Cross-cultural, Daily Living, & Adjustment Issues

I recently found this site and read most of the articles and found that once I put everything together got a rather negative image of China. It seems as though everything is a trap; locals won't be outwardly friendly unless they have ulterior motives, quality females are generally only looking for marriage, school faculty and other employees don't respect or treat you well, and generally adjusting to life is very difficult at best. I have read so much on life and teaching in China it is hard to tell what it will be like. I have heard great things, good things, bad things, and awful things. I have heard a litany of things about each city and much of the information out there is in direct conflict.

I am going to China in July to teach for a year, possibly two. I am not too concerned because I know I adapt easily. I do fit into that group mentioned in your articles 'recent college grads looking to spend sometime studying abroad before returning to careers in the states.'

I guess I was just wondering if you had heard of positive and successful stories of college grads from the U.S. coming over to China for a year or two; brushing up on their Chinese skills (I have a moderate amount of Mandarin skill before I go), experiencing another culture, and otherwise expanding one's horizons. It just seemed from reading all the articles I have a 99% chance of coming home feeling like I wasted my time and that I got screwed over.

Hi Joe,

According to a 2009 study reported by the China Daily, up to 50 percent of all new Western expats transferred to China leave earlier than initially planned (Farrar, 2009). I wasn't exaggerating when I wrote that virtually everything you can imagine is radically different here.

However, if you are planning to use an English teaching job as a means of subsidizing one to two years of Mandarin study, I think it is very likely you will return home feeling that you mostly received what you had hoped for. That is, if your primary goal is to study Mandarin or experience a new culture and not build a teaching career, I think living in mainland China for a year or two makes perfect sense.

The fact that you can adapt easily to change will make a big difference for you in China. Just don't expect to be necessarily appreciated by your employers, no matter how good of a job that you do. In fact, you probably won't receive any feedback at all about your performance, one way or the other. On the other hand, many of your students will very likely greatly appreciate your sincere efforts—especially if they anticipate ever needing the English language for something other than passing exams.

As for the women, if you will be teaching in a first-tier city, you will find many that are just interested in having fun—especially if you are young, handsome, tall, and have money to spend. Of course, the question of quality is entirely subjective and contingent on how you define it. However, generally speaking, single Chinese women are marriage-minded.

Go to China with an open mind, try to forget everything you know about Western social etiquette, mores, and--especially--business ethics, and it is very likely you will return home in a year or two with generally positive memories and significantly improved Chinese language skills.

To answer your question directly, I do personally know of a couple of young men who came to China explicitly for the purpose of studying Chinese and were generally satisfied: In fact, one is still here after seven years and will probably never leave. Unfortunately, most foreigners—particularly the ones I have consulted with professionally—have been terribly stressed and overwhelmed by the experience and can't wait to return home.

Notes
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Farrar, Lara (2009, October 30). 50% of new expats leave China early. China Daily. Retrieved November 4, 2009 from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/metro/2009 ... 873247.htm

I noticed people that have a high energy personality seem to tolerate the stress of living and teaching in China much better. Actually, they seem to thrive off of the stress. I worked with a couple of guys that were salesmen before they became English teachers and they found the transition very easy.

This is just a related question: Is there a good list of things to bring to China?

What things should I bring and what should I get there. Also, if I am only planning on being there for one year, should I make an effort to get a cell phone or do without?

You don't specifically mention whether you will be teaching in a major city or more rural location, but all first- and second-tier cities should have just about everything you will need.

If you haven't already, take at look at the last section, What to Bring From Home, in the Guide's Chapter on Preparing for Your Arrival in China.

If you wear plain white T-shirts or use handkerchiefs, you'll what to bring along a sufficient supply of those to last you one year. If you use a particular brand of deodorant that you can't live without, then bring along enough sticks or cans of that to last for the duration.

Unless you are a particularly big person (taller than six feet or have a waist greater than 40-inches), you won't have any difficulty finding clothes that fit you. You don't need to over pack.

I'll be going back to the US for a month and one of the key things for me to have is reading material. It sucks when you have six weeks left before your departure and all you have to read are fluffy women's mysteries cadged off a fellow teacher. I found that the best course for me was to go to used paperback stores and load up with LOTS of books. I fill my wheeled carry on and off I go.

Hi Joe,

My husband and I have been living in Chengdu (a 2nd tier city), Sichuan province for almost a year now. We had no Mandarin training before coming here and with the exception of my husband's student teaching, neither of us had worked as a teacher previous to coming here.

To respond to your initial post about being discouraged, I've had a roller coaster experience with culture shock and am not yet over it after a year. We have already renewed our contract for another year and may stay longer.

Some days are great and I am so glad to be here. The cost of living is low and we make a decent wage and have been able to pay down a great deal of our student loan debt. (So far) We have made one really excellent Chinese friend and I love about 85% of my students.

The bad days are terrible for me. I get depressed and wonder what I'm doing with my life, but I am fortunate to have my husband with me. I'm very emotional, he's very even-keyed and mellow and it helps me to balance. I'm very social and being in China has been limiting to me. It's been difficult not being able to talk to my friends as often. Skype is great for communicating with people back home, but the time difference makes the frequency difficult. It's been better since we got a proxy that allows me to use FB and chat with friends that way.

As far as being cheated, we just smile and realize that we are foreigners and it's going to happen until we have a better command of the language. On the other hand, our students (I teach at a university) tell us shop owners and vendors will try to cheat Chinese who are from different provinces if they can, so we don't feel as bad about that.

As far as a cell phone goes, see if you can get a second hand phone (depending on your preference for features). One student actually gave us her old phone for free when she got a new one. It doesn't have a camera or anything cool, but it texts and makes calls. In China the cell phones work with a SIM card. We got a M-Zone SIM card for 50 RMB that gives us 300 texts per month and then we just put money on the account. When the money runs out we put more on. Since we've been here (Aug 27, 2009) we've only put 220 RMB on the phone. For us it's the best way to contact students who are our main source of help for communicating with Chinese people.

I also recommend getting a second hand phone because there are TONS of pick pockets in the major cities, especially on crowded buses and subways. About 50% of my students say they've had something stolen on the bus (wallet, phone, MP3, camera). Anyway, the point is, no one is likely to steal my phone because it's old and has some cracks in the screen and if they do, I'm out a 50 RMB SIM card since the phone itself was free.

As for what to bring with you, we live in a second-tier city and there is a store that sells western goods. That being said, they are extremely expensive. The one thing I would have brought more of in hindsight would have been Tylenol or ibuprofen and dental floss. Also as mentioned, sports socks (the socks here are quite thin) and my husband would have brought more underwear. He prefers boxer briefs and we have yet to find any to his liking.

My husband is 6'0" 175 lbs, with a thin to athletic build. He wears a size 11 men's shoe (though we haven't looked for new shoes for him, he brought two pair that have served him well so far). We have successfully purchased clothes for him in Chengdu, he usually has to wear a XXL for the clothes to fit his arm and leg length and around his thighs. It's funny to watch the sales ladies trying to find clothes for him in the back rooms.

I don't know if you like to cook or not. If you do, you might consider bringing containers of your favorite spices with you. The western store in Chengdu does sell them, but they are EXPENSIVE!

That's about all I can think of. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Cynthia