I moved to Shanghai from the Midwest 10 years ago. I struggle to relate to friends back home.

• 02/14/2025, 7:17 PM
• businessinsider.com

Sophie Steiner

I touched down in Shanghai from Chicago in 2015, armed with a year-and-a-half work contract, an overstuffed suitcase, and 20 more boxes en route. It was not the most conventional way to arrive in a country I'd never set foot in.