alain1976
- 2010-08-28
Glad you made it and are enjoying it man.
Get to Yangshuo and the surrounding villages if you can. Great place.
At best, everyone will be as genuinely nice as they seem and I've found paradise.
I would be wary over this. There is no such thing as "genuinely" nice in China. Try saying this after they change your classes at the last minute without letting you know in advance, or when you want them to fund a visa run trip to HK when they want you to work for them, and they won't, yet all the teachers at the school are driving new imported cars, and every office has the latest Dell Pcs, and leather sofas.
Not meaning to be down on you, but you are still green. Most foreigners undergo a similar baptism of fire.
Just roll with it man, hope it all pans out.
A
JP
- 2010-08-28
Well, things are going well so far. I'm still in Guilin processing my paperwork then I'm off to my final destination on the 29th. Food here is freaking amazing, haha. I love the karst mountains. Was a bit surprised to see how run down the city looked but I guess it's functional so who cares. I'm really really glad I had a good friend to be with me while I am here, it made things so much easier. I seem to swing in mood frequently; sometimes I want to get on the next plane out of here, other times I think I could stay forever. Sometimes I just want to Who knows, I think my perceptions are changing.
By the way, you guys were sooo right. The first day here, it was so damned hot. It probably would have been ok but the first thing I did when my handlers left was to plug in my AC converter and it quickly shorted out and kicked the circuit breaker or something so I was out of electricity until almost 8pm. No electricity means no A/C and I sweat myself to death the entire day, even in clothes there were silk thin and full of air holes. I think I would have felt the same naked so really no clothes could be recommended. The only way to beat the heat was to take long, cold showers. It was very cool yesterday, though, and today seems to be the same. Perhaps with fall and winter coming I can use my dress clothes until I can find some thin summer clothes.
I'm separated from the other foreign teachers (because I'm only here for a couple of days so they allowed me to stay in their nicer dorm room) but I've still met quite a few of them already. I am still nervous about arriving on an L, giving them my passport to do the paperwork, etc., but all of the FTs here say the same thing: don't worry about it, it's ok. Most of them have been teaching here for 2-4 years so I guess they probably know what they're talking about.
My attitude for now is to simply go with the flow; at worst, I have to have the folks put some money into my bank account so I can buy a new visa and get on a flight out. At best, everyone will be as genuinely nice as they seem and I've found paradise. Time will tell.
JP
smiler
- 2010-08-23
Hi Justin.
I was just looking through the posts here and saw yours and also some of the replies.
China can be a very hard place if things are not going good, no work, little understanding of the language and culture, to name a few.
you need more money than what you propose taking, you don't have a signed contract so there could be one problem there.
your taking too many clothes with you too. but money and somewhere to live are by far the two most important things you will need.
I took some months to plan my first trip and even then, I was not ready when I came to China.
hospital medical insurance is another important thing, many Chinese people dread to have something life threatening wrong with them becauase some medical bills can be so expensive. the poor have very little or no money and simply wait for death.unless there are family or friends who will help.
it certainly can be very hard and unforgiving if one is not prepared.
I hope your trip will prove rewarding and things will work out very well for you.
Good luck.
Justin P.
- 2010-08-22
Well, that's just the cash for the few week or so. I have about $1000 in my bank account. I also have a Bank of America account which means I can withdraw RMB without fees from any China Construction Bank ATM.
The issue with clothes is... I'm just too fat. I wear a 50 regular jacket, XXL T-shirt, 42x28 pants, etc. It's hard to find good fitting clothes HERE. I know that I can either have clothes made or buy my size clothing at certain places within large cities but I don't know where to find such a tailor, how long it would take me, etc. I need my work clothes, at least, which is 90% of the clothes I am taking. Everything else, I'll get in China as needed.
Nick Pellatt
- 2010-08-22
You might want to take a little more than 700 RMB. I would want to take a lot more money, and a lot less clothes!
Good luck. Pop back and let everyone know how it all works out for you!
Well, I'm leaving on the 24th. I have my completed physical (filled using Chinese embassy documents), passport, visa, 700元, and my degree should be here soon. My suitcase is already mostly packed: I have 3 dress jackets, about 10 dress shirts, about 10 ties, 2 pairs of dress shoes, socks, 5 pairs of dress pants, casual wear, daily necessities, and lots of OTC medicine (including A.D.). Lots of other small things. As I sit here looking at my mostly full suitcase, it hits me. "Holy shit, I'm going to China..."
I have to admit, I'm kind of nervous. I'm arriving on an L visa which will be switched to a Z visa before classes start (else I leave); I expressed that I didn't like that situation but it's a large public university and they say they have an amazing relationship with the foreign affairs bureau there (I won't even have to fly to HK to get my Z). I also personally know 3 teachers there. Certainly it's much more trustworthy than some private school saying "Oh yes, we will get it for you, don't worry, but you still have to work while we process it." Still, it's something I swore I would never do (arrive with an L). I've spoken with foreign teachers that have worked there (through my own private contacts, not the school's) and they say it's not bad but I'm still arriving without a signed contract. That doesn't seem wise and I'm taking my chances. I've heard the apartments are nice and the FTs are treated well but I've never seen pictures of the apartments. It seems I'm doing everything I shouldn't be doing, right?
The only good news is that I won't be alone; I have support already there, waiting for me. One is a pen pal that I've known for more than 15 months. She really helped me find a job but at the last moment all of those jobs fell through (Shenzhen, Qinzhou, Nanning). As a last resort, she asked people at her school for help and landed me a job at her school. I say last resort because she said that, while it's a decent school, I could find a better job than that particular small campus. Honestly speaking, I guess you could say we are more than just friends but we've kept our distance until we could meet in person. Who knows what will happen.
Everything about this trip seems to have some risk involved. I don't know what to expect and I don't know what will happen. Does that sound like an accurate description of China? Through oblivion I charge...
Justin P.