8 Tips to Living The Good Life in Shenzhen

By James Baquet

Heaven knows it’s hard enough to be happy, let alone when you’re hundreds or thousands of miles away from your family, your friends, and your favorite restaurant.

And yet, it’s not impossible to lead The Good Life, wherever you are. You just have to find the places that make you happy, and then go there. Find the people that make you happy, and then see them. Find the activities that make you happy, and then do them. (Secret: Lots of folks back home don’t do this either.)

In our years as expats we’ve more than once seen our friends go into “The Trough”: deep depression, homesickness, and a cycle of blame and regret: blaming the host country for making them miserable, and regretting that they came. When questioned, every one of the victims revealed the same cause: she or he had gone nowhere and done nothing but work – home – work – home – work – home for weeks.

So Lesson One for living The Good Life in a foreign land is to Get Out of Your Rut. Most of our “The Good Life” columns will focus on places to go and things to do in Shenzhen. But in this inaugural column, we want to add a few things that your mother might tell you if she were here.

Here we go:

1. Just Do It: As mentioned, “What good is sitting alone in your room? Come to the Cabaret!” Experience the Wonders of Shenzhen. Read The Buzz, check out other websites, peruse the Daily, and then GO.

2. You’re here, deal with it: Don’t blame the Chinese; it’s their country, and we’re just living in it. They say there are three (some say more) phases of culture shock: Fascination, Frustration, and Appreciation. Fascination is when everything is new, strange, and wonderful. “Wow! People here really drive wild!” Frustration is when everything ticks you off: “Where the &#$% did these people learn how to drive?” Appreciation is when you can learn to see both the bad and the good things: “That taxi driver scared the hell out of me, but we sure got here fast!” Most of us in The Trough are in Phase 2, Frustration. Unfortunately, some get stuck there.

3. Pamper yourself: What is it you need? A massage? A good book? Mexican food? A church? Friends? Seek it/them out. Don’t wait for things to come to you. Aggressively baby yourself in ways you would never dream of at home. We have a friend who often spends a day off mostly on buses so he can get to a place to surf. Do whatever it takes.

4. Mind your health: This SHOULD go without saying, but get enough rest, eat healthy, exercise at least a little. Don’t drink any more than you drank in your home country (or less if you overdid it there). You may think that overindulgence in certain activities is “pampering,” but in the long run it will bring you down. Consider the occasional detoxing diet, too. You know what kind of air we’re breathing, and how frantic our lives are. Toughen up the bod and you’ll be happier.

5. Join the club: Having a hard time meeting people? Do what you did in high school: Join a club. In the coming weeks, we will do our best to alert you to groups meeting for fun and common purpose in Shenzhen, but don’t wait for us. Try the Groups page at Shenzhen Stuff, or read the Shenzhen Daily and find a concert or other activity that strikes you: you’re sure to find like-minded people there.

6. Feed your mind: Many of us live in a kind of media blackout. Apart from the Internet, we don’t have enough books, newspapers, current films and music, and other “brain food” to keep us happy. So find it. Did you know the Shenzhen Library in the Central area has a huge collection of current magazines, in English and other languages? The Book Center at Kexue Guan Metro Exit A, and the Yiwen Bookstore in the Central Book City (near the library) have relatively current novels and other bestsellers.

7. Manage your money: A lot of us come here intending to “build a nest egg” or otherwise get ready for the next step. We might have a year’s contract, and at first we think, “I have plenty of time.” So we fritter away our funds, and the next thing we know, it’s time for the next step, and we got nuthin’. So set a goal and start saving NOW. To be rich (or at least solvent) is glorious.

8: Feather your nest: True, you shouldn’t spend money needlessly. But you should spend a little on fixing up the place you live. Some of us are in furnished apartments and they never quite feel like “home.” So buy a hanging, frame some of your travel pictures, get a shelf for the knickknacks you’ve bought. Make it homey and you’ll be happier.

But remember: Don’t stay home and stare at pictures of Mom and Dad or the One You Left Behind. You’re in Shenzhen. DO Shenzhen. You’ll be better off if you try living The Good Life.

---

About James Baquet