Updates for the future

Nothing is ever really certain, so naturally my plans will always be changing, mostly to adapt to fluctuating circumstances.  Right now I am getting my finances in order & working full-time.  I'm almost 100% sure I'll be getting a 2nd job in the fall to help supplement my income; just an extra 10-15 hours on the side.

While I'm paying off debts and cutting back on expenses, saving money for China is still pretty slow-going.  Granted, I've only been at it for almost 2 months since school ended.  That's why I feel the extra job would be really helpful, so that I can at least still have a little bit of leisure/travel money while living frugally, without cutting into my checks from the pool.

I may be able to procure some scholarships via the Chinese government for my intensive language study in Beijing.  There are several varieties available, as they are interested in expanding knowledge & use of their language in other parts of the world.  If I am unable to secure aid from China, I may just have to do an intensive semester and come back to finish my last courses.  There are many other opportunities to live in Asia & learn.  One I am particularly interested in is the Language Corps.  They have programs all over the world, but I am particularly interested in their Teach Taiwan option.

http://www.languagecorps.com/teach-english-taiwan/

Many Westerners actually move to Taiwan purely to teach English, as it is a very well-developed nation & economy, providing foreign English teachers with rather handsome compensation.  While I would spend most of my time working in English, rather than in Chinese, there is something to be said for immersing oneself in the target language environment.  I would love to live in Taipei for a year.  Most people in Denmark speak English & I even took a few courses in English there, had a lot of English-speaking friends, etc, and still came away one of the students most fluent in Danish (and have retained most of it to this day).  More importantly, I would have a good job, be acquiring work experience abroad, and would actually be able to save money.  I am more than certain there will be local Mandarin classes I can enroll myself in while I'm there.  If I am able to save enough money by the time my year-long contract is finished, I could even do the summer semester of the International Chinese Language Program (ICLP) at 台大學, which is a VERY highly esteemed Mandarin immersion program based in Taipei.  From what I've heard, most of the best professionals from America in the field of Chinese have studied there at one point or another.

No matter what, I'll make something work, and I'll have an awesome life.