Why an American Teacher Chose China: Life in Shanghai

Why She Left America for China || WAIC Ep.4

Destination:ChinaCity:ShanghaiPopulation:24.9 million
Why She Left America for China || WAIC Ep.4
Because I'm Lizzy2026-02-0427 min

This episode follows an American woman from Texas who is Mexican-American as she explains why she left the United States for China and what life in Shanghai feels like. The conversation covers identity, safety, and the current climate in the United States, contrasting everyday realities such as gun accessibility with life in China. As a teacher and content creator living in Shanghai with her dog, she reflects on cultural adaptation, career choices, and the sense of freedom and safety she seeks abroad. The discussion is personal and observational, offering viewers a grounded look at how choosing to live in China can affect one’s perspective on community, security, and daily routines. The episode invites viewers to consider what makes a place feel like home and how migration reshapes priorities and outlooks.

--- Because I'm Lizzy
February 4, 2026, Winter in China

Video Chapters

  1. 0:00US anxiety starts
  2. 6:04why leave US
  3. 9:43safety in China
  4. 12:34content creation
  5. 14:50teaching job change
  6. 25:47advice to others

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Why She Left America for China || WAIC Ep.4

In this WAIC episode titled Why She Left America for China, the traveler dives into a candid conversation from the Women Alone in China series. The core of the episode centers on an American woman from Texas who is Mexican-American, and she opens up about themes of identity and safety that feel particularly charged in the United States today. She describes her personal path from the United States to Korea and eventually to Shanghai, China, where she now makes her home. Working as a teacher and content creator, she also shares life with her dog, offering a window into daily routines, challenges, and the peace she finds in a new cultural environment. The discussion touches on practical aspects of safety and everyday life, including reflections on how easy it is to buy a gun in America, and what ultimately drew her toward life in China. Through intimate storytelling and thoughtful observations, the episode examines how relocation can reshape one’s sense of security, belonging, and purpose

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Why an American Teacher Chose China: Life in Shanghai

This is another episode of my Women Alone in China series. In this video, I interview an American woman from Texas — she’s Mexican-American — and we talk honestly about identity, safety, and why these topics feel especially sensitive right now in the US. She shares her journey from America to Korea,...