Diary of a Chinese-American lost in the Orient: Entry #1

Quick update of my life for the handful of people that care: I took up a job as a Technical Writer for a research firm after returning from my summer trip to China. I've since quit that job after I received notice that I got into medical school. The weekend before I left for China I received a call from Dr. Greenberg, the Dean of Medical Education at Baylor College of Medicine, that I've been accepted to their medical school. And as of right now, I'm furiously tapping away at the keyboard of my Dell 700m set atop the desk of my dad's office located within the confines of a kitchenware factory in Shen Zhen, China after a 20 hour trip across the Pacific. And there, in a nutshell has been my life for the past 3 months, minus any personal details that I wish to keep to myself.

Life here is different. People are different. Most of the people here seem to be doing nothing most of the time. They squat on the streets and smoke wherever they please. The majority of the citizens in Shen Zhen are still quite poor, further intensifying the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots in a government that claims to have abolished that particular dichotomy so long ago.

I can't say I don't like it here though. There's a certain closeness any animal feels to those that bear his/her physical resemblence and I'm no exception. I have to admit though that I like Hong Kong much better. It's so much more like civilization in the States. There are community and charity events such as 5K's and culture in the form of museums, orchestras, universities, and what not. People here value human rights and democracy. The ideals of being a valued member of society. It's all quite familiar, especially since everything here is in English as well as Chinese. Plus, I suppose it helps that I lived in Hong Kong for the first 7 years of my life.

More updates for when I return from Macau.