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Q: Twenty days left to fly
Hey so I fly to Hong Kong three weeks today and then make my venture into mainland China. Since I have been offered my placement and booked my flights etc... I have been feeling the highs and lows of the realisation that this is really happening, and that the time seems to be moving faster and faster. I have had mostly highs as of course this is a new adventure for me and I am looking forward to so much.
How did you deal with the changes what were the things you missed right away. I know family, friends and pets I will miss the most. But I am just curious as to how you dealt with them. Thankfully we live in a digital age where of course we can use skype or face time. But that still does not compare much to a decent hug from your loved ones when you are feeling low.
go with the flow Do not try to do everything in the first couple of days It is a little like your first week of high school take your time and survey the land scape and if you need that hug I am sure you will be able to find a young lady to help you with that good luck to you and feel free to vent here on the BCD's
Right away I would say you miss nothing, you are too focused on your new adventure and whats right and wrong. Should do and shouldn't do. I would suggest easing your diet into Chinese food. When I first arrived, I bought PB&J and bread and made sandwiches all the time, then cereal. I would deff. bring like 2 bags of Cheerios from home or something. Then slowly work your way into the Chinese food to kind of ease your stomach into it.
With skype you don't really need much else, assuming you will be an English teacher then some family photos can be serve multiple purposes. As long as your company or school has a reasonably amount of ex-pats you shouldn't feel too low/lonely for a while. I would suggest always asking questions to people that have been here a while. thirst for knowledge.
Scandinavian:
someone who comes from the Bangers & Beans diet should not worry about the Chinese food. just eat in places that look clean and never lick your fingers after having touched anything that isn't a piece of soap.
Make sure you have the Z visa if you're working... It's a big problem if you don't have it.
DaveP84:
lol all my Visa requirements are sorted thanks. But I don't see how that answer relates to the question? 
Hulk:
Just in case, Dave. If you're working, and have a legit Z visa (anything else is illegal - no exceptions), then you're all set. If you're attending a school, then F is fine for anything less than 6 months - otherwise anything other than X is illegal.
What a huge coincidence, I'm leaving the country in 20 days XD!!!!
I need to escape from China, this has been to much for me. Anyway, the first 4 months were awesome 
! Enjoy when everything is new for you and you don't care about the bad things, that won't last forever 
!!!!
Scandinavian:
It's very important to keep the number of foreigners constant. Actually if you go to the border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, you will see they only let one in every time one goes out.
grimya:
Yep I'm going to Japan but only for tourism. I'll stay 10 days and I'll go back to España :P
If you are not handsome and an Native English teacher, you may end up missing a lot your Country very shortly after your arriving in China. Well, if you are not, you still have 20 days to make yourself at least handsome.
Chinese people have a rare taste for the tall, blue ayes and handsome people. They believe Western Countries is all this and they also believe they deserve the best. Seriously speaking, it's all about you and your character that will make your life a hell or a second home away from your home.
Good Luck. You will do fine, and have a great time if you keep positive. You are a guest, so smile at the people and be friendly to them, you will always have a better day by doing this. Some foreigners walk around and forget to smile at the people who they are dealing with, and don't show friendliness, these visitors get treated less friendly in return, because the Chinese will think,''Oh, you are one of the foreigners who hates our country.''
Strive to be liked by the people, and you will reap the rewards.
grimya:
Why the hell should I go all the day smiling?
I will smile when I'm in the mood, not as a mask.
JungleLife:
You don't have to smile all day long dumbass (grimya), just when dealing with people. And it is not a mask, even if you are not happy on the inside, it is a sign of goodwill toward others and politeness as a guest. A guest should show respect and thankfulness, if you are not this type of guest then get the f*ck out, you give the rest of us a bad name.
Leave all pre-conceptions behind, it isn't wrong, rude, dirty, illegal ( :-0 ), insane, crazy etc etc it just is.
Look for the positive in everything you see, (sometimes that isn't easy), and try to ignore the negative and your life here will be much more pleasant.
This is a rich nation full of very poor people, even those who live in the big cities often display poor 'country people' type behaviour.
Use ALL your senses, this is a very sensual nation, sights, smells, tastes, sounds are all wondrous, (I left touch out for a reason, be careful with that one).
SoFresh:
Very good advice....constantly trying to figure out why something is will drive most people crazy. Don't think something is rude or wrong, just accept that fact that it is what it is.
Also great advice about trying to look at the positives in things. It can be very easy for a foreigner (or anyone for that matter) to get caught up in all the things going wrong. Again this can easily drive someone crazy and make them want to be on the next flight out of China.
The first few months you'll probably be so busy and have such an adrenaline rush that you wont miss much.
It's after this honeymoon period that people start missing things and or decide to go back home.
If you are from a western country I think the thing you will end up missing most is the simplicity of living in your home country. Few people fully understand the difference between a developed country and a developing country (China) until they have experienced both. Moving to a developing country when you come from a developed country can end up being a hard thing for many people to deal with long term.
Most foreigners I've met in China rarely last longer than 1 year in China. The main reason I see them going home is they can simply no longer deal with the complexity of living in a foreigner country that's so inconsistent and at times chaotic like China can be.
After a few years in China the things I miss the most are just the simpler lifestyle back home. No pushing and shoving in lines, no one cutting in lines, anything I want to buy I know how and where to get it and I know I'm getting the real retail price for it. I can step outside my front door without being stared and pointed at all day every single day, or in other words I actually have some privacy while out in public.
Welcome to China and I hope you enjoy it. Good or bad, it's an experience you'll always remember. My best advice to you right now is be prepared for things NOT to go as planned. So many random problems are going to pop up in China, learn to accept the fact right now that this is going to happen. It's the people who can't accept this that usually end up getting very homesick and leaving China.
DaveP84:
I have a very open mind when it comes to new things. If people walk around with their eyes closed (sorry for lack of a better analogy) then of course they are going to fall. I am lucky in that I am able to accept all other peoples cultures and ways of life. Sadly the same could not be said for some friends of mine, whom I would have liked to have gone traveling with one day. But because they are bigoted, then it is their loss really.
I am just looking forward to experiencing as much of China as I possibly can.
