photo from? Is that where you’ll be retiring?
Thanks; I’m still optimizing so the journey toward that high is still ongoing ;)
The photo is from Aruba. I happened to take it just at the right time as we were speeding by on a tour van. I don’t know about retiring there, but it definitely was a beautiful place to visit.
Hah, love the Matrix reference. My childhood was also kind of rough, and my Grandma was a rock to many of us. Financially she was the most frugal person I’ve ever known, and “green” before anyone even knew what it meant. Thanks for sharing your story with us!
Thanks for commenting, and I’ve enjoyed how you help out the blogging community by posting tips on how to get out of spam or backing up WordPress. Simple tips, but very helpful!
Loved the poker analogy. I consider myself to be born with four cards to a flush (which ain’t too bad). I was fortunate enough to finally draw that fifth card when I married the Honeybee. :-)
All the best,
Len
Len Penzo dot Com
Was she the ace of hearts to your ten, jack, queen, and king? ;)
Kevin, you have a great story and I’m sure as your future story unfolds, it will be equally entertaining and helpful to others.
On your point about going overseas to really get a grasp and perspective on what life in North America is really like, I agree 100%. I traveled to Japan when I was a teen, and it was a huge eye opener. I know if I hadn’t gone, my life would be very different now. It seems like everyone outside of the US does things completely different than we do here (including the metric system :) )
Hey Jesse, That’s really cool you were able to travel to Japan as a teen! Were you there on vacation or did you also do an exchange at some point? I didn’t get to get out of the country until I hit 24… not counting the couple of times I traveled as a pre-teen ;)
I went for about two weeks with a friend of mine. He was going over for family business and asked if I wanted to come along. We stayed in all his friends homes, eat home cooked meals with them, went to local bath houses and their favorite restaurants, it was much more like an exchange program than tourism. It was my second time out of the country, but the first time was to tourist Mexico with family and I didn’t get out of the hotel much :)
That is cool that you were able to actually experience local life instead of simply seeing it from the windows of a tour bus! Those can be the best kinds of experiences. What did you see and experience that had such an impact on you?
Kevin, I appreciate your disclosure and candor. Wonderful post! You are clearly destined for greatness.
Thanks for the kind words, Barb. Together, we’ll all get there :)
Hey Kevin, It’s great to learn a little more about you. I like that you went to Korea, and that you are looking to learn Chinese. Having lived in China for a year, I can say that learning the language was VERY difficult. While working with many different groups of Chinese I noticed one thing. They don’t even understand each other half the time; so how was I going to learn a language where the locals couldn’t understand people from a city 100 miles away. I relied on reading body language and the basics of the language. I was one of 15 “westerners” in a city of 3.8 million. Good luck and I’ll see ya around the PF world :-)
Thanks! So you actually spent a whole year in China? That is pretty nice. You brought up a great point on how there isn’t really one “Chinese language” but actually very many of them, at least as far as the spoken languages go.
What was the trip for… study or travel? I recall how some westerners have felt like they were superstars in certain parts of Asia that don’t see many foreigners. How was the trip for you?
Kevin, you’ve really had an amazing life experience with major ups and downs. Thanks for sharing so much about everything you’ve been through and ultimately overcome. Really impressive. Your experience in Korea sounds pretty crazy. Like Jeff, I also spent some time in China, and it is CRAZY the cultural difference between there and the US. The experience has really made me want to travel the world more.
Korea was a lot of fun. The differences in culture were so vast, yet people all around the world all want the same thing: happiness and a good life. I felt a little like a superstar as I was one of the only westerners around for miles. That was a pretty cool feeling.
So you also went to China! Where did you visit? I am impressed and surprised at how many have been! My own experience has definitely whet my appetite for more travel abroad.
Yeah, I actually spent a semester in HK and traveled around Southeastern China as well as Beijing. I definitely felt the “rockstar” feel when I spent some time in some teaching programs in rural Southeastern China. Pretty rundown areas but the little kids were so energetic and thought we were so cool as westerners (at least I think they thought we were cool). Pretty neat experience.
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