21st century nomads

Last weekend, two old classmates of mine moved to Hong Kong. One is a Beijing native who went to Ontario for a Masters degree, then to Vancouver for another Masters degree, then back to Beijing. The other is a Calgary native who lived in Japan for a couple of stints, then went to Vancouver for a Masters degree, then to Beijing. They got married there last autumn. And now they're both working in the financial services industry in Hong Kong.

It's amazing how so many of my friends and I have not only travelled all over the place, but who have also lived all over the world.

My two best buddies from high school are now medical students. Keith did an internship in Montreal and a couple of months of volunteer work in Guatemala during university before going off to Toronto for medical school, and even managed to spend a summer in Shanghai for a research project. Trylon was born in the US, moved to Canada as a kid, then did army training somewhere in Cowfuck Alberta, then fought forest fires somewhere in Ploughcousin BC, before going to Sydney, Australia for med school.

Grace, arguably my first girlfriend and another best buddy from high school, was raised in and went to university in Vancouver, earned a couple more degrees in Halifax, did an internship in Toronto, and is now an architect in New York City.

And my buddy Judy, born and raised in BC, has been quite the jet-setter in recent years, constantly shuttling between Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Australia. She's been in hot demand as a researcher and writer, and is considered an authority on war veterans. She's now doing her PhD in Australia.

My buddy Victor, who was born in central Russia, studied in Moscow, continued his studies in Beijing (where he then worked for a decade), studied in Boston (we all know what THAT means, right, Courtney?), worked in Beijing again, then went to Vancouver for a PhD. He'll be moving back to Beijing very soon.

And then there's Simon. I forget where he was born, but he was raised in Victoria, BC, did an undergraduate and Masters degree in Vancouver, lived in India (and played a British officer in a Bollywood film!) for an internship at least once, taught English in Taipei to save up some cash, and is now blowing this cash on law school in Montreal.

And then there's Raf.. I don't know if anyone can beat Raf. This guy was born and raised in Toronto, but while doing his undergraduate degree and during law school, he went on exchange programs in Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. During his Masters degree (which, along with his law degree, he earned in Vancouver), he worked on a research project in Melbourne. After that, he moved to LA to work at a law firm, and just this week, he moved to San Francisco to be a lawyer there. Wow, 8 cities! Crazy, huh? I've only notched 4, or 5, if you include my month in Seoul.

Many more of my friends have moved around this much, and maybe even more than this. It's pretty cool.


I envy my friends who go on business travel, especially the ones who get to fly on business class and who stay in 5 star hotels or luxury serviced apartments. Even the flight attendants get a generous per diem and usually stay in decent hotels too, AND they get some time off between flights. But while I envy the luxury and comfort they enjoy, I still prefer staying in one place for a relatively lengthy period of time in order to explore the neighbourhoods, talk to the people, root out the good restaurants, learn the local history, and get a feel of life in each place.


Some of my friends really dig the cosmopolitan style of lives they live abroad. To tell you the truth, I don't really enjoy hanging out with fellow expatriates at bars. I do enjoy eating different food, and having Western food available to me when I want it, though. Most of my friends are quite adventurous and inquisitive and prefer to life as the local people live.

For some people who have rather valuable job skills, working abroad can be very very lucrative. But even those who don't have extremely high-paying jobs gain very valuable cultural and life experience. I know I haven't saved a penny while living abroad, so I guess all I've earned is experience, which is still quite valuable to me.


I suppose there are drawbacks to being rootless, though. Some of my friends my age have started to buy houses and get married (though none my age have had kids yet!). Even my younger sister bought herself a brand new car.. a couple of years ago! As for me, my most valuable material possession is my laptop, and it's not worth that much after 2 years of depreciation. After that, it's my mountain bike, and at 10 years old, I'm sure it's worth almost nothing now. Well, I guess instead of my mountain bike, it would be my cell phone, or perhaps my glasses. In other words, I have no assets. Oh, don't even mention my bank accounts...

Still, we all die someday, and some of my friends will die possessing more than they or their families will ever need. I don't mind dying with nearly nothing, and I'm sure my family, old and new, will be smart and tough enough to take care of themselves. But if I die tomorrow, I will be happy with the life I've lived. Happier than if I stayed Vancouver. aloof to the world out there.