I’ve been to China multiple times and I find the Arctic Circle very appealing as a life experience / novelty / adventure but I would still choose two years in China over one in the arctic.

It would be (presumably) a good career move, an excellent cultural experience, more time away, more exposure to mandarin = quicker and easier to learn, you’d get to see what a real modern country is like and possibly form connections or even friendships with people who might be in a position to work on projects with real positive impact.

Over the span of two years you’d have a few days here and there that you’d need to occupy and China has lots of distinct unique places and cultures, and of course the variety of climates / biomes.

Also what you said about China taking climate change seriously is representative of I think the biggest appeal for me, which would be the mental relief I’d get living somewhere that takes things seriously, is serious about solving problems and that has a proper healthy respect for science and reason. At a policy level anyway-

A friend of mine taught there for a bit over a decade and is a lot less prone to romanticizing everything. In day to day life China isn’t an especially rational and efficient place, not tryna sound naive and utopian. But on the whole they are pushing consistently in the right direction on policy and implementation, and for me that would be very subconsciously comforting thing.

Like how libs get to feel when brunch isn’t cancelled. I want that. I want communist brunch and I want it for you too.

But the Arctic Circle option would be fucking cool too, what an awesome decision to have to make.

Awesome. If you’re talking about the arctic university in Tromsø that part of Norway is fucking incredible. I have yet to go to China. I guess the question is, if you were forced at gunpoint to live in China or Norway for the rest of your life, where would you prefer to live? They both have upsides.

I would move to China for better job opportunities, and visit the arctic circle on vacations. However, I think both are better places to live than the US

That’s a really hard choice. No wrong answer imo. However the duration itself is a big factor; 1 year vs 2 years is a big difference. A year will not feel like enough and you would likely be preoccupied with work. It’s really good to see a place across multiple years to see the rhythm of the seasons.

China is going to be the new center for international collaborative scientific research now that the US is actively destroying everything that previously held that role for them, the opportunity to network there and practice your mandarin could be good for your career in the long run

China easily, but only because I am a history major.

Idk where you’re from or where in the arctic circle you’d be going but I’d go with China just to not feel insane for 2 years in regards to the political rhetoric around me, personally.

Plus you’d probably get to see more varried stuff over that time with the transit system and everything I’d imagine? Deserts to the north, mountains and forests to the west, plains and sea to the south and east? (I think).

And someone already mentioned it but you’d be in like a PERRRRFECT spot to check out a lot of China’s really important and old historical sites. If you could take a weekend trip out to Louyang or something like that that’d rule. We’re talking like- 2,000 / 3,000 year old stuff. Terracotta army, birth of Confucianism, 3 Kingdoms era sites. Banger stuff as far as historical sites go.

Obviously I’m working with limited details of your sitch but that’s what comes to mind for me, anyways.

I would take China frame 1. Escaping the anglosphere, being able to pursue the American dream of class mobility+home ownership, assisting a state project that isn’t genocide & racism, and eating the dankest food known to man make China one of the most attractive places in the world to me. If I still wanted to go to the arctic afterwards I like my odds of going with a Chinese group over there and having more effectual and relevant research with them.

I think this is very personal but I would choose arctic circle. I remember my first encounter with snow at university on my own. It was above knee deep. I walked maybe 2 kilometers. I was poorly prepared. I felt close to dying. But for some reason, I loved it. Something very exciting about struggling against an environment that is trying to kill you. It felt like I understood my ancestors who were trying to survive winter. I know it is somewhat dumb, but still arctic circle really seems better for me

China (but then I hate the cold)

¿Por qué no los dos?

flip a coin

I thought this was going to be a shit post before I read it and instead I’m thinking, “yeah, arctic circle really seems like the right choice”

Do you speak Mandarin? Do you plan on having any significant connection to China after graduation? If not, that is a definite point for the arctic.

No idea what type of field this is, but the arctic circle research stuff is pretty heavily defence adjacent afaik and becoming even more so. The interest in the arctic as a whole is an ongoing project of Western imperialists who all run research centers there. China also does and Russia, but the vibe around there might be a bit soulcrushing. Daily nato planes and stuff.

Could be that this doesn’t apply to what you are doing at all, but just putting it out there.

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