What Has Living in CHINA Taught Me?
Hello Steem Blockchain!
Living in China will teach you a lot. Here I am, a teacher in China, but every wise teacher must realize that they need to learn just as much as their students do. There is so much to experience and all the things that you used to take for granted (like communicating effortlessly with others) will become a laborious task when you start living in a foreign country as exotic as China.
That's why it is super important to be flexible and adapt to changing environments. Who can you rely on when you live in a small city in China? Nobody except yourself!
You can't expect things to be laid out for you in a way that is easy and convenient. The first few months adjusting can be difficult if you can barely speak the language and that is why it is crucial to develop your ability to become independent.
A message from the government to urge its citizens to become "civilized"
Independence
That is why living in China has been the experience of a lifetime. When I live here alone, my intelligence is put to the test. I have had to go through so many experiences and get by on my own without the aid of others. I know some foreigners are a little spoiled. They may have a Chinese wife or friend that accompanies them 24/7 but I didn't want that. I needed to learn the language and culture for myself so that I could survive on my own. One of my values is to be self-sufficient. I don't mind relying on others from time to time, but I like to think to myself, "if they weren't here, would I be able to manage?"
If the answer is "no" then that's a sign that I need to spend more time on my own and develop a skill I'm lacking in.
Reading Chinese
Take this TV for example:
As you can see, it is all in Chinese. When I bought this TV, it was brand new from the Xiaomi store. You would think that there would be an English menu but nope. Unless you hack into the system and download some language pack (which I didn't feel like doing), you are stuck with Chinese. So how will I be able to select the movie I want to watch? Improve my reading skills!
This is one opportunity I used to improve my reading skills. I already knew Chinese at the time, but it is opportunities like this that encourage me to keep learning. I had to learn vocabulary related to TV and movies. The Western movies themselves are in English but the menu I need to navigate through to select them is all in Chinese. By learning how to navigate this menu, I became more independent and self-sufficient in handling the language barrier here. Some people might have given up or returned the TV back to the store, but now it is quite easy for me to use this TV.
What about ordering food?
As you can see from the picture above, this menu includes a picture of the dishes. This is what many foreigners rely on! They pray to God that whatever restaurant they go to, they can see a picture of the dish and just choose based on that because they can't read any Chinese. But that also limits your choices because many restaurants don't include a picture of all the dishes so you don't know what you're missing out on!
Check this guy for instance. He works at a street food stall making BBQ. How will you know what he is selling if you don't know how to read Chinese? The menu in the back shows it all but there are no pictures. If you can't see what he has, you'll miss out on some tasty BBQ!
Final Thoughts
The moral of this story is to show to you how independent China has made me. I tapped into parts of my intelligence I never knew I had. It has allowed me to feel confident in a new country because I trust that I can survive on my own instead of relying on others to hold my hand everywhere I go. I can open up a bank account, get a gym membership, order food, take public transport, etc. all on my own and that allows a great deal of freedom!
Thanks for reading & watching!
Check out my other posts!
Differences Between China and Australia According to My Chinese Student
The Difference Between Teachers in China and the West
What Kind of Imported Food Is Available in China?
MOUTHWATERING Food Of China's Ethnic Turkic Minority!
The MASSIVE Construction Boom in China!
Why I Left My Engineering Career To Be a Teacher in China!
Is Chinese Food Low Quality? Organic Farming in China
Why The Heck Did I Move to Communist China?
What's It Like For A Canadian Living in a Small City in China?
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I felt I learned those same very qualities.
I learned the most being solo and traveling by myself in China.
I used to like (still do) studying and practicing key language before going to the bank or going out shopping and etc.
That solo learning process is a journey itself in adapting to the country.
Although nowadays, you can scan & translate those non-picture Chinese menus with apps. Some of the apps even bring up a picture of the meal on your phone. I used it before, although I don't like that crutch. It ruins the surprise before it reaches my table. Also didn't want to fall into that lazy habit of not reading the menu.
China are creative country
They sure are
印象中秦皇岛还是有很多海外游客的呀！要求和你合照的是其他地方的游客吧？秦皇岛可是高官度假疗养之所（印像中有这样的传闻）
有啊。 他的口音我什么都不明白哈哈哈！
Have you ever ordered something you really didn't like because of not understanding the menu?
When I was in Guangzhou (the capital of Guangdong province) with my father, we ordered this chicken soup that was eaten inside of a coconut. Seemed like it would be good. Unfortunately, a whole bunch of chicken parts were used in the soup like the feet, kidneys and head which made the broth taste quite funky and the parts of the chicken that were in their barely had any meat.
If you ever hear about any strange/disgusting food in China, chances are it is from Guangdong province. Food in the north where I live is generally really good. There isn't much here that is really bizarre.
Another question, when you order something wierd do you feel obligated to eat it as to not offend anyone?
My girlfriends family is Mexican, occasionally I'll get served some menudo or tongue or head tacos or something strange. Alot of the times the taste and texture isn't that bad, its more that I know what it is that turns me off to it. Anyhow, many times I'll feel the need to choke it down because I don't want to offend anyone.
Same thing sometimes when I'm traveling in poorer places. For example when I was in Jamaica which has a lot of poverty I'd feel the necessity to eat everythign on my plate because so many people are poor and hungry it almost would seem like an insult or disgusting that someone would take one bit of something and not eat the rest.
I try to eat as much as I can before I can't eat it anymore. I know it is offensive but I'm not gonna sit there forcing myself to eat every last bite.
In China, they serve their food on plates that everybody shares. So it isn't like you have your own separate plate that you have to finish. Instead, everyone shares the same dishes but eating from them using chopsticks. So whatever foods I don't like or can't eat (i.e. I don't eat pork), I just eat from the other dishes.
It's a tough situation to be in when not eating something would come off as rude or inconsiderate, but you just have to own up to the fact that you can't eat anymore.
秦皇岛不错，是个好地方，也可以多出去走走，去一些不一样的城市和地方
对啊。 我同意。
哇！秦皇岛？再熟悉不过了，就在我家边上。中国欢迎您！
你好。 对啊。 我在秦皇岛！ 谢谢啊！
中国湖南省张家界是个好地方，最美不过了，不去张家界，将会是大遗憾。
How long time did it take to learn how to read something simple in Chinese?
It is a great challenge to adopt into the such a different culture
Following you from now on! I'm a teacher in China too and this is absolutely helpful! Thanks! :D
Awesome! Which city?