Expectations Vs. Reality

Why you should never expect everything to go well…

When I first arrived in China, I wasn’t pleasantly surprised by the advanced developments, I was horrified about the living conditions and how I was going to last.

Then a few days later, I adjusted and I loved everything about my trip.

What happened?

Most foreigners come to China surprised by how advanced everything is. A quick look at a few YouTube videos of westerners living in China and we see them talk about how some of the living conditions might just be superior to countries like the United States and Canada.

How come I didn’t have that impression when I first arrived?

I have always remembered China a little bit differently. Having been to China multiple times in the past, I remembered it to be almost completely the same as Canada.

Clean, spacious; terms that you don’t usually use to describe China’s large metropolises.

But the first day, I walked into my uncle’s apartment and he showed me the room that I would be sleeping in.

The room was tiny. It could only fit one small bed that was more of a pile of cushions than an actual bed and a chair. There wasn’t enough space for two people to stand at the same time.