Having set root in a few places, and currently halfway through my PhD in the US, I am often asked where I want to go after I am done. “Do you wanna go back?” But then I am not sure what “back” in this case means. There are three likely options, staying in the US, going ‘back’ to Europe or to Asia (although I do not rule out possibilities of Latin-America, Australia etc.). Of the three, Europe is simply the least attractive, save for exceptions such as London. I have been discussing this with friends, and I am of the opinion that Europe is somewhat in decline, mostly concerned with looking inward rather than think about its role on a global level. This was nowhere more clear than during the referenda for the EU ‘constitution’ – in Holland, the debate was framed as Amsterdam versus Brussels, rather than Europe versus China/US. So, Europe is the least likely of the three. That leaves the US and Asia. I always thought that it would be a nice idea to go ‘back’ to Asia, if not at the very least for just a few years. But where? China does not seem too appealing, so Hong Kong and Taipei come to mind.

And then I read this quote by Long Yingtai and suddenly my choices made so much more sense:

“When asked where she could chose to stay for the rest of her life, she said, “Oh, I would like to live in Beijing or Shanghai for a year, but I cannot stay there too long because the country is a dictatorial state. I could stay in Vancouver (British Columbia), because it is often rated as the best in the world in terms of living conditions. However, that would be impossible for someone who wants to engage with her environment and the whole Chinese-language world — it would be so wrong! That leaves Hong Kong and Taipei. If I have to choose, I guess it will be Taipei. After all, Chen Shui-bian cannot be around forever, eh?”

Ofcourse, it still depends on whether an organization or institution in Hong Kong and/or Taipei wants me. Keep an eye open for me around 2008 (projected graduation) or 2009 (…).