Living in China: Out of My Cultural Comfort Zone

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When I was 25 I first went to China. I ended up living in China for a couple of years. Why China? And why then? Well I’d just left Canada after living there on a work visa for a year. If you’ve read my post about emigrating to Canada, you’ll remember that I wanted to move to Vancouver permanently after falling in love with the city. The problem was that it can take about 3 years for a Permanent Resident application to be approved and I had some time to spare before moving back. So now what? Sure I can visit Canada, but I really needed a more long term plan. Staying in the U.K. for the next 3 years didn’t seem appealing to me, so I started thinking of how to add to my resume while travelling. Enter TEFL.

Read more about my decision to move to Canada here

Teaching English

TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) is a program that is for exactly that – teaching English. You can get a TEFL certificate by taking a course (usually online or some in classroom time). With this certificate you should have more opportunities to teach English abroad. Being paid to travel? And add extra experience and a certificate to my resume? What was there to lose? Click here to check out i-to-i, the company I got my TEFL certificate through.

You’re Going Where? Telling my parents I’m going to be living in China

Telling my parents about my newest plans to travel, they replied “Again?!”. I  spent the next 6 months working, saving up and completing my course. At the end of it I would be given a job placement overseas to put my newfound skills to the test. But where to go? Europe was nearby, but the cost of living was high compared to the salary I’d get. All in all I’d probably spend more than I would make. China started to look like an appealing destination. A place I’d never been to, it sounded like an exciting place to travel. Again, anyone who read my first blog post and saw how I chose Canada as my destination should really be proud of me at this point for branching out. So I packed my bags and off I went to Asia.

We’re not in Kansas anymore

After flying from London to Beijing I arrived late afternoon. I would spend the night at a hotel before flying to my new home, Jinan, the next day. My phrase book, Chinese money and a print out of my hotel confirmation (it was 2008 after all), I had everything I needed. WRONG! In no way was I prepared for what I’d signed up for, as I’d soon find out after landing in Beijing. Challenge number one was that my hotel confirmation printout was not in Chinese characters so my taxi driver couldn’t read it. Nor could he speak English. After me repeating the hotel name in different ways, hoping that one hit, and him stopping to ask people if they knew what it was, we made it.

I checked in, dropped off my bags and went for a walk. There was a supermarket nearby so I went in and walked the aisles trying to figure out what everything was. All Chinese, no English, with only pictures to rely on. This was a bit overwhelming. At least in Europe you might not know the language but you could guess words. Not in China. My next big ‘I’m in over my head’ moment was when the cashier asked (using many gestures) if I wanted a plastic bag. I did. But I had no idea how to tell her. I couldn’t even think of the affirmative word that would get me what I wanted. So I violently nodded my head instead. I quickly packed up my groceries and walked back to the hotel feeling so overwhelmed.

Living in China: Journey to Jinan

The next day, I headed back to the airport for my second and final flight. I arrived in Jinan early afternoon. The manager of my new school picked me up and we drove to my accommodation. I was told all the teachers lived in the same apartment building, 2 to each apartment. I listened as she told me about Jinan, a small (by Chinese standards) city of 6 million people which would be my new home.

Leaving the main expressway from the airport, we got closer to the city and the road turned into more of a dirt path. People with carts of their goods for sale were set up at the side of the ‘road’. Motorbikes with entire families hanging on sped by, and others who were carrying more than should be safely balanced on a motorbike. Masses of electrical cables were hung alongside buildings and the sidewalks were either non-existent or broken up slabs of concrete. Slowing down, we pulled into the driveway of the apartment block and I thought “wait, you’re leaving me here?”. The ‘safe’ designation I’d given to my parents about living in China seemed grossly overstated.

My apartment was basic but nice enough. Tile floors and all white walls, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, large living area and kitchen, as well as a laundry room. The humidity was also something I’d never experienced before. It was August and the height of summer so I was already sweating hard. Thank goodness the apartment had air conditioning. I settled in, met my new roommate and we went for a walk to explore.

Exploring my surroundings

Everyone seemed friendly. Clearly I stuck out as the new person in the small neighborhood, as I walked down the street to many people staring and yelling Hello. This was when my roommate explained to me that foreigners in Jinan were still somewhat of a novelty. The stares were because a lot of people were not used to seeing foreigners. The “Hellos” were not people trying to engage in conversation but they were saying the only English word they knew. I quickly got to know my first Chinese word too – “Laowai”, a slang word meaning “foreigner”. This was said to me almost as much as Hello.

My roommate spoke some Mandarin, and I quickly realised I would have to step up my game. Ni Hao (hello), Zaijian (goodbye) and XieXie (thank you) would not get me far in Jinan. My new first word, Laowai, was also unlikely to make me too many friends. I survived my second shopping experience infinitely better than the first one though so already I was feeling a bit better. We had to get back though since we were going out to dinner with some of the other teachers. Eating, now there’s something I can do well.

Is Chinese food just “food” in China?

Dinner was at a restaurant near our apartment. There were about 15 people – teachers at the school I would work at and some of their Chinese friends. I was happy to be meeting some more people who at one time or another had gone through what I was currently going through. I became enthralled as some used Mandarin peppered into their conversations. Only the newbies like me looked a little perplexed. A menu was handed to me, but it was all in Chinese characters (not pinyin, the romanized version of Chinese). Also no pictures to even hazard a guess as to what was on offer. This was going to be fun!

“What are you going to have?” I asked the person next to me, hoping for some inspiration. “We’ll just order a bunch of dishes” was the reply. Meals are always family style, sharing a number of plates. As a vegetarian I was not only unsure of what foods I could eat, but was also putting my faith in a bunch of people I’d just met to pick my first meal. Actually this turned out to be the best thing as they ordered a wide selection of dishes, and I noted the vegetarian ones in a notebook so I could ask for them another time.

Remember to take a reusable water bottle with you on your travels, like this one from FastTech

How to eat in China

China has a number of customs I found out I should probably know. For instance the concept of ‘face’. ‘Losing face’ is similar to losing honour, and happens when taking criticism in front of others. During that first meal I was also told that you should not leave your chopsticks upright in your rice bowl. This is symbolic with death because of ritual offerings of rice to the dead. Disrespecting the dead was not on my agenda, I was simply trying to figure out how to use chopsticks so I didn’t starve over the next 6 months. You learn quick when these two sticks are all that separates you from sustenance – you don’t use chopsticks correctly, you don’t eat!

Living in China like a local

Over the next couple of days I got a crash course on living in China. I learned that people don’t queue up to get on the bus. You will be left behind if you don’t barge on with everyone else. Queuing in general is not too popular an activity so you’ll get nowhere if you stand back too often.

Street food is the best thing. Infinite small alleyways and larger ‘eat streets’ are filled with food vendors selling cheap, delicious food. Some of the best and most authentic food can be found in these areas filled with carts and hole in the wall eateries. Barbecuing meat, dumplings, soups, steamed bread buns filled with meats and vegetables, fresh corn and much more fill the air with delicious smells. No matter where you are there’ll be someone selling food from a cart, and you’ll get your lunch for only a dollar or two.

Bargaining at markets is a way of life in China, and many other places in Asia. At first, it can be intimidating to offer a different amount of money for an item than you are told the price is. But especially as a foreigner you probably want to experiment with it as your starting prices will be much higher than the average person. I found it a great way to practice my Mandarin too.

Living in China is not without it’s obstacles

Nothing will unfortunately ever prepare you for your first squat toilet experience. Which way do I face? How do I keep my balance? It takes practice, focus and the ability to hold your breath really well. No doors, buckets, and what can only be described as a communal gutter were some of my more interesting experiences. I will spare you the details and let you conjure up the worst case for each – then ask you to double your assessment of how bad it could be. Always carry Purell!

Spitting on the street is commonplace in China with the theory of ‘better out than in’. I started to get gun shy when I heard the unmistakable sound of someone filling their mouth with phlegm and prepare to duck in case it’s fired in my direction.

English words are often added to signs. Unfortunately there are a lot of “lost in translation” moments as I tried to figure out the message, and many tourists dub the signs examples of “Chinglish” – a hybrid mix of the two languages that doesn’t quite make sense:

I was often approached by people with cameras. At first thinking I would be asked to take a photo of them, I quickly realized that I was the intended subject. My confused face will forever be immortalized in someone else’s vacation photo. This goes hand in hand with the “Hellos” and staring, and is just an extension of curiosity around foreigners. More than once I was on a bus or in a store and noticed someone surreptitiously taking my photo. This newfound celebrity status can be overwhelming at first, but you do get used to it or learn to ignore it.

Why living in China is worth it

It can take some getting used to living in China. Being in a smaller city, I would say my experience was a bit more traditional than if I was in Beijing or Shanghai. Visiting much smaller towns where people had really never seen foreigners, the amazement was even greater. Some days though, I wanted to quietly blend into the crowd and not be noticed.

Most people who spend a lot of time in China will admit that there are days when you are in awe of China, and love everything about it, and there are days that are just way harder than they should be. But you just have to shrug off your ‘China days’ and embrace the culture and the country you have chosen to travel to.

I always found people to be genuinely nice and want to know more about my, where I was from and what was I doing in China. Those who do know English were eager to practice by talking with me. After two years living in China, in Jinan I have only fond memories. Visiting again is high on my list, and I miss so much about the great country. I was able to travel extensively through China during my 2 years there and I am grateful to everyone I met who helped make it what it was. Even my parents came out to visit me.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog post leave a comment or share using the social media links below. Have you ever moved to another country? Tell me if you’ve spent time living in China teaching English or somewhere else like that.