The final decision to leave France for " Years (or more) has been taken in October 2006, when my Chineese supplier has proposed me a job as Quality manager of his Changzhou's plant...

Last month my french company has bankrupt and a new owner manage yet the factory, i don't feel my place is here anymore, so the chineese company's proposition arrive just on time...

 

Hard decision to take.. after the first agreement, i had a lot of time to think about all the consequences of my decision... For 3 years, i'm going to leave my house i've just finished to pay, all my friends, all my family, all my culture and habits...

 

I would have not been such stressed leaving for Shanghai or beijing, where the expat population is big enough to find help or occidentals friends.. But Changzhou is a little town with 3 500 000 peoples.. and except the expat coming here in a short mission of a week or two, i think the number of occidental people living here could be around 20 or 30... ARGGGGHH    .

I'm affraid about the big change i'm going to live... just imagining i will understand nothing on TV, on radio, less than 10 people speaks english in my new company...  such a change in my life, but what an experience......

 

Yesterday, my chineese contacts (and friends) confirmed me the company agree for a 5 days work / week instead of 6 / 7... good news, i feel less stressed and think i will have time for "decompression".. i really think i could not have supported a 6/7 day of concentration ...

 

so, what's new ?   have ti cancell all my insurance contracts, sell my car, my motorbike, rent my house, decide what to do with all my belongings... sort out all my clothes and documentation to decide what to bring with me or not....  At the same time i must prepare my business visa and reserve my fly ticket...

But the contract isn't finalized yet.. some points are still in negociation, or have to be written... This is the first difference between the Occidental and the Asian meaning... for us, a contract is the main reference of a relation.. for Chineese, it's just the beginning of the relation....    But i also know by experience, that all what is  not written can brings some misunderstanding later, so i prefer to writte everything on my new contract, just to be sure we agree on all points...

 

So waiting for a new version... and all documents needed to ask for my business visa....   4 weeks to prepare myself....

 

I think i'm going to writte my blog more often now, just to remember this part of my life, and all the things whitch happened to me during this great experience...

 

So this was the first note of my life concerning my decision to leave France for working in China for 3 years...

 

Let's go

christophe