China, and Datong in particular, are not America or any other country, so one must understand that things are different here than back home. I've seen many teachers come here and get frustrated because they expect everything to work the same here as it does in their home country. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. You will find many things different here than what you may be use to. If you come here with the mindset that you are entering a foreign country and a foreign culture, and you are willing to adapt, you will find yourself having a wonderful time in China. Although you will find many things that will annoy you, frustrate you, maybe even anger you, you will also find that they will do things differently here that you will learn are actually a better way of doing things than you are used to back home. Following are a list of things that I have found to be different than what I'm used to back home; some good, some not so good. Some of these will apply to China; some will apply simply to the city of Datong.
Pros
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Cons
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The food is outrageously delicious.
I have had the privilege of visiting 14 different places on 4 different continents. When people ask me why I stay in Datong, I tell them that Datong has the best food in the world. I am sure that in Heaven, all the chefs will be from Datong. Food is not only delicious, but also cheap. I eat well. I eat the foods I like, and I often eat in nice restaurants. My budget for food is about $175 per month. That works out to be less than $2 per meal. Datong people are extremely friendly and helpful. As a foreigner, I often run into problems that I can't fix myself. I have never found it difficult to find someone to help me. Sometimes they will try to do more than I need, and I have to slow them down. You can't ask for better people. In summer, the weather can be quite beautiful. In the winter, that isn't true. However, because we get a 10 week vacation in winter, we have plenty of time to travel to warmer climates. I have used my winter vacations to travel to Thailand, Laos, Argentina, and Uruguay. (*See Con about the weather.) Lots of vacation time allows me to travel. Often, people ask me why I live in China. It is, I tell them, because I get 20 weeks of vacation per year. No way I could do that if I lived in America. I love to travel, and this job allows me to do just that. Living Free While here, the university will supply you with an apartment. The school will pay for the first ¥400 ($62) of your utilities. It is rare that any teacher's bill is ever more than that amount. Teachers are reimbursed up to ¥8,000 ($1,250) for airfare coming to China. There is also a domestic travel bonus of ¥2,200 ($343); half of which will be paid to the teacher in January, the other half in July. Teachers will receive a free yearly physical examination. (A physical examination is required before coming to China. This initial exam must be paid for by the teacher in their home country.) Labor is cheap. Although the cost of hiring a worker to install or repair items in your house or car has been going up, it is still much cheaper than what you would pay back home. Here are a few of examples: 1. Delivery and installation of an electric hot water heater: ¥50 ($7.82) 2. Delivery and installation of washing machine: ¥30 ($4.69) 3. Housekeeper 3 times per week (monthly fee): ¥300 ($46.90) 4. Hair cut: ¥15 ($2.35) 5. Carwash ¥20 ($3.13) See "Electronics are expensive" in the cons column to the right. |
Everybody smokes everywhere.
That may be a slight exaggeration, but is not far from the truth. In China, the custom is to offer a cigarette when people get together, much like we offer coffee in America, or tea in England. Thus, smoking has become China's "besetting sin". Even though it is illegal to smoke in public places in China, there is no enforcement, so you will find people smoking everywhere. So don't be surprised to find people smoking no matter where you go: restaurants, hotel lobbies, classrooms, even hospitals. I once had a doctor enter the room smoking when I was there to get medicine for the flu. At least he had the courtesy to offer me one. I politely turned him down. Datong drivers often flaunt traffic laws. I have driven in many cities around the world, and I must say, I believe drivers in Datong take first place for worst drivers in the world. (If anyone from Datong is reading this, please understand, I love you and your city, but you can't drive.) When people here are going somewhere, they always take the shortest path possible. That means you will see cars driving in the bike lane, on the sidewalk, or going the wrong way down a one-way street. Traffic lights are generally for decoration only. Many of my Datong friends have told me that it is only illegal to run a red light if you get caught. Here is my theory on the true meanings of the different colored lights. In America, green means go; yellow means slow down or wait, red means stop. In Datong, green means go; yellow means go faster; red means go as fast as you can and honk your horn. (Update 6/11/18) My friend read this post and reminded me that cameras have been installed at almost every intersection, thus cutting down on people going through red lights. I must admit that this is true. However, just this morning on the way to work, I observed a driver who didn't want to wait in line, so he drove around all the other cars in line and when he got to the front of the row and noticed that no cars were coming the other direction, he proceeded to drive through the red light. In the winter, the weather can be very cold. If you are from an area where the weather is cold, this won't affect you. I, though, am from the south, so I prefer warm weather. (*See Pro about the weather.) Certain western products are sometimes hard to find. Although Datong seems to be getting more and more western products, there are still a few that are difficult or impossible to find. Some you will have to learn to live without; some you can get, but they will be expensive. Click here for a more detailed list. Water and electricity are not always available. Although it has improved greatly over the last few years, Datong and China are still developing, so there is still a lot of infrastructure that still needs repairing or replacing. As construction continues going on around the university, you will experience times where you will be without water or electricity. Usually this is only for couple hours at a time, but we have on occasion lost our water for a couple of days. That really isn't as bad as it sounds. Since tap water can't be drunk in China, you will always have bottled water on hand to drink. There are plenty of public showers in the area if you can't skip a shower. This is a little unusual for what most of you are used to, but that's the glory of spending time in a foreign country; think of all the stories you can tell your grandchildren. Some of your favorite websites may be blocked. For various reasons, China has decided to block access to certain sites in China. Currently there are more than 8,000 sites that are blocked. Many sites (Facebook, Twitter, CNN, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Youtube, and many others) that you may be accustomed to using on a daily basis are blocked in China. For a more detailed listing of blocked sites click here. The only way to access them is by using a VPN. There are several that work well. I recommend Express VPN. Clicking the link will allow you to use it free for the first month. Electronics are expensive. Although you can buy any electronic device of just about any brand you want, it is best to purchase your devices at home before coming to China as they can be somewhat expensive here. See Items to Bring for more information. Accessories (USB drives, portable HDs, external HDs, SIM cards, printers, etc.) can be bought here. |