Are you collecting memories or collecting stuff?

Freedom Faction

24 Hours in a Sea of People – Hong Kong

by Denny

I landed in Hong Kong, ready for a respite of warmth and sun after a harsh cold winter in northern China. The flight touched down in the early evening. I grabbed my only bag for three weeks, a medium carry-on sized backpack, and head out into the comfortable February air. Navigating a new city is always interesting, and today it began in the airport, discovering the subway that takes me from the one island to the mainland, and then on to Hong Kong Island. After living in mainland China for 5 months Hong Kong feels like the future.

I wander, and wander, and wander, taking in the busiest and most diverse streets I’ve ever seen.

It’s getting late, but I’m in an international city with a major craving to slay: Mexican food. Using my phone as my guide, it leads me to overpriced enchilladas that I gladly pay for. Seconds please?
After filling the tank, I hop in a cab and head to my room for the night. Tonight that room happens to be on a boat in Aberdeen. The English speaking cab driver knows exactly where to take me. On the dock I yell, “Sampan, Sampan!” It’s 1am, but eventually an old lady comes chugging along in her little boat. For a few dollars she takes me to the yacht I’ll be sleeping on for the night. Surprisingly comfortable, I quickly pass out dreaming about the morning.

I wake up amazed at the heaven I’ve landed in. Taking my time, I relax a bit on the boat in it’s peaceful setting before heading back into the sea of people named Hong Kong. I could explore for days, but I only have a few hours. With little of the precious resource we call time, I prioritize my afternoon. I take a trolley to the top of Victoria Peak. The views from here are absolutely incredible, but the overcommercialization comes as a surprise. A little mall? Really? I enjoy lookin in the other direction, over Hong Kong Island and into the mainland.

As boredom approaches I make quick remedy and head back down to sea level. Navigating the maze of walkways and subways, I make it to Mong Kok. The concentration of people and lights begging for attention is unfathomable. I explore and walk, and ignore my aching feet.

A simple meal of ground pork, rice, and a salty hardboiled egg tops me off again. As I hunt the hawker stalls, row after row of mass produced junk leaves me disenfranchised. I tell myself I don’t want to carry this stuff for the next 6 months and move on.

A glance at my watch tells me it is time to find the nearest subway. I go back the way I came, hop a subway, and then another, and then another, to arrive at the airport.

I will meet you again Hong Kong. You were the most amazing city I’ve been to. Here’s to the first 24 hours together.


4 Reasons Teaching ESL Will Launch Your Dreams

by Denny

A year ago I had to look real hard to find things to get excited about. I had (have) a beautiful and amazing wife, a home I love, and a solid paying full time job in human resources. The icing on the cake: I even liked the company I was working for.

However, spending my working hours staring at spreadsheets and emails was getting to me. Every morning I was looking forward to lunch. Every afternoon I sucked down coffee just to keep my head from hitting the desk in bordom. On Monday I was thinking about Friday, and on Saturday night I would start feeling anxiety about going to work on Monday. I never planned on working in human resources cubical as a long term game plan, but I never imagined what a grind it would be.

In May of 2012 I felt like I was seriously hitting my limit. I desired to travel and see the world. I wanted to have my own business and work that I was interested in. I missed waking up and looking forward to my day. I had to make a change.

While looking for work that would allow me to pursue my dreams, I stumbled upon teaching English. I knew there was opportunity to teach English overseas, but I didn’t know much about it. As I started doing research I felt like the blinders were being removed from my eyes.

I was thinking either teaching ESL is awesome or this is too good to be true.

As it turns out, teaching ESL has been perfect for this season of my life.

Teaching ESL is low stress

  • The lesson plans are done for me – no prep.
  • I have a teaching assistant that handles direct contact with disgruntled parents.
  • I’m paid well enough that I don’t have to worry about finances.
  • I basically play with Chinese kids in English.

Teaching ESL gives a lot of opportunity to travel

  • I’m living in China.
  • During my 3 week spring break I went to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.
  • I get 3 weeks of paid vacation, plus all of China’s holidays are paid.
  • If I give notice I can also take unpaid leave as long as I can find substitute teacher or rearrange my classes.

Teaching ESL leaves a ton of freetime to pursue my dreams and passions

  • On average I work about 15 hours per week.
  • Most of my working ours are on Saturday and Sunday. This leaves Monday through Friday nearly wide open for me to do whatever I want.

Teaching ESL can be very lucrative

  • In the U.S. I made twice as much money, but had a hard time saving any of it.
  • It is easy to save $1000 a month in China, while having a housekeeper, eating out, having a good time, and only working 15 hours per week.
  • If you turn up the hustle and work 40 hours a week, it is quite possible to be making another $2000 to $3000 per month.

If you aren’t blowing all your money on western food and drinking all weekend, it is very realistic to be saving $4000 a month.

I wouldn’t want to live that lifestyle for years on end, but that’s not what we are talking about. I’m talking about spending one year teaching English, and realistically saving anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 (or paying off debt).

How much closer would an extra fifty grand bring you to your dreams?

And the bonus pay: undistracted free time to figure out how to smash those goals.

Where should I start?

Last year I came to a point where I thought, “Why not start applying?” I figured that if I changed my mind I could always just not get on the plane. I started looking at jobs advertisements, and had a found that schools in China, Korea, and the middle east paid the best relative to the cost of living.

Being loosely familiar with China from a previous trip, my wife and I decided to play it a tiny bit familiar. We had visited Qingdao and knew it was one of the nicest cities in China. I also have an aversion towards lung cancer, and the air quality in many cities here is straight up toxic. Qingdao, on the other hand, is a bit of a slower vacation oceanside city with enough industry to not be the only foreigner within 100 miles.

I applied for every job in Qingdao first, and then as a backup plan started applying for Beijing. This took place over the course of a couple evenings on the couch.

Almost immediately I started getting replies. It was like a little Christmas in my inbox every morning.

Here are some of the best sites to apply for ESL jobs:

www.eslcafe.com

www.esljobs.com

www.eslemployment.com

If you are looking at Qingdao specifically (and I would recomend it) these sites are more local:

www.qingdaochinaguide.com – Look at the ESL schools section, and if you have a teaching certification than I recommend the international student schools

www.qingdaonese.com

www.echinacities.com

www.myredstar.com

 

You can also contact me, and I can put you in touch with some friends and schools.

Now don’t be a slacker. The best job opportunities will come to those who stand out. I’m pretty sure an American high school drop out could get a job teaching English somewhere in China, but higher quality schools will expect at least some effort.

Here is an example of an email I sent to one of the schools:

Dear ______,

My wife and I are exploring teaching English in China. Last summer we spent six weeks in Guangzhou, Taian, Qingdao, and Beijing. We have friends that live in all of those cities, and we are interested in your available positions in Qingdao.
Let me paint a brief picture for you of where we are at in life. I graduated from university two years ago, and currently work in human resources for an international relief and development organization.
My wife graduated from university last year with an elementary education degree and ESL certification. She has spent the the year teaching and tutoring. We are both professionals, but we are looking for adventure and excitement. We loved our summer in China last year, and we would like to go back.
Please look over the attached resumes and files, and contact us if you would like any further information.
Grace and Peace,
Denny and April Robert

 

Also, many of the recruiters ask for you to include a scan of your passport, a picture of yourself, and a copy of your college transcript. If you want to look like a professional on a real job hunt put this stuff together, along with a well written resume. Hey! If you play your cards right it’ll be the last one you’ll ever write.

Many of the recruiters will request a Skype interview. Don’t be nervous. If they want to interview you it means you basically have the job, they just want to make sure you aren’t a total psychopath. You’re golden.

Teaching English has given me a year of freedom that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve on my own in 2012. I’ve lived in China, traveled to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, learned to speak Mandarin, and had a ton of free time to boot. 

Teaching English in China truly feels like a shortcut to success.

If you’re feeling stuck in a job you don’t like or you are unemployed, consider trying something a little different.

How I Ended Up In China

by Denny

I wrote this post on an American Airlines plane flying from St. Louis to Beijing via LAX. As fast as this adventure to China had come upon me, it was a long time in the making.

In sales I was taught to make a pitch three times, and to overcome excuses with solutions. Looking back, that is exactly what happened to me.

Pitch 1: Go to China with People I Barely Knew

Looking back, my pursuit of freedom really started 8 years ago. I became a Christian a couple of years before, but hadn’t really grown spiritually. I was giving my second go at college during the spring of 2005 when I encountered a college ministry called Cru. For the first time in my life an older guy cared enough to mentor me. I was beginning to mature and grow, but wasn’t quite ready for all that college and Cru had to offer. I remember being dumbfounded when students were going to East Asia that summer to share the gospel. I certainly thought I had better things to do back then, and at the time I thought there was no way I could afford to go anyways.

Learning Travel is Possible

Back in 2008 I randomly found a blog called The Art of Nonconformity. The author, Chris Guillebeau, was on a mission to visit every country in the world before his 35th birthday. Over the last four years I have read every blog post Chris has written. His travel updates have always been awe inspiring. At the same time I always thought to myself, “How is it possible that he can afford to travel to over 20 countries every year? That must cost a fortune!” Over the years Chris has become very transparent in how he generates his income online. Once again, and in another way, I was inspired.

A few months later I met my future wife. April was majoring in Elementary Education with an ESL certification. Growing up in small town Red Bud, Illinois, I’m not sure at the time I even knew what ESL was. She had traveled to Europe and Latin America and wanted to teach English in a foreign country.

Pitch 2: Go to China with Someone I Knew Well

In the fall of 2008 I started school again, determined to finish. Being in a new city where I knew no one at all, I found a home with the only loose connection I had – Cru. I dove right in with Cru at ASU, and right away I found friends and leaders I could follow. That year a good friend of mine challenged me to go to East Asia with him over the summer. This time I wanted to go so badly, but I had already committed myself to summer classes.

Meeting Someone Who Had Prospered

The next year I met an American horse trader who lived in Poland while getting Mongolian stir fry with my dad. Both my dad and I have a natural ability to converse with just about anybody, and we ended up sharing a table with this guy and had a great conversation. His short story was that he taught English in Poland, and went on to other entrepreneurial efforts after he settled in over there. When I asked him how he found that first job, he told me about Dave’s ESL Cafe. I spent weeks of nights pouring over that website, but never felt pulled to apply for anything.

Testing the Proverbial Chinese Water

Finally, during the summer of 2011, I had my opportunity to go to East Asia. I was invited to run the operational details for a 6 week trip, and knew April and I were going this time. Last year’s trip was absolutely amazing and growing.

SOLD!: A Desire for More Freedom

My wife and I had spent the following year occasionally talking about going back to East Asia. April still really wanted to teach English and travel, and I was reading about internet based businesses. I was being pushed over the edge.

Last summer, after feeling a bit of cubical burnout I began to feel like I was at a crossroad. Living in China for a year had finally became an idea I could say “Hell Yes!” to. Also, many ESL positions are very part time, which allows me to give an honest college try at internet based income. So we went for it, and started applying for positions at Dave’s ESL Cafe. We were offered a position in Qingdao, voted one of China’s most livable cities, and jumped on it.

The months before we left were a whirlwind of preparation. Emotionally, I don’t think I had fully embraced the weight of our decision yet, but every single person we have talked to who has lived overseas has told us this is a decision we won’t regret. I miss all of my friends and family. I  get frustrated with the language barrier and culture differences. But most importantly, I rely on God to get me through the challenges that await, learn, grow, and emerge a better man.

“Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.”

“Hell Yeah!” Opportunities

by Denny

I once heard someone say that if you can’t say “Hell Yeah!” to an opportunity, you should think twice about taking it. Too much is demanding our money and our time. We have to be selective or we’ll live in disappointment.

There are some amazing opportunities out there, but not all of them are amazing for you.

“Option A” Sucks

Nearly a year ago I interviewed for a job doing work I love for a company I respect. However, they simply couldn’t offer a compensation package that made the position worth it. That was a tough decision, but I didn’t have that “Hell Yeah!” feeling about it. The work would have been enjoyable, but that salary and lack of freedom would have been a struggle.

Even more recently I came to a clear fork in the road. Two options had been presented in front of me.

1. A career path that would have meant more money, leadership, and a stable safe future for the time being.

2. Take a risk. Work hard for the future I want, and not just buy me security and comfort now.

As awesome as the first option is for some people, it isn’t the trajectory I want to take my life. The other opportunity means higher risk, but the reward of the adventure and lifestyle is what I want.

I want to choose, “Hell Yes!”

That first path is perfect, for someone else. However it isn’t the path for me.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Written by Robert Frost

You Get To Choose

by Denny

 You wake up.

What is your first thought?

“Uhhhhhgh, more sleep.” or
“Need coffee NOW!” or
“What day is it? Damn it’s Tuesday, going to work.”

“YES! I’m awake! Today is going to be awesome! Thank God!”

Every moment of everyday, you are in a life or death situation.

You get to choose.

Are you making decisions that lead to a better life, or are you choosing a long and slow death?

That sounds a bit extreme doesn’t it? Really? Life or death? Surely there is some grey area in there. Is choosing my breakfast really a life or death situation?

YES IT IS! Here is why. Every decision you make will either lead you closer to freedom or deeper in bondage.

Feeling lonely? Quit staring at your Facebook feed and actually call someone you care about. Set up a lunch or Skype date. Choose life.

Another Coke? Really? Do you know that is killing you? Choose life.

“Whoa hold up”, you say. “I’m just here for the party.” Would you rather feel good than be free? Overeating, binge drinking, and similar little gods can be worshipped to your imminent death. Enjoy the gift, but moderate. Choose life.

Do you sacrifice all of your time and relationships so you can get a better thing you don’t need? How many hours have you wasted working for the crap you just threw away or sold for $86 at a yard sale.

Quit running away from Truth. Choose life.

Jesus said, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Every single decision is an opportunity to grow, create, love, and live free or rot, waste, destroy, and die.

Life or death. You choose.

Are you collecting memories or collecting stuff?

by Denny

Today was awesome.

This morning April and I got up around 8am. After showering (me), putting on makeup (April), and getting ready for the morning we were out of the building staring at an odd scene. In one of those “WTH-China?” moments there was some kind of crazy group of Chinese percussionists furiously beating drums in our apartment’s parking lot. Apparently this is a Chinese wedding tradition.

We took the bus stop down to Hong Kong Road, got off, and walked around looking for Mission Coffee. We had heard Mission Coffee was a great place to get good coffee and wifi. April spotted it a little off of the main road in an apartment building. We walked into the sky rise lobby and meandered back to the coffee shop. For about $1.50 each we had two V60 pour over coffees, one hot Guatemalan (lol) and an iced Ugandan, with free refills. We sat down to get internet stuff done for a while.

We are fairly good and hungry so we find place to eat. With the help of our Chinese friends we found a soup place. April ordered the pork soup, and I ordered the spicy chicken neck soup. While waiting for our food I went upstairs and my watch battery replaced. I returned to a fresh bowl of chicken necks. As it turns out chicken necks are amazingly delicious! The satisfying bowl of chicken necks and another bowl of rice cost about $2.50.

Walking outside, we looked at some street vendors. For the first time in my life I bought almonds still in their shell. They were roasted with some sort of light cinnamon flavor on them.

A few stalls down there was a vendor selling scorpions! I had an itch to scratch. I paid my entry fee of $1.50 and he picked out 10 live scorpions. The street food chef fried them up crisp.

I cautiously bit into a scorpion head.

Hrmm, kinda like popcorn! They were actually pretty tasty. April and I had a little photo sesh with the scorpions and I ate them all up. I AM ALL THAT IS MAN!

April and I wandered around a while looking for MacBook cases, but didn’t find anything that caught our eye. April’s neck and shoulders were bothering her, so we went to a masseuse. I read while April was massaged for 60 minutes. She said it was pretty good, and I was wishing I had went ahead and got one as well. April’s cost: $12.

We were near our old temporary apartment, so we ran up there to collect the rest of our few belongings, a couple pots for the kitchen, a knife, a box of moon cakes we were given as a gift for the New Autumn Festival, and this hilariously large canvas April has had me lugging around. We catch a cab, and make it home 10 minutes and $2 later.

I got a little work done on the internet and did some reading while April cooked up a mean egg scramble. We had dinner, and we will enjoy the rest of the evening in our apartment reading, or maybe we’ll take a little stroll around the neighborhood.

What did your last free day look like?

What are you working for? 

What is stopping you from living your dreams? Traveling is easy, you just have to take the leap. Starting an online business is real work, but what other kinds of work allows the freedom to work from a 21st floor bay window in Qingdao, China? Not too many.

Set a goal, and figure out how to get it done. Remove the barriers, out argue the excuses, and make a deadline. You will be so much happier you did.