Fresh Imported Goods: advice

Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts

Saturday, November 15, 2014

11:00 AM -

Apps in China

Smartphones are as big in China as anywhere else. (Among other things, they are an integral part of the eerily Swedish-like, no-eye-contact subway-riding culture.) You won't look out of place if you've got your nose buried in your phone all the time, so seize the moment and download some particularly helpful China-specific apps.

Pleco
I've already given Pleco its own post, but if you don't feel like reading it, what you need to know is that a) it's a dictionary, and b) you really need it in your life. I mean, really. You and Pleco should basically get married. I'll bring cake.

HSK
If you're planning on doing an HSK test (the standardized Chinese proficiency test), you should know that a lot of it is about knowing your vocabulary. To prepare for HSK level 3 back in Sweden, and level 4 here in China, I've been using HSK apps with flashcard-style quizzes to really help pound the words in.

AQI app
I have this installed so I can always keep an eye on what the Shanghai air quality is like. It's not an essential requirement or anything, but I kind of like knowing. It helps with paranoia. And knowing when to breathe.

WeChat
This is an app that a lot of Westerners have never heard of but find themselves immediately needing the moment come to China. WeChat is a simple instant messenger, and everyone has it. It is the first go-to for staying in touch.

Apparently, there is also a Smart Shanghai app that is supposed to have a bunch of info about what is currently going on in Shanghai at any given time, but it is iPhone exclusive and as I am what they refer to as an "Android heathen" I can't offer any insight there. :(

Friday, October 10, 2014

11:00 AM -

advice

1 comment

Crouching Blogger, Hidden Facebook: Using a VPN

Internet censorship is one of the first things foreigners going to China start worrying about. As most people know, a lot of our most commonly used websites are blocked, including Facebook, YouTube, and various Google platforms. The way to get around this is called VPN (Virtual Private Network).

I am (regrettably) not a tech-head, so I'm not going to explain the hows and whats of VPN, simply because I don't know. But as of recently, I have experience as a user, which I will share here. So, if you've been wondering how to internet from China, I tell everything I know in true-to-goodness clueless layman's terms under the cut. Don't Trust Anything I Say.

Monday, September 22, 2014

3:31 AM -

advice,culture shock

No comments

Don't Go To China

The first piece of advice I can give anyone considering going to China is: don't.

Unless studying or working in China has been your life-long dream, I honestly can't say that I'd recommend coming to China long-term, in any way, shape or form. Especially not if you're used to a country that has any semblance of a working system.

Don't get me wrong: this scholarship is a great opportunity for me and I'm very grateful to have been given this chance. But there are so many things that make it just not worth it to come here under your own steam.

Mainly, everything is incredibly disorganized. Jiao Tong University is supposed to be one of the absolute elite universities, not only in Shanghai but in all of China. However, I've already met a whole barrage of foreigners from all over the world tearing their hair because there is no organization whatsoever.

Almost all the correct and relevant information I've gotten has been off other students, not the people who are supposed to be in charge. There's a great sense of community among students, but the flipside is that people have no chance but to open up and rely on each other, because we have nowhere else to turn. I learned how to eat at the canteen and get hot water from another student. I learned about the school's online account from another student. I learned how to (provisionally) send mail from another student. I double-check all the information about visa processes with other students. And if I hear something from an official channel, I don't trust it until I've heard it confirmed by another student.

I still don't know what's going on with my residence permit, that I think the school is supposed to help me get. The process is basically "come to this place in a week to find out what the next step is." And sooner or later, my visa is going to expire.

I still don't know what's going on with my bank account, that the school is supposed to set up for me. I have, however, received emails telling me to hurry up processes that no one told me about in the first place.

I still don't know what's going on with the money I'm supposed to get each month from my scholarship. Well, besides the fact that a guy who had the scholarship before told me not to expect or count on that money, because the payments are "slow and irregular" at best.

I still don't know how to pay my electricity bill. I still don't know the exact price of doing laundry, because there is no price list and it seems to get more expensive each time someone goes. I still don't know if they gave me the correct postal address after asking three times. I still don't know if people answer "no" to my questions because they mean no, or because they just don't feel like helping a foreigner.

Googling doesn't help, because most information - even official information, about official procedure - is several years old, or poorly translated.

I realize that it works this way in many parts of the world, and that what I'm actually experiencing right now is just what life is like when it's not super comfortable all the time, when your citizenship number opens up every door. Being able to deal with these situations is a great life skill to have. But I'm never going to willingly put myself through this bureaucratic labyrinth ever again.

Talking to people who've been abroad before - Japan, Great Britain, America - they all agree that nothing is as disorganized as China. Sure, each country has its problems. But they don't tell you to fill out forms specifying "to be filled out by the school" yourself. They don't expect you to show up one day not knowing whether or not you'll have a place to live.

I'm certain this year will give me loads of great experiences and let me meet tons of amazing people. But sorry, China - once this year is over, I won't be coming back.

Friday, September 12, 2014

11:00 AM -

advice

No comments

How to Climb the Language Barrier

Common situation that arises in China: your Chinese ranges from shit to none, and you are forced into a conversation with someone whose English ranges from shit to none. The language barrier is a Great Wall that you’re going to run into not just in China, but in foreign countries all over the world. Learning how to handle it can really help you relax, and being on the disadvantaged end of the situation will give you the understanding you need to help out foreigners in your own country.

1. Learn your basics

How do you say hello, goodbye and thank you? Learn these no matter where you’re traveling, even if you can manage there in English, as a sign of respect. The next level is learning how to say “this one”, “that one”, and “I want/I don’t want.” This will get you surprisingly far. Mastering numbers is another good one, since then you’ll be able to understand the answer to the most important question: “How much?” Coming equipped with these simple words and phrases, which should take no more than a couple of days to perfect, will really help alleviate the helplessness one feels when one doesn’t know how to say shit. (Optional: learn to say “shit” in the language of your choice.)

2. Use body language

No matter which language you and your conversational partner are using, universal gestures can get you a long way. But the key here is not to treat the other person like an idiot child. Just because someone doesn’t speak your language doesn’t mean they are somehow impaired (native English speakers pay special heed to this). Start by accepting that they possess basic human intellect, then use your body language to punctuate what you are saying. For example, if you’re saying “tall”, “round”, or “yellow”, use your hands to express the adjective or point to something that has that attribute or color. I had a very good experience buying makeup in Beijing, where the employee asked me what I was looking for and pointed to the part of her face each product corresponded to. This helped me be sure that I hadn’t misheard what I thought she was saying, and we managed pretty clear communication even though our grasp of each other’s languages was very shaky.

3. Speak clearly

It sounds sooo obvious, but I can’t overstate how important this is!!! After 7 years, I can read entire novels in German, but watching a movie without subtitles is still completely impossible. Slang words and natural slurring totally mess up everything you thought you learned in school. Again, your conversational partner isn’t an idiot, but they will definitely appreciate if you talk nice and slow.

4. No assumptions!

It's easy to overestimate the level of communication a second-language speaker is actually capable of. When you're the one who's fluent in the lingua franca of the day, it's easy to get carried away with your chatter. But once you've been incomprehensibly talked at by someone who figures you'll be able to follow, you will know how much that sucks.

Universal gestures. UNIVERSAL.
source, of course, pusheen.com.

Friday, August 29, 2014

11:00 AM -

advice

No comments

~adult skills~: The Dreaded Phone Calls

Whether you’re applying for a scholarship, treating with customer service, or ordering pizza, at some point you’re going to have to call other people. And this will inevitably lead to (dun dun dun) interaction. For a lot of us, that can be really intimidating. I can wander around a store searching every shelf so I won’t have to ask a clerk, or waste precious battery on my phone looking at a map so I’ll be spared the agony of choosing an innocent passerby to flag down. I hate feeling like I’m being obtrusive, and the only thing I hate more than that is feeling like I’m being obtrusive on the phone. There’s something profoundly terrifying about casting a signal into a great void, and not knowing who or what is going to pick up on the other side.

admitting old, overused memes can still be on point is the first step to progress. for looking into the cat's face, we see our own.

But here’s the black-on-white: learning how to do these things is a necessity, and honestly? It’s going to make a lot of things much easier for you. Remember that it’s your needs and problems that are going to be met by doing these things: you’ll nail that scholarship, change that order, get that pizza, and all to your greatest satisfaction if only you dare take that step.

It’s hard, though; I’m not going to pretend it isn’t. But the more you do it, the more you’re able to develop a strategy for dealing with those things you hate to do. Under the cut are some tidbits from mine.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

7:54 PM -

advice,culture shock

No comments

Culture Shock: Dealing with Chinese Agencies

Applying for my scholarship has, honestly, been one of the most awful, gruelling things I’ve ever done. Partly it’s my fault: I’m bad at dealing with stress and uncertainty, especially when they’re all mixed up in a noxious cocktail. And partly, it’s because the Chinese system operates very differently from what I’m used to.

Quick recap of my situation: Along with a team of two other girls, I won a Chinese language competition and (I believed) a nice, juicy scholarship. I had much to learn in the radio silence that ensued. For about a year, I had no idea what I was entitled to, how to get it, or who was in charge. There seemed to be no information to be had, and nobody who could tell me where to turn. It did a real job on my nerves. But somehow (read: the neverending patience of my mom), some kind of clarity was finally gleaned from this ordeal, and I’ve learned a lot, too. Here’s a look at what to expect when you’re dealing with a frustratingly obtuse Chinese agency.

Don't let this be you.