How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways!

January 2014 

I like to think that I’m a fairly well rounded person (no pun intended) and I am particularly proud of my ability to see things from both sides, so after my last somewhat critical Blog, I think it’s only fair that I mention the things I love about China. 

1. The weather – naturally when I packed for China I brought clothes for every occasion. I even brought two raincoats. Both of which I haven’t used. Since we arrived it has rained twice. Yes, that’s right. Twice. In six months. There really is nothing quite as satisfying as waking up, getting ready and walking out the door without a care in the world. Yes, I washed my hair today and no, I’m not bringing an umbrella with me, why? Because it never rains in Beijing! So much hassle is taken out of outfit and activity planning when you know there isn’t going to be a drop of rain in sight. The weather is cold and crisp but not freezing and more often than not the sky is bright blue and cloudless. I am not looking forward to the perpetually grey skies of Northern Ireland, that’s for sure!

2. The food – before we came to China I was pretty worried about the food. When we went to Thailand/Cambodia/Laos I was really sick and the thought of having to endure night after night hugging the toilet did not appeal to me. However, I am happy to report that I haven’t been sick in China, well apart from Xi’an… and the vertigo… But truly, the Chinese food has been amazing. It isn’t like anything I’ve had at home; yes there have been a few feet in our chilli chicken and no, I haven’t seen a spring roll since we came here but the food is still fantastic. If I could take one Chinese restaurant home it would be the restaurant right across from our apartment, the beef is out of this world and it is so cheap!

But wait, it’s not all dumplings and fried rice. The selection of western food is better than what’s on offer in Belfast. In a city of twenty million people it’s hardly surprising that you can find food from any corner of the world. One restaurant I am going to really struggle without is the Great Leap Brewery; hands down, the best onion rings I have ever had and I would even say that, bar Fergburger, the cheeseburger is the best I’ve ever had!

3. Our apartment – it’s huge and it’s free. What more can I say? Had we been staying for a little longer we would have invested in some furniture that wasn’t wooden because it’s pretty impossible to get cosy when your sofa is a wooden bench, but hey, like I said, it’s freeee!

4. The job – yes, there are times when I don’t want to go in to class but really, fifteen hours of teaching, a few extra for meetings/training and a few more for lesson planning isn’t really that bad. Plus, I’m actually getting paid. Someone is giving me money to do things that I’d probably do for free. Amazing.

5. The subway – 20p per ride. 2-0-p. That’s it. I top up about £5 a month and I journey to my heart’s content. Every country needs a Beijing subway system. Yes, it is busy, it carries over 2.45 billion people annually and it can be hot and sometimes smelly but for 20p it is an absolute marvel.

6. Downtown Beijing – there’s nothing quite as good as hopping on the subway and hitting up downtown Beijing. You have the chaos that is tuk-tuks, beeping horns, traffic going the wrong way and millions of people but also the complete quiet of parks, museums and winding hutongs full of hidden courtyards. Beijing is one of the biggest cities in the world and it has everything.

7. The freedom – again, there is so much freedom living here. I can’t take the Clio for a spin whenever I want but I can take a bus across the city for 4p. While I probably haven’t made enough of it, the possibilities are endless here.

8. The price – everything is so cheap. Locals have a much lower salary (for example, the Chinese teachers get £200 a month and we get £1000 for doing less work) so things that they need are cheaper. This covers food, clothing and transport and we foreigners reap the benefits. Yes, it might be cheaper to eat in a Chinese restaurant but £5 for a full western meal is still insanely good value. Of course, I could get a full meal at a nice Chinese restaurant for £3 and at a street vendor for less than £1 but sometimes you just need that pizza! If you ever holiday in China you will be amazed at how little you can get by on. Again, I am not looking forward to the extortionate prices of the U.K!

9. The great new places I’ve been – how could I write this Blog and not mention the Great Wall of China. It is easily one of the most amazing places I have ever been and it is something I will never forget. I still can’t really believe that I have not only been to China but lived and worked in one of the biggest cities in the world. I have never felt overwhelmed but I have been in awe of what China has to offer. Even the small trips to our local parks and lakes have been an unforgettable experience.

 10. Everything!!!! I realise that this contradicts my last post which detailed everything I didn’t like about China, but really, they were only small annoyances. In general, I have loved my time in China and I would do it all again in a heartbeat!

Living in Beijing has been an absolute dream. I’ve done things I never thought I could do and I’ve seen some amazing, out of this world, completely unforgettable things. If you want to experience something completely different while also having a safety net of the familiar, then come to Beijing. It won’t disappoint. Stay classy China!

10 Things I Hate About You (Beijing)

January 2014

As our time in Beijing draws to a close, I am feeling quite sentimental. The past six months have been full of exciting adventures and while I have loved my time at the other side of the world, there are a few things I’m more than happy to leave behind!

1. The bathrooms – squat toilets. Everywhere. People in China also don’t close the door when they go to the toilet. Many a times have I seen what appeared to be a free cubicle only to discover that it was in fact occupied!  Not only are the cubicles occupied, the people are on their phones, playing games, sending texts and watching movies. Perhaps this explains why Chinese people also spend an absolute age in the cubicle. I have also noticed that most people don’t wash their hands which is just gross. It doesn’t matter where you are, you could be in a backstreet public bathroom or in the headquarters of a multinational company, the toilets smell the same and it is disgusting! Oh, and remember to bring your own toilet paper if you come to China as it isn’t supplied anywhere.

2. The smell in general – every now and then you get a distinct whiff and it is never pleasant. Maybe I’ve gotten used to it but it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to and I still don’t think it’s as bad as the main backpacker streets in Bangkok but it’s still not something you want to experience!

3. The smog – before we came to China I had read a lot about the problem of pollution and smog in China. Last January the AQI (Air Quality Index) reached 700 which was unprecedented and the scale is only supposed to go to 500, with everything over 300 classed as hazardous. Life expectancy in Beijing is shorter than the rest of China due to the smog problem so I wasn’t thrilled about living in that kind of environment. In general the smog actually hasn’t been that bad, the lowest has been around 50 and the highest day we’ve had was around 450. Some people at work say they can “feel” the smog when they breathe in but I haven’t “felt” or noticed anything. Yes, it can be smoggy which reduces the visibility of buildings but it just reminds me of an overcast, foggy day at home! 

4. The spitting/hawking/belching/coughing – this is something that I still find disgusting. You will be happily walking down the road when all of a sudden you hear the most disgusting hawing and retching sounds which culminate in a deafeningly loud spitting sound. They spit where they please; the pavement is effectively an obstacle course and as such I would not advise wearing pumps when you’re walking the streets of Beijing! Chinese people also don’t seem to have the whole cover your mouth/nose when you’re coughing/sneezing thing down. This can be a real problem when you work with kids who cough and sneeze all over you! Gross!

5. Little baby bottoms – that probably sounds strange but it gets weirder. When we first arrived I was walking down the street and all of a sudden I was surrounded by little baby bottoms, just hanging out the back of their trousers, no pants and not a care in the world. Apparently in China the babies don’t wear nappies, instead they have the slit in the back of their trousers and they go to the bathroom where and when they want. We’re talking in the middle of the street or quite disgustingly, over a bin in the middle of a shopping mall. It is odd but perhaps saves lots of money on nappies? Either way, it is one thing I really won’t miss!

6. The pushing/shoving/lack of personal space and complete inability to form an orderly queue – you might think I’m exaggerating but the subway can be complete chaos. You patiently wait for the next train to arrive and as soon as it does, all semblances of a queue disappear and a human freefall of arms, legs, elbows and old ladies explodes along the platform. In Beijing the subway is always busy but sometimes it even surpasses itself and you literally cannot move; it’s all very sardine-esq. But the love of pushing, shoving and cutting lines isn’t just present on the subway. You could be queuing at a restaurant or waiting to pay at a shop and someone will just walk right in front of you and go about their business like they’ve done nothing wrong. 

7. The language barrier – this is less China’s fault and more my own and while it hasn’t been a huge problem, not speaking the language can be a bit of a pain. Being unable to ask and answer simple questions has really made me appreciate how nice it is to live in an English speaking country! 

 

8. Having to cook and clean for myself, like a real life grown up – we have an amazing apartment but the entire floor is tile, not only is this cold on my little toesies, but it is also a huge pain to clean. The air can get quite dusty and it only takes a day or two for the floor to get dirty. We don’t have a hoover so we depend upon a little brush and pan. Even after a comprehensive cleaning the perfectionist in me still finds little pockets of dust! Needless to say, this whole taking care of a house can be pretty tiring! 

9. The censorship – China loves censorship. In fact, in China this Blog is banned. Every social media outlet is completely blocked, this includes Facebook, Twitter, all online Blogs and even news articles that mention China are completely forbidden. The computer just cannot open them which can get extremely frustrating. Luckily I have a VPN which does some high-techy thing and convinces my laptop that it’s in a western country so I can get on to Facebook for the goss and Blogger for these rambling entries!

10. The banking system – Rory and I get paid £1000 a month. We can live comfortable on £200 a month each which means that we have each saved £800 a month. This is pretty great and is going t fun further travels (watch this space) but now we are faced with the problem of getting the money home. The Chinese government won’t let foreigners take out more than $500 a day which would mean at least 10 trips to the bank each and as nobody speaks English this is impossible! Internet banking is also fairly impossible and work has given us some terrible advice regarding money, my favourite was “just smuggle it on the plane” … I’m sure JR would love getting that phone call; “Dad, I’ve been arrested for trying to smuggle foreign currency out of China. I’ll be in a communist jail for the foreseeable future. How’s Kelso?” As of now we still haven’t sorted our money woes out so we might be returning with no money! What an adventure!

11. Not being able to drink water from the tap – who knew that safe, drinkable water from the tap was such a necessity? At the minute we buy 20litre bottles of water which Rory then has to pour in to smaller bottles for the fridge. It’s not the best way to live but it’s all we’ve got! I can’t wait to gulp down some Ballyholme water and to brush my teeth without fear of death!

Ok, so that was more than 10 things, but 11 things I hate about you doesn’t sound as good! It was also pretty long but you only live in China once so why not?!