[quote="eion_padraig"]Yeah, Changchun, I don't think I'd go there myself.
Then again, I wouldn't go advising Chinese people to come to the US and move to Detroit either.[/quote]
Good point, but a Chinese person can move to a town of 50,000 people in the United States and make a living. That would be an almost improbable move the other way around.
China... why?
We've been in China now for four, non-consecutive years. At this point, I'm counting down the days until we leave (31 days!), but I can tell you what was originally alluring about coming here.
The first city we lived in, Yangzhou, was a lot smaller and a good deal cleaner, with consistent blue sky days. So we weren't hit with China's famed filth and pollution.
The allure of China was how <em>different</em> it seemed to be. There were so many incredible cuisines to try (Uigher and Lanzhou food still being amazing), so many fascinating places to see, and the culture was just very different from what we were used to. It seemed, in many ways, a lot more laid back, a lot more "live and let live." Tea house culture is still cool. I loved how polite and hard working (the majority) of my students were.
I was fascinated by the neon lights draped in trees and how the man-made rivers (for some reason, the first word I used was blocked...) lit up at night and how you could save a lot of money while traveling and eating really well and buying fruit from local vendors.
Shanghai is still a great city.
Fast forward to now, two years on in a city that embodies all the dust and pollution and filth of China, and the allure is very much gone. China can really wear on you. These days, I have to really squint to see all the things that originally drew me to China. Now I mostly see (and hear) the disgusting spitting, the defecating and urinating in streets, the cruelty to animals, the total disregard for food safety and environmental safety and on and on and on.
I don't regret coming here, but I'm happy to be leaving. And now that we have a child, we certainly don't intend to do a third tour here.
The first city we lived in, Yangzhou, was a lot smaller and a good deal cleaner, with consistent blue sky days. So we weren't hit with China's famed filth and pollution.
The allure of China was how <em>different</em> it seemed to be. There were so many incredible cuisines to try (Uigher and Lanzhou food still being amazing), so many fascinating places to see, and the culture was just very different from what we were used to. It seemed, in many ways, a lot more laid back, a lot more "live and let live." Tea house culture is still cool. I loved how polite and hard working (the majority) of my students were.
I was fascinated by the neon lights draped in trees and how the man-made rivers (for some reason, the first word I used was blocked...) lit up at night and how you could save a lot of money while traveling and eating really well and buying fruit from local vendors.
Shanghai is still a great city.
Fast forward to now, two years on in a city that embodies all the dust and pollution and filth of China, and the allure is very much gone. China can really wear on you. These days, I have to really squint to see all the things that originally drew me to China. Now I mostly see (and hear) the disgusting spitting, the defecating and urinating in streets, the cruelty to animals, the total disregard for food safety and environmental safety and on and on and on.
I don't regret coming here, but I'm happy to be leaving. And now that we have a child, we certainly don't intend to do a third tour here.
I am near the end of a 2-year contract in Shanghai (one month to go!). I don't love Shanghai and occasionally hate it, but the city does have its charms.
The former French Concession is a dazzling place to go for a stroll - tree lined streets and old European architecture - and its popping with tapas bars, cafes, and wine lounges. If you like to eat and drink in glitzy surroundings (and don't mind the exhorbitant prices), than Shanghai is a brilliant city. Then again, you can just as easily pop into a hole-in-the-wall noodle or dumpings joint and eat fairly well for next to nothing.
There are loads of jobs here, and its possible to both save and travel around North or South-East Asia during the holidays. In two years, I've been able to visit Japan, the Phillipines, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmmar, and Mongolia!
The pollution does get very bad, but only on certain days. Some people react really badly to it, luckily I seem to tolerate it fairly well. Food-related scandals get a huge amount of press, but honestly I've been in good health during my entire stay here (knock on wood).
The day-to-day aspects of life that wear me down are the constant, incessant crowds, the "me first" attitude, pushing and shoving on the subway, the obscene materialsm, and the general coldness.
I don't regret coming to China for one second. It was my first teaching job, and everyone needs to start somewhere - and I think Shanghai is far better than many of the true "undesirable" teaching locations. Then again, I am VERY happy I am leaving China, and frankly have no plans to be back anytime in the near or distant future.
The former French Concession is a dazzling place to go for a stroll - tree lined streets and old European architecture - and its popping with tapas bars, cafes, and wine lounges. If you like to eat and drink in glitzy surroundings (and don't mind the exhorbitant prices), than Shanghai is a brilliant city. Then again, you can just as easily pop into a hole-in-the-wall noodle or dumpings joint and eat fairly well for next to nothing.
There are loads of jobs here, and its possible to both save and travel around North or South-East Asia during the holidays. In two years, I've been able to visit Japan, the Phillipines, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmmar, and Mongolia!
The pollution does get very bad, but only on certain days. Some people react really badly to it, luckily I seem to tolerate it fairly well. Food-related scandals get a huge amount of press, but honestly I've been in good health during my entire stay here (knock on wood).
The day-to-day aspects of life that wear me down are the constant, incessant crowds, the "me first" attitude, pushing and shoving on the subway, the obscene materialsm, and the general coldness.
I don't regret coming to China for one second. It was my first teaching job, and everyone needs to start somewhere - and I think Shanghai is far better than many of the true "undesirable" teaching locations. Then again, I am VERY happy I am leaving China, and frankly have no plans to be back anytime in the near or distant future.