Freelance copy editor

I was apprehensive to go to China (with my husband). I wasn't sure if we would feel welcome in the country. I worried about the language barrier and about vegetarian food options.

I lived and worked in Beijing for well over eight years. We enjoyed our stay there.

I had Chinese colleagues, who have since become friends. They were friendly, helpful, polite, and respectful. And also, they are very, very hardworking, humble, and disciplined. My Chinese colleagues don't, typically, question authority figures. But Indians do not always defer to hierarchy! While Indians tend to be more individualistic and idealistic, the Chinese are very practical and always mindful of the larger good.