My name is Julie Levesque and I come from a small town in Quebec, the French-speaking province of Canada, but I lived all my adult life in the wonderful island city of Montreal. I have a bachelors degree in German studies, certificates in Journalism and Translation, studied Communications and Politics, and Cinematography.

After 6 years working for an independent, multilingual, and anti-war media outlet (thanks to which I lived a few wild, rewarding and sometimes heartbreaking adventures across the globe) I decided to sell everything I owned to move to China and teach English. It's been three months since I've moved here, and I've enjoyed every single minute of my stay.

But why did I pick China? Before coming here I visited several Asian countries: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia, and I loved every single trip in this part of the world. It may seem quite odd for a Westerner to say that Asia feels like home, but after spending several months in South-East Asia, that is truly how I felt. I just knew that sooner or later I would live somewhere in Asia.

At first, I wanted to teach in South Korea; a very popular destination amongst ESL teachers. However South Korea is very strict and demanding with its applicants. I was strongly encouraged to try finding a position in China, which offered similar working conditions. I found an interesting job offer with JESIE on an ESL job board, and I applied right away. Within a week I had done two interviews, I signed my contract, and a month later I was in China. Not only was I amazed at how incredibly fast the process went, but also at how smoothly all the paperwork was done in just a few short weeks.

For many Westerners, China is a mysterious country that they know very little about. Even though I probably knew a bit more about the Middle Kingdom than the average Canadian (thanks to my work), I still didn't know what to expect. Let's face it, the Western media is very keen on giving China bad coverage, and being aware of this phenomenon still doesn't leave anyone doubtless. Moving to China without having visited the country and not knowing more than 'ni hao', 'chow mein' and 'Jackie Chan' was taking a major leap of faith into what I call, the void.

Nevertheless, I haven't been disappointed to this day, and I think choosing to work in China is the best move I've ever made.

Chinese people are just adorable--and the food--the food has nothing to do with the colloquial idea of Chinese food in Canada. I haven't had a single dish that was not tasty! Also, I'm a vegetarian.  I assumed my diet being here was supposed to be very complicated, according to many posts I read on the Internet. Trust me, its not. Chinese people eat enough vegetables that would put Jack and his beanstalk to shame! Let's face it; Tofu is a Chinese invention, like pretty much everything is.  

Most importantly however, I have a rewarding job with working conditions that are beyond imaginable in my country. I work in a public primary school in Wuxi, a small city of 6 million inhabitants that is 45 minutes away from Shanghai by train, the most populated city in the world and by far the craziest and most futuristic city I've ever seen in my life (no hover-boards yet, sadly).

Compared to Shanghai, Wuxi is like a village in the countryside; although it is a very modern city with huge shopping malls and millions of cars, motorbikes and insane traffic with its very obscure Chinese regulations, it feels very laid-back. Anyway, thats how I feel! Thanks to my schedule, I have plenty of time to enjoy life and do the things I love: read, go to the gym, play guitar, watch movies and of course learn Chinese, because knowing Jackie Chan won't take me very far!

When people back home ask me when I'm coming back, I tell them I have no reason to leave. I love China and I'm not leaving anytime soon!