Before I came to Paris, I worked as a Chinese teacher in Hong Kong for six years. If I had not chosen to study in Paris, I might have stayed in Hong Kong, completed a PGDE, obtained my teaching qualification, and joined a school. Barring any surprises, I would probably have gradually become an experienced Chinese teacher there.
But because I had always dreamed of studying abroad, once I had earned enough to cover tuition and living expenses and achieved a sufficiently high IELTS score, I resolutely chose to go overseas. Some followers have asked me whether uprooting myself from a culture I had grown accustomed to was worth it. In truth, only you can know the answer to that question, because it really is a risk, and you alone must bear the consequences. Taking responsibility for your own decisions is one of the most important and indispensable lessons of adulthood.
My answer is that I have no regrets. Even though I have not yet fully adjusted to life in Paris, even though I currently earn less than I did in Hong Kong, and even though I have had to start learning to write code and speak French from scratch while others are already getting married and having children, I still have no regrets.
I feel as though I have leapt between parallel universes, transforming from a Chinese teacher in Hong Kong into a programmer in France. This unique experience is mine alone. I even feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity and ability to make it this far.
I have seen working-class people striving to make a living in different places, middle-class parents longing for their children to succeed, and wealthy people who were either proud or humble. As an observer and participant in life, I have already gained so much.
So, has my life been rebooted? Yes and no. My professional identity, where I live, and the language I use most often have all changed, but at my core I am still the same hardworking, ambitious young woman—the girl who left her small town for Chengdu because of KFC, then went to Hong Kong through education, worked hard to put down roots there, left again to study in France, and is now working hard to put down roots here.
After all, life is a game, so why not be Player One—the one brave enough to make her own choices?
I will end with a French song I have been enjoying lately: Va va vis, va va, mon ami, n’oublie pas de sourire en chemin. Va va vis, va va, mon ami, et le destin pourrait bien changer d’avis.
(Go live your life, set out, my friend. Do not forget to smile along the way, even if you occasionally feel lost. Go live your life, set out, my friend. Perhaps fate will change its mind when you least expect it.)