Five Things I Like About China

Since I’ve been here for a year now, I’ve had ample time to reflect on the things I’ve liked and haven’t liked about living in China. Yes, that means a negative list of five is on the way. Until then, let’s enjoy the more pleasant aspects of expat life:

1. The food
I was just talking to a new expat today about how his greatest challenge is the food. Hey, it’s rough. Some people never get over it. I still have my days of nonstop stomach aches and bathroom dashes, but I actually love Chinese food. Once you get out of the god-awful cafeterias and know what meats to avoid, you’ll find there are a lot of good restaurants and a lot of good things to eat in China. In fact, forget the restaurants. Some of my favorite snacks are sold by street vendors.

2. The cost
The locals tend to get a little disgruntled when they find out you, a lousy foreign teacher, make four times as much as them. Because the cost of living is comparatively so low, anyway, you can really live it up, eat at nice restaurants, take cabs instead of buses, travel every weekend, and be the big spender you couldn’t afford to be back home. Granted, as soon as you convert your stash into US dollars, you’re suddenly not as rich as you thought you were, but we can worry about that later.

3. The randomness
Strange, funny things are bound to happen regardless where you are, but not like this, and not so frequently. It seems like every other day I go outside, I come across something that makes me stop and mutter, “What the hell?” Just today, I saw a naked man wiping his butt in front of the train station and a group of people bottle-feeding fish for sport. These are the kind of things that, while startling or annoying at the time, make for an interesting and occasionally hilarious adventure.

4. The sightseeing
After a while, every temple starts to look the same, but I still enjoy the architecture and seeing the old streets and buildings (especially now before they’re all torn down). There are a lot of great scenic spots in China that aren’t limited to Beijing and Xi’an. In Jiangsu and Anhui province alone, I’ve been able to see many beautiful lakes and mountains, enormous statues, historic gardens, and withered pagodas. Even going to the countryside and seeing a rice paddy up close is a treat.

5. The friendliness
By “friendliness,” I don’t mean how drivers slow down for pedestrians. Because that doesn’t happen. I’m mostly referring to people’s willingness to help, or at least help foreigners. They certainly give us the benefit of the doubt. I’ve had strangers not only tell me which subway stop I needed but go out of their way to escort me there personally. The friends I’ve made in China I know I can count on, and their generosity is hard to keep up with. I’m sure I’ve amassed quite a debt should they ever collect.

27 June 2009 | China | Comments | Home
tags: expat life, food, lists, money

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