In the spirit of Slim, some public self-reflection and an invitation to my reader community to throw out your thoughts.
Vote in the poll and post some comments...
Bay Area:
* The majority of my friends and family
* A great and vibrant church community that I'm just starting to get plugged into
* A moribund job market with no signs of improvement in the near future, particularly in the field I've chosen to pursue
* A vast variety of recreation and entertainment options
* Spent 26 years of my life here, close to my family (both a positive and negative... ;)) -- time for a change?
Beijing:
* A small number of friends, but many "like-minded" people and potential "spiritual mentor" types
* A huge international church, but not sure if there's a real sense of "community" there from what I've heard, although it's great for networking -- plus the underground ones, of course... although it might not be wise to go into too much detail.
* A job opportunity that is in almost every sense, financially and spiritually, a "leap of faith", with the potential for some rewards, spiritually and perhaps financially -- I'm certainly not getting rich from it though. Someplace where I'd be diving feet first with no experience into a market that's relatively nascent and unexplored in the States, let alone China, and where I'd basically shoulder all the technical responsibility for "implementing." It would be accomplishing a feat akin to Jesus feeding the 5000...
* It's China... with all its attendant problems and growing pains. On the other hand, it's the ultimate way to improve my language and get more acclimated culturally.
Canada:
* No one that I know there -- zero, zip. (They all moved down to the US...)
* A risky venture with a company just starting up and currently working on a "demo".
* A lot of the negative "living" issues of the East Coast (weather), and not much of the positive ones (stuff to do, well-known churches, etc)
The East Coast:
* A fair number of friends, and a few family members
* Lots of renowned churches in NYC and Boston
* Some potential jobs out there, but like the Bay Area, they're few and far between, and just like the Bay Area, the East Coast is not the "epicenter" of my intended field.
* Winters that are actually cooooolllllddd...
LA:
* A few friends
* A few good churches
* A slightly better job market, and the entertainment capital of the world -- if I wanted to get my foot in the door, the networking opportunities here would be the best.
* Smog, traffic, etc...
Singapore:
* A few friends and family members
* Lots of good churches from what I hear, and a strategic springboard for missions to Asia.
* A somewhat relevant job opportunity that will give me very invaluable technical experience
* Visited 5-6 times here and there -- a first world city-state in every sense, but almost clean and sterile to a fault.
Decisions, decisions... ultimately, it's about being faithful of course, but still, even pondering these options makes for some hearty mental thought about where I've been, what I want, and who I am. In my short 26 years, I've never really bothered to answer those questions, and no matter where I end up, I'll have had the chance to really do some introspection.