Limitless Laowai — Expat Life, Business Strategy, Personal Development Cultural Adjustment in China | Learn Chinese

It's no secret: gifts make China go 'round. As 'laowai', we can choose to play by the cultural norms of the land, or choose to dig our heels in and, well, not! There's loads of grace to go around for the unknowing foreigner, but why choose to be that laowai if we don't have to be. I truly believe that the basics of gift-giving (understanding and avoiding what is sure to offend at all costs) is actually attainable and is a worthy endeavor during our time in China. In this episode, we check out a couple of my own favorite cultural gift-giving failures and successes to get to the bottom of the basics that you need to know.

It’s Chinese New Year week – get your red out and pick up some fireworks at the roadside stands! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some quality family time and for the hustle and bustle of China to go quiet for a few days. (Well, minus the fireworks of course!) Why cover CNY in a 'laowai' podcast? Well, I believe that because this holiday is so vitally important to the core of our host nation, it is also incredibly important for us to learn about. They care, so we care. This week, I’m going to embark on a journey with you to try to uncover some of the mystery around China’s biggest holiday. Today's episode covers the basics – the need to stop generalizing the entire population; the ingrained cultural importance of this holiday; why the color red; and finally, the significance of fireworks.

As a start-up, time is your most valuable asset. I know that, but I've not been doing a great job safeguarding my time as that one thing that could actually make or break this project. And of course, this week, we had an odd family milestone that shook my foundation of the true meaning and impact of time when it comes to raising a family. It was a great reminder that time is something that none of us can afford to waste.

Sean is an American with a degree in Psychology and a passion for travel, language, politics, history, geography, science, cooking, and just about everything that defines us as humans. He's fluent in Mandarin and has been living in China for almost 7 years, first as a teacher, and now as a social entrepreneur. He currently runs a free English-speech event, similar to TED, in Shenzhen called IdeaXchange.

After working on various low-cost housing and sustainable design projects in Australia, Canada and Thailand, Sherry, a first generation Canadian Chinese, settled in Shanghai with her husband in 2001. After the birth of her first daughter, Sherry started Wobabybasics using her experiences as an architect, environmentalist and parent to guide her designs, and now her high quality garments are stocked in over eight countries! Sherry is also the founder and an advisory board member of the Eco Design Fair in Shanghai. Through her work with this project, Sherry is a winner of the Rotary Club of Shanghai’s Rotary Leadership Award.

Tess is the Founder and Managing Partner of TEAM Education Consulting Company, and is also the Director of Counseling. She has been assisting students in preparing for and applying to colleges and universities in the U.S since 1998 and she has quite the list of impressive student admissions including, Harvard Business School, Wharton School of Business, UC Berkeley, UCLA, etc. She herself is a graduate of Harvard Business School where she earned a M.B.A. and Stanford University where she earned a BA in International Relations. Besides running her own business, Tess is super involved in the Shanghai community that has been her family's home for the last 10 years. For her first 9 years she was the president of the Yew Chung International School of Pudong Parent Organization and is currently the Chairman of board of Community Center Shanghai. Added to all that, Tess is just plain awesome and inspiring as a woman and a mama of her three boys, and it was a blast having her on the show.

This week, I had to ask myself some tough questions after many sleepless nights up with sick babies. As the week went on, my fuse got shorter than short. I complained behind closed doors almost as badly as my flu-ridden loved ones cried. Any yet, I totally missed it. I had the opportunity to give my girls exactly what they needed: a loving mama who cared about them so much that I put everything aside to focus on their needs. And yet, I royally blew it. In the process of blowing it, I learned an invaluable lesson that hopefully will keep me from missing my shot next time and hopefully will encourage you to tackle whatever is on your plate today with purpose and self-less intent.

Vanessa has global experience spanning over three continents in event management for a range of companies. She currently heads the Operations division of China Sports Promotions, organizers of high-end boxing events across Asia, most famously know in Shanghai as, "Brawl on the Bund." Vanessa has been in Shanghai for over three years and is joined by her husband. Today, she's going to give a little insight into her China experience and how defied the odds to land her dream job.