I teach English to university students in China: Ask Me Anything

[GoGiants]

Before that, I taught English in South Korea for one year. So far, I've been teaching in China for 2 years. I was teaching uni students in Wuhan for 1 1/2 years. I moved to Fuzhou in September and am still teaching university students.

I am a 27 year old American man who is traveling now rather than waiting until I'm old and gray. That is if I get there...my father's hair didn't turn gray lol

 

[Chelsea]

Welcome to CWE. Wow, teaching in China sounds neat! I would love to travel the world. What is the culture like? What is the new year celebration like? What is your favorite Chinese dish? C'mon, tell us, tell us.

 

[GoGiants]

Heh Chelsea don't think I've been here much longer than you

What is the culture like?

Different. Very, very different. If you ask some more detailed questions about it I can tell you more.

What is the new year celebration like?

Lots of fireworks. I mean people shoot off fireworks like crazy as it is. Birthdays, weddings, doctor's appointments...people will find any reason to shoot them off but Lunar New Year is crazy with fireworks.

What is your favorite Chinese dish?

I have had a lot of different foods in China. Like America, every part of it has its own cuisine along with the staple foods.

I've lived in two very distinct parts of China. Wuhan is in Hubei Province. Their cuisine is deeply inspired by Sichuan cuisine, which is known for being very spicy. Food in Fujian Province is the total opposite. Most of the food is very sweet and instead of finding people frying rice everywhere at night, people are serving soup instead. Some of my favorite dishes:

Meat dishes:
Qing Jiao Rou Si (青椒肉丝) - Pork strips with green bell peppers. I prefer the spicy version which is Qing Jiao Chao Rou Si (青椒炒肉丝).
Lizhi Rou (荔枝肉) - Pork and potato in sweet and sour sauce

Vegetable dishes:
Shou Si Bao Cai (手撕包菜) = Chinese cabbage with vinegar
Fanqie Jidan (番茄鸡蛋) - Tomatoes with eggs
Gan Bian Tudou Si (干煸土豆丝) - Dry-fried potato strips. Think of these as really spicy french fries.

 

[Cint]

My son, who is now 27, taught English for one year in Seoul, S. Korea. Before that, he was in Berlin going to school. When growing up, he was a very picky eater. Now he loves oriental food. And he liked S. Korea and the kids.

 

[GoGiants]

My son, who is now 27, taught English for one year in Seoul, S. Korea. Before that, he was in Berlin going to school. When growing up, he was a very picky eater. Now he loves oriental food. And he liked S. Korea and the kids.

My experiences in China have been much better than mine in South Korea. Both were good, but China has a step up in my personal experience.

I do miss Korean food though. The food is higher quality and healthier if you can avoid samgyeopsal.

 

[Cint]

My experiences in China have been much better than mine in South Korea. Both were good, but China has a step up in my personal experience.

I do miss Korean food though. The food is higher quality and healthier if you can avoid samgyeopsal.

I was married to a pilot and he traveled to China often, too. He liked it there. I've been overseas several times myself, but never had a desire to go to Asia, nor am I fond of the food. I prefer French cuisine.

 

[Nakamova]

I visited China about 17 years ago. One thing I remember is that folks would play soccer in the tunnels that allowed pedestrians to cross under major roads (this was in Beijing). Is this still the case?

I had a very positive experience in general during my visit. Some Chinese tourists (from elsewhere in the country) were taking my picture at the Forbidden Palace because they hadn't seen a Western foreigner up close before. The country has changed so rapidly over that last few decades, I'm sure that's less likely to be the case now.

 

[GoGiants]

I was married to a pilot and he traveled to China often, too. He liked it there. I've been overseas several times myself, but never had a desire to go to Asia, nor am I fond of the food. I prefer French cuisine.

Shanghai is really like being in America. It has all of the amenities with almost none of the historical aspects that make China unique.

I hate it.

I visited China about 17 years ago. One thing I remember is that folks would play soccer in the tunnels that allowed pedestrians to cross under major roads (this was in Beijing). Is this still the case?

Only been to Beijing twice. But I haven't seen this in any of the other cities I've been to. Most of the underground places are littered with people selling little things on blankets.

I had a very positive experience in general during my visit. Some Chinese tourists (from elsewhere in the country) were taking my picture at the Forbidden Palace because they hadn't seen a Western foreigner up close before. The country has changed so rapidly over that last few decades, I'm sure that's less likely to be the case now.

Still happens in most cities. You won't see it much in Beijing or Shanghai. But anywhere else, you'll get stopped by people asking to take pictures with you on occasion. I decline most of the time. I find it spooky that random people will post pictures of you on the internet going, "Hey, he's white!"

 

[CathyAnn31]

Ok, help me out here...lol.

When is a , used and when should it be a ; ?

Sometimes I feel like I've got too many commas in a sentance.

(my grammar sucks but atleast I can spell grammar ha ha)

 

[GoGiants]

A semi-colon should be used to separate two complete thoughts with a common theme. Using a comma instead is called a comma splice. Below is an example of semi-colon use:

Incorrect: John is so annoying, he used to flick my ear while I was doing my homework. (Comma splice)
Incorrect: John is so annoying; I'm hungry. (Unrelated sentences)
Correct: John is so annoying; he used to flick my ear while I was doing my homework.

A period is acceptable if you wish to just use them as simple sentences. In writing, using a semicolon is really a matter of style as writing too many simple sentences may come off as choppy.

 

[no.guru]

What is seeing a neurologist like there? Any trouble getting your medications compared to getting them in the US?

Edit: Props for bringing the AMA to cwe!

 

[GoGiants]

Heh, I'm definitely not worth a true AMA on Reddit. Leave that to the more known people.

I go back to America once a year for an extended period of time (about a month). I schedule all appointments for that time and if possible pick up my meds then. Otherwise, my mother gets them and mails them to me from the states.

Neurology is understood here but doctor's visits are handled very differently compared to America. You don't sit down and have conversations about your care or talk about options/medicines. You go in there, tell the doctor your problems and doctor responds by providing (hopefully) proper treatment. There are also little to no medical privacy laws and there are no private practices since everything is run by the government. Hospital clinics are just a bunch of lines leading to doctor's offices and the door is always open so several nosey strangers can overlook what your problem is.

Say what you want about America's health care system. It's expensive because it's the Cadillac of health care treatment compared to most other countries.

 

[GoGiants]

Damn, this AMA really fell short.

Thought there'd be more interest.

 

[dmnckvrs]

Thats sounds like unbelievably cool experience! I hope to habe an opportunity like that one day.

My absolute favorite dish from an American Chinese food restaurant is shredded chicken with garlic sauce..I ask for it to be extra spicey Is that dish Authentic Chinese?

 

[GoGiants]

The dish does exist in China as 鱼香鸡丝 (yú xiāng jī sī). The proper English translation is Chicken Slivers in Fish-Fragrant Sauce. Of course, that name doesn't sounds appealing to Americans. So, you'll never see it listed that way.

The food is based in Sichuan cuisine. I have not had this food in China or America. So, I do not know if they taste similar. I have had Sichuan food in China though. I can speculate that unless your restaurant exports sichuan pepper from China then it probably doesn't taste the same.

The way the food is served in China is very different from America. You get individual tins and eat with a knife and fork. In China, the dishes are all placed on the table and people pick away at them with chopsticks and eat the food with steamed white rice.

 

[l0vegokwann]

Why can you hold your breathe and drink but if you try to drink underwater you choke? Sorry i dodnt know if it has to be specific to anything just thought of it lol

 

[jemsister]

Neurology is understood here but doctor's visits are handled very differently compared to America. You don't sit down and have conversations about your care or talk about options/medicines. You go in there, tell the doctor your problems and doctor responds by providing (hopefully) proper treatment. There are also little to no medical privacy laws and there are no private practices since everything is run by the government. Hospital clinics are just a bunch of lines leading to doctor's offices and the door is always open so several nosey strangers can overlook what your problem is.

Say what you want about America's health care system. It's expensive because it's the Cadillac of health care treatment compared to most other countries.

I've always thought so, but boy does your description put things in perspective. That would make me so uncomfortable!

I would totally ask you a question if I could think of a good one... here's a lame one though--what is, in your observation, the most preferred animal type for a pet (dog, cat, bird, etc. etc.)?

 

[GoGiants]

I've always thought so, but boy does your description put things in perspective. That would make me so uncomfortable!

I would totally ask you a question if I could think of a good one... here's a lame one though--what is, in your observation, the most preferred animal type for a pet (dog, cat, bird, etc. etc.)?

Cats used to outnumber dogs by a large margin because cats were viewed as good luck and cost less to maintain. They also served a more common purpose, which was to kill mice. But now there are less mice, less people believing in superstition, less people eating dog, and more disposable income available to Chinese people. Furthermore, Beijing relaxed their no-dog policy to allow dogs so long as they are under 14 inches in height. Of course, people with large dogs sidestep those laws by being sure to walk their dogs at later times when you are less likely to run into officers of some kind.

People in cities like Beijing and Shanghai are more likely treat their dogs more like fashion items rather than family pets. You'll see some people carry around those tiny toy dogs in their bags to show off to people. It is also becoming more popular to dress up pets in pet clothes.

 

[travel bug]

Good for you for not waiting until you're old and gray to have an adventure! I almost waited too long; fortunately, I had what I call a fairy god-mother who pushed me into following my dream of teaching abroad. I was planning on trying China, but that was when SARS was rearing its ugly head. My fairy god-mother said I should try Poland. At the time - 2003 - it was not yet part of the EU so it was a little easier to find a position. I taught in a little town outside of Krakow for two academic years. I absolutely loved it. All of it: teaching, my students, the school, the town, and Poland itself.

I am so very grateful for the push my friend gave me. Not only did my dad's health deteriorate soon after I returned, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor (along with the lovely seizures that often accompany them. ) If I had waited much longer to pursue my dream, it would all have been impossible.

I hope you enjoy every moment in China...even the not-so-great moments. I look back fondly on the time I spent in Poland, even though there were days when I wished for a little more warmth and sunshine

Anyway, you asked for questions, so here's one: what's your favorite thing about teaching and/or China?

 

[GoGiants]

I'd say the freedom to teach what I want in the classroom and to run the class how I see fit.