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After spending many good years in Singapore, two years back I got an opportunity to come to China. Within short span of time I experienced turmoil of emotions, excitement, fear of unknown, happiness etc I was unable to think if the relocation decision to China is wise or not. Leaving the answer for future to unleash, I wholeheartedly started the preparation to come to China.

As destined the pre-visit to China was cancelled and I did not get chance to experience China first hand before my permanent move. For some unknown reason I had a belief that whatever is happening and will happen, will be for good. When I made the announcement to my friends and relatives about my China move, they were all shocked and I was greeted with pessimism, I was advised to think thrice and was said China is not convenient to stay since you have been in Singapore for a decade.

Hema Kripalani [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

I waivered in my decision when one of my Chinese friends said you are very brave to relocate to China. Well I concentrated on the positive side; I thought to myself China should be a shopper's paradise as now days everything is made in China. I love to decorate my house and do lot of shopping, well it will be so much fun in China, and thought I would be spoilt for choices.

Having belief in future I took the plunge and came to Beijing, while waiting to board the flight at Singapore airport I just hoped all my fears will be put to rest and all negative information which I received will turn out to be untrue.

When I landed in Beijing, everything looked so top class and nice, I decided I will tell one and all back in Singapore; you need to come here and see for yourself. The reality struck next day, when we could not even communicate with taxi driver or explain to restaurant staff that we want pure vegetarian food, at supermarket the staff could not even understand simple words like bread, butter, eggs etc.

Like wild bell clangs, my head vibrated I now understood what my well wishers were trying to tell "LIFE IS NOT A BED OF ROSES", I had no choice but to take a blind leap of faith and learn on the way. Initial one month was test of patience as we did not know the language, every time we got things wrong it seemed like we are axing the branch on which we are seated. Coming from India/Singapore, where everyone routinely uses simple words like Left, Right, Phone, TV, Air conditioner, Shampoo etc it proved futile to explain. Now I understood why my friend said you are brave, I started regretting my decision to come to this new place. A time came when my heart said go back, I am a person who over communicates and likes to talk and here I was in Beijing surrounded with people and could not speak to anyone around me, I was like the person stranded on a boat in deep sea surrounded with water but with no water to drink.

One day I sat down and did self analysis, asked myself what is the major problem but frankly there was none, where we got stuck due to language barrier someone always came forward and helped us. Soon I realized Chinese people are very helpful and friendly by nature. Language barrier was actually a blessing in disguise, it helped me to come in contact with good people who helped me overcome the situation and later become good friends. They proved FRIEND IN NEED IS FRIEND INDEED. They are always there for me whenever needed; they are my magic wand all problems disappear when they appear.

My write up will be incomplete without narrating this short story. Once I was going to a destination, as expected being new I did not know the way and was lost. Without realizing I was going opposite to my destination, I came across a young (Chinese) girl in my desperation I told her all the Chinese word I knew, I tried explaining my difficulty in sign language. I think she understood and she started explaining to me excitedly in Chinese but I was giving her blank expression, she finally pulled me by hand and started walking, after walking for 15 mins I was thinking Oh My God where is she taking me, I am definitely lost, well in first place I did not know where I was and now where I am being led. After another 20 minutes she showed me my destination, I thanked her profusely and scolded myself. She took me to my destination which probably was opposite of where she was going.

This is China; where there are people who forget about themselves and go out of way to help foreigners, even without knowing the language they are able to understand. Relationship are very important to Chinese people and they know how to maintain it, WORLD needs to learn from them. It's already been two years and now I am happily settled here, I can say coming to China has broadened my horizon and I appreciate the Chinese Culture and Chinese friends here. It takes time to experience China, we need to have an open and a positive mind.

Home is where you have friends and well wishers; I can now say I have found my HOME AWAY FROM HOME. I consider myself lucky to have come to CHINA, I thank GOD, China happened to me.

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The author, based in Beijing since May 2009, is working with CRI - China Radio International.

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