Wudaokou Watch: "Beyond a Trip, Beijing Is a Whole Book of Adventures"

Welcome to Wudaokou Watch, where we profile a different Beijing-based student from abroad each week to hear about their life in China's capital. You can read the whole series here.

My name is Pedram. I'm 25 years old and I come from Toronto, Canada.

I see immense potential in China, I gave away almost all of of my money to my mom and my sister, I gave away my beloved dog, and I started in Beijing from absolute zero a year and a half ago. Now I have traveled to 14 different countries. I've purchased my first property and collected a few bitcoins along the way. I feel like many people can relate to the reason why I left home, but most don't dare to actually take the leap. I left my comfortable and stable life because I had done everything I could do in that great city. It felt like everything was just on repeat. Many people criticized me initially and even laughed at my idea of going to China alone with no plans. Those same people are now my biggest fans.

As a foreigner, you should feel absolute appreciation to be in a place like this, in a time like now. Beijing is the capital of China, the emerging superpower that has the United States sweating. I am honored to have learned so much so quickly here. Chinese citizens have shown me nothing but love. I wish others would realize this too.

The biggest challenge is the most obvious: the language barrier. But I don't let it stop me. I even dated a Chinese girl 100 percent using a translator (talk about a challenge) but laughter is universal, feelings are universal, and music is universal; we found a way to relate that way.

I don't really hang out much unless it's business-related or a date. I visit Wudaokou because the vibes there are always cool, I mean it’s the student scene. Sanlitun is another one with tons of variety, but my personal favorite is taking my motorcycle up to the mountains in Changping and exploring.

I have never once felt homesick because Beijing has been like a home to me. But I do like to indulge with maple syrup with my waffles. It hits home.

The level of convenience in Beijing is unmatched. From ordering your favorite food in the middle of the night to people delivering your favorite Taobao order, as well as random little services like paying a guy to deliver something to someone on the other side of the city for a small fee. That’s something I will miss dearly if I ever leave Beijing.

Right before I landed in Beijing, I was looking out my window and I could see the great city from above with no obstruction of clouds or smog. I began to cry because I knew that what I was getting myself into was beyond a trip, it was a whole book of adventures awaiting me. I’ll never forget that moment the Chinese girl beside me asked me why I’m crying, she ended up being the first person I ever added on WeChat.

Beijing has turned me from a boy to a man. I have a list of things I appreciate and I read them to myself two times every day, once before I go to sleep, and once when I wake up. I rarely forget. It reminds me and it keeps the message at the forefront of my mind, this city changed my life. The reason I do what I do, is because of a quote I heard from Arnold Schwarzenegger: "How can a man live his life, without ever knowing what his maximum potential really was?" That's all I want to know if I give it my all.

I plan to own a real estate empire, share my world travel experiences with the world, act in more movies, and inspire the men and women of this world to reach for their ultimate potential. I'm currently working on two personal film projects which I’ll be releasing soon. One is about something very personal that a lot of men can relate to and benefit from watching and the other is a secret you'll have to wait and see. I'll also be representing Mr. Canada at the international beauty pageant next month.

Very few people can inspire me, but one foreigner that inspired me whom I met recently was ZamZam. He's the most genuine person; very honest and so giving, a little too giving at times I've had to tell him, but nevertheless, that's an attribute that I think most other foreigners should learn to adopt – do things that scare you, say things before they are true, the universe doesn't understand good or bad, the universe understands vision.

READ: "I Want to Develop an Organization That Empowers Women"

Images courtesy of Pedram