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The past few weeks I’ve been pondering my life after October. October is when I’m scheduled to finish up my current position and move on. I love Korea but have found myself increasingly tired of the place and feel the need to move. That said, I’ve mentioned the exact same thing every single year since 2003, and I’m still bloody here! Come November watch this space and see where I’m at  …

That said, I do feel the need to move on, to try something new, to broaden my horizons, to take a punt and take a risk as for the last few years I haven’t done that enough and nothing’s worse for me than when I’m treading water as I’m increasingly doing at the moment. Often it takes a lot of courage to move on and that’s one area where I do often settle for what’s comfortable, what’s acceptable, what’s normal, what’s decent – rather than just taking a punt and going out there. If it wasn’t for me taking a punt six years ago, I wouldn’t have ever landed here.

So, I’ve been thinking lately and a big part of me wants to try my hand at China. I’ve always been interested in the land, its people, history, cultures, languages, and traditions; and perhaps it’s time to further acquaint myself with the Middle Kingdom. I’ve started looking online as to the possibilities of teaching and studying at the same time. There are quite a few study programs over there but they are quite pricy and seem to not leave much time for work – if that is indeed possible under the required Visa.

The city I’d most like to study in is Qingdao, which just across the Yellow Sea from Korea. Qingdao’s a fairly interesting and, judging by the photos, beautiful place which came to prominence when it was firstly a German concession at the turn of the 20th century and then consequently, and very controversially, was transferred to Japan along with surrounding Shandong province following the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. This very unpopular decision played a significant part in the May Fourth Movement and subsequent birth of the Chinese Communist Party. The Germans left their mark however with beautiful German colonial architecture still intact and perhaps more importantly, China’s number one beer, Tsingtao.

Another, and more costly, option I’ve been pondering lately is returning home and returning to school to study a Masters of Asian Studies. Having been in East Asia for the last six years I’ve developed a keen interest in the languages, politics, current affairs, histories, cultures and traditions of the nations in this region. Since ANU has the best program in Australia, I’d naturally want to go there but unfortunately they don’t do distance study and as such I’d have to live in Canberra! Though, I think I could manage that, managing my finances while studying there may be more difficult. Perhaps, I should just look at community colleges and programs. Or, gasp get a real job back home!