Living Abroad
Western China—Buddhas and Ponies and Pandas; Oh My!
Western China—Buddhas and Ponies and Pandas; Oh My! Most teaching positions in China are concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country, as these are the most developed areas as of right now. However, there is a growing demand for teachers in the western provinces as they develop their economies and look to increase their English speaking capabilities. My first teaching job in China was in city of Yulin in Shaanxi province, a few hours north of the metropolitan capital city of Xi’an. This area along the Yellow River watershed is widely considered to be one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, and historical and cultural sights abound in the area. Teaching ESL in China gave me the opportunity to visit some of these locations and it can give you the same opportunity! Here are a couple of the highlights from my travels in Western China (all the pictures are mine by the way, but they could be yours!):
Teaching Abroad in China – Bargaining
So, you’ve decided to take the plunge and teach abroad in China! One of the things that will be an asset to learn is the art of bargaining. Many of the prices you come across can usually be bargained down whether it’s for groceries, electronics, or even gym memberships. You will come to realize that with a little patience and persuasion you can easily save yourself money. Normally most people today utilize the Internet to find the best prices, online retailers usually can sell items cheaper than local stores while those that like to touch and test the product beforehand use it to find out the lowest local prices.
The 3 phases of living abroad
This week Sophia and I are celebrating our six month anniversary of living in Shanghai, China. Although we’ve out been of the U.S. for over a year, this is the first place that we’ve settled down and really started to experience these 3 phases. I’m sure this is not an exhaustive list of phases I will go through but I believe that they may be the most important.
My trip to Beijing – Part 1.
It goes without saying that Beijing is a must see for anyone visiting, living or teaching in China. Not just because of the names, but because these places really live up to the hype! This trip was very special for me because it wasn’t just Sophia and I going, but also my father, mother and brother from the U.S. were here! After they arrived we gave them 2 days to get over the jet lag, then we were headed to the new high speed train from Shanghai to Beijing. After the recent tragedy involving one of these high speed trains, some people were questioning their safety. We decided to go for it and I’m really glad we did. Travelling by train definitely has its advantages. First of all you don’t have to arrive 2 hours before the train and wait in long security lines. Once on the train, every seat (even economy) has as much leg room as first class on a plane.
Huangshan Mountain – a must see!
Since our last trip to Hangzhou, Sophia and I had been itching to get out of town and see more of China. On the recommendation of a co-worker, we looked into Huangshan Mountain, also known as Yellow Mountain. It is a little bit confusing without a guide book and we were having trouble finding much information online. We weren’t even sure if we should take a train or a bus. Turns out the bus is definitely faster, about 5 hours getting there and 6 coming back (in traffic). We originally planned to go during the Labor Day holiday weekend, but that turned into our first lesson. If you want to travel during the holidays, buy your tickets in advance! The South railway bus terminal was a madhouse! They literally had soldiers in fatigues keeping people from jumping the lines! We waited over an hour and by the time we got to the ticket window our bus was long gone…we decided to purchase tickets for that following Tuesday to take advantage of Sophia’s days off work.
A day at the Formula 1!
I wanted to tell everyone about my trip to the Formula 1 UBS Chinese Grand Prix race last weekend. If you’re looking for a great way to spend your weekend while teaching abroad in Shanghai, it’s a pretty amazing way to spend a Sunday. In true Chinese – Shanghai fashion, they went above and beyond on constructing this track. From what I read, it is the most expensive track on the entire circuit. Looking at the pictures, I think you’ll understand why.
Hong Kong Trip
This journey starts out at 6:00 am with a 10-minute walk to the metro station on Dong an’ road. I lucked out and my flight to Shenzhen (borders Hong Kong) was leaving from the airport closest to our apartment, it’s called Hongqiao. Of course, you can fly directly into Hong Kong, but this route can save you around USD$100 depending on when you book. I made it to the airport and was quite surprised that we boarded the plane on time. In my experience and from what I’ve read, flights in China are almost always delayed. Boarding was the only thing we did on time…once seated we sat on the tarmac for a good 45minutes.
5 ways to make the most of your time teaching abroad
It occurred to me that some people may go to teach abroad and assume that just because they are in another country that amazing things are going to happen to them. In some cases this may be true, if you lie low and don’t do much, it will probably still be a great experience. Of course this is the “easiest” path, stay in your comfort zone and let time pass you by. But that’s not the kind of person you are, that’s not why you’ve chosen to teach abroad, is it? Depending on which country and city you’re teaching in, this will be more relevant to some of you than others. Some of you lucky people will get placed in cities where you are one of very few foreigners, which will make following these steps easy. Others will end up in huge metropolises with McDonalds on every corner and an operator service that will send you text messages in the language of your choice. I write this more for the ladder situation. For those of you preparing to go abroad, put these items on your to-do list and if you’re already abroad maybe you need a reminder of why you’re there.
5 Chinese Culture Basics From a Laowai (Chinese word for foreigner)
China being an ancient culture with 3,000+ years of history brings with it many customs, traditions, and ways of doing things. This isn’t meant to be a complete list of all of them, but just some day to day things that I’ve learned and may benefit you on your adventure to teach abroad in China.