Shortly after returning to Nanjing, I sent one of my past business articles to Alex for his review. He read through and called me the next day.
"Listen, Sean, I don't know if you are looking for anything, but my wife's school is hiring for a marketing position that involves a lot of writing, and you are a great writer!"
As it happens, I was not looking to make a change at this particular moment in time. My contract in Nanjing had just come to an end, but I had no plans to make any big changes. However, I won't say "no" to new opportunities. I sent my resume to his wife, Hilary, and accepted the offer to interview the following week in Shanghai. Several days after the interview, I accepted the job offer.
My new company is an international school with a long history and a well-respected reputation in education. The school provides K-12 education for international families that have relocated to Shanghai for work.
My position involves a lot of writing and networking with the various English media outlets in Shanghai. I also help out at occasional events and have a role in other marketing activities throughout the week. There are around 250,000 foreigners living in Shanghai, so my team must work very hard to reach this audience. So far I really enjoy my work and my new team!
I have moved into the top floor apartment of a 29-story complex. I have a French and an American roommate- both young men like me. Our apartment has its own, large rooftop patio that will be great for summer bbq parties. I have a decent bedroom and my own bathroom, the shared kitchen has an oven and a dishwasher, and we even have a clothes dryer in our laundry room (most families in Shanghai must hang-dry clothes). At the time of writing, all those fancy appliances don't actually work, but we have been told that a repairman will arrive to fix those.
My new apartment is in one of the major downtown centers of Shanghai, just a ten ten minute walk from the Jing'an Temple. This is a really great area to be!Here is a picture of the temple with some buildings in the background (not my apartment complex).
When I get back from my brief stop at home for the holidays, I'm looking forward to exploring more international food options and finding a gym in my new city! I hope to also have more time to post updates on my blog!
Happy Holidays everyone, and Happy New Year!
