China Tips (Or, A Blonde's Guide to Teaching in China)
By Felicia Brings
Published by Dapt'd at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Felicia Brings.
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Table of Contents
8. Tips for the Working Gal (or Guy)
Preface
It is impossible to overstate the enormous influence that modern China has over the entire world at the start of the 21st century, and will continue to have for many years to come. Interest in what’s happening in China today is rapacious and hardly a day goes by without major headlines about events there being announced on the front pages of The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, among others. As China continues its modern day long march into the future it continues to invite more and more English speaking westerners to participate in its development by living and working there.
Jobs and career opportunities are plentiful, but communication and culture gaps (gorges, actually) exist. Living and working in modern day China offers westerners great career and financial benefits, but there are pitfalls as well. Every day more and more westerners are taking advantage of career opportunities in China and packing their bags to live and work in the People's Republic. But there is much that they are not told by the employers who hire them, much simply basic information about life throughout China that is withheld, not necessarily out of any negative motives or intentions - although those do exist.
I lived and worked in China - far from the most modern and westernized cities like Beijing and Shanghai - during an exceptionally eventful period in that country's history. It was the period leading up to the 2008 Olympics, as well as the largest uprising in Tibet to be seen in 20 years, not to mention the coldest winter ever recorded in the region, followed by the worst earthquake in 30 years. As events changed, so did the bureaucracy; China's totalitarian government could, and did, change the rules and without advance warning. In the relatively brief period that I lived and worked in China, I was vulnerable to a corrupt and dishonest employer, as well as to the almost daily changes in visa rules and regulations that seriously challenged any sense of security I should have enjoyed. It is just one of the realities of living in a totalitarian state that I never could have anticipated, and that the increasing numbers of other westerners planning to live and work in China would want to be aware of. Had I known ahead of time what challenges I would encounter, I could have saved myself a lot of grief and aggravation.
CHINA TIPS: What Every Westerner Should Know enables me to save others from some of those challenges so that their experience of living and working in a country as uniquely fascinating as China can be a more positive and fulfilling one. It is lighthearted as well as serious, personal and revealing of issues important to many westerners.
1.
USING THE BATHROOM
Outside of the big hotels which cater to an international clientele, you probably won’t find too many bathrooms with western facilities (toilet seats.) You will enter a stall with a hole in the floor, over which you will squat. The stall will usually have a hook so you can lock the door for privacy, and after you’re done you can use your foot to push the lever that flushes away the waste. What you won’t find is toilet paper – always carry plenty of it around with you. You also won’t find any soap or towels. There will be a sink in which you can rinse your hands, but that’s all. I always carried a package of wet baby wipes in my bag.
Wherever you go in China you will find a McDonald’s, all of which have modern western facilities, including soap and electric dryers. KFC’s are equally ubiquitous but you won’t find toilet seats in their bathrooms (or soap or towels).
If you’re in a mall or other such large, modern facility, look for the bathroom stall that’s identified as being for the handicapped, as it’s likely to have a toilet seat. You might have to use a baby wipe to clean the seat because the Chinese often don’t know that they’re supposed to sit on it – they climb on top and squat.
2.
FOOD AND DRINK – FINDING COMESTIBLES YOU ARE WILLING TO CONSUME
The Coffee Conundrum
Although most large supermarkets carry instant coffee, finding whole bean or ground coffee can be challenging, especially in the smaller towns and cities. In my town there was only one shop that sold coffee as well as filters, coffee makers and other paraphernalia, but it took me almost three months to find out about its existence. If you are a coffee drinker bring plenty with you, enough to last until you find out where you can purchase it.
Throughout China, western style coffee shops are a thriving and rapidly growing business, but don’t expect that they serve coffee in the way to which you’re probably accustomed. For example, there probably won’t be sugar available at your table and you’ll only get it if you ask for it. When you do ask, be specific about how many packets you want. If you simply ask for sugar you’ll get a single packet and if you ask for more than that your server might become confused. Artificial sweeteners are not widely available; I had to stock up every time I went to Hong Kong. Of course, if you’re near a Starbucks or a McDonald’s you’ll find everything you need.
By the same token, if you order toast or waffles and require more than a small pat of butter, ask for specifically how much of it (including syrup) you’ll need.
Dining Out
Suffice it to say that Chinese food in China is different from what you’ve become accustomed to eating in Chinese restaurants from New York City to San Francisco to London, Paris or Sydney, Australia. Even in the finest, most high end restaurants your meat will be served with all the fat, bones, skin and gristle intact. Fish is never de-boned. Vegetables are cooked in grease and served that way. Most green vegetables are long and reedy and your utensils don’t include knives. You can’t cut them into small pieces so you have to pick up an entire piece with chopsticks and sort of suck parts of it into your mouth, trying to chew while the rest of it hangs down from your lip. It’s tricky. I learned not to order greens.