Nice article! I'm English and work in China, so for once an English person struggling with language :) I've experienced the same things you've experienced, but

Nice article! I'm English and work in China, so for once an English person struggling with language :) I've experienced the same things you've experienced, but with Chinese native speakers. But there's also benefits of being non-native which I think you overlook: - I can be 10x more blunt in Chinese than I can in English. The language itself is blunt, but I also get much more leeway because I'm not expected to have perfect language. - I can concentrate on what people are actually asking me to do, rather than getting distracted by the subtleties of language or tone of voice. I get less annoyed with people's personality, and more engaged with what they want. - Other people don't get distracted by your accent, and give you more credit than you're due. Think of a Russian speaking English - I might have negative cultural perceptions (eg. because of movie bad guys) but I also think of Dostoyevsky. You might be from the worst council estate in Russia, but I'll think you're a philosopher because of the accent.