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Posts: 38

Governor

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Q: We are of course all perfect now but....

....what are the most common mistakes a new person to China will make?

 

I'm arriving in a few days and i know  that i cant change the unchangeable or  radically overnight superhero-esk  the place into a first world country. Soooo......What would you have changed in your first few months here that might have made all the difference to your life?

 

 

 

 

10 years 5 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
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i would have changed my belief that the local FT contact in the International Office was there to help newbies like me. 

i would have changed my belief that people behaved in a rational manner about small things

Was i wrong 

 

Don't change who you are, but don't expect people to react in a familiar way.

Be flexible.

good luck  wink!!

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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Posts: 3837

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i would have changed my belief that the local FT contact in the International Office was there to help newbies like me. 

i would have changed my belief that people behaved in a rational manner about small things

Was i wrong 

 

Don't change who you are, but don't expect people to react in a familiar way.

Be flexible.

good luck  wink!!

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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Except to see a lot rationality, but in its most warped way, Cthulhu style.

coineineagh:

Didn't expect to see a D&D reference on this site!

10 years 4 weeks ago
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DrMonkey:

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu Beijing wgah'nagl fhtagn... Well, I never played D&D, but I was a keen reader of Lovecraft's novels... who developed the Cthulu mythos (and then early fans like August Derleth), that became popular with D&D ^^

10 years 4 weeks ago
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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Don't believe in fairness in China and don't believe your laws back home apply to you here in China.

 

If a Chinese man hits you first because you didn't say good morning, it's your fault in China. Get the picture?

aw0101:

ahahahaha. Brilliant.

 

jeezus!!

10 years 4 weeks ago
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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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Abandon hope, all ye who enter! 

ironman510:

And learn the ways of the dark~side.

10 years 4 weeks ago
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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
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I would suggest making a few Chinese and foreigner friends to help you out in your time of need because the PSB and SAFEA are usually quite useless.

 

Pick up some basic Chinese can go a long way. I think one big mistake is coming to China without at least knowing how to say "How much is it?" and learning numbers which is actually VERY simple in Chinese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BrendanE:

Best info ITT. I never would have survived my first year without my Chinese friends, always have them on speed dial and always help them out/give them gifts to make up for the favors you will inevitably ask.

 

A little Chinese goes a long way, even if you are only here for a little while spend a decent amount of time learning the language, it's not as hard/expensive to do so as you might imagine. Plus, plans are made to be broken, most oldtimers here had no idea they would stay this long.

 

To add something new TTT: always have an exit plan.

10 years 4 weeks ago
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Robk:

I agree with the exit plan. If you get a bad employer you need to have a back-up plan or even a plan to exit China if things go horribly wrong. 

 

Quite a few foreigners come here with no money in their back pocket and no plans, no help from PSB or SAFEA and are in big trouble. 

10 years 4 weeks ago
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aw0101:

cheers guys,

 

I've got a fairly solid 'emergency fund'  (from living in Korea) but thanks for the tip about an exit plan. I will bring a little more with me rather than the possibility of waiting for it to be transferred from the UK.

 

I've been studying my ass off with Chinese and rather embarrassingly it is better than my Korean.  What particular Chinese would you suggest is the most important??

 

Cheers

10 years 4 weeks ago
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BrendanE:

Standard Mandarin, if you live in the north it is probably all you will hear. I've traveled throughout China and have had no problems doing so so long as I spoke Mandarin.

 

Try to follow the old financial rule of having three months of salary in a local bank account as an emergency fund. Good news is that you can access your foreign bank accounts from ATMs in most big cities (if you have unionpay or STAR I  believe).

10 years 4 weeks ago
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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 171

Governor

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After reading all the answers here... 

All I can say is (with a little help from John)

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together. 

See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly. 
I'm crying. 

Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come. 
Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody tuesday. 
Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long. 
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen. 
I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob. 

Mister city policeman sitting 
Pretty little policemen in a row. 
See how they fly like Lucy in the Sky, see how they run. 
I'm crying, I'm crying. 
I'm crying, I'm crying. 

Yellow mother custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye. 
Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess, 
Boy, you been a naughty girl you let your knickers down. 
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen. 
I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob. 

Sitting in an english garden waiting for the sun. 
If the sun don't come, you get a tan 
From standing in the english rain. 
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen. 
I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob goo goo g'joob. 

Expert textpert choking smokers, 
Don't you think the joker laughs at you? 
See how they smile like pigs in a sty, 
See how they snied. 
I'm crying. 

Semolina pilchard, climbing up the eiffel tower. 
Elementary penguin singing Hari Krishna. 
Man, you should have seen them kicking edgar allan poe. 
I am the eggman, They are the eggmen. 
I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob goo goo g'joob goo goo g'joob. 
Goo goo g'joob goo"

louischuahm:

Beatles, huh? Isn't this from that movie, forgot the name, remember there was a huge strawberry on the movie poster though. 

10 years 4 weeks ago
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brother1818:

Across the Universe, great movie

10 years 4 weeks ago
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aw0101:

I still find it hard how they managed to steal this from Oasis even before it was written..indecision

10 years 4 weeks ago
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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 9631

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be selfish and if you ever have the thought "Oohhh, that looks delish and there is no line" then keep walking. 

aw0101:

ahahahahaha good point.

10 years 4 weeks ago
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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 7204

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The date on my return ticketsurprise

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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 921

Shifu

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Just, don't trust nothing and nobody, untill it's proved/they prove you wrong. Twice. Even if you're  about to buy just a milk brick.

BrendanE:

The corollary is that "everything is fake unless it can be proved (beyond a doubt) otherwise."

10 years 4 weeks ago
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10 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 38

Governor

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A year and a half or so onwards from this post guys, it is fantasticallly hilarious how true all of this is!! 

 

Well played people. Well played!

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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I replied, then realised it's a year old....

ScotsAlan:

Still a valid question.

 

I have no answer.

 

But really, when you think about it, humanity keeps asking the same questions. We have been doing it for thousands of years, and nobody come back with the one answer everyone agrees with.

 

Back on thread...

 

What was the question?

 

8 years 45 weeks ago
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