A pros and cons list is a hard thing to do. You inherently feel like each side should be pretty even, just because the very nature of a pros and cons list implies that you are undecided in determining the merits of whatever it is you are analyzing. By extension, if your pros and cons list is one-sided, you are basically admitting to yourself that you are an idiot and should’ve come to the obvious decision way before having to make a list. In the interest if brevity, I will list the two pros and cons I feel are the most prominent.
First the pros:
The teaching is a blast. There are some classes that suck, but they are completely outweighed by the classes that I love. I teach kids age 5—15. The kids I enjoy teaching the most are the youngest and the oldest in that age range. The oldest kids I have, my C12 class, are hilarious. Their English is strong enough that I can laugh and joke with them, and they can in turn make fun of each other in English. They are very curious about more advanced English, and are not shy to ask me questions about things they don’t understand, which I love. I have the most fun in that class because I don’t really have to stick to a curriculum and can instead simply talk with my students for two hours (in the context of the lesson, but still). The really young kids I love because they are just so damn cute. The are genuinely ecstatic to see me every time, mainly because I’m ideally suited for them to climb on between classes but also because seeing me means they get a break from their rigid, monotonous style of Chinese learning.
The food here is amazing. I could write an essay on it, but you would all get so jealous I think I’ll spare you the pain. Suffice it to say that I can buy 12 handmade dumplings for 50 cents, half a roast duck for 1 dollar, and amazing noodles or rice for 25 cents. McDonalds is the same price here, but that is fine for when I have a McDouble craving. Coming to China I thought that consumer products would be really cheap, but I was wrong. The real bargain in China is food, which is just fine with me.
Now the cons:
The no.1 con is boredom. When I’m not teaching or eating, I’m basically doing nothing. Why? Well unlike in Cambodia, foreigners are not common here. At all. As a result, no one speaks any English. This makes it very hard to communicate with anyone, so exploring is kind of difficult because the chances of getting lost are very high. Even taxi drivers don’t speak any English, and the metro closes at 10. Also, the work schedule is such that I have Monday, Tuesday and Thursday off and am working the bulk of my hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There isn’t much in terms of nightlife outside of the weekend, and even then nightlife just isn’t a very Chinese thing to do. I haven’t even been able to sign up at the gym yet, because I don’t know how to ask the lady at the front desk to let me in for a tour or to give me a membership. It’s kind of annoying.
Con no.2 is overcrowding. I know it is a cliché about China, but holy shit is it true. Nowhere is this as apparent as on public transportation. If you are taking the metro or the bus, be ready to be squeezed between 5 people basically at all times. Since these are my only modes of transport, you can imagine how this gets old real fast. Also, courtesy seems to not have made it’s way over here to China. People don’t hold doors, leave seats for old women, and generally don’t give a shit that you’re standing there and have no qualms bumping into you without as much as a ‘sorry’. If you have personal space issues, you’re in the wrong place. Also, Chinese people are really loud when they are on their phones. Like fucking yelling. When there are about 100 of them within 10 feet of you all trying to top each other in the volume department, it gets rough on the ears.
All in all though I’m having a great time. Learning Chinese especially is an awesome challenge that, while frustrating, has the potential to really change my life going forward. Oops my dumplings are ready. Gotta go. Until next time.
