Im trying to write something here every day because I know many of my Chinese friends have no idea what life is really like in America. Compared to the rest of the world America thinks its the best country in the world. But what I want to show is real American life in these blogs.
Take today is an example. Im a little atypical in that I work from home and Im partly retired. I feel my income for my lifetime has been about average for an American with my salary ranging from roughly $10,000 a year in the late 1970s to $70,000 a year in the early part and middle part of the last decade. My income is less now intentionally because I quit a very good paying job to have more control over my own life. I didnt really quit, I retired, but thats another story.
Americans change jobs quite often. My wife quit her job last December and is finally accepted new fulltime job today officially. It will be the most she has ever been paid per hour. She starts the new job in a few weeks at a doctors office.
I started a new job nearly every day. OK, thats not really quite the truth. Im a freelance writer and editor and have been working at this type of work fulltime since last August and part time for more than two years. As I hinted above, Im not going to explain why I want to work fulltime when Im officially retired. Id explain it before and Im sure I will do it again.
My days tend to start slowly. Early in the morning I checked my e-mail, Skype, and QQ to see if anyone has send me any new work or needs help with English. For example, this morning the young lady on QQ asked me to review a letter she wanted to prepare. She had been accepted into a Ph. D. program and was not sure how to prepare a letter responding and accepting the position. I found a few examples for her on the internet as she prepared a letter which I then edited to make sure it had good English. When my wife, Sheila, is working all get up with her and one of us may cook some cereal for breakfast. Once shes out the door I often spend an hour to practicing my Chinese with people on QQ or Skype. For those of you who try to reach me the best times, Beijing Time, are about 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM and again in the evening about 7:00 PM to as long as you want to stay awake because Im awake all night Beijing time. I often turn off QQ and Skype when Im busy editing. At times, 10 to 20 people try to contact me within an hours time on QQ so dont be surprised if Im busy.
In my morning once China goes to sleep I often take a nap. This recharges my batteries for my workday. I may not start editing until 10:00 or 11:00 AM or sometimes in the early afternoon. For most of the year 11:00 AM here is midnight in Beijing so its a quiet time to work until the evening bustle and supper. About 4:00 PM Ill start thinking about lunch or supper and maybe have supper ready by the time Sheila get some from work. I try to be a good house hubby (house husband). Often watch the evening news of 5:30 PM and then get back to either editing or playing on the computer. Eventually, Ill want to go to sleep so this blog ends there.
