Last August, I was contacted by Dr. Scott A. Hipsher, a university lecturer at Bangkok University in Thailand, about being a case study for a book called, “Expatriates in Asia: Breaking Free of the Colonial Paradigm.” Dr. Hipsher is also the lead author of “The Nature of Asian Firms” as well as numerous book chapters, academic articles and conference papers. He has spent over a decade in Asia and is currently working with ZOA Refugee Care to provide educational support to individuals from ethnic minority communities fleeing violence and political conflicts.

Dr. Hipsher was kind enough to send me an electronic copy of the book before it goes to the presses. His book, “Expatriates in Asia: Breaking Free of Colonial Paradigms” came off the presses at Chandos Publishing in May and is available for purchase.

Here is the excerpt in the book from our interview.

Carrie from Canada
Carrie is a 30ish Canadian teacher who lives near Taipei City in Taiwan. She met her American fiancé, who is now also in Taiwan, while working at her first overseas teaching assignment in Changchun City in northeastern mainland China. Prior to leaving Ottawa she worked as a regional manager for a jewelry supply store and gift shop. Carrie is an extremely energetic individual who, in addition to her job teaching, has her own business where she designs custom-made wedding jewelry for sale in Canada. She is also an artist and entertainer, and has been ‘singing professionally, doing radio work, book editing, television programs, commercials and modeling’ since moving to Asia. If these activities do not keep her busy enough, she tries to find time to enjoy ‘blogging, photography, painting, art and music’.

Like most independent expatriates, Carrie did not come to Asia primarily for professional reasons, but for the adventure and the experience. ‘Moving to Asia was a great excuse to indulge in my newfound freedom
and chase my rebellious side a bit. I thrilled at the thought of traveling on a regular basis and yearned to explore the unknown and expand my own horizons.’ Prior to moving to Asia, Carrie spent hours on the
internet searching out information that would affect both her professional and personal life abroad, and took an English teaching preparation course to ready herself for her new occupation. She also spent a lot of time with others who had lived and worked in Asia; she was ‘entranced by their travel tales. They were sophisticated, worldly and knowledgeable. They encouraged me to experience Asia for myself and gave me the boost I needed to make the jump.’

Carrie expected to stay abroad for one year, but that was over four years ago. She claims she did not have any specific expectations before moving to China, she ‘just wanted to have a positive year, meet new
people and travel. I was excited to learn about a new culture and a new language.’ She experienced some difficulties and loneliness at first: During my first year, I often felt like I’d moved to a different planet.
Everything was different. Try to imagine a normal day in your life back home and change every little thing about it and you might get an idea of what life was like in China for me during my first year.
I wasn’t expecting to be on parade all the time. People were constantly coming up and touching me. They would stand at my window in the mornings and evenings and watch me. They dug through my grocery cart while I was shopping. Every little thing was a challenge, from riding the bus and mailing a letter, to
ordering food and making phone calls. However, the adjustment and homesickness soon faded. She reported: ‘I chose to move to Changchun in north-east China because I wanted to immerse myself in Chinese culture. At the time, there weren’t many expats living in the city, so I was forced to learn the language and customs. It was an immensely rich and satisfying experience.’ Carrie found language and culture barriers to be the biggest challenges to overcome while living in Asia. However, she has made significant efforts to learn about her new environment and these efforts have paid off; she ‘never expected to like living in Asia so much’.

Carrie, unlike corporate expatriates, did not have a professional support network to rely on; while this was a challenge, she also found it a chance to prove to herself what she was made of. She found living abroad alone ‘was a good excursion into self-discovery’. The experience has changed her and made her much more self-confident, and has also changed her outlook on life to some extent. While living in China and Taiwan, she has ‘learned not to be so worried about time and money’. She also believes she has ‘become more adaptable and accepting in most situations’. Furthermore, she has been ‘living more of each day in the
moment’.

One of the reasons Carrie has had such a positive experience in Asia is that she loves her job as a teacher and really has enjoyed her interactions with her students. Carrie stated: Every year thousands of people move away from their homelands to live and teach in foreign countries around the world. Why teach
abroad? Hands down, it is the best way to broaden your horizons. There’s no better way to see the world, try different things, make money, learn about culture and learn about living an entirely different lifestyle which most people only dream about. Although she and her fiancé are not currently making plans to return to North America, Carrie believes when that time comes, her experience abroad may not be viewed by others back home in as positive a light as she has seen it. She wrote, ‘I hope my language studies can be put to good use in North America. I hope my experience abroad will be considered an asset, but realistically, unless I remain in education or the travel business, my experience probably won’t count for much.’

About living abroad, Carrie’s opinion about the experience was: I highly recommend it. I wish everyone could try it at least once. But, I’ve also learned that the pressures of living abroad are not for everyone. Some people are content in their own backyard while others feel the irresistible urge to roam and explore. I’ve grown immensely in the past five years. I’ve found courage where I didn’t think I had any. I’ve learned new things and had adventures every day. My successes and accomplishments feel extra special because
they were achieved in a foreign country against all odds. Her advice to others considering moving to China or Taiwan is: ‘Keep your eyes open and learn from all your experiences. Remember you are a guest here. A little courtesy goes a long way. Explore and inquire as much as you can.’