Do you dream about moving abroad? YEAH THAT'S ME
From female solo travel to my feelings from a life abroad, here’s a collection of my most personal pieces.
I’m in a rough place right now. Possibly a quarter life crisis, if that’s even a thing. Sometimes living abroad is hard, and overwhelming. My friends are all starting careers, developing relationships and decorating apartments, and here I am with no career prospects, a master’s degree and $20k USD in debt…. Help me. I’ve always […]
Over the last few years, I’ve talked a bit about Chinese beauty standards and how they differ from America and most other “western” countries. Whether it’s skin whitening or the fact that I can be simultaneously fat and beautiful, sometimes it’s hard to wrap my head around the notions of Chinese beauty. As a woman, […]
I’ve been wanting to write this post for months. But to be honest, I’ve been afraid to get this personal. Sure I’ve talked about my struggles and loneliness living in China, my embarrassment when a student called me fat, and how I sometimes judge people for not being as “adventurous” as me. I even went […]
Feminism is the buzzword of 2014. Celebrities are “coming out” as feminists, rape culture is all over the news, and the gender pay gap is a huge topic of debate. Recently, a Tumblr has emerged titled “Why I don’t need feminism”. It consists of women holding up signs, declaring why they, personally, don’t need feminism. A […]
A lot of people see me as pretty “adventurous”. I left home to go to college across the country, where I knew absolutely no one. I decided to study abroad in China for seven months having never been to Asia before. After graduation, I packed my bags and headed back to China for a year […]
I love social media. Facebook, Istagram, Twitter; it’s how I keep in touch with everyone back home. I can share my photos and my stories, which not only gives me a sense of purpose, but also the ability to connect with my old friends and acquaintances. When I return home I won’t feel out of […]
Being a minor celebrity in my middle-of-nowhere high school has led to some interesting experiences and classroom culture shock; one of which is the adjectives my students use to describe me. Aside from the typical “HELLO TEACHER!”, “RICHELLE!!”, “AHHH MS. JIANG!”, I also get “SO BEAUTIFUL!!!” multiple times a day, every day. Talk about a […]
The following is an adaptation of an academic essay I wrote while studying abroad in Xi’an, China in the summer of 2012. One of the major academic components when studying with the Alliance is the capstone. This capstone project is an academic research project on an aspect of Chinese culture you find very interesting. For this […]
Hi I'm Richelle! I'm the founder of the Freedom Life and I've been living abroad since 2013. For the last eight years, I've been helping hundreds of adventurous people just like you move abroad, and I can't wait to help you get started on this incredible adventure!
