This has been an incredibly interesting time that I have spent in China.

I came back here three months ago, and in that short time I have faced just about every challenge a person to a new country can face. But, I am a much stronger man because of it. I have dealt with various housing and business issues, a broken computer, registration, passport extensions, teaching, losing a cell phone in the midst of yet another housing search, etc.

The biggest benefit from all of this is that intangible thing called experience. There is a reason why job recruiters have specific requirements regarding experience for most positions. Theoretically, a really smart person could learn as much in a year as an average person could learn in five, but in the end, the five years of certain challenges and tribulations come with them great value.

The other great benefit have been the friends that I have been able to develop very solid relationships with in a very short time; My closest friends include a Yale MBA, Oxford grad from Nigeria, several local Chinese, VP of Anheuser-Busch, etc. etc. – but, these are just the ones to brag about titles, there are several others that are just as interesting and generous – friends from Malta, Korea, China, Nigeria, etc. Dealing with one thing after another has made me rely on others a fair amount and there is a special intimacy that comes with facing challenges together and a certain gratitude that goes with the genuine help and care of others.

For my first three month report card, I give myself a “C.” I have handled these situations reasonably well, but I have also learned a great deal about attitude; as Viktor Frankl suggested, there is a choice we all have regarding how we relate to the world and our experience; we really can choose to focus on the positive/solutions or the negative/problems – and that, my friends, makes all the difference.