How China Changed My Life

1. HI Kaja! CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS? 

I’m originally from Poland but I grew up in Denmark. I’m a writer and YouTuber. 

I started my YouTube channel by Kaja when I was in university, I used to move a lot between Europe and Asia, I lived in China, Thailand & France, and I would document my daily life and travels. 

I’m currently based in Warsaw and I have recently published my first book ‘I lived in Shanghai’ about my experience living in China & attending Fudan University as a foreign student.      

If I had to describe myself in 3 words I would say adventurous, never bored & always-want-to-travel :)  

You can watch kaja's videos here: https://www.youtube.com/c/byKajaa/videos

2. HOW LONG AND WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING IN CHINA? AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO MOVE TO CHINA?   

I lived in Shanghai for two years. The first time around I moved to Shanghai to study Chinese at Fudan University. 

The second time around, I came to Shanghai to do an MBA degree. 

I basically moved to China by accident, but I’m very happy that I did, because this move changed my life forever. 

I decided to go to China simply because I wanted to live an adventure, I always had this desire to make my life as interesting as possible, and China seemed interesting so I just went for it.  

3. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE LIFE IN SHANGHAI? 

Never boring, chaotic but beautiful.  

4. HOW CHINA CHANGED YOU?   

I think China changed me for the better because I learned to be more open-minded and patient. 

I also learned that if I could handle moving to China by myself at such a young age I can handle it all :)     

5. WHAT MADE YOU WRITE A BOOK ABOUT LIFE IN SHANGHAI? 

I felt like many people don’t know much about life in Shanghai. I’ve noticed that whenever I would tell my friends about my life in Shanghai, they would be surprised that this city is actually a really cool and exciting place to live. 

People tend to have many misconceptions about China, and I felt like I had a lot to say, many stories to share. 

I wanted to show the world what life in China is really like, what is it like to be a foreigner living in a city like Shanghai.     

You can find kaja's book here: https://amzn.to/3pLoeQ4

6. WHAT DO YOU LIKE AND HATE ABOUT LIVING IN SHANGHAI? 

I love how exciting life in Shanghai is! There is always something to do, always a new place to try. 

Shanghai is also a city that attracts a lot of interesting people from all around the world, and people are quite open to making new connections. 

And as someone who loves filming and taking pictures, the architecture of Shanghai is just endless source of inspiration. 

I hate the traffic and how drivers often don’t care much about pedestrians. 

The weather can also be disturbing, summer is way too hot and humid, and winters in Shanghai can be hell, because majority of building don’t have central heating.      

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS ABOUT CHINA? 

I miss walking through my neighbourhood in the evenings, seeing all the lights, people, countless food options. 

The energy of Shanghai is something that always really inspired me and just made me feel alive, and I miss that a lot.    

8. WHAT ABOUT YOUR RENTING EXPERIENCE IN SHANGHAI? 

Finding a nice apartment in good location in Shanghai is not an easy task. 

My friends and I found our last apartment using a local agency, and we had so many issues with that place!

From mould in the bathroom to troubles communicating with our landlord, and the worst part was probably construction that would start every day at 6am even on a Sunday! 

So, I definitely learned my lesson there, be careful what you sign up for!  

9. WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR THE NEXT 2-3 YEARS? AND WHAT IS YOUR NEXT CITY?   

At the moment, I’m starting to work on my second book about my experience living & attending a university in Thailand, so publishing it is my next big goal. 

I’m the type of person that always has so many plans and dreams, that it’s difficult to tell!  

But my goal is always to travel as much as I can and ideally try living in as many places as possible. 

 Indonesia has been on my radar for quite some time, I visited a couple of times, and I would love to try living there for a while. 

I also definitely see myself retuning to Shanghai, this city is just a very special place for me and I look forward to making it my home again.