The confirmed cases in Wuhan are escalating by the minute. The death toll is already on it’s way to surpass that of SARS in the early 2000’s.
“Umm, should I postpone the move?”
— Me in January 2020
No Longer Moving to China
Back in February 2019, I started having the intention of moving abroad to Dalian, China in February 2020 for one year, then one year in Shanghai.
Zhongshan Park – Shanghai, October 2019
Everybody knew that. I told my friends. I told my family. I told my coworkers. I told people who I met while I was traveling during vacation.
Except I did not plan for the Coronavirus. None of us did.
We’re 7 months into 2020 and here we are.
Expectations Vs. Reality
What was Supposed to Happen
If the coronavirus never existed, I’d be in China right now. I’d be traveling all over Asia.
Yu Garden – Shanghai, October 2019
I had plans to visit Russia on long weekends. Find my way through small villages in Japan. Swim through the archipelagos of Indonesia. Even extend out to an adventure as far west as India.
I felt like I had explored a lot of the European and Latin American regions. Africa is a region I’d like to redo one day. The Middle East is still on the to-do list. The next logical step was for me to take on the Asian region.
Lastly, I had plans to polish the level of my Mandarin.
What Ended Up Happening
None of the above.
So No China. What’s Next?
The short answer is: I’m not sure.
I’ll continue to proceed business as usual. The coronavirus has required everybody to shift plans – large or small – and I’m no exception. I’ve outlined in my recent blog post on what I’ve been doing during quarantine for the first half of 2020.
I’ve also been reading more than I usually do. I was inspired by The Minimalists – a group that focuses on challenging the ideology that “more is better”. Actually, more is not better – less is better, they would argue. “Less” simplifies things and “less” psychologically makes situations less stressful.
I am no Buddhist, but these principles by the Minimalists remind of the impressive values of Buddhism. Here’s the book by the Minimalist that I’m talking about. I’m halfway through and it has already become my summer 2020 book.
Lastly, I started doing some domestic traveling and have spent the majority of the summer in Los Angeles. I’ve been surfing a lot (brb, adding to my list of social distancing activities,) and I have been getting better.
Amongst Uncertainty, One Thing Never Changes…
Me.
I’ll hit the road again soon. For me to miss out on the China opportunity due to the Coronavirus is obviously disappointing. But I am a firm believer that when one door closes another door opens. This is an opportunity for me to do something I would not otherwise have done.
The Bund – Shanghai, October 2019
I know I’ll find my way to Asia another day, but now is the perfect time to do other things. Regardless, I will continue to be an adventurer. And that won’t ever change.
