First Christmas in China

To all my friends and family, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I miss you all very much. My Christmas feast was an excellent dish of curry chicken with potatoes. I had a wonderful day yesterday climbing up Xiang Shan, or Fragrant Mountain with a friend to the north of the city. The area is beautiful, lots of trees, small pools and lakes, winding paths, and really cool temples and pavilions. I was able to watch the sun set behind the mountains to the west. I could see the stars, including a familiar constellation Orion. Every time I see Orion, it reminds me of the many other nights in different parts of the world that I looked up and saw Orion overhead.

I stopped at a little snackshop on the road up to the park. There was a neat item there I had never tried before. The cook poured what looked like pancake dough on an iron skillet over a charcoal flame. Once the shell hardened, the cook made a little hole in the top and poured a mix of egg with onions and spices inside. Once it was finished being cooked the cook spread some different sauces on the top and rolled it with some lettuce. For 1 Yuan (or 12 cents) it was a delicious and a good deal!

This morning my heart feels a little heavy. I had an interview with a Japanese company called Howa Textile Industry that builds parts for Japanese car makers including Toyota and Nissan. This company has offices and manufacturing locations in Japan, China and the US. They want someone to work in their international department at their office in Nagoya, Japan. They want a person who can speak Japanese, English, and Chinese. I have interviewed with them twice. The second time they sent a member of their HR, a Japanese speaking Chinese woman, to meet with me in Beijing. They told me they are very interested in me because I have good work experience, have lived in Japan before and speak Japanese fluently as well as conversational Chinese. Most of the staff in their international department are Chinese. It seems like personally and culturally I would probably fit in nicely. I have yet to hear what kind of compensation package they will offer, but I do know that they would provide housing at nearly no cost. They said I would work primarily in Nagoya but sometimes go to China and the US. They have an office or factory in Richmond, Indiana as well, because their major customers, Toyota and Nissan are in Indiana as well. Yes, this all sounds very nice. And it would not hurt to have a nice, good paying job with loans etc coming due in a few months. However, I really like China and would like to stay here. I think I can continue to study Chinese if I got that job and even if I lived in Japan. But it would not be the same as living in China. Finally, the job would involve car parts. I think working for a manufacturer would be alright, but I do not feel thrilled about learning the ins and outs of a car door or a sun roof in any language. Also, Nagoya is a nice town, but it is not Tokyo, Shanghai, or Honolulu. I am still putting together my thoughts, such as if I took this job what would be the positives and negatives. That is why my heart is heavy, taking this job would be a serious life decision.