Two weeks ago today, right around the time this blog post goes live, marks my entry into China as an immigrant of sorts! While at some point in the distant future I will likely move back to the USA, I currently have no plans to do so.
To celebrate two weeks of still breathing — arguably somewhat not-so-clean air — I’m compiling a list of things that were encountered and not expected. Hope you enjoy!
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Western-style places charge a lot more! From Starbucks (星巴苦咖啡) to that expats bar & restaurant around the corner from where I’m staying, there’s definitely a 25-40% surcharge on what things really should cost.
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The air quality in summer is decent. At least here in Suzhou (苏州市) there haven’t been any days where the air quality kept me inside; the rain and humidity has done that a heck of a lot more!
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Waterproof boots are a must. I’d look pretty silly wearing waterproof boots and shorts as the temperature is high (typically 28C/86F), but my feet would feel much more comfortable. Too bad those boots are packed with my goods on the slow boat across the Pacific ocean.
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It’s seriously safe here to walk around. Not once have I felt personally threatened or seen any confrontations of any kind. Well, almost …
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When crossing the street remember the smaller, less massive objects should yield to the more massive ones. Unlike in the United States, pedestrians will get mowed over in a crosswalk even when the sign says to walk by a car that should stop at a red light. It just doesn’t work that way. Peds seems to be the lowest priority on the streets, then bicycles, then e-bill, then cars, and then it’s a toss-up between trucks and busses. Always double-check before crossing a street!
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You don’t need to speak Mandarin to get by, but it does help! Today, for example, I took the bus up to Times Square to do some grocery shopping. I visited three stores and not once did I even try speaking Mandarin. The one time I needed to communicate, pointing and using hand motions worked fantastic. While this won’t work for the long run, it did make for a decent haul of fruits, veg, cleaning supplies (laundry!), and even a bottle of wine.
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Restaurants with picture menus will also help. Check out Harmony City Mall in Times Square for some of these.
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The bus in Suzhou is really, really cheap and efficient. For 2元 you can hop on an air conditioned bus and go pretty much anywhere. The 5 or so miles to get from my hotel to Times Square takes only 40 minutes (17 of that is walking to the bus stop). Considering the subway takes 1hr 10mins and costs 6元 for the same distance and requires at least one transfer … the bus is great! And the #156 runs every 10 mins up and down Xinghu Street, the main north-south road in my part of SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park).
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Napkins are … different. More than half the time at restaurants, instead of a proper paper napkin, small packages of facial tissues are passed around. I find these terribly inefficient at cleaning one’s hands or face during and after a meal. Guess it’s just something else to get used to!
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Carry cash, including the coins, but be prepared for shrapnel. Depending on where you go, credit cards might not be accepted, so bring cash with you or look for an ATM. (Don’t worry, most ATMs have a button to press for English…) Also depending on the place, they may or may not be able to break that 100元 bill you’re attempting to pay with. If that’s the case, grab another item or two or hope that you have smaller bills! When you collect your change, you’ll get lots of 1元 coins which can be used on the bus and subway. You may also get smaller coins (1 or 5) which I find are useless; they’re just adding weight to my coin pouch!