Black and Abroad: Marcel

kmarietakeshanghai

I am so excited to share this interview with you all! Please enjoy getting to know my friend MARCEL and learning a little about his experience being “BLACK AND ABROAD.”

Let’s do a quick introduction:
1. What’s your name, where are you from, and how long have you been in China?
Marcel Daniels. Grew up between Toronto and Atlanta. Atlanta is what I consider “home”. I’ve been in China for three years.
2. Are you single, married, have any children?Unmarried. No children.
3. What brought you to Asia- more specifically China?

I came for work. I’ve been working as an EFL/ESL instructor since 2008, and after working at my alma mater GSU (Go Panthers!) for three years after graduation, I decided to get more international experience. A new department was opening up at NYU Shanghai, and it was the perfect chance to work abroad again while helping to develop a brand new program from the ground up.

Now we have a little background information about you lets dig a little deeper!
Breaking and Crushing:
1. In your opinion – what do you think are some of the biggest stereotypes we (generally speaking – though I know you don’t speak for everyone) face as people of color living abroad – here in China?Specifically, as people of color, none much more radical than we experience stateside, culture notwithstanding. Assumptions about where I’m from might be the biggest thing “非洲人”, which isn’t offensive in the slightest. I guess this answer would best be categorized in two categories – stereotypes amongst fellow expats (non-black) and stereotypes among mainland Chinese. Expat stereotypes is that I teach children or I wanted to travel around the world (not sure if this is exclusive to black people, there’s no control, lol). Chinese people, maybe that I can drink a lot? I’m really drawing a blank – nothing stands out in my day to day life in Shanghai. (Also noted is that I don’t speak enough Chinese to understand what most say about me).
2. What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced living here? Simple daily life chores may take more time due to the language and cultural barriers. Setting up internet, paying some bills, arranging deliveries. Other than that, the bigger concept of living outside of your culture and language makes everything unfamiliar. Takes a tough outer shell to always be reminded that you’re different, but I’m well trained in that art.
3. How do you think we are crushing stereotypes- if we are at all? By being working professionals being successful in fields that we may not be depicted as doing in their worldview. We have the burden of always having to represent the race as individuals, and we do a damned good job, and comparatively better job compared to many other racial and cultural groups, based on my random observations.
4.  Knowing what you know now- about life in China and being here as long as you have been here, would you still have moved here knowing what you know now? Of course. 

#LIC – Let’s talk a little about Life in China! There are definitely some positives about being here.

What are three things you like about living in China (if you can think of three).

  • Competitive pay
  • Shanghai is a wonderful global city with so much to offer culturally
  • Meeting people from all over the globe – cultural exchanges
  • Ability to travel relatively cheaply to interesting destinations
  • Chance to learn the language and culture
  • Live in a country that will have a major impact in global affairs in the very near future

What do you do for fun with your free time?

I enjoy reading, going to the movies, working out, cooking, DJing, going to events/lectures on campus, and traveling.

Has it been hard for you to meet people and make friends here?

No. Being an expat makes it easier to make friends, in my opinion. We already have “being a foreigner” in common. There are people here that I consider close friends that I’m confident I would not be friends with back in Atlanta. This goes back to the cultural exchange advantage listed as one of the positive things about living here.

What do you do for work here in China?

I’m a lecturer at NYU Shanghai teaching in the English for Academic Purposes department.

Food- Food makes the world go round!

  1. How has your food journey been here?I was one to cook and take my lunch to work most days, so I’m handy in the kitchen. That being said, the diversity in cuisine in Shanghai is exceptional, and I’ve changed my lifestyle a bit into incorporating going to restaurants more often. There are many dishes (mostly ingredients – plantain, kale, select spices, etc.) that I don’t have access to here, which is a shame, but it also gives me the opportunity to add new ones to my palate. The toughest thing, I would say, is going to an interesting looking restaurant and having to pass on it because I can’t read the menu.
  2. Have you tried anything here that you love that you don’t have at home?Absolutely. I love Xinjiang food, street BBQ (I eat it rarely these days compared to when I first arrived), frog, dongbei food, zongzi, xiao long bao… I could go on. The food in Xi’an is amazing too – yangrou paomo and rou jia mo are spectacular dishes. The wonderful thing about living abroad is that it expands your experiences, allowing you to grow. I truly feel sorry for the expats who don’t try anything new or just eat at foreign restaurants seven days a week. Everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve added some food or ingredients from the area into my normal regime. I can see myself eating vegetable baozi for the rest of my life!
  3. Have you tried anything here that you absolutely hate and hope to never eat again?Not really, but I’m a really open-minded guy, food-wise. The least appealing thing I’ve tried were roasted (or fried?) cicadas – tough to eat while looking at them. Some hot pot places have served brains, I draw the line there as well. But I’ve tried drunken shrimp (live), donkey meat sandwiches, countless frog legs, pigeon, scorpions, a sea horse or two… I could go on.
  4. How is shopping for food here for you?As I mentioned, I cook at home a lot. Food has always been the smaller part of my budget because I like to cook simple, plant-based dishes at home. I don’t ball out at restaurants like many do, and I seldom drink, but I do spend waaaay more on dining here than I did back home. It’s part of the local culture.

Access to travel – A lot of people move abroad because of the access to travel to other countries. Let’s talk about this!

  1. China is huge!!! Have you been to any places in China? Are there any places in China you would like to visit?Been to a few places in China: Beijing, Jinan, Chongqing, Xi’an, Shantou, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi in the mainland. Macau, HK as other related “territories”.
  2. Have you visited any nearby countries since you have been here? Where did you go?Many. Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, The Philippines. A few of them multiple times.
  3. What cities/countries are on your list ???Not many left for East Asia. Looking forward to traveling more in Africa and Europe.

One Last thing-

If you could share one thing with everyone about life what would it be.

Nobody has the answers. Calculate the risks, make a decision, and jump with both feet without looking back, only looking forward while making more calculations.

Thanks so much for joining me on my blog! Many blessings.

…. a few pictures from Marcel’s travels…

I am excited about life! I am filled with Hope. I am overwhelmed with JOY!

I am going to do my best to live by the ‘Glad Texts’ 

(one of my favorites is–Psalms 98:4-Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music) — Did you know that there are over 800 Glad Texts in the Bible?!?! More than one for each day of the year for me to live by.

#FearlessinShanghai #Thankful #joychangeslives #KMarieTakesChina #BlackGirlMagic #KarlaGirlLivingLife #BlackGirlJoy #LivingMyLifeLikeItsGolden #ChinaorBust #ChinaAintReady #BlackInShanghai #LookOutWorldHereComesKarla  #KarlaGirlJoy #BlackGirlInShanghai #eatsleeppartyrepeat #givingisgood #givingisfun #WakandaForever #ShuriAndNakiaAndOkoye #MelaninMagic #Blessed #FaithfulIsMyGod

“life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”  – Hellen Keller

*I choose ADVENTURE*

 

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