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China Pro Shop
These are postings by China tefl professionals from the teflchina life list at
groups.yahoo.com. Thanks to all the contributors for sharing their advice.
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Dear all, I will soon be on my way to China, and I am doing some last minute packing and shopping in preparation for my venture. I was wondering if you all had it to do over again, what is one thing you would take to China that you didn't take the first time? I thought this would make for some interesting discussion, as well as give me some good ideas. Take Care! PaKong
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From: "Aaron Spivey" <
aaron@o...>Date: Sat Jun 16, 2001 3:30 am
Subject: RE: (life) What would you take to China?
In a word: Cheese.
In a few more: tube socks, an extra pair of my size 11 shoes, more Levi's, and a laptop computer.
The stuff I left behind and do not miss at all: my car, my house, my furniture and all the other possessions/junk I worked so hard to get.
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From: nobodie@n...
Date: Sat Jun 16, 2001 1:03 am
Subject: Re: (life) What would you take to China?
the things i brought that have been the most use:
1 my computer: there are tons of materials available on-line for download that i use often2) a good, expensive new dictionary 3 all my ESL textbooks, not the ESL textbooks for students, but the ones i used to study how to teach, many differnet methods and approches are discussed, and since i have had to adjust teaching methods and approaches on an almost class by class basis they have been invaluable.
4 four different grammar texts and swan's usage--quite often one grammar alone is inadequate for understanding a grammar point well enough to explain it what i brought that was of limited use: i brought a number of dictionaries on CD, thinking that my students would like to have copies. they don't want them, don't have access to a computer or don't understand how to use an E-E dictionary or why it is useful. my english-chinese and chinese-english dictionaries. while i use them daily for living, they are of limited use in teaching.
what i didn't bring and wish i had: a couple of good ESL oral textbooks, i used "Sound Advantage" and a couple of others in the US. while they couldn't really be used here as a day to day textbook, they would provide some useful exercises on occasion.
love and peace up
jim alley
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From: "Jennifer Wallace" <
Jennifer0052@h...>Date: Sat Jun 16, 2001 3:30 am
Subject: Re: (life) What would you take to China?
My measuring spoon, for measuring coffee (the real stuff). It took me ages to work out how much to use and I hated the dishwater coffee I kept making myself until I got that sussed!
More t-shirts: big enough plus actually good quality. I've bought clothes here and almost everything (I think) has been a waste of money. T-shirts which twist and go frilly and aren't long enough in the first place.
Fleeces which pill like the early ones at home did. Long winter underwear which is big enough round but which leaves the midrift sorely exposed (i.e. a waste of wearing).
Boots. I got someone visiting to bring mine out, and they saved my feet in class in the winter. I'm in a semi-tropical zone, and I didn't think winter here would be cold enough to warrant boots. And my feet are too big for Chinese women's footwear, so I'm limited in what I can get here that I like.
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From: "siragwatkins" <
SIRAGWATKINS@y...>Date: Sat Jun 16, 2001 2:05 pm
Subject: Re: (life) What would you take to China?
Don't forget the dental floss and enough coffee to get you through until you hook up with an in-country source, unless you're going to a major city. Also deodorant and as much reading material (for yourself, as well as your students) as you can carry. And multi-vitamins--the diet here is seasonal, and some vitamins are available, but not all and not multis. Maybe some bandaids and antibiotic ointment. A coffee grinder (although I think a blender might work). Flannel sheets! Herbs and spices (esp Italian seasoning and cloves, nutmeg, etc.) if you want to cook. American stamps and change for gifts as well as lessons. A cash or credit card connected to an American bank for ordering books and meds, as well as the stuff you forgot.
Leslie
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From: "Dave and Barb" <
blcdss@e...>Date: Sat Jun 16, 2001 4:09 pm
Subject: Re: (life) What would you take to China?
Dave seconds these choices. (He wears a size 11 too.) If yu have limited packing space (of course you do!), buy the shoes in advance and have a friend send them to you later. Make sure they do not list them on the customs declaration or the package will be held.
We have had good luck when our parents listed personal and household items on the customs declaration.
Do bring Italian spices. Cinnamon, ground black pepper (however not peppercorns or grinders), ground ginger as well as fresh, cloves (xiang ding), whole nutmeg (rou kou), cumin and fennel are available. You just need the Chinese name. Often they re not used in the same ways here in China as in the US. I have not found, basil, cardamon, or coriander, but you can get fresh cilantro leaves. However I bet that some of these things are available in the south as you get closer to Thailand (where they commonly use basil) and India (where the spices boggle the mind). I hope to find some of these things in my travels around China this summer (The Lonely Planet says that many are available).
Barbara
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From: The 88 Club <
88club@m...>Date: Sat Jun 16, 2001 7:13 am
Subject: Re: (life) What would you take to China?
Deodorant
comfy insoles
lemsips
strong paracetamol
music
boardgames
writer's guide
practical jokes
lots of good quality clothes and shoes
Chris
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From: "Jennifer Wallace" <
Jennifer0052@h...>Date: Wed Jun 20, 2001 3:11 pm
Subject: RE: (life) What would you take to China?
Albeit in places like Xi'an, Nanjing, Shanghai, you can get cheese here, Mongolian and imported.
I've had no trouble with parcels of clothes being sent, and my family has always written NOT NEW on the customs label, with NIL value.
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From: "siragwatkins" <
SIRAGWATKINS@y...>Date: Sun Jun 17, 2001 3:05 pm
Subject: Re: (life) What would you take to China?
Chris is absolutely right--I forgot the insoles. Chinese insoles are flat! You can buy
and wear Chinese shoes if you bring good insoles to put in them--but bring plenty--or
arrange to have some sent at intervals--you'll be doing a lot of walking! Leslie
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>If you could go back and add ONE extra thing to your suitcase that
>you DID NOT bring, what would it be?
>> Well, I went back and got my computer! Should have brought it first time round.
Actually, I went back to SWAP my desk-top for a lap-top, and bought a light-weight laser
printer as well. All in ENGLISH!! If I were weathier, I would have one of those little
video cameras. Maybe next time. Yvonne.
As far as winter clothes are concerned I don't think you need to buy anything special. There are many shops that sell winter clothes. Also, in the big cities they do sell nice down jackets. My fellow expats from cold countries say that the key to keeping warm in the winter is WOOL. That means getting wool underwear, socks, and sweaters. I've also been told that cities north of the Yangtze River have heaters, while cities below the Yangtze don't have as many heaters. I don't know what the logic is behind that.
http://www.sias.net.cn/e_gi.htm is a site
for a largish American college near shengda college - has a section
for potential teachers on what to bring and what to leave behind - plus general
information
the site chinatefl.com has lots of the shengda type postings - just click on the logos
On the subject of towels, washing and temperature ... I've been working here
for a year so far. In the context of what to bring to China, someone bought
up the topic of towels - size and availability. I was curious about the
obvious difference in washing/drying habits between Chinese/British culture
as reflected in the tools available for these activities in our respective
coutries. Hence the interesting contribution about what someone (sorry - I
can't remebre who to thank) observed their mother-in-law doing. Air drying.
Hence my comment about unheated bathrooms and winter. Believe it or not I
don't worry (at all) about this - I'm actually interested! One man's trivia
I thought for a long time about getting a digital camaera and didn't get one as it felt beyond the reach of my disposable income - but I still wish I had one. I write long letters/Emails to friends and family, but being able to send pictures as well would be even better. As it is, I'm also going to end up with a big heavy pile of photos I'll have to one day cart back to Britain - using up no small part of the baggage weight allowance!
...
jennifer Wallace
Anhui Gongye Daxue, Ma'anshan
Linens - I enjoyed the linen service provided in my university housing (two years at uni in Guangzhou, one year in Beijing) myself. Linens would not be in my luggage. But that's me. Easy to buy new linens in China, Chinese of course, if your school's prove wanting. But if you want linens just like home, perhaps flannel or your favorite something, you'll be in company with some others on this list if you decide to pack em. Booties - Warm indoor booties make happy feet in the dead of winter.. Chinese apartment floors tend to be tile.. and heating, if any, erratic. Weapons ;-) btw, the classrooms were rather more dirty than any I had ever seen in my 35 humble years in USA. I took to carrying a wet rag to class with me (or stashed it in the podium) for wiping off desks with before class.. that is not something to pack of course.. Chinese cities are very dusty though.. feeble as it sounds, my weapon against culture shock was a wet rag :-).. gets you a nice clean chalkboard, too. Generally there is a sink down the hall where you can rinse it out. Culture dodge - The problem with arriving to class early is then you contemplate removing the refuse left on the floor and in the desks by a weeks worth of students, and it is a considerable amount.. and there is probably no trash can in the classroom, either.. calls for culture dodge -- ignore it if you can. I made a buffoon of myself by expecting *my* classroom to be anything other than *the rest* of the classrooms. They were all a far cry from what I was used to. Tea Earl Gray or your fav herbal tea is easy to pack and will bring you comfort. You'll find bushels of Chinese tea in China but not Western blends. Pack some fine coffee if you like that; instant is all that it is easy to buy in China. Tea is easier to pack than coffee though, weighs less. If lying thine head down on thine own flannel pillow might give you bliss, pack thine pillow case.
:-) Roger
Extra Deodorant It does not exist in China, at least not in Xuzhou, which is a pretty big city (8 million). Also, if you stay in university housing, you should bring your own sheets, pillow, blanket and towels. You can also buy these things here when you arrive - their standards of "clean" will not be the same as yours.
JH
A years' supply of DENTAL FLOSS! Walk into any Chinese supermarket large or small and
you will never find it even in the provincial capitals. You'll have to be in Beijing,
Shanghai, or Hong Kong to buy them. and when you do it costs an arm and a leg.
>OK, if you could go back and take ONE thing OUT of your suitcase and >NOT bring it,
what would it be? Tons of nic-nac stuff just to make my home "homey"(eg. a
Japanese fan that was given to me as a gift before I left Japan). Also, I would like to
get rid of all of my photo albums(actually I've been in China for six years so many of
them are of China).
Jada
Large bottle of "Skin So Soft" by Avon. Great for mosquitoes and yet smells better than "Off". "One thing you would leave out." I'd leave home all of my dress jackets, shoes and suits except one good suit. "One thing to do all over before going" I'd learn to play the guitar well enough to play some sing along favorites. (But I should have done this a long time ago).
john
Easy-to-cook-with mixes like chili mix, cornbread and biscuit mix in envelopes, etc. We were in Hangzhou and could get lots of Western foods in the supermarket, but it was mostly of the junk-food variety. Also, bring enough warm clothes if you're larger than a size 10. If not, you can buy them in large cities. Yes, like George said, you can get clothes tailored for you very inexpensively. You also provide entertainment for the Chinese when you're being measured in full view, too. OK, if you could go back and take ONE thing OUT of your suitcase and NOT bring it, what would it be? My teflon cooking skillet! Silly me, I thought I'd need it, but if you have the money there is anything available in the housewares line that you'd like or need (at least in Hangzhou). I also brought way too many books - the kind students might like to read, I thought. I was teaching middle school students and I envisioned an English language lending library working out of my office. WRONG! A few kids did check out a few books at first, but mostly they're too busy to read anything that's not in their textbooks. We spent many, many dollars mailing "M bags" of books to China. Books like picture dictionaries, children's dictionaries, almanacs, and even a Guiness Book of World Records were good, though. OK, of the things you brought with you, what has been the most IMPORTANT thing? My husband! But you've said both you and your husband are coming. That's good. But seriously, I've taught ESL for many years, so I brought along all of my ESL teaching materials. Maps of the U.S.; realia from your hometown and/or state; pictures of all kinds of people doing all kinds of things as well as just interesting pictures from magazines pictures of your family, home, car, etc. Not knowing where you're going, it's difficult to say, but having been to different places in China, it's safe to say, "Bring anything you think you'll need."
Carole
The one extra thing I would bring are shoes that fit. At some point in the
ancient past the Emperor issued a decree that a royal blue ribbon panel had issued a
report
warning of an impending leather shortage. To reduce the impact oif this the Emperor
declared that all
those with shoe sizes larger than 9 1/2 for common folk and 10 for the upper classes were
herinafter forbidden to breed. The result, handed down through the generations are
people with small
feet. Bring shoes and if needed, depending on where you wind up, winter boots and
heavy socks.
Heavy sock are nonexistent. If you wear anything over a Men's large bring enough
clothes to
get started. You can have high quality clothes tailor made here for next to nothing.
For
example, I got a tailor made suit that would sell in the states for $2,000 US.
The cost here was under a $100 US. I'm not the smallest guy on the block.
They recorded my size in Longitude and Latitude. All I gotta do is put on my suit
and National
Geographic will record me on the map.
I would leave out anything I can't walk away from in 30 seconds or less, just
in case the conditions become unbearable or the Bush Bunch decides to get a little more
stupid. If thre is something you really want to keep, leave it at home.
(This does not apply to
guitars) So that's what I'd bring and what I'd leave behind.
George