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Q: How does your life here compare with back home?
I came to China for a bunch of reasons but one major one was that I could do a job I like without having to slave my life away. I don't work a 9-5, I don't answer to anyone (well, except the wife), and I have plenty of time for my hobbies and vices. So what about you? How does your life and daily routine in China compare with that of back home?
Here I know very few people....so less phone calls..life is easy..you can plan what you want rather than considering what other guys are planning..in summary it is very easy as you are related with yourself only..
First over 50% of my income is going to taxes at home, not so in China altho I still paid taxes at home while away.While cultural differences can be annoying, there are enough things to keep me happy in China and it's never boring, something I am at home. I live rural.
My biggest beef about home is while we think we are so free, we are so over regulated, can't build a house or shed on your own property without paying a hugh fee, can't speed, jaywalk, litter, park a car, garbage can't weigh over 40 lbs, just way too many petty rules. Always a rush to get things done.
While China has some frustrations, I think it is less stressful and certainly much cheaper to live in.
Let's see...
At home I work like a dog pay more bills spend more on everything (I spend $300 a month on gas alone plus insurance)...but I can ride my bike on the street without fear of being run over...I can hike up a mountain breathing in real fresh air...and I can buy food knowing that it's safe to eat and really organic.
In China my company pays all my bills except for the bar. I get taken to fancy dinners and KTV palaces for business all the time. My gf lives with me when I am in China. I get treated like a rockstar most places I go. Girls throw themselves at me all the time in bars even after I tell them I have a gf (ok an exageration but comes close sometimes).
Tough call...hard to say..maybe a tossup.
-In the US I can vote, have children, say anything I want, read anything I want, and go to any religious service I want.
I get paid an upper middle class salary for working 15 hours a WEEK here. 
Enough said
As a student, I have a better quality of life here for sure. I've learned a lot more here in terms of life and non-academic skills, but in terms of academic knowledge I kind of miss the western style a bit. I would say my life is better here overall, for many of the reasons stated above. But it's like a friend of mine said, "Once you live here, you will never be totally happy in one place."
