Danish Expat Living in China - Interview with Line

Line Fricke has recently finished her Master's degree at Copenhagen Business School. During her studies she has lived, worked and studied in Copenhagen, London, New York and by following her path she is now located in Shanghai where she studys mandarin and explore the Chinese culture and country. Apart from that she practice healthy habits in Shanghai or wherever she travels to. These include being a vegetarian, traveling every month (out of Shanghai), practicing yoga on a daily basis, thinking positive and happy thoughts as the first and last of every day, challenging herself to try new things and getting out of her comfort zone Line's expat blog is called About Shanghai habits (see listing here)

Here's the interview with Line...

Where are you originally from?
Denmark

In which country and city are you living now?
China

How long have you lived in China and how long are you planning to stay?
She has lived in Shanghai for 1,5 year and not sure what the future will bring

Why did you move to China and what do you do?
After working for a local service organization in Shanghai she now study mandarin at Jiao Tong University

Did you bring family with you?
She lives with her New Zealand boyfriend (whom she met in Shanghai in 2012) in Shanghai´s French Concession

How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
Very exciting and very challenging

Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
Line finds that in Shanghai expats are very open-minded and it is very easy to find friends and contacts. The Chinese people are also very interested in socializing with expats

What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
Explore the best of two worlds: explore the rooftop bars, the restaurants and the hot city spots. And explore villages, water towns and mountains by taking trips out of Shanghai

What do you enjoy most about living in China?
Shanghai is truly the city where East meets West. Incredible

How does the cost of living in China compare to home?
It is more difficult to figure out - some things are very unreasonable prices fx. grocery shopping in international supermarkets. Other things are crazy cheap for example transportation

What negatives, if any, are there to living in China?
The environment in Shanghai is both mentally and physically unhealthy. Too many people, too busy, too polluted

If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving to China, what would it be?
"Come with and open mind and an open heart and you will have the time of your life in Shanghai"

What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
To find peace of mind in Shanghai´s fast-paced life

When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
I will have to be very ready to settle down. Now I think life back home is boring and it gets "everyday life" very fast. In Shanghai every day is new

What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?

1. Come with an open mind & an open heart
2. Whether you live in Shanghai or other big cities - get out of the city once in a while. See something new, experience something new, be inspired, fascinated, learn, grow!
3. Whenever you feel frustrated just breathe, take the time to breathe
4. Let go of what you can not control
5. Remember to appreciate even the smallest expat moments

Tell us a bit about your own expat blog.
I absolutely love living, traveling and practicing healthy habits in China. Sharing is caring and I feel like sharing what I know, what I learn and what I experience when living, studying and traveling in China. Therefore I developed the Shanghaihabits blog.

How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
www.shanghaihabits.com
[email protected]

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