Hello! This is
Stephen Rosebaugh-Nordan with a posthumous travel guide to China! This is going to be me chronicling
significant events during my year in China. I'm writing them as they happen, so this is
fresh in my mind, but it will probably only be posted in the following year, as
I don't want to ruffle any feathers during my stay. Going to divide these posts by month and do
one a week, with me only really chronicling events that are significant, for
one reason or another. Also, don't
expect too in depth details, like specific names or companies. I won't
break my promise to keep confidential that which must be confidential, be it
work or politics...so this is what you get.
Names were changed or omitted to protect the innocent.
For those with an interest in this, please contact me and ask to be put on the mailing list for this blog. I will be posting it to social media and updating it weekly, however if you want an email or automatic update, let me know, with an up to date email preferably, and I will add you to the mailing list.
Anyway, that out of the way, let's begin!
For those with an interest in this, please contact me and ask to be put on the mailing list for this blog. I will be posting it to social media and updating it weekly, however if you want an email or automatic update, let me know, with an up to date email preferably, and I will add you to the mailing list.
Anyway, that out of the way, let's begin!
September 2014
September 9-10
The flights in trying to get to China were long and arduous, lasting well over 18 hours with my transfers included. I met one of my roommates to be in Atlanta and I thought
things would go well. I didn't sleep
well on my second flight to China,
which was 11 hours, but spirits were high and I sat next to a nice Chinese
lady, who shared some green tea cake with me, probably because I helped her mop
up a water spill. I mostly played games
and watched movies until I arrived. I
stuck with my roommate to be, unknowing what would happen next, and we, along
with six other teachers, were driven from the airport to our hotel. We all crashed, though not before a run to a
convenience store for water, since Chinese tap water is not good to drink, and
me frantically warning people about the difference in voltage in China. Cause I care.
September 11
A day that started out pretty good, but which ended
in...disappointment. We basically
started off going to get our banking details taken care of. For the first time in ages, I felt the
telltale flicker of excitement in my heart as I, in a fit of boredom due to the
long wait for the other 30 teachers to get their bank cards, explored the mall
under the bank. It was like a
consumerist paradise, with Asian restaurants, stores, and all manner of
bakeries, toys, and cool things to see.
Then things turned sour, as we went to the main office and, despite our
kind hosts, I got a bout of exhaustion coupled with sickness. Not sure if it was the spiced BBQ meat I got
or just jet lag, but I started feeling like death. That feeling intensified when we had a free
for all apartment hunting/planning section.
Turns out my roommates to be had better options than
me. Never mind that we had plans months
in advance or they gave me their word they wouldn't leave me to twist in the
wind. In the end, even good people
abandon others for the sake of a convenient life. And I was left with nothing but resentment
and anger, false promises and pleadings of "We don't want to leave you
hanging, but..." That truth sat in
the pit of my stomach all day. It made
me ill as we walked a good 2-3 mile trek around Tiennamen Square and to an admittedly
interesting temple. By now, being stuck
around the chattering of a good 30 extroverted teachers began to wear on me,
and coupled with the gut punch of being abandoned, I excused myself from dinner
and collapsed into bed early.
I made a decision then that I wasn't going to beg for the help of these other teachers. These strangers who we met only a day before but were pretending to be friends with. I would survive on my own. If I made friends, fine, but I would not rely on these people who cast me out. And so, I set plans in motion to find an apartment of my own, within my budget.
I made a decision then that I wasn't going to beg for the help of these other teachers. These strangers who we met only a day before but were pretending to be friends with. I would survive on my own. If I made friends, fine, but I would not rely on these people who cast me out. And so, I set plans in motion to find an apartment of my own, within my budget.
September 12
Betrayal sits heavy in my stomach, as it is one thing I have
a hard time forgiving. Lies, flakiness,
even broken promises can be forgiven if the reasons are just, or at least understandable,
but betrayal is a willful act of turning on someone for your own gain. That is where my compassion ends. I confirmed that I was in fact being left to
twist in the wind by my former roommates to be, who were rather
unrepentant...and proceeded to suffer.
One migraine, two one hour car trips, and a medical
examination we didn't even get to go to due to long lines, and I felt like
death. The good news? I'd contacted one of the agents associated
with my work and let them know my situation.
Progress was being made. I
suffered for almost 7 hours with the constant chattering of 30 strangers
buzzing through my migraine ridden head and making me hate life. One was kind and gave me some pain pills, but
I was rather done with westerners for a bit.
Just then, I was picked up by my school's contact and I felt
that flicker of excitement begin to return.
While I admit to being nervous about teaching and the HUGE laundry list of
things we need to do to get an apartment and be registered to live in China was...a
bit much, I had one of the best places in the world to work. A CHINESE MALL! It was like an altar to the god of
consumerism and I was one of the chief worshippers. I was so gleeful, seeing everything laid
out. Anime and toys to clothes, to food,
to whatever you could want...it was all here.
And I started to feel at home.
Sometimes, fate doesn't screw you too hard.
And I mean that.
After meeting my colleagues at my school and getting some advice from my
contact about apartment hunting, my agent met with me and we made plans to meet
later that night for apartment hunting.
I got a glorious meal at the Japanese fast food chain Yoshinoya, which
cost me less than $3 American, and left with a spring in my step.
The first apartment was...a bit lacking. In many things. Apparently, the Chinese don't do closed
showers. That's a western thing. This...took some wrapping of my head around. There's just a drain in the floor and a
detachable faucet next to the toilet.
Whaaaaaaaat?! But, when I assured
my agent of my willingness to commute, the Chinese subway system being very
similar to Japan's
train system, we began to make more progress.
We found a great neighborhood a good 30-40 minutes away by subway with
some beautiful apartments and great surroundings, full of open marketplaces,
supermarkets, knock off Wal-marts, etc.
I felt safe, I felt comfortable, I felt like I might be happy. And there were closed showers. Thank god.
We only found one in my budget range that I wanted, as the other good
one was above my pay, though I would have taken it, it was that nice, but god
almighty, was it a nice place.
From my odyssey, which began at 7am, to the conclusion of
apartment hunting at 10pm, I was exhausted, but hopeful for the first time
since landing. I made arrangements to
reserve the apartment and began planning.
Throughout this, my agent was very kind, very talkative, and helped me
so much, despite my inexperience and my...rather demanding housing wishes. I was truly grateful. It was finally time to relax a little.
September 13
Today, I relax after much struggle. I did a bit of exploring around my hotel, but
there's not much to tell. I'm still
amazed at the way Asia in general seems to be
set up. Despite the trash, or the smell,
seriously New Jersey would go "the
hell?!" or the crowded space, China always has room for parks,
trees, and small areas of respite. Next
to one I took a break at I was again amazed at the prices. I bought lunch for 80 cents, or roughly
5RMB. It was a pretty tasty falafel/wrap
with cabbage, sauce, and bread crumbs inside.
And this next to a store selling 80RMB beef bowls. In China, you can find great deals,
but perhaps not always equal deals. If
you pass on the 10RMB kabob, you may find a cheaper meal, but not a cheaper
kabob. It all depends. Speaking of kabobs, I had those for
dinner. Very tasty. I got 4 for 20RMB, less than $4
American. Amazing prices here.
The internet deserves mention. Most people complain about the oppressiveness
of the great firewall, but...really, it's not oppressive so much as it is
annoying. I can still do almost anything
online, from Kotaku, to Hearthstone, to Devil's Panties, with decent
speed. Only a select few things are
blocked, like google or facebook, so I'd have to use Yahoo to search and a
Chinese equivalent to keep up with others.
My vpn is a little temperamental/stupid, so my access to these things is
unreliable. Honestly, it's not scary or
lonely or anything else bad, it's just annoying. When I want to load up Casey likes games,
featuring Game Crazed from Tome, or hear a let's player be adorable with
puppies, I don't want to be locked out by a firewall or kept at minimal speed
by a VPN. Eventually, the firewall will
be dropped, I feel certain. Whether
that's in my lifetime or not...who knows.
Fun fact. I got to
see that English speaking actors actually get in Chinese movies, some speaking
English. And we never see them. Today, I saw a kid go back to the feudal era
of China
to free Sun Wukong, the monkey king, from his imprisonment by the Jade
Warlord. The start and end of the movie
was all in English too...pretty interesting stuff, honestly. Whole other industry we don't see, some of it
very cool. Food for thought.
September 14-15
Medical check was pretty standard. I had no issues with it, though the lack of
breakfast was a bit annoying. One thing
that I have learned, from riding in a car and from trying to avoid them is that
in China, traffic laws are, at best, suggestions. Cars will frequently come very close to
clipping pedestrians and you tend to either run out of the way or give them a
wide berth to avoid collision. This does
speed up traffic and the people traveling on foot can jay walk or do as they
please...it's just all at your own peril.
Very similar to NYC in my opinion.
No one seems to give a single crap when it comes to traffic.
September 18
Finding an apartment in China is a nightmare without an
agent and even with a good agent, it's a serious pain. You can have your apartment stolen from you
at the drop of a hat if you don't pay a holding fee and you need to drop 4
months rent in advance in most places, then pay quarterly, in order to keep
it. On top of that, you pay your
separate bills in a really weird way.
Water and electricity have cards that you have to "recharge"
at either a bank or the management office.
Also, water can be divided into hot, cold, and toilet water, each with
separate bills. What's more, transferring money isn't as simple as writing a
check...no, you have to get cash and deliver it to an atm, transferring it
directly to your landlords account...it's friggin complicated, dude! Also, you have to let the police know
whenever you move to a new place, cause the government likes to know where you
are. It's...an adjustment to the states,
admittedly. The prices do tend to be
lower for all the utilities, though if you want a decent apartment you have to
pay comparable prices to the U.S. I find a lot of these things to be very
annoying, since I could just auto pay most things back home with no issue.
Free tip. Don't try and get an apartment without an agent. You do have to pay them a fee for their work, but god damn, it's nearly impossible to figure all this out without a good agent who's bilingual. God bless mine, she works so hard and deals with so much. Ugh...sometimes, I love Asia for it's public transit and good street food, sometimes I hate it for how needlessly convoluted everything is.
Free tip. Don't try and get an apartment without an agent. You do have to pay them a fee for their work, but god damn, it's nearly impossible to figure all this out without a good agent who's bilingual. God bless mine, she works so hard and deals with so much. Ugh...sometimes, I love Asia for it's public transit and good street food, sometimes I hate it for how needlessly convoluted everything is.
September 21
I've almost finished my TEFL training and good god, am I
tired. So tired I don't really even want
to game or write. I've had a hell of a
time paying my rent and trying to get my internet setup, which is, again,
needlessly convoluted. You pay for the
whole year in advance. In China...sure,
why not? Not like I haven't had other
weird crap thrown at me this week. Going
through culture shock in a bad way. Love
the street culture of China
with the many vendors and food sellers, but I hate how tiresomely complicated
things get. Anyway, let's talk about
western fast food in the east. It is
better. Period. The east takes the greasy crap we eat at home
and makes it better. KFC has become my
comfort food in this tough time, due to the decent portion sizes, reasonable
price, and western flavor with eastern may-not-kill-you...ness.
I move out of my hotel and into my apartment soon. Praying I survive until October and my first paycheck.
I move out of my hotel and into my apartment soon. Praying I survive until October and my first paycheck.
September 23rd
Not sure if I'm being screwed with or not by the
divine. Finished my TEFL training and
moved all my heavy stuff to my apartment by cab. The cab ride cost me less than 5 bucks
American and I managed to spend about 150-200 yuan less on start up stuff for
my apartment than I thought, things like bath mats and towels, pillows,
etc. Still need more, but this stuff was
essential to make it livable. However,
to get my swag home, I had to go to two different stores and spend about 2
miles in the rain...so saved money, but got drenched. Tradeoffs?
Beijing
is beginning to wear on me, though I am still in the culture shock phase, so it
is only natural. I just want some
regularity and to stop scrambling. Need
to go to the police station tomorrow with my agent to register with them. After that, I will hopefully get my agent to
help me figure out how the hell my Chinese washing machine works.
Fun fact. China is big
into security. Now, a lot of people take
this to mean that big brother is watching.
Not so sure about that, since I only surf the net if I can get my VPN to
work, but there is a very palpable feel of security in many areas in China. Most parks, buildings not family owned,
apartment complexes, offices, etc. have visible security guards and sometimes
gates. There is also a regular baggage check
on the subway, where all bags are put through x-rays, not unlike our airports
stateside. Do these guys keep people
safe? Not sure, myself. I've seen security guards who are barely out
of their teens. However, they are
noticeable, with their uniforms and arm bands.
I think that's the point. They're
not watching you or judging you, they are there to be seen. To let miscreants know that someone is
watching, even if they can't do anything.
I've yet to see any crime happen in the city and I think the visible
presence of this security is a reason for that.
Do these guys slack off? Probably
at some point. No security is 24 hours
and sometimes people will open the gate because residents are coming and
going. But the fact that they are seen
is...strangely reassuring. The security
isn't like American security or the police.
They aren't armed 9/10 times and don't really interact much with the
people. They don't hassle or question or
have to meet quotas for speeding tickets.
But they are there. I think
that's the point. So, if you go to China, expect
to see men standing around and looking after stores. It's pretty common actually and I've already
gotten used to it.
September 25-26
Welp, started at my center.
Still in training, not teaching yet.
Had a few mini meltdowns along the way, China is a pain to get used
to. The internet is frustrating, I had
to find a new VPN and China
has no laundry hampers, no dryers, and no washers that don't leave a pool of
water still in the washer after they finish.
I like my center, the other teachers are nice, but life is still
hard. Had to go to a bank, wait in line,
charge a card, and then put the card into my circuit boards back home to get
power...also, while I love my mall, the bathrooms in China are abyssal. Worse than the hole in the ground toilets in
some parts of rural Japan. Also, fun
fact, there is often as much smoke on the inside as there is out. Pollution on the outside and people smoke
like crazy indoors, even in areas where they shouldn't. Not on a bus or subway, but in bathrooms or
rooms no one frequents...I walked into a bathroom and it was like walking into
a smoke stack...god almighty.
China is remarkably backwards for a country that is so technologically advanced. Lots of banks and atms with cards, but everyone uses cash. The internet is pathetic, something from the bygone age of dial up. Despite the fact that everyone has an iphone or a smart phone, people still ride archaic bikes with jerry rigged motors or use horses to haul produce for sale. You can buy earbuds on the street for almost any mp3 player alongside literally a stove that people haul around in a cart to sell food they cook on the street from. It's a weird time here...
China is remarkably backwards for a country that is so technologically advanced. Lots of banks and atms with cards, but everyone uses cash. The internet is pathetic, something from the bygone age of dial up. Despite the fact that everyone has an iphone or a smart phone, people still ride archaic bikes with jerry rigged motors or use horses to haul produce for sale. You can buy earbuds on the street for almost any mp3 player alongside literally a stove that people haul around in a cart to sell food they cook on the street from. It's a weird time here...
September 27-30
Finished my first week of work in China! Kinda!
I've still basically got training wheels on at the center where I teach,
only doing 1-2 classes a day while planning or observing the rest of the time. I like this job. Not love it though. Ironically, the reasons I don't love it are
only tangentially related to it. The 45
minute subway ride each way has gotten a bit annoying, as has the bathrooms
where I literally try not sit down due to how poor they are. If those two things were not an issue, this
would probably be the best job ever. Teaching
has its ups and downs and my first day was abysmal. I took my criticisms to heart though and
improved myself greatly. No longer as
worried, though the long hours coupled with the fact that I still need to get
situated teaching 5 classes a day will take some getting used to. My co-workers are amazing. Very warm, funny people, our senior most
teacher being one of the most awesome human beings I've ever met(got about half
a dozen or so I hold in higher regard.
You know who you are.)
Anyway, that aside, I have had my first bout with illness
here. Fighting it off as best I can with
Chinese medicine, but still sniffly and possibly looking at either strep or
sore throat for a few days. Got the PSB,
Public Safety Bureau still to do, which is basically me showing that I have set
up shop here in China
and we're applying for my big boy Visa.
Important. Remember, I talked
already about how China
is big into security. Good news is that
the national holiday is almost here, so I can expect four days off starting
now. Looking forward to catching my
breath after almost 3 straight weeks of running.
