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Magna Kaser posted:Does anyone have any good Chongqing hostel recommendations? I just need to spend one night as I transfer trainz on my 2 week jungle/plateau excursion. Why are you not booking a room at hanting 
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Mar 17, 2014 07:44
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caberham posted:Why are you not booking a room at hanting Oh hell, I forgot to tell you. We found a Hanting Inn here in Yuyao. Thought of you.
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Mar 17, 2014 07:47
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caberham posted:Why are you not booking a room at hanting 一毛不拔。 Looks like the cheapest Hanting has is like 220rmb for the nights I want. Why pay that when I could just spend like 50-70rmb for a bed at a hostel for the few hours I need before I jump on my soft sleeper where I can relax for hours and hours?
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Mar 17, 2014 07:56
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Sogol posted:SIAS The SIAS Wiki article is decidedly weird: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sias_International_University " Most foreign faculty are hired to teach English, although a significant amount of teachers aid Fort Hays professors in remotely teaching the American courses" So the Fort Hays people manufacture some half-assed curricula for the teachers on-site to plow through? "Most foreign teachers at Sias stay for two years, although some have stayed up to seven and some have left after four months."   "While their visas allow them only to work for SIAS, they attend government banquets, functions, or appear as guests on television shows. This is not particular to Sias or Henan as international teachers throughout China are afforded these opportunities." Well, that's good to know. "Sias pursues partnerships with universities abroad, particularly American universities. It has been in talks with Minot State University since 2005." Very soon--perhaps next decade--an agreement will be reached!
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Mar 17, 2014 08:03
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Magna Kaser posted:一毛不拔。 That's so weird. Normally they go for 120 RMB a night. Heck they even do half day specials for 60 RMB. But Hostels definitely have more character
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Mar 17, 2014 08:07
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caberham posted:That's so weird. Normally they go for 120 RMB a night. Heck they even do half day specials for 60 RMB. But Hostels definitely have more character There's a hanting literally next to the train station, all the hostels in chongqing are forever away so that's annoying and I have a really early train. I only have about 8 hours between trains so maybe I'll just hobo it up at the station and then sleep on my soft sleeper. I'm gonna buy FFX HD for my vita, that should keep me occupied. I never played FFX so it should be interesting.
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Mar 17, 2014 08:09
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Magna Kaser posted:There's a hanting literally next to the train station, all the hostels in chongqing are forever away so that's annoying and I have a really early train. I only have about 8 hours between trains so maybe I'll just hobo it up at the station and then sleep on my soft sleeper. Where are you going again? Tibet, wasn't it? If so, fearcotton and I are thinking about maybe doing that before we leave China this summer. We'd appreciate any tips.
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Mar 17, 2014 09:18
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blinkyzero posted:Where are you going again? Tibet, wasn't it? I was but now I'm not cause it was way too complicated and annoying and expensive to get all the things you need to go to Tibet as a non-Chinese person. I would recommend going to western Sichuan, where I've already been, as it's pretty awesome and much much easier to go to. I'll pull up my post from the older China megathread with the route I took, it was pretty easy and doable and filled with cool stuff. Here are some pix in the meantime. I rode horses for like 5 days with some Tibetan dudes, but didn't have access to power and my poo poo all ran out of batteries so there are like no pictures of that and it was the best stuff.  Nice scenery.  Here's the largest tibetan buddhist temple complex in the world, actually. It's in Sichuan and not Tibet proper.  Another Tibetan town. They did a lot of sky burials here.
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Mar 17, 2014 09:38
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I stayed in that Hanting by the Chongqing train station. The online price was like 220 but the room was only 100 when I went in to ask. I'd have paid the 220, too, because Hanting showers are awesome and super high pressure. I'd just spent forever on a boat so it was like heaven. Abe approved Heaven.
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Mar 17, 2014 09:50
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Picture dump from Beeeertopia HK Goon meet! Definitely recommend goonz to come to HK next year. PICTURE DUMP Beertopia was awesome. There was a slight mishap of Synertia showing up another date but it was still good. And some of the IPA's were actually good.        Finally, horrible goooooooooonz 
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Mar 17, 2014 10:10
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I used to run into SIAS people every now and then in ZZ. Not everyone who works for them are holy rollers but a good deal of them are. A group of them would come into town on some party bus once every couple months and never associate with the locals or local foreigners. One of them lectured a coworker of mine on how he needed to marry his girlfriend of 4 years. This was a completely appropriate conversation to have with a stranger after you've been at a bar for less than an hour and had half a gin and tonic. I think one of SIAS' main strategies is to hire Evangelical Christians because they can convince them to come to China and teach for nothing under the banner of them doing, "God's work." It's also mostly a way for people to look like they're some sort of extreme missionary by going to "save China" but doing nothing other than pretending to teach English for US$600 a month. I've heard some of these people talk like they're being a missionary in some civil war ravaged sub-Saharan African nation and it is hilarious.
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Mar 17, 2014 10:31
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Definitely go to western Sichuan, it's more traditionally Tibetan than most of Tibet proper. I took the Yunnan to Xining route via Zhongdian and Yushu over the course of about five weeks. Unlike Magna Kaser, I took a billion photos. Northwestern Sichuan has the worst roads in China,  but if you survive your journey you'll be rewarded with some great experiences in a region that feels a world away from the rest of China. Here is a Tibetan Buddhist gathering I attended in Manigango, a small outpost town a long ways from Chengdu.       
kenner116 fucked around with this message at 11:16 on Mar 17, 2014 |
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Mar 17, 2014 11:08
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You guys know anything about Nepal? I got to burn some airmiles before they expire! It's 6 days in Nepal or 6 days in Taiwan. Kenner if we visit during Easter will you be free?
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Mar 17, 2014 11:20
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kenner116 posted:Definitely go to western Sichuan, it's more traditionally Tibetan than most of Tibet proper. I took the Yunnan to Xining route via Zhongdian and Yushu over the course of about five weeks. Unlike Magna Kaser, I took a billion photos. Wow, awesome pictures. Thanks. You too, MK. We're definitely going to try to get out there at some point. If not this tour of duty, next time for sure. We'll probably have more freedom in the future since we won't be working.
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Mar 17, 2014 11:20
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I was too busy having a Real Western Sichuan Experience.
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Mar 17, 2014 11:21
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Magna Kaser posted:I was too busy having a Real Western Sichuan Experience. You went in a building and it collapsed on you and you died?
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Mar 17, 2014 14:11
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Magna Kaser posted:I was too busy having a Real Western Sichuan Experience. You set yourself on fire?
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Mar 17, 2014 14:12
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Find a guy who has only been driving for 2 months and has a car that looks like it was made by someone who had only ever heard about cars and never seen one. Get him to drive you on the "special road" through the mountains, it is special because it has not been built yet. Tell him to drive as fast as possible and then put this song on repeat at 200 decibels for 8 hours https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlti8Q-gU-Q Why Tibetans are listening to horrific 90's euro dance is a question that will not be answered, but he must turn up the volume even higher and drive even faster every time you come to a particularly dodgy bend over a 200 meter drop. Pick up 2 random crazy guys carrying axes in the middle of nowhere. You have now experienced Western Sichuan taxis.
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Mar 17, 2014 14:12
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That was the first album I ever bought. Memories. Time to go to Western Sichuan for an authentic childhood experience.
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Mar 17, 2014 14:20
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caberham posted:You guys know anything about Nepal? Mountains, curry, and hats. Go for it!
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Mar 17, 2014 22:49
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I think upon reflection the creepiest thing about SIAS is that it is a kind of kingship model.
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Mar 18, 2014 00:55
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Bloodnose posted:Rationalizing is a fun thing for cool people to do. Arakan posted:If you save 15k in a year you're doing better than 75% (actually probably more like 90% but I'm too lazy to find the right statistics) of Americans. How far removed are you from how people actually live that you think coming away with 15k after expenses is low? Thank you for replying to this, I am just getting caught up on all the actual quality posting here and I read what Bloodnose said and I was like "um what". My roommate and I were talking about this yesterday, how much we would have to be making in the States to live the lifestyle we do here and save as much as we are saving. We were having trouble figuring it out, but we both decided it was far more than we would probably be getting. 
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Mar 18, 2014 02:32
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goldboilermark posted:Thank you for replying to this, I am just getting caught up on all the actual quality posting here and I read what Bloodnose said and I was like "um what". I actually kind of disagree. First of all, I doubt most of you are saving $15k/year here in China, but also you have to look where that money is going. The average person* in America apparently has about $9k in savings (seems high, that's probably not a median, because apparently 48% of Americans don't have "3 months of living expenses" saved up). And about 67% of Americans live in their own home. A lot of the reason people in America aren't saving as high a percentage of their income as you guys here in China is probably because they're making mortgage & car payments, and/or supporting families. You'll never have any of that stuff on an annual $15k salary here in China. * Person here might really mean household. I'm not sure
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Mar 18, 2014 02:55
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Well my situation is probably different from a lot of people's here, considering I've been here for four and a half years, worked for the company for almost five, have moved up over time in terms of responsibilities, etc. But part of the reason I like living abroad is that I don't need to worry about a car, mortgage payments, stuff like that. I wouldn't mind supporting a family and wouldn't have a problem doing so and the GF and I have talked about it, but not having to deal with all of that stuff that you mentioned is a draw to me, and one of the many reasons why I like being abroad.
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Mar 18, 2014 03:02
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I don't get why some numbers Bloodnose made up in front of his computer are being taken as fact in this conversation. I get paid significantly more than $15,000 and if I was only making that much I would have skipped out a long time ago. From conversations with people my age who live in America, I'm saving a lot more money than them/they did at their age. I've had a few job offers from places in the US. One of the reasons for turning them down is that the money wouldn't be that much better and I would be living in an expensive area, and would likely need to get a car to live like an adult in the US. So ultimately, the money would be better but it would all go to expenses.
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Mar 18, 2014 03:08
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Arglebargle III posted:I don't get why some numbers Bloodnose made up in front of his computer are being taken as fact in this conversation. I get paid significantly more than $15,000 and if I was only making that much I would have skipped out a long time ago. From conversations with people my age who live in America, I'm saving a lot more money than them/they did at their age. I've had a few job offers from places in the US. One of the reasons for turning them down is that the money wouldn't be that much better and I would be living in an expensive area, and would likely need to get a car to live like an adult in the US. So ultimately, the money would be better but it would all go to expenses. I'm in the same boat. I know I could go back to the States and get work tomorrow if I wanted to...I just don't want to. I think my first year working for the company I did I saved about 12k, it was a little more than 1k a month. That's not bad, and scoffing at it was pretty ridiculous, considering there was no way I would be saving close to that in the States. That was what my comment was based on.
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Mar 18, 2014 03:11
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The numbers weren't just made up by Bloodnose, it's what ghostbob is offering for his positions. I kind of agree with you two as well, and I save a lot more here than I would back in the US. But I think a lot of that is a sort of cultural expectation. You can live without a car or house payments in a cheap apartment in the US too, but maybe it's not really "expected" of you to live that cheaply.
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Mar 18, 2014 03:44
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Yeah I'm in the same boat. If I did what I do now for a US or European company, I'd probably make double or more my current salary. The issue would be I'd be living in like the bay area or a big European city and paying at least 4-5x the rent, probably having to own a car, pay for car insurance, gas, yadda yadda yadda. I definitely have a lower salary than I'd have in the states, but due to the fact my 2nd tier city is cheap as poo poo to live in my actual savings are a ton more. I also do dumb poo poo like buy gaming PCs, and it's cool I can do that. My student loan payments are actually the biggest thing I have to deal with and even after paying a good deal more than the minimum every month I do alright.
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Mar 18, 2014 03:50
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MeramJert posted:The numbers weren't just made up by Bloodnose, it's what ghostbob is offering for his positions. I kind of agree with you two as well, and I save a lot more here than I would back in the US. But I think a lot of that is a sort of cultural expectation. You can live without a car or house payments in a cheap apartment in the US too, but maybe it's not really "expected" of you to live that cheaply. I disagree about the car. Unless you live in like Chicago or Boston or New York you kind of need a car to do about anything, and if you live in any place except New York you probably need a car anyway. Not having to own a car is p much my favorite thing about living in China.
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Mar 18, 2014 03:52
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Arglebargle III posted:From conversations with people my age who live in America, I'm saving a lot more money than them/they did at their age. I've had a few job offers from places in the US. One of the reasons for turning them down is that the money wouldn't be that much better and I would be living in an expensive area, and would likely need to get a car to live like an adult in the US. So ultimately, the money would be better but it would all go to expenses. I know housing in the Mid West is not expensive, but how about other expenses like heat during winter? Or fuel for your car? Cost of living in the States or China varies. Some places can be super cheap like Reno, while other cities like NYC will empty your wallet. Does your paycheck reflect the adjustments? Maybe. Just don't settle for a 11 rmb an hour job ok? Let's plug in some numbers. I say that on average people would be making 15,000 +- 1,000 RMB a month teaching English doing 15 classroom hours a week in a tier 1 city. Housing provided in campus, typical experimental/richer public school. So that's around 2,400 USD a month. Which makes it 28,800 USD a year. 28k a year tax free. Is it a lot of money or not enough? Depends on your financial obligations/expenses I suppose. I think it's not bad for a early 20's mid 20's. Then there's magical Henan. 7,000 rmb a month. Same assumptions et al, so that's 15k a year. Minus expenses that's like 12k a year. For US living I see it as hovering around the poverty line. Perhaps this is out of touch, but I see it hard to use these savings for a family, car, retirement, etc... Regardless of how much you make, I think the key point is "Will you be earning more in the future?" ESL in general is geared towards younger kids because it's easy to hit the wage ceiling in no time. But after a few years, you probably want to move up in the wage ladder. Inflation and rising cost of living will just eat up your pay check. Look at Korean goons. Few years ago it was good money but nowadays it's less lucrative. Year after year, China is just losing its appeal as "bang for the buck". China can still be a great place for work  In general us China goons are getting old. Pro PRC is gone. Maybe we should all just move to Chengdu and live on 1000 RMB rental homes. But that's just a dream, like democracy
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Mar 18, 2014 04:00
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My place costs less than 1000 RMB/month.  But seriously, if I had a $40,000/year job offer in the states I'd take it. I'm looking into something similar right now in fact. It's just that if the job offer is like $35,000 it's hard to say whether it's worth it. I know people in finance or management positions might shake their heads at those numbers but that's the reality of starting out as a teacher. When I left the US the job market in my field was a disaster, so there's that too. Yeah I wouldn't take GuestBob's job offer. Not enough money and certainly not enough to move to Henan.
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Mar 18, 2014 04:30
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The lack of career advancement was my #1 reason for getting out of ESL even though I really liked it. Now I'm a professional Youtube watcher though so it worked out.
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Mar 18, 2014 04:32
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MeramJert posted:The numbers weren't just made up by Bloodnose, it's what ghostbob is offering for his positions. I kind of agree with you two as well, and I save a lot more here than I would back in the US. But I think a lot of that is a sort of cultural expectation. You can live without a car or house payments in a cheap apartment in the US too, but maybe it's not really "expected" of you to live that cheaply. Can you though? I am not sure you can. If you're going to live in a suburb, you almost always need a car. When I was living in Chicago, it was alright without a car, but I was living way outside of the city center and even then, it was a bit pricy because I was close to the El. And I had to commute every day, which is five dollars round trip just to get downtown. The government takes a chunk of my change for taxes to start whereas and my company here in China pays my taxes for me. Food in the States has taxes on everything and then there is tipping if you are eating at a restaurant. Food is significantly cheaper here in China. As is rent. Transportation is as well.
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Mar 18, 2014 04:41
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Yeah, you can. There's a lot of places in the US that you don't "need" a car, as evidenced by the fact that a lot of people don't actually have them. I have friends in New York, LA, and Boston that don't have cars. I also have friends in Bangor and some small towns in Maine without cars. You don't eat out at restaurants much at all, and income tax rates in the US aren't really that high for people making so little anyway. Rent really is cheaper in most of China, though I could find a place in the US for comparable or less than what I'm living in now. I used to cook for myself and a roommate for $30/week for the both of us, which is pretty cheap for food here in China too.
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Mar 18, 2014 04:56
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I work in the U.S. and make like $31,000/year, the job I have in places that aren't as lovely as Florida pay like $40,000-$50,000/year. Even other universities in Florida pay $35,000/year, which is why I'm trying to do the whole LATERAL PROMOTION bullshit by getting a similar job elsewhere. It kind of sucks spending most of your money on expenses, and I'm supporting my wife while she studies for the USMLE, so we pretty much can't save any money. Fortunately I already had a lot of money saved from earlier which we have invested, and it's making us like $2,000-$3,000 year so far. We put a little more into that every year, but it's basically chump change unless I get a better job or she gets a job. In China I spent like a retard and made no effort to save at all. My pay was also super low compared to what you guys are talking about. I didn't do any side work either. Yet with no effort at all and buying whatever the gently caress I wanted without thinking about it, I think I saved up $3,000 in 10 months. If I had worked on the side, found a better paying job, or made even a small effort to save I probably could have saved up like $5,000-$8,000.
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Mar 18, 2014 04:59
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Anything above 11RMB/hour is a good wage if you ask me.
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Mar 18, 2014 05:00
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systran posted:I work in the U.S. and make like $31,000/year, the job I have in places that aren't as lovely as Florida pay like $40,000-$50,000/year. Even other universities in Florida pay $35,000/year, which is why I'm trying to do the whole LATERAL PROMOTION bullshit by getting a similar job elsewhere. I don't know the details of your situation, but from what a lot of people here have said in the past I think a big reason we're saving more money in China is because we're young guys with no family and consider "buying whatever the gently caress I wanted without thinking about it" to be going to Subway or Burger King once in a while, and maybe some computer upgrades here and there. I think those expectations are different than they are back home.
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Mar 18, 2014 05:14
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You should all move to Singapore
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Mar 18, 2014 05:23
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I'd be open to that if I found a good job there. Singapore seemed like it would be a cool place to live.
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Mar 18, 2014 05:24
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MeramJert posted:Yeah, you can. There's a lot of places in the US that you don't "need" a car, as evidenced by the fact that a lot of people don't actually have them. I have friends in New York, LA, and Boston that don't have cars. I also have friends in Bangor and some small towns in Maine without cars. You can get by in major cities like NY and Boston without a car, sure, but in rural areas like, I dunno, all of Maine, it's pretty much a necessity. Having access to a car, anyway. Not having a car in the sticks is a sure-fire way not to have a job, barring relatively unusual circumstances like working from home or owning a business that has people coming to you. I know people back home too that don't have cars and they are generally sad people who are sad because they do not, in fact, have cars.
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Mar 18, 2014 05:29
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