Melissa in Dongguan: "Be ready for a blast of everything unusual"

Why did you decide to move to China?

Two reasons, one I've wanted to travel for so long but I couldn't ever afford to go as a holiday so I plan to work my way around at least part of the world. The second reason is financial, I wasn't able to pay off debt or start saving on my teaching salary in SA, living expenses are much higher back home.

How was the moving process?

All I brought with me fitted in 2 suitcases so it was fine for me. I just brought clothes and a few odds and ends. I knew clothing that would fit me would be harder to fine because of the size difference between most Europeans and Chinese people so clothes was the priority!

What are the formalities you had to go through in order to be able to settle and work in China?

Well it took about a month from after I had sent everything required (my cv, copy of my degree, letter of reference from employer, passport type photo and Chinese medical form com-pleted after an exam by my own GP) to get a letter of invitation from the school which I had to then take to the Chinese embassy to apply for a visa. Once I was in China after a week I went to the Foreigners Medical Center in Guangzhou where we had a medical exam (involving blood test, ECG, exam by ENT, chest x-ray etc) I think we chose a bad time to go though as when we arrived it was after 9am and the center wasn't taking anymore people! We had to stay the night in Guangzhou and come back the next morning at 7am to join the queue. But the whole process once it started was quick, they were very efficient and we were done in about an hour. Then we had to go to the police station and submit everything. They took our passports and we got them back a month later with the Foreign Experts visa. This was the process for the Z visa. The only thing that is a pain is that you cannot as a foreigner buy bus tickets or stay in hotels without your passport so it meant we couldn't go anywhere until we got our visas back.

How did you find a job in Dongguan? Any advice to share with the other members?

I submitted my CV on seriousteachers.com and was swarmed at with job offers. I advise any-body using the site though to take their time. I was overeager and didn't browse that much. I'm seeing a lot of better employment packages in better areas on the site now. The biggest thing I worried about was making sure it was an actual established school I was being employed by. I've read stories of people being employed by "fly by nights". If everything is not done aboveboard in situations like that the employer can end up having a hold on you. I recommend reading the articles on middlekingdomlife.com for information on employment in China, especially for teachers. I've found this site to be the most reliable and informative site regarding all issues for foreigners!

Did you face some difficulties to adapt to your host country (language, culture, do's and don'ts)? Did you learn Chinese before coming?

I didn't learn any Chinese before I came as I didn't really have the resources from when I decided on coming to China. I experienced sometimes severe culture shock! As a South African we have such a variety of languages and cultures that I thought the transition would not be so bad for me. Coming to China for the first time however is like landing on a foreign planet! I came at the tail end of summer, the heat was ridiculous! And it's a damp moggy heat. The humidity made going outside like walking through warm soup. I think the heat was a huge contributor to the negative culture shock experience I had. I come from a generally hot area but this heat was insane. Then there was the food. We live at the school so we eat at the school cafeteria. Not only did I not enjoy the food but I had an upset stomach for a month! So the food was a huge adjustment! One particular problem was finding chicken feet in my food, nails still attached. Everything here is pretty oily too. I'm not sure if it is a Cantonese thing as this area is largely Cantonese but most of the food is fried. On a positive note though you will adjust. I don't love the food yet but I am able to eat it without experiencing depression at the thought of meal times! Then there is the language. Very, VERY few Chinese people speak English. That makes it a problem to buy anything or use public transport. I hugely recommend learning to count in Chinese before you come, it makes things so much easier (look up Fiona Tian on youtube for lessons, she's great!) The language also often sounds angry or aggressive which made me feel very uncomfortable. Chinese people also aren't very expressively happy people so I felt a lot of isolation at first. South Africa is a mostly friendly place and the people are usually very expressive so I struggled to adjust to the Chinese everyday social side of things. Main "don'ts" I learned were:
1. Never assume there will be toilet paper in public toilets.
2. Never assume that there will be handwash soap there either.
3. Don't vaguely point at anything on the menu in a restaurant or you will end up with an assortment of dishes that you never ordered!
4. Don't let taxis drivers hustle you. Find out from a local what the normal trip price is before catching a taxi. You will probably still end up being charged more than a local but at least you won't be ripped off. An American girl and I were almost charged 100RMB for a trip that usually costs 35RMB! And we only got him down to 70RMB in the end.
5. Don't assume the taxi driver knows where he is going. If he seems hesitant then be hesitant to catch that taxi. We sat on the roadside in a taxi for an hour once while the guy tried to figure out where he was and where to go! I recommend having a contact number for somebody who speaks Chinese to speak to the driver for you.
6. Don't catch taxi's that are private cars. They are people trying to make a buck and most of-ten aren't very experienced so likely to not know directions and likely to charge you too much.
7. Don't leave a tip at restaurants, they consider it offensive.
8. Don't drink tap water.
9. Don't shoo people with a hand gesture as it means come here in China!
10. Don't let Chinese people push in front of you because they will. Nobody waits for any-body in China! That includes trying to exit elevators, queuing at tills, getting on and off buses and walking in the street.
11. Don't assume you will be able to find normal medicines at pharmacies. You won't.

What surprised you the most in Dongguan?

Haha, everything! The fact that babies and toddlers can do their business anywhere, they have slits in their pants or babygrows for this purpose! That people smoke in restaurants. That chicken gets served with the head and feet attached. That restaurants keep live eels and turtles in tanks for food orders. That you can buy live frogs in supermarkets for food. That cars and motorbikes drive on pavements. That nobody wears helmets on any form of 2 wheeled transport and that a whole family fits on one bike, including baby on the drivers lap hanging onto the handlebars. That people spit on the sidewalks. That people spit peanut skins on restaurant floors. That it's ok to drop food or bones on the table when eating. That going to club means paying for a table in a club where you stand around drinking beer or rice wine and eating snacks while your ears are deafened by super loud base and the only people dancing are the girls on stage. Pretty crazy.

Is it easy to meet new people Dongguan?

If you mean foreigners then no. If you mean Chinese people then yes, there are so many Chinese people who would enjoy the opportunity to make friends and do language exchange. Personally I find them a bit forceful so I don't really make many friends. But I am friends with two Chinese colleges and they are great people, very funny and helpful. For foreigners it seems the best place in Dongguan is Dongcheng but I haven't been there yet.

Could you please share with us something you like about Dongguan and something you don't like?

What I do like about Dongguan is the Cantonese influence. I think they have an interesting although strange culture which as yet is not very diluted. Despite negative reports I've read about foreigners being treated badly in other parts of China I've actually found the people here, once you are used to their mannerisms, to be very accommodating and friendly in their own way. The women love showing off their babies which are absolutely adorable and going out with a Chinese host we are often very spoiled and end up not paying for anything. My dislikes are the pollution, it's pretty dirty and unhygienic, even in the restaurants. And there are often is not bins so people litter a lot and some poor sod has to clean it up. I'm also very anti cruel treatment of animals which you do unfortunately see a lot. It got me to a point where I dreaded going anywhere in case I saw any animal situations that depressed me. Apparently dogs and cats are part of one of the cultures diets around here and I can attest to the fact that you do not see very many stray cats and dogs. Also the turtles and even the fish aren't kept in kind conditions in the restaurants. As an animal lover I am extremely sensitive to it. But if you want to stay in China you have to accept it and try to not look. There isn't much else you can do without making a scene or offending local people. But it is unfair to assume this is normal of all Chinese people as it isn't. Many have pets that they love and care for. Everybody is different.

What's your favorite Chinese food?

Oyster omelette! and dumplings.

What does your typical day as an expat look like?

Well I live on campus so I walk to class everyday. I teach in the afternoons only so I go in around 11 to prepare and then have class until 5:30. We eat in the school cafeteria every day. On weekends we have about a 15 minute walk to get to the bus stop where we can catch the bus to much nicer areas of Dongguan. Unfortunately our closest town is not pleasant and has very limited supplies for foreigners trying to adjust!

What do you miss the most from South Africa, your home country?

So much. I miss the food. I miss having a braai (a barbecue) I miss watching rugby, I miss the social life. I obviously miss my friends and family terribly. I miss the African sunshine, it feels harsher here. I miss the open spaces and the bush. I miss hearing Afrikaans and Zulu. I miss being able to speak South African English. I was unaware of how much of the "English" words I used were actually SA specific. I work with mostly American foreigners and I often get blank stares when I use a word I thought was normal! It can be a bit lonely being African in China, it's probably the continent that people here, locals and foreigners included, know the least about. It can make you feel a bit obscure.

Which advice would you give to people wishing to live in Dongguan?

Be ready for a blast of everything unusual. Be open minded and willing to embrace it. Also accept that you will go through some form of culture shock but know that it is temporary and you will begin to find things familiar, eventually :)