the wheel of fortune
5 years ago, 2012. It was an absolutely eventful year. The wheel of fortune turned. The inevitable happened.
I threw 2 birthday parties in Shanghai, went to Marseilles for MBA graduation ceremony, toured quite a bit in Europe, back in Shanghai and attended a couple of stylish parties. Then, I had to leave Shanghai, leave China, unprepared.
I borrowed a line from Harry Potter to encourage myself, “It’s not our abilities that show what we truly are. It’s our choices.”
In the following 5 years, I’ve asked myself quite often – what am I truly? Sometimes I asked myself more frequently and intensely; sometimes I tried to avoid this question. So far I still haven’t gotten an answer.
Voluntary joblessness, involuntary miscarriage and loneliness. All happened shortly after I left Shanghai and in a foreign country. The hottest country in the world seemed extremely cold to me. Later on there was just one voice echoing in my head – where is my passion? I decided to go back to Shanghai where I had always belonged. The return trip was set, my things were packed, goodbyes were said and truly meant. Then, fate took control over me again. A real big adventure was only then just about to begin…
Jinglei Zhu 