The Wandering Monkey

Hello Folks-

The news is, the company in Beijing has stated they want to hire me.  It's not a done deal yet; I am still negotiating for a suitable package.  But I sent them my last offer, which is pretty much my 'final' offer, and the HR person says it sounds reasonable and they will probably be able to meet it.

 

The person in charge is on vacation next week, so I will not have an answer until then.  That kind of sucks, because my visa expires at the end of July and I need to be ready to go back to the US if for some reason the job does not work out.  I think it will, but in hiring you never know what can happen.  I'm keeping the champagne on ice for the moment.

 

In other news, what other news?  Not too much else to report.  I'm spending the week in Shanghai relaxing and meeting with my old friends.  Not much going on.  I'd really rather just get to work right away rather than wait a week, but it's not such a bad thing.

 

So, if this deal closes, I'll be moving to Beijing within a two weeks.  I'll have a temporary housing situation until I can find a permanent place.  At the point where the offer is 'real', I'll post what details I can.  I think it is unlucky to talk to much about a deal until it has been closed.  Same thing as if you have a hot date coming up.  Better not to talk about it beforehand.  I don't know why.  I'm not superstitious, but I think it's something psychological.  It's bad to get your expectations up too much, because it leaves you mentally unprepared to handle those problems which can (and will) arise.

 

Overall, I prefer Shanghai to Beijing.  The people in Shanghai are more open and friendly towards foreigners (i.e.: me).  But in Beijing everyone speaks the same language, Mandarin.  In Shanghai they all speak Mandarin, but they have their own dialect of Shanghainese.  You can't understand it if you are a Mandarin speaker.

 

One thing I will miss is when I am walking down the street and I see an old friend.  Every week I run into someone I have not seen in some years.  It's a little like a 'club', being a foreigner.  You tend to give each other the time of day, much moreso than you would back in your home country.

 

So, things are looking positive.  I am, as they say, cautiously optimistic.

 

Peace out,

-J