Recent Stanford MBA Grad Jason Jianyu Tu was born in 1989 in a small village 125 miles south of Xian--in what he termed a "sixth-tier city," meaning, "There's a very slim chance you can be successful." (See post one.) His parents, well aware of this, searched for ways out of this small village, and eventually found a path to Xian. (See post two.) The big city of Xian--although only a hop, skip and a jump away--was like a different planet, with buses and fast food and a really tough school. (See post three.) Jason gave up trying to do well in school, instead focusing his energy where his passions lay: guitar and blockbuster movies. (See post four.) While Jason's high school headmaster did not have high hopes that Jason would get a college degree, Jason jumped through hoop after hoop to get accepted to the University of Washington. His only problem? Funding. (See post five.) Thanks, however, to a mass e-mail marketing campaign, Jason found himself accepted to the University of Evansville in Indiana. (See post six.) He was thrilled...until he landed in what felt was the middle of nowhere. (See post seven.) As Jason was one of two Chinese people at the school, he was immediately the expert on anything and everything that had to do with China. (See post eight.) Not only that, but he was soon paired up with an American host family, something he looks back on as a very important part of his life. (See post nine.) Despite the warm welcome in Evansville, he decided he needed to move to a bigger place. (See post ten.) Upon graduating with a degree in Economics from Purdue University, however, Jason still had trouble finding a job. He was initially relieved to get a Research Fellowship at Toulouse School of Economics in France. (See post eleven.)
Jason didn't adapt as well to France as he had America. When he first arrived, he was in need of directions to a certain train.
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| Gare Du Nord Train Station |
While Jason went to night school to learn the language, he discovered that was not the only barrier. France reminded Jason too much of China—the bad parts of China.
“French people are even more arrogant than Chinese people. Chinese people like to talk about history. China, in the past century, had been so poor, so fragmented, that people always looked up to something that happens abroad. When you go to Europe, although they also have a long history, they’re pretty satisfied with their current situation. They don’t look out to the United States or any country. French people think they’re the best.
“There’s no such thing as efficiency. France is a socialist country so they have really good health care. They offer you a green card—it’s literally a green color—so that whenever you go to the doctor or hospital you don’t have to pay anything."
"The school bought insurance for me. They told me I could get an insurance card at a local insurance company office. I went there, lined up at 11am. At 11:30 it was finally my turn, and the person closed the window. ‘I need to have lunch.’
"So I waited, waited, waited.
“Finally that person comes back. Halfway through processing the documents he said. ‘Hold on. I need to take a coffee and cigarette.’
“French people are even more arrogant than Chinese people. Chinese people like to talk about history. China, in the past century, had been so poor, so fragmented, that people always looked up to something that happens abroad. When you go to Europe, although they also have a long history, they’re pretty satisfied with their current situation. They don’t look out to the United States or any country. French people think they’re the best.
“There’s no such thing as efficiency. France is a socialist country so they have really good health care. They offer you a green card—it’s literally a green color—so that whenever you go to the doctor or hospital you don’t have to pay anything."
"The school bought insurance for me. They told me I could get an insurance card at a local insurance company office. I went there, lined up at 11am. At 11:30 it was finally my turn, and the person closed the window. ‘I need to have lunch.’
"So I waited, waited, waited.
“Finally that person comes back. Halfway through processing the documents he said. ‘Hold on. I need to take a coffee and cigarette.’
"I waited for him to go out and come back. Finally, he finished all the documents and said, ‘You’ll receive the insurance card in a few weeks.’
“I waited several months. I didn’t receive it.”
In fact, Jason didn’t receive the card until he was getting ready to leave France--an exit that happened sooner than he anticipated.
“I waited several months. I didn’t receive it.”
In fact, Jason didn’t receive the card until he was getting ready to leave France--an exit that happened sooner than he anticipated.
(To be continued. Next: An Unfair TurnThat Changes Life For the Better)
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