Cloudy in Beijing Blogging about my time in China

My cousin

Last summer I spoke with a former foreign correspondent to get some tips on how to make it as a journalist in China. He summed up the challenges as so: "Basically, its like trying to be an actor in Hollywood," he said.

"There are only a few people that get the big jobs like working at the The New York Times. And behind each one of those big jobs, there are dozens of other journalists hoping to one day work there."

After living in Beijing for close to a year, I have to say that analogy is a good description of what it can feel like to be a freelance journalist in China. You look for writing gigs to advance your career, all the while maintaining your part-time jobs to make sure you can feed yourself. Thus, it can be rough.

Back in America, my cousin Alice Tong, is working away at becoming a singer/songwriter. She is very talented. Yet her challenges are somewhat similar as she has to find ways to promote her music, while also getting enough funding to pay her band.

Right now she is asking donations to fund a music tour. For those interested, you can learn more by visiting this link: Alice Tong West Coast Tour- "It Takes a Village."

We are always told to follow our dreams. But obviously, it's not always easy.

Still, they say it's the journey that really matters, and not so much the goal. I think that's true. We just have to keep doing our best.