The Decision

Exactly one month from now the lease on my apartment in Nanning expires, so I had to decide what to do next. Stay another year, or leave. And if leaving, where to?
Last year November, barely 3 months in China, I already felt that one year would not be enough, and that feeling has gained momentum ever since. So, the question was not so much to stay in China or not, but rather: where to stay.
I love Nanning. The reason I came here in the first place was based on three visits to the capital of Guangxi province in previous years, and not in the least because of my Chinese sweetheart. Admittedly, that did not prove to be everlasting, but I still consider Nanning my hometown in China.
The other option would be Xiamen, of course. I visited this much admired city on the south-eastern coast a couple of weeks ago, and was immediately taken by its charm. Being a coastal city already wins a lot of points, but the deciding factor is the opportunity for a professional career, or at least some exposure to activity related to my field of expertise in the use of technology for interactive art. Xiamen has a lively contemporary art scene, whereas Nanning has zilch, it's a cultural desert.
On the downside, moving to Xiamen would force me to leave behind many good friends and a passionate lover. It will hurt at first, but in the end the prospects will outshine the loss, I hope. It's always a risk to make a change, but I am willing to take it.
So, in a month from now I will pack up my stuff and board a train to Xiamen again, this time to find an apartment there and settle in, before flying back to Amsterdam exactly one year after I left to handle some administration and find a new tenant for my home, and then return to Xiamen in September to start my second year of studying Chinese, this time at Xiamen University. I already sent in the application form. Luckily, there are direct flights from Amsterdam to Xiamen since March this year, and I might be able to use my accumulated frequent flyer miles to get a cheap flight back to my new home in China.