You know you stand out from the crowd if you get interviewed for a big magazine in town when you haven’t even been here 3 months. Well, that’s what happened to me.
I met one of my good Chinese friends, Jonathan, on the subway. Apparently, he knew I was a foreigner right away. (How could he tell!?) This was back in December and I found out he had just gotten a job at Tomorrow Magazine – “An Extensive Living Guide for Foreigners in Tianjin.” In January, he wanted to interview me. I only found the publication recently.
Here is that interview in its embarrassing entirety:
Daniel Konold, a big boy from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Before moving to Tianjin, he worked with computers in support and design. He loves travelling. So far he has been to over 20 countries covering almost all continents on the earth. For leisure time, he likes basketball, American football, and rugby.
1. Why do you choose Tianjin as destination? Actually, I didn’t choose Tianjin, Tianjin chose me! The company I work for places me in different cities around China, and Tianjin happens to be the city they chose for me.
2. How long have you been living in Tianjin? I’ve been living in Tianjin a little over 3 months.
3. What do you do here? Here in Tianjin, I’m an English Teacher and a Web Designer.
4. Did you feel difficult living in Tianjin when you just arrived, for instance? No, it wasn’t difficult at all to start living here. I think Tianjin is a good transition city with many similar things to my hometown, but still different enough to feel new.
5. How do you like Tianjin? Tianjin is not my favorite city in the world, but it’s a fine city to live in. The public transportation is very easy to use and I can find most food from around the world whenever I feel like it.
6. What do you think about Tianjin locals? Tianjin local people have been very nice to me, personally. Since the first day I arrived, many people have offered to help me move in and find things I’m looking for. No complaints about the locals!
7. By far, what do you think about Tianjin? I think Tianjin is, by far, the biggest city I’ve ever lived in but also small enough to start to call home.
8. When the day that you leave Tianjin comes, what will you miss about this place? Mostly, I will miss the people I’ve met along the way and all the nice Tianjinians who have helped me live here.
9. Tell me something about some interesting personal experiences in this city. One of the most interesting experiences so far was going to the TuanBo Hot Springs on the outskirts of town. I was definitely the only noticeable foreigner in the spa and I got a lot of stares. Dipping into all the different liquids was fascinating and I really felt rejuvenated after the visit.