China in his words

Harrold says he'd like to stay in China because his sons receive a good education here.[Photo provided to China Daily]

He occasionally goes on interesting work-related trips around the country as well.

In July, he went to the Tibet autonomous region to attend a forum on the region's development attended by many Chinese and foreign experts.

He also shared his opinion at the forum about his understanding of Tibet's development.

Besides attending the meeting, he was taken sightseeing in the region and got to experience the local culture.

In 2014, Harrold won the Friendship Award, the highest honor given by the Chinese government to foreigners who have made significant contributions to the country's social and economic development.

"I feel very proud," he says. "As a copy editor, especially in television, people tend to ignore you and don't really appreciate your work. Through the award, I know somebody somewhere recognizes I have made some sort of a contribution."

Living with his family in an apartment in the Friendship Hotel, Harrold sees himself as having settled down now.

The hotel is also where he met his wife, Kasia, who works for China Radio International's Polish service in Beijing. The couple left China in 2000 to live in Poland, and returned with their two children in 2004.

Their two sons, aged 15 and 13, study in a Chinese school. The couple is happy that the children speak three languages－English, Polish and Chinese.

"It's a wonderful grounding for their future, whatever they choose to do," says Harrold, adding that they'd like to stay in China because their children receive a proper education here.

Harrold says he has acclimated to local life pretty well.

He isn't the foreigner living an entirely expat life, nor is he Chinese, he says.

"I'm sort of living in between. That is somewhere I feel comfortable."

Harrold says he is aware that Chinese people see him as a foreigner, but they soon realize he's not a typical foreigner, who has just come here for a short time, because he understands well how things work in China.

Contact the writer at liuxiangrui@chinadaily.com.cn

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