I've been so caught up in the excitement and curiosity of moving to Uganda that I didn't fully realize that it means leaving China, my home for the past two and a half years. It's kind of a surreal feeling. I've truly made a life here for myself (and a great one at that) and it's amazing that in about a month, it will all be a memory.
A couple of my friends have asked me if I'm happy to leave China and I reply with 'yes and no'. I've never felt as strongly about China as many of my other expat friends. Some really don't enjoy living here and find it really difficult to adjust. On the opposite spectrum, I have friends who have adjusted phenomenally and will likely spend a good amount of their adult lives here. I find myself somewhere in the middle. I don't find China a particularly challenging place to live although I think that has a lot to do with my grasp of the language. I can understand how frustrating it could be to live in a place and lack the ability to communicate easily and I am so glad I put in the effort to learn Chinese. Yes, things are different here than they were in Langley but different is not always bad.
I decided to compile two lists to illustrate my love and frustration about living here:
What I Will Miss
Public Transportation
The bus and subway routes here cover the entire city and are incredibly cheap and highly functional. Trains can have you from Shenzhen to Beijing in just over a day for a very reasonable price and there are taxis and motorbike taxis galore. The motorbike/scooter taxis are really great for short rides as they are often the fastest way to get somewhere for a little more than bus fare. The convenience and quality of the Chinese public transport system has been one of the most surprising things that I've come across here and I use it often. Some people will disagree with me about the quality and convenience, but they don't come from Langley where public transportation is next to nil and the only way to get across the country is to drive or pay $500 for a 45 minute flight!
Food
The variety and freshness of the food available here is great. I can walk five minutes in any direction and come upon dozens of fresh fruit and vegetable sellers, butcher stalls, and noodle stands. In the morning, the streets are lined with baozi, jiaozi, wraps, pastries, and noodles, all ready to fill your stomach for less than 50 cents. The markets and supermarkets have fruits and vegetables I've never seen before and it's rare to find packaged meats. Vegetables are incredibly cheap here and are prominent in Chinese cooking. Compared to back home where veggies tend to be steamed, the vegetables here are simmered, sauteed, fried, and cooked so they are just as flavorful and delicious as everything else. I have come to love cabbage, green beans, eggplant, and mushrooms (none of which I ate in Canada).
Speaking Chinese
Not a lot of my friends here in Shenzhen can speak Chinese (or want to) so they may think I'm crazy for including this, but I really will miss speaking it and hearing it on a daily basis. It's become my personal lingua franca because whenever I'm not with friends or at work, that's what I'm speaking. I was so excited and proud of myself when I went on a two week solo trip to Southwestern China and spoke only Chinese for 3 straight days. I am so proud of the progress I've made with this difficult language and am sad that I may lose some of that ability. On the plus side, I hear there are a lot of Chinese businessmen in Uganda (and most of Africa) so maybe I'll get to practice after all!
Location
Living in Southern Asia is so convenient for almost anywhere that I want to travel (other than back home, of course). I can reach Cambodia in 5 hours, Uganda in 8, Hong Kong in less than one, and Europe in 7. Flights are insanely cheap for the popular routes and sales are common.
Exploring
It is true that you don't often explore your own backyard. A friend of mine once told me he didn't want to travel abroad until he had the chance to explore Canada and I understand what he means. I have been to most of the western provinces but haven't explored any in any real depth. I know the Lower Mainland well and have been up the coast, but I haven't really gotten under the skin and seen the sights people visit Canada to see. That being said, I've truly tried to do that here. I have been to over 10 provinces in China (not to mention all the Asian countries I've managed to visit) and have seen some of its most famous sights. Even within Shenyang and Shenzhen, I actively sought out the museums, attractions, parks, and mountains. I have tried to see as much as possible in my adopted backyard and am thankful that I have.
Cost of Living
Vancouver is consistently ranked one of the most expensive places to live in Canada and no one who lives there is surprised. When I was living in Shenyang, I managed to live comfortably on about $275 a month (the cost of rent was covered by my company). Here in Shenzhen, I can live comfortably on about $600 a month (and that includes rent, and travel, and some luxuries) and, if diligent, I could save about $750 a month. Try doing that in Canada! My rent was $750 alone! Obviously rent is much cheaper here (I live in a three bedroom apartment and pay $500 between my boyfriend and I) and I already mentioned the transportation and food. In almost every regard, other than (authentic) brand name goods and electronics, China is significantly cheaper than Canada and with a good salary, you can put away a lot of money.
Walking
Just about all of my friends in Shenzhen live within a 20 minute walk from me. I walk everywhere that is near enough; for dinner, to hang out with friends, to do banking, to send things via post, to explore. I love having the freedom to walk everywhere, and the availability of things within walking distance. Some of you may think of this as a silly thing to enjoy or to miss, but I grew up on the Valley where you have to drive to get anywhere! It's nice not having to rely on a car (although I do miss driving...) and get outside more.
Friends and Family
This is the obvious one but I think I'd get some flak if I didn't include it. It takes a certain kind of person to leave their life behind and move to another country and the people I've met here and befriended are wonderful. Both in Shenyang and Shenzhen, I have made what I hope to be lifelong friends. We have commiserated about life in China, the woes of living abroad, homesickness, and relationship troubles. We've explored our adopted country and seen fantastic things. You may question why I added 'family' when all my family is in Canada, but that's not true; I've made a wonderful family here with my boyfriend and the dogs (and a cat for a few months) in this last two and a half years and that will be the hardest thing to say goodbye to. We've survived freezing winters in a house with no heating, sicknesses, triumphs, trips, and arguments. I owe so much of my strength, drive, and confidence to my boyfriend and I wouldn't change a thing about it.
What I Won't Miss
Disclaimer: I am fully aware I will likely come across a lot of these in Uganda as well...
Sidewalk Etiquette
It was worse in Shenyang, but Chinese people have no qualms about spitting, vomiting, peeing, or pooing on the sidewalk (or malls, or restaurants, or the middle of the street...). I read once that the Chinese have a belief that if you hold in something that wants to come out, in can create bad energy within you. That's why they will cough, sneeze, spit, etc as soon as they get the urge (and often without covering their mouth). Walking on sidewalks in China is like an epic game of Frogger. You have to dodge not only Chinese people, touts handing out flyers, bicycles, cars (sidewalks are used as excess parking lanes), garbage, discarded food, and stray dogs, but also the things excreted by all of the above. It is a common sight in all Chinese cities to see young children (even in the freezing cold!) wearing crotchless pants and popping a squat on the sidewalk. Even grown men and women will go when nature calls, regardless of who is walking past. Another common sight is a crusty vomit pile from a night of too much baijiu. Biohazard? Who cares! A final gripe about sidewalk etiquette is the tendency of two people to magically take up the entire sidewalk, and then walk slower than slugs. Now multiply those two people by 50 and you can imagine my frustration.
Food
I am aware that I have this on both lists. As much as I enjoy Chinese food, I also grow sick of certain things quite quickly: namely barbeque and fried noodles. Both are so ubiquitous and cheap in my neighborhood that it's the default dinner. You can only eat so much oily noodle without going crazy!
Teaching
I have reached the end of my teaching career and I am not at all sad to let it go. Of course there are students that I think are wonderful and who I will miss dearly, but teaching is certainly not my calling. I don't get joy from teaching and I don't feel challenged in my work. The past two and a half years of teaching has given me some new skills and new perspectives that I am very happy about, but I am also happy it's almost at its end!
White Person Syndrome (WPS)
In a country as homogenized by appearance as China, there is no doubt that I stand out as different. The effect was worse in Shenyang because their foreign population was so much smaller, but I also experience it here in Shenzhen. The typical symptoms include staring, pointing, discussing with a friend, taking photos of said white person, and the uncontrollable urge to shout, "Heeelllllooooo?". The latter seems to affect the old as well as the college-age male the most. A group of young men will stare at said white person approaching, egg each other on, and one will get up the courage to yell the greeting in a drawn out, Valley Girl accent. The white person has 3 choices: say hello back and continue on their way, ignore the greeting as it wasn't actually intended for you anyway, or respond in Chinese by asking what they want. The latter is the most fun but may cause a loss of face. Grandparents, especially ones with small grandchildren in tow, will say hello in a high-pitched voice repeatedly while waving the child's hand in the white person's direction. Since a child is involved, the suggested reaction is for the white person to smile nicely, say hello back, and continue on his/her way.
In some cases you may feel like a celebrity (people want to take photos of you and with you, and they sometimes act like paparazzi, following you around and whispering) and in others you feel like a zoo animal (as in the case of the college boys). White person syndrome can also work positively for the white person in that they will be given special treatment (being given a better table or seat or being bumped to the front of the line). I must note, that this syndrome is definitely 'average white person' specific, not foreigner specific. Many people of different skin colour are looked on differently by the Chinese. Black people, in particular, are not always warmly welcomed. In addition, people who are overweight are often recipients of pointing, whispering, and flat-out insults.
Smog
I hate waking up and praying that the film I see outside is fog, not smog, but unfortunately that's rarely the case. Again, Shenzhen is much better than Shenyang, but each one is prone to a number of hazy days a year. Every time I leave China for another country and then return, I end up getting sick with a head cold and sore throat. Day to day living doesn't bother me much but my body sure notices the smog when I return from a place with cleaner air.
Honking
There is a stereotype that Asians are bad drivers and I can tell you, I understand where it comes from. The streets of China are crazy and you have to be a crazy driver to navigate them efficiently. .A good taxi driver is one that burns through yellow lights, speeds to all hell, and cuts others off because that's what you have to do to get anywhere. Chinese drivers take a lot of risks when they drive but they also are very aware of their own skill, as well as their surroundings. Obviously accidents happen, but they are so accustomed to the apparent madness, that they actually do quite well. The thing I will not miss, though, is the incessant honking. Cars, trucks, vans, and scooters all compete for the most annoying honkers. Vehicles will honk for any manner of reasons and at all hours.
Lack of 'please'
Call me a stereotypical Canadian if you want, but it drives me crazy not being able to say 'please' in everyday speech. The Chinese have a couple words for please but they are often too formal to be appropriate. When I first came to China, I started adding 'bitte' (German for please) at the end of everything because the need was so strong! Chinese people often don't include please because it is expected that you should be doing your job rather than asking for a favour. I understand that, but it still makes me crazy!
Bathroom Issues
I love me a good Western-style sit-down toilet. I understand the hygienic reasons for using squat toilets as well as the economic and space-saving reasons, but when you gotta poo, you want to sit down!
I also hate the lack of water pressure and just general crappiness of the showers here. The bathroom is a one-stop shop because everything is placed so close together. You can be peeing, showering, and brushing your teeth all at the same time without moving from one position. Convenient? Yes. Desirable? No.
Limited Heating
Those who know me even a bit know that I get cold very easily and very often. I'm the girl who brings a sweater everywhere in the middle of summer because if a place has A/C, or if there is a slight breeze while I'm sitting outside, I'll be cold. In Shenyang, the apartments I lived in had crappy crappy heating. And Shenyang was COOOOOOLD! I would literally wear four pants and 6 layers on top to keep warm in that weather and it was just as bad inside. All Chinese buildings are constructed from concrete. They're designed to keep in the cold for the hot summer months, but it also does that in the winter! Even in Shenzhen the cold got to me because the heating systems are so inefficient.
Hang-Drying
Thank god I didn't have to wash clothes by hand, but it's almost as bad to have to hang-dry everything. Oh how I miss dryers! The worst is when it's winter and the weather is either so cold, or so humid, that things take 3-4 days to dry; at which point they smell mildewy and have to be washed again!
Chinese Internet and the Great Firewall
Chinese internet is slow but manageable. Even though we have our own line and connection, when a lot of people in our building are using the internet, the whole system slows down noticeably. As I write this, I am using a VPN (virtual proxy network; essentially a program that changes my IP address so it looks like I'm in a different part of the world) because China has deemed Blogspot inappropriate/dangerous/too Western/or who knows what. To access Facebook, Google (often), and even the BBC sometimes you have to use a VPN. It can be a pain in the butt to have to rely on so I won't miss that.
Umbrellas
For an area of the world where it rains A LOT, people in the Lower Mainland don't use umbrellas all that much. We have rain coats and we're just generally not too fussed about getting a little wet. People (especially women) seem to have an umbrella constantly in hand. They not only use them for rainy days (and we're talking even if a slight sprinkle starts up, they instantly go up), but for the sunny ones as well. The risk of getting my eye gauged out by a wild umbrella end goes up exponentially depending on the level of rain/sun. People will wait til the very last second before closing their umbrellas so you're trying to get on the bus while the person in front of you is trying to finagle her umbrella through the door. It's just madness.
Well, that's a bit of a novel for you but I hope it gives you an idea of what I'm leaving behind.
