Heading abroad for greener pastures

More and more Chinese are heading overseas, some for temporary work assignments and study, others to seek better living and working environments. But, they are only part of the big story as globalization shrinks the world and we are, to a certain extent, becoming citizens of the planet rather than of one country.

In Seattle recently, I met a lady from Guangzhou who started working here four years ago. She is now a senior chambermaid in charge of a small team and speaks a working vocabulary of basic English, which she proudly tried out on me.

My Chinese-looking face made her a little hesitant, added to the fact that my room had probably been bookmarked "VIP Media". I decided to take the initiative and speak to her in Putonghua.