MAY 2011 - Qingdao Expat Group

Creative Director role changes hands
This month sees the Qingdao Expat Magazine change hands as Marcela Lickova moves on to Shanghai.
Since taking over the reigns as creative director in September last year, Marcela has put in countless hours
organising contributor‘s articles, sourcing information on local activities and presenting them to the local
expat community. She has volunteered her time so that you have a comprehensive resource on what is going
on in Qingdao and what it‘s like to be an expat living here; most importantly, this magazine shows that
you are not alone! There are other people living in Qingdao who experience similar cultural shocks or a
sense of isolation and it is a lot more comforting knowing that there are activities for you and your family to
do where you can meet fellow expats.
This issue has been put together in collaboration with Marcela and myself, the incoming creative director.
Hopefully I can continue the great work that Marcela and the rest of the team have been doing! If you have
any suggestions or articles for the magazine (guidelines on Page 2), please do not hesitate to email me at
qingdaoexpateditor@yahoo.com
The following is an interview between Marcela and myself, Anna James. It‘s just to introduce me and give
you a little information about where I‘m from and why I‘m now living in Qingdao.
A rare ‗normal‘
photo taken of
me celebrating a
friend‘s birthday
in Thailand
Being silly...what
most photo‗s of
myself look like!
This is also taken in
Thailand towards
the end of last year
Marcela: Who are you, where are you coming from? What did you do before coming to Qingdao/
China?
Anna: I'm an Australian from Melbourne. After I finished my Masters degree in architecture I spent 10 months
working and saving money. I left home at the end of August 2010 and spent seven months travelling
through South East Asia before coming to China to live and work. I spent 3 months in Thailand, 2 months
in Cambodia and 2 months in Laos combining backpacking with some volunteer work helping out in exchange for
food and board.
Marcela: What do you do in Qingdao?
Anna: I work at a university lecturing and tutoring in architecture and urban planning. I also sometimes work at a
language school teaching English to children.
Marcela: Where can people meet you?
Anna: You might run into me downtown, I am pretty much there everyday. I'm quite hard to miss; being blonde I
stand out like a sore thumb! Generally though, it's best to send me an email and arrange to meet up for coffee or
a drink. As an Australian I am extremely good at drinking beer and wine, and coming from Melbourne – the European
capital of Australia – I am a complete coffee snob. I would love to find the best places in Qingdao to get a
REAL coffee!
Qingdao Expat Magazine 6