A Living Guide, When in Beijing
Are you deciding to move to Beiijing, China?!
STAY OPEN MINDED
Have you ever thought people would eat roaches off a stick? How about scorpions or grass hoppers? For me, China has been the most unique place I have traveled to so far. But, being open to the experience and maintaining a worldly perspective have helped me to adapt to the cultural differences that I have encountered.
While I really wanted to see the holiday parades and some tourist sites over the long holidays, they actually turned out to be the worst times to go see any tourist attractions in Beijing! First, the pollution was really bad where you needed to wear a mask and the skies were hazy, which I assume was due to the massive movement of city dwellers leaving Beijing and rural residents coming into it. Also, those that do not live in the city and foreigners that may be traveling during these times too are all trying to see the events and take advantage of their time off to see the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square.
Take advantage to go to Thailand, Korea, or Vietnam are all really close and cheap to travel to from China.
If you choose to stay because you really want to see the parades and giant flowers over National Day or the fireworks during Chinese New Years, good luck and try to choose the days when the crowds may be smaller! (It can be possible. I made it to the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall during the holidays in October when the breaks almost ended.)
FIND A TRAVEL AGENT
My friend recommended getting an agent and I realized that it can be very helpful when trying to take advantage of those travel deals on the the Chinese/Asian airline sites, which are not always English friendly. Plus, they can help you understand Chinese regulations about travel like at the train stations, foreigners need to go to a special line.
EAT LIKE A LOCAL
Eating the local cuisines while traveling really help to better understand the culture and the people. I remember I had a chance to make steamed potstickers with some of my Chinese co-workers and it was a great bonding experience for us. They really liked that I wanted to learn how to cook their food and developed our friendship more.
Also, consuming certain Chinese foods can have a few benefits like saving money (eating at my favorite American places was expensive!) and losing weight! Seriously, mostly all of them are so slim and you can learn their secrets to keeping a health body. Like, why do they drink hot water after every meal? How do they make delicious and healthy desserts from national fruits? What keeps them from consuming dairy products?
***Just be cautious about consuming street food or places that your friends would not recommend.
HIRE A MAID
I mean if you have the income for it, why not? My roomies and I were going to hire one that charged 20 yuan per hour (so probably like $3.00 USD per hour!!!) To add, those 60 hour work weeks can get tiring and leave you with little time to clean AND find time to travel on your days off. I would say go for it!
PREPARE FOR THE WINTER/POLLUTION MONTHS
Winter will be long and cold. The jackets I brought with me were not sufficient to keep me warm and it was not even winter yet! You can definitely buy jackets in China or purchase some online. The most important thing to do before the seasons change is to GET YOUR MASK! The pollution levels are much worse during these months and taking a chance to breathe in these pollutants will impact your health right away! One night my girlfriends and I were out without masks and breathed in the air for about an hour or two. I had headaches for days and felt sick for a week or two after.
EXCHANGE ENGLISH FOR CHINESE
Most likely the majority of the people you meet at work will want to improve their English and you can use that to your advantage. Make a deal with your Chinese friends/co-workers to be language exchange partners to practice English for Chinese while saving a few bucks. In fact, it can benefit you to make some close friends! But if you do not mind spending the extra cash, there are always tutors and classes you can pay for.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ENGLISH OPPORTUNITIES
Mostly everyone wants to learn English and are willing to pay well in Beijing for an English tutor. It can be a nice side job to make some extra money and make some new local acquaintances too. They may even offer you trips or awesome invites to events in exchange for your services!
*SIGN-UP FOR CHEAP TRIPS AT THE LOCAL UNIVERSITY
Did I miss any suggestions that we need to know? Please share to help others out on their next trip to China!
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