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Magna Kaser posted:I've also never had it done outside of China, thankfully. I think my gp eyeballed the form once and said even with insurance it would probably be well over $500. Yikes. I had to pay $40 to my doctor, since apparently Canada's healthcare system doesn't cover visas, but I didn't actually have to pay for ridiculous tests they wanted me to do (bloodwork, chest xray, ECG) - he just wrote me the requisitions and and they didn't know what it was for.
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Jun 26, 2013 17:07
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quote:ZHENGZHOU, China — The hottest nightclub in this factory town is a neon-encrusted dive down the road from the industrial park where iPhones are made 24 hours a day. Tucked behind an open construction site, Through the Summer, as the nightspot is known, had it all on a recent Saturday night — plastic whistles, fruit plates, a toddler with a mohawk, counterfeit light sabers and a bawdy comedian who imbibed beer through his nose. What the gently caress? This sounds like one of those Stephan sketches on SNL.
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Jul 21, 2013 15:00
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I've been here three weeks and I think I might be the greenest China goon. I had a bit of trouble remembering which apartment was mine for the second time, before some woman who I guess saw me coming home earlier pointed it out. I'm in Shijiazhuang, add me to the OP if you want. Yes, the pollution is indeed pretty bad here.
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Jul 26, 2013 06:03
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Big Alf posted:Shijiazhuang Haha yeah, I always like asking the locals about things to see in Shijiazhuang, because I always get some kind of really evasive response followed by "...but Beijing is only an hour and a half by high speed train!"
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Jul 26, 2013 13:47
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Eat This Glob posted:Yeah, the hosts are covering all the food and hotel and stuff. To you and all the others, I was warned about baijiu. Is there an analog state-side? Everclear? I can more than hold my own when it comes to liquor consumption, and luckily, I'm a happy drunk. Unfortunately, I also loooove to talk politics when I tie a few on. Gonna have to hold my tongue there! I'm in Shijiazhuang, although only for about a month, so I'm not exactly an old hand. Street food is CHEAP. Depending on what you buy, it's usually just a couple of kuai. To be honest, I don't know what it's called in English or Chinese, but there's a dish that's basically tofu, meat, veggies and chiles, in broth and sesame oil. The best meal I've eaten so far was some kind of spicy roast fish stew (kaoyu).
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Aug 2, 2013 02:03
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I can see getting a decent haircut being an issue here. No, a haircut that looks good on thick, straight Asian hair does not necessarily work well with blond hair that turns into a near-Jewfro in this humidity. I thought bringing them a pic of my last cut would do the trick, but now I find myself rocking some weird Ron Burgundy poo poo.
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Aug 9, 2013 05:38
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quote:The first thing I tend to compare China to for people who ask me "What was it like?!?!?" is a goblin camp from Lord of the Rings. I love this, but I watched the 2012 Judge Dredd movie recently and from now on the first thing I will compare China to is Megacity One.
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Sep 12, 2013 06:49
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I had an interview with EF. It was possibly the worst interview I've ever given. I already had a job lined up and was trying to feel out some other options more than anything, and most of what I read in between scheduling the interview and going through it was negative, so I didn't really prepare for it at all. The interview itself was an hour and a half, with ridiculous word association games and poo poo like that. Skype was too slow, so we did it by phone, and even though my interviewer was a native speaker I had the hardest time hearing her. Given how miserable it was, and my doubts going into it, I'm still not sure why I didn't just end it partway through. I got an email shortly afterwards offering me the job (I ignored it, and got junk mail trying to get me to sign up for months afterwards). I don't know, man, if you're a reasonably attractive Caucasian without a criminal record I can only assume that they simply can't find a way to stretch your qualifications to match your city or something.
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Oct 4, 2013 08:39
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I visited Beijing with some Chinese friends last week. One of them kept asking me where various foreigners were from, as if I'm supposed to be able to visually distinguish a white guy from England from a white guy from Canada from a white guy from the US. Eventually she asked me to ask some black guy if she could have her picture taken with him  .
New Coke fucked around with this message at 13:01 on Oct 6, 2013 |
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Oct 6, 2013 12:59
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VideoTapir posted:Also, all white foreigners speak English. Heh, I suppose my post came off like I was making that same fallacy. I left out most of Europe because there is actually such thing as French, Italian, Russian, etc. features, and some people with a good eye for that sort of thing can make out someone's ethnicity with at least better-than-nothing reliability. Asking if someone looks American or Canadian makes no sense, though (and I threw England in there because there's no way to visually tell whether someone is from England or a Canadian of English ancestry).
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Oct 6, 2013 14:06
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So, how safe is Taobao? My camera isn't working and it doesn't look repairable. A new camera here would be annoyingly expensive - the one I was looking at would be 7400 ¥ vs $850 back in Canada, plus I'm sure once I take it back with me the warranty will be basically useless. There are some great deals on Taobao, but I'm anxious about making a big purchase there. How big a risk would I be taking (assuming the seller rating looks solid).
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Oct 20, 2013 03:30
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quote:Some manufacturer warranties are global. Check the manufacturer's website. Eh, maybe, but I'm still not wild about paying 1.5 X the price. I'll probably find something on Taobao, since most people I've asked seem fairly confident about it. I'll probably need a Chinese friend to help me get set up; I've used their accounts to buy things before, but that seems inappropriate for a major purchase like this. Thanks for the advice Magna Kaser and Videotapir.
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Oct 20, 2013 05:57
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I'm in Shijiazhuang and I never wear a mask. YOLO
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Nov 28, 2013 07:16
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Actually it was looking pretty bad last weekend so I did wear one, then when I got home and checked the AQI it was 898.
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Nov 28, 2013 07:17
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Are the apartments for esl monkeys usually pretty bad? I'm working for a public high school, and when I complained about how lovely my first place was, they moved me to another place which honestly is still not that great. I'm not really the kind of person that needs a big place, and I can clean and fix it up as well as I can and deal with whatever's left if I have to. Mostly I don't want to get screwed here.
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Dec 4, 2013 14:48
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Eh, I kind of found the same thing. I don't know what Russia's like, but my hometown (Winnipeg) is far colder than the city I'm in right now, but the poor insulation plus the odd habit here of not heating any buildings until Nov. 15th, regardless of how cold it actually is, plus leaving the windows wide open even when it's like ten degrees and polluted as hell makes it much less comfortable than at home. edit: ^^^ I guess I mean that if crappy accommodations are the norm I can deal with it. I mostly don't want to be ripped off. New Coke fucked around with this message at 15:28 on Dec 4, 2013 |
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Dec 4, 2013 15:24
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Almond, you seem like you have Aspergers and you have a superiority complex and why are you moving to China at 40 years old? Also, I can't imagine why anyone would be an rear end to you, what's the deal with that TWM guy anyway
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Dec 5, 2013 05:39
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In general, how strict are hotels on maximum occupancy here? I sort of imagine they wouldn't be too concerned.
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Dec 7, 2013 17:06
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With regards to finding a new job, how badly exactly can a public school gently caress you over in terms of finding employment elsewhere in China if you break your contract?
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Jan 12, 2014 13:37
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quote:I saw what happened when our university had to shitcan a terrible teacher (I was part of the process of taking out that particular piece of trash, as was fearcotton), I almost hate to ask, but what exactly does an ESL teacher have to do to get fired? edit: yep, Caberham calledit, begging for details here New Coke fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 05:10
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caberham posted:So New Coke what do you do? I'm an English teacher. I asked mostly out of curiousity towards Fearcotton's story specifically; there are a number of reasons why I don't really want to half rear end my job, even if I could get away with it.
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Jan 22, 2014 07:20
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caberham posted:Oh cool Coke, and where abouts are you based in? I'm in Shijiazhuang. Yeah, it's a really tough landscape and so goddamn dirty, but I'm having a good time. The realest China Experience. quote:It's nice to be professionally certified, it brings good job security and pride in your work. But if you want to be some professional travel photographer, writer, a la Peter Hessler I think that's pretty cool too. Before I came here I taught English in Canada, to adult immigrants. It was, in many was, the polar opposite of teaching in Asia. Immigrants are extremely motivated, classes are small and well equipped, a lot of opportunities for professional development are available, and standards are very high. I don't feel like the teaching environment here is all that great in comparison, but I do want to improve my teaching and I don't want to just waste a year here pissing around at my job doing the bare minimum.
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Jan 22, 2014 08:36
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FearCotton posted:Exactly! If you're going to continue teaching use this time to perfect your ESL work and be sure to keep all of your plans/materials. But if you do stay in the same place for a while, you can change the teaching environment in your own little corner--look at the English teacher's Lord o' Cardigans, Sir Guestbob! (seriously I am so impressed with his professional development; Wonton's too but she doesn't post much). Yeah, Guestbob's posts are honestly really inspiring. I'm definitely not going to hang around in Shijiazhuang after this contract, but just in terms of setting your own standards and constantly trying to evaluate and improve yourself. caberham posted:
Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Depending on the type of school, there's a pretty incredible diversity in the kinds of students you get - lots of Chinese international students much like the people China goons are used to, but also everything from Saudi plutocrats to Somali refugees with a third grade education. quote:Besides CHINA EXPERIENCE Mostly my contract. I asked earlier in the thread how to go about quitting my job, which judging by Ceciltron's ordeal is very difficult and/or expensive, so I'm probably going to stick it out unless I have to deal with some extreme bullshit like he has. My school has treated me well enough, aside from chronically late pay, and I'm happy enough in Shijiazhuang, even though I know I'm aware I could do better. If I stay another year I would prefer to live in the South for sure. Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu all seem like really interesting, relatively clean cities. Hong Kong would be pretty cool, too, I'm not sure if my qualifications are up to par (1 year working with adults part time, 1 year in a high school in Shijiazhuang, a B.A. and a CTESL certificate), plus I've been studying Mandarin pretty diligently and I would hate to have to start over with Cantonese + traditional characters. Really, though, what I'm leaning towards right now is return to Canada next summer and studying something that could provide a more stable career. I'm leaning towards comp sci. I do really enjoy living here, though, so I think my ideal situation would be returning to China to work at a real job.
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Jan 22, 2014 10:03
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, what is keeping you from moving down to the southern pastures of goon paradise?
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I swear that I've heard Chinese people refer to Shanghai as "the south." W/e
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Jan 22, 2014 10:07
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Looking at a map (thanks Google!) it's pretty close to the middle. Of course, Texas is the southernmost state in the union, but it's not usually deemed part of "The South." Crazy world!
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Jan 22, 2014 10:18
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Jesus christ, the comments. Who are those wierd diehard recruiter defenders that keep coming out of the woodwork whenever some disgruntled ESL teacher posts something like that?
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Jan 25, 2014 17:11
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quote:she rushes out and declares "The police man said you don't have to meet him, come with me"... This pissed me off just reading it. Good on you for not letting her get you with that, and for fighting this so well in general.
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Jan 29, 2014 16:20
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What is the deal with the departure card that they give you when you enter mainland China? I'm currently travelling a bit. In Shanghai right now, going to Guangzhou tomorrow, and then to Hong Kong on the 19th. Unfortunately, I completely forgot that little yellow card they give you in the airport when you enter the country; it's still in Shijiazhuang. Do I need it to get from Hong Kong to the mainland?
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Feb 11, 2014 09:42
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I think my least favorite thing is when you get a couple of people talking and laughing at you because they assume you don't understand. Hell, usually you don't even need to speak a word of Chinese to know what's going on. Is there something particularly dickish about Guangzhou? 'Cause I swear I've dealt with more assholes here in the last few days than in 6 months of Shijiazhuang, a couple of weeks in Beijing, and a few days in Shanghai combined. New Coke fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Feb 15, 2014 |
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Feb 15, 2014 18:19
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To a point I've kind of stopped even noticing, but I definitely get tons of stares in Shijiazhuang. I also have had small children cowering behind their moms, yelling "HI WAIGUOREN!," bursting into tears, and following me down the block then running screaming back to their parents when I turn around. My friends daughter reached out and poked me in the nose when she saw me. Even in larger cities kids and some adults will stare a little bit, although older people tend to look away if I glance back at them. Although I have curly blond hair and I'm crazy tall, so I stand out a bit more than most people here.
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Feb 17, 2014 06:27
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Hooooooly poo poo am I pissed. I think I mentioned earlier in this thread that my employer was bad about paying me on time. Well, it turns out that he thinks he's caught up when I'm certain that he's not. It's frustrating, because I keep very close track of my money, while this school's record-keeping is complete poo poo. He has me sign a receipt when I receive my pay, and he doesn't have one for February, but he thinks he gave me my pay and forgot to have me sign or something??? I don't know. I showed my boss the spreadsheet where I've entered every kuai I've spent in this country, and my bank statements backing that up, but he's pretty sure he remembers giving me that at some point or another so I guess I'm poo poo out of luck??? Because I'm sure someone's going to say it: yeah, I'm probably going to quit over this if it doesn't go my way. The moral of the story is: if your boss is late with your pay, don't let it slide. Jesus christ.
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Apr 4, 2014 16:43
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blinkyzero posted:Also this guy is almost definitely loving you over and you should, of course, QYJ, as you know. He is absolutely loving me over, but I'm not sure it's intentional - it's a public school, so it doesn't actually benefit him. Unless he just pocketed it, of course, but honestly given how piss-poor the bookkeeping here is I'm sure there are simpler ways for him to embezzle. So yeah, I think he is just misremembering, but that's not exactly a huge comfort to me.
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Apr 5, 2014 13:30
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FearCotton posted:Truth. It's concerning not so much that he forgot to pay you--Jesus, China, get your act together that this is "normal"*--it's that he's fighting you when you have documentation to the contrary. Print off your bank statements--if you have ICBC or BOC they have the option to pull up all your deposits--and let him know this is a deal breaker for you. Unfortunately, it's not really rock solid proof - my own records I could obviously have written any way I liked, and I could have just not deposited my pay that month (although I'm sure that this isn't the case). I intend to talk with my principal and my supervisor, all at the same time, plus one of the English teachers to translate cause my still-fairly-lovely Chinese makes these arguments annoying and kind of a liability. However, I don't know if I want to mention quitting. For one thing, I only have three months left on my contract, and I think they know that I'm not planning on returning, so although covering all of my classes would be a drag, it's not really the best leverage. More to the point, they still have my airfare. According to my contract, they should give me that next month, and if I'm going to quit, I'm going to do it after I get that -- if I play this card now, I'm concerned they'll probably hold onto it forever.
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Apr 5, 2014 16:19
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My boss brought that up around me. He seemed to feel that Ukraine should be a part of russia because Slavs are all one big family (he actually said 家). He also felt that the Celtic nations should all be one big country separate from England. He's really surprisingly well-versed in European history, but he draws the strangest conclusions from it.
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Apr 17, 2014 14:14
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Meramjert, what do you think of the situation in Crimea?
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Apr 17, 2014 14:17
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blinkyzero posted:
I really don't know enough on the subject to say whether Celtic independence from England is ultimately worth it, but it's not a completely unfounded idea. What I do find absurd is his notion that coming from distantly related backgrounds would mean that all of the Celtic Nations (yes, including Brittany) naturally belong together, regardless of any more recent political differences. The way he feels about Ukraine and Russia. This mode of thought doesn't really "fit" with his stance on Tibet or Xinjiang, but it does capture his stance on Taiwan perfectly.
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Apr 17, 2014 16:33
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You've just got to really nong it up and learn to use the bus lines out of the city. Hell, in Beijing, I have to assume that just hiring one of those ripoff black market taxis that take people to the great wall and so on would be more practical than a car unless you're doing it every weekend or something.
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May 15, 2014 03:15
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So, I saw a fairly brutal case of domestic violence today. Guy stops his scooter, throws a woman off the back, climbs off and starts beating her. I started yelling at him, asking what he was doing, telling him to stop (in loving English, because I kind of lost my head a bit and my Chinese failed me completely) and he ignored me, as did the dozen or so other people nearby. I don't know what I could have done, really; I doubt I could have fought him, and from what I gather that's not really advisable anyway. I tried to find my phone to call the police but he took off long before I could have done that, leaving the crying woman walking off in the same direction. From what I gather, being China, that wouldn't really have helped either. gently caress.
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May 22, 2014 16:59
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MeramJert posted:If it makes you feel any better, I saw an e-trike guy blindly swerve into a kid today hard enough to break the apple the kid was holding clean into 2 but probably not hard enough to do lasting damage. The kid started scream crying and the guy on the e-trike stopped for about 2 seconds before speeding off again. That does make me feel better
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May 23, 2014 02:35
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I no longer reside in the People's Republic of China.
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Jul 20, 2014 13:10
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