My first sallary in RMB just droped, and in the same day I already spent 15% of it in one single purchase. But what I bought was freedom, I got a used Giant XTC790 bicycle. The good, is a taiwanese brand with great support, there are 2 really close shops, 1.2km and 2.5km, that can support and fix stuff; the great, from 4000 to 5400 RMB I paid revised, new tires, a lock and cellphone holder for 800 RMB, in my opinion it was a steal. Good aluminum frame, pretty light, I was able to make 5km in 20 min with a medium traffic. Tomorrow I will go out to have fun, buy some food to make at home, buy some clothes in UniQlo, But I will try to save the most amount of money that I can,
On the money saving front, I started planning with Lumo some stuff for travel, investment and daily life in general. I want to try to visit Harbin in the Xmas and new year. I don't know if it is a good idea, it is famous to hit under -25ºC.... So, for someone who wants to see snow for the first time, maybe not a grat idea, as I may need to buy clothes to go there... I also want to go visit Brasil in September 2027, so... one year to get ready. To plan it out, Lumo has been really helpfull!
Just another note, one thing that I will save a lot of money is on food. I am eating less here, which I found is good, and now with the bike I can start burning fat. But also my boss will go back to Brazil next month, and he will give me the things they bought for the home (airfryer, rice cooker, etc), so just need to hold on for some time. The thing is, I need to hold the desire to buy ice cream and shine taobao stuff, hahaha. I believe I can handle it!
One more week here in China, this week a crazy client came from Brazil and was not prepared to be here. So we needed to help him with every payment, hotel, train, flight booking, everything. He already imports for over 15 years, first time here but was not prepared. This guy have a crazy back story. Nothing much to talk, really good marketing guy, he gave us his video equipment and etc. So we will expand the content that we make. Tomorrow he will be going back to Shenzhen, let's see how much I need to help him still.
I visited YiWu for the first time, nice place. My work has been crazy, so much stuff to do, it has been hard. Fagner have been helping me (it already inverted, I started in the company helping him), but that is because one client asked us to visit a factory and provide a deep analysis of the product that he wants to buy. So between the standard work that I do, make some live streams that we started, helping the crazy client to have lunch basically; I still needed to prepare the first document basis for this visit. I needed to prepare how the report will be, how it will function for the next visits, etc.
Life already got a nice rythm now. I've been very stable. I just need to start making money, to grow the company as I will grow together with it. Because as it is my first month here in this transition, I am a bit out of money, and my salary will arrive only on day 10. But at least my boss is paying a lot of stuff for me still. THe sad thing is that I will drain some savings as I was using a lot my Credit Cards in Brasil. Today I learned that I can send some money via Wise from here to Brazil, so it will not be that bad. I will start living well soon.
I hope in the future I can tell more about crazy adventures, love, life and etc.
I should be working already, I am at the office writing this. Since my boss (Brazilian) started bringing me to play futball with him, I've been playing as Goalkeeper (sometimes I leave the goal to play in front, so someone can rest). But I had my biggest bizarre experience in China. Forget the times I needed to agree that Mao was great to them (I am anarchist, I despise dictators, even more the guy who killed the most in humanity), going to dinners with local politicians, high level powered individuals and more. Let's get back on track. Goalkeeper should not stay glued in the goal everytime, one of this times, the other team kicked the ball in front to the other, I went up to the limit of the area. The guy did not stop. I did not know if I was inside or outside the area, so I tried to not use my hands. That ball was so light, it jumped a lot. I lift my knee and hit the ball. The chinese guy did not stopped. He cam in full against me, crashed against me and my knee hitted his belly.
Normal game stuff, in Brazil the guy would give up as soon as he seen the goalkeeper handling that. He fell and cryed out of pain. I went home, took a shower, laid down to sleep. I then receive a call from Leo, the Chinese guy who took us to play, he told me he was coming to my home picking me so we could go to the hospital to visit the guy, because he broke the ribs. He took me, we drove to the hospital, met the guy, Leo took the medical documentation, inquired a lot to the medic, and then sitted dow to ask me if we should go to another hospital to re-evaluate with another medic if he really did broke the ribs, he said that I should cover the costs of the evaluation. I was shocked, to solve the matters as quickly as I could I accepted. We went to another hospital. The new hospital and that time in the morning, around 2am was empty, all black, and we walking to the emergency, there was one medic only, it is a dark contrast against the brazilian hospital systems. I was able to see his tomography (by the way, the guy was walking the whole way), there was no clean line of fracturing, so I suspect it was luxation. But the medics credited it broken. Okay, what now? I was ready to pay for the tests, total 330 RMB. Leo told me, not now, we need to go to the police.
Pardon, what? This was my reaction. He said that it needs to be registered as a police case to show that me were open and did not meant no harm. Okay then. First police station, we entered, they start talking, I could not understand much, 3 AM, I was so tired. Then we got up and left, I got a glimpse of happiness, then Leo told me, this police station does not want to register the case, because we were far from the place it happened (another neighborhood), so we needed to go to the other station. We entered the car, drove a bit, until got there, and got in the station. The policeman where not happy, because such a low matter to arrive. Leo was helping me, saying how the chinese law works and trying to solve the matter. I was the foreigner that hurted the chinese citizen, it was an Sport incident, there should be no money involved since the begining; but now that I processed everything that happened, the words that I could not understand at that time, the guy was trying to take my money as much as he could. His salary is double of mine, and he wanted me to pay his salary for 2 or up to 8 months. Leo said to me: by law you have to give no money to him, but if you are able to give him a small quantity, like 1000 RMB we may solve this issue sooner. I accepted, I just want to go home and sleep, 6AM i needed to get up to go take a train to HangZhou. I could not pay in the spot, I first offered to pay next month, he cried with the police, I understood, the police man where at that moment in my side, so I made a counteroffer of my offer so I can solve easily "Can you accept 150USD, it is a bit over 1000 RMB, I have some emergency USD in hand". Leo was worried - Would you not lose you emergency money? You can pay next month - Let's just solve it, I will still have some money.
Solved, they wrote down in the paper, we three signed up (Writted the name and imprint our thumbs on top), Leo took me home to get the money to him, took picture, Leo recorded everything, I am really greatfull to him. I went to sleep around 4h30 AM, 6AM I was waking up to visit a supplier in another city. I am fine, lost some money, but it is okay. We do not play with those guys anymore.
Oh boy, it's been a while that I don't write this up. Okay, I arrived in Hong Kong to meet Billy to give him a jersey from his favourite player: Pelé! (His English name it was supposed to be Pelé, but the chinese guys could not pronounce the name, ended up as Billy). Did I told about billy before? He auto proclaimed my mentor here in China, thats was after he discovered I was a boy scout, and he was when he was young. So, after visiting him I visited his nephew in Shenzhen. He helps me a lot here in China as well. Enjoyed sometime there, met Leo, a great guy, sadly I could not start business with him yet, and also visited some factories regarding the new job.
After that, I spent over 700 reais to get a train from Shenzhen to NingBo; 9 hours! I arrived, and walked with a big backpack and a small carry-on for 2.5km. Met Ellie, the Coordinator of the office here in China and Fagner, the CEO and owner of the company I work for. They showed my new apartment. Is very small, looks like a hotel with a really small kitchen.
It's the middle of my third week. I am writing at 1am in the office, because my office is literally, between my house building elevator to the office building elevator, is 40 seconds walk; and because Fagner and I had some meetings to do with Brazil. So my plans to buy a bicycle to go to work, floped, for the good way. Now I am slowly building my life. I bought a pan so I can cook some stuff. Mostly pasta with mushrooms, so I can save money (a pre cooked pasta with sauce is 18 RMB, and have 2 servings; I don't care if the mushroom are a little ugly, if I can pay 2 RMB for a tray! Althought my avocado oil to cook was 99 RMB). I still need to buy an airfryer and maybe a rice cooker. Sometimes the supermarket near my home have some sales on salmon sashimi, a tray is about 17 RMB, (there was a night I ate 3 of them, but only 2 was enough). Right now I am trying to save the most amount of money because I am planning on 2 goals, one soon, one in the far future. THe first. I want to spend my Christmas and New Year in Hokkaido. I want to see the snow. The other is save money for my future, maybe buy a house in Japan? Maybe open more companies, and make my life more stable financially.
It's been a month since I got the new job. It was supposed to start in August First, but because of high demand, they asked me to start in July. I've been working for a Month now, it's been fun all throughout, even though I was feeling over exhausted. Most of the times it was because of my own choice to work up to 4h30 AM most of the days, all that while I was preparing for the travel of a new home and saying goodbye to the people of my current life.
I know that now, my mind will most frozen the people in time, and when I get back it will feel really different. Also, this month was the first time I could notice how I was loved and adored by the people around me. Everyone congratulating me for this new step, closer and closer to my life goals and wishing the best times to be had. I do need to add that I am a bit sad that I could not drive one last time my rally/daily car (because I love the feeling on driving it), and that some friends may drive it before me. But at least I got time now to fix it as I wanted, and, I may say, maybe I can fly back to visit family, friends and participate in a Rally!
Back to sentimental stuff. Okay, where were I (sorry, I am writing at the airport, and my gate just changed). I could see clearly this time who were the fake friends. I could see who were really worried about me, my future life, my parents and grand parents. Some people think I am under a Illusion, and were asking how much stuff I was taking to China with me (a 70L camping backpack and a carry on luggage, I do not need anything more), thinking that I should take my life there, take everything. I noticed that I was not that attached to anything. I am though attached to experiences, so my car, I love that, because everytime I drive it put a smile on my face; the scouts, same I loved to be around people in the middle of nowhere having fun. And that is it. 28 yo, and I finally feel that I am truly starting my life, my own life,
I'm sorry everyone I made suffer with my numbness, indecision and lack of experience on how to deal with people. I am sorry for all my friends that I made happy with my presence and I was able to not only make them happy but also give knowledge and experience back. I am finally started to open my wings, soon I will be able to fly. Mark my words.(Yeah, I marked myself this words in this website, that no one probably will read it, but it is there)
So, after 3 months trying to ask for a raise to my boss, and being dismissed, ignored and sometimes felt that I've been actively avoided by him, last month I updated my resume (same time I decided to put in my website, since I was looking for better opportunities). And I got. I had no hopes since the job market is atrocious for young people (up to 30, still 28, I'm young, okay? Hhahaha). I will be leaving this job handling importation for a Crane Manufacturer and be working for a Trading Company. A Brazilian company, but I will be living in NingBo, China.
I am not a fan of living in China, not gonna lie sometimes I even fell afraid of it, staying alone, in a box, over 33 hours from my birth place, from my family, most friends, etc. Not counting the cost of the tickets for the flight. One thing that I do worry is about my family. I know, I should tell them, but I caan't grasp. My Grandpa is over 90 now, living with my parents, my father is almost 60, but he have many health problems. Yeah, I know I should not think morbidly, but if any thing happens, I cannot help and I cannot come to pay respects.
Either way. This will be the closest I have to fulfill my personal dream to live in Taiwan. I've been working for the last 10 years to realize this dream, and it will be so close. I'm afraid, China is not very healthy. Too much chemicals in everything, heavy metals misused, etc. But, 2 hours of an airplane I'm in Taipei. Of course, being a Brazilian I need to apply for the visa, so I need to fly to Hong Kong, stay two days there and then fly to Taiwan to visit my host family and friends there.
This job will not pay absurdly well. I will get an apartment and food incentives, and a salary that put me in the top 5% of earners in China (yes China is very poor, so this number does not means a lot, but at least demonstrate that I will not be a Bum in the streets). Also, this little money can go further than in Brazil, taxes here are crazy, everything you buy you give another to the government, and they steal everything. There is many, many scandals, even worse than USA's and China's corruption schemes. In corruption, no one is better than Brazil. So, china averages about half or a third of the Brazilian taxes.
My current boss does not look very happy to lose me. He is trying a lot of ways to convince me to stay, or at least to work for him in some stuff. Paying well, it is okay, I guess. But for someone that had not recognized my work well, even saying that anyone can do my job, yeah, sure, find a polyglot in this economy, and would not raise my salary from below national medium to something decent. I got tired of waiting. to much promises, trying to actively do stuff and shut it down. I got tired, the same way I got tired of how I ws been treated in my own startup. I have half of the startup, and hardly got heard, only in technical situations. Later I will request to fully leave it. I'm tired to fell being used. I'm a nice guy, but it is time to bring back my inner teenager and make my own rebelion in my life.
Layout made by Itinerae. modded by VGER
Thank you God, my friends and family
