You want to come live in China…but is it safe?

If you have never lived in China before or know relatively little about it, you are probably worried about how might safe it will be to live there. The good thing to know is that Beijing is safe.

It was recently rated a Level 2 on the United States State Department website, which is comparable to the United Kingdom and Germany (see China Travel Advisory). Just make sure you follow a travelers rule of thumb and you will be okay. Trip Advisor has said that, “In terms of crim, Beijing is probably one of the safest cities of comparable size anywhere in the world” (emphasis added). This said, as long as you try to keep yourself safe as you would anywhere else in the world, you will be fine in China.

General rule of thumb:

• Do not accept anyone trying to bring you somewhere else to get the “Chinese experience”. Most common scams in China:
  • tea parlor
  • student art show
  • massage
  • For more information, read up: From China Highlights or Travel China Cheaper blogs
• Watch your belongings, keep them in sight, and make sure you don’t leave anything behind. Even then, some things will still be there.
• Don’t go into isolated areas alone. Especially at night.
• Don’t drink water from the faucet. This is easy to avoid because you can buy water from any convenience store for a good price.
• If you aren’t serious about buying something when you are walking through a market, then don’t ask how much things are and say “no.”
• Carry your passport on you.
• Have a place to hide your cash and other ID.

Car Safety:

            Accidents happen in Beijing like other parts of the world. Driving here is not as organized as the United States, London, or Germany, but drivers usually go at low speeds and are usually aware of their surroundings. As a pedestrian you should always be aware of where you are walking, because the cars and the bikes will not give you the right of way. Emergency response is not also as highly developed as the US or Canada, so be cautious.

Taxis:

            Watch out for fake taxis. You can figure them out because they look like a normal car with a taxi light in their windshield. Real taxis are commonly yellow and blue in Beijing (other cities in China can be different colors). Also make sure you take the taxi receipt every time you leave, as that will increase your chances of retrieving something if you’ve accidentally left it in the taxi if that ever happens.

A good idea would be to carry the name of your hotel or your apartment (in Chinese characters) around with you so you can show it to a taxi driver if you need to. Carrying the address in Chinese is very useful and the driver will know exactly where you’re going so there is no confusion.

Don’t take the small pedicab, sanlunchu, tuktuks, or rickshaws (different words for the same thing). If you speak Chinese and can negotiate a cheaper price, it might be worth it. If you are going a far distance it will be expensive.

Bathrooms:

            Bring your own toilet or tissue paper, since not all public bathrooms have them available. There may be some bathrooms that have a Western toilet where you can sit on it, but squatter toilets are more common. They might be a better place to go to the bathroom since toilets you sit on may be dirtier.

Germs:

            Bring hand sanitizer or baby wipes. Some bathrooms might not have soap, so it’s nice to have a back-up. People also tend to spit, cough openly, and touch everything, so it’s a good idea to carry one around just for your inner germaphobe.

Personal Space:

            It’s nonexistent in China. If you are on a subway during rush hour or in a popular tourist destination, you will be shoved and hit by people trying to get to their respective places. Always make sure your pockets are closed if you are scared of pickpocketers.

Photos:

If you don’t look like you are from China, people will probably want pictures of you. This mostly happens in tourist destinations where people from outside of Beijing have come on their own personal vacation. However, if you walk around Beijing doing your own business, people will probably not care since foreigners are becoming more and more common in Beijing. If you do not want people to take pictures of you, tell them no. They usually will comply.

Language:

            Download a translation app before you come. Though a lot of Chinese people are learning English, it is always a good idea to either learn some Chinese or get an app that speaks Chinese for you. Pleco is a translation app that doesn’t require internet service.

References:

Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294212-s206/Beijing:China:Health.And.Safety.html

China Highlights: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/guidebook/safety-security.htm

Safe Around: https://safearound.com/asia/china/beijing/

USA Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/china-travel-advisory.html

Safe Around: https://safearound.com/asia/china/beijing/

USA Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/china-travel-advisory.html

Laura
Ingalls wilder

He first began to think of how he could achieve his dream in college, choosing to study International Business. “I had to take all these math courses and accounting courses, and it was too much stuff,” Aaron said, shaking his head. Looking for another way, he started to study International Studies but was quickly deterred by the political classes. That was when he found the program Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

TESOL was luckily a program that his Bright State University in Dayton, Ohio. It helped him prepare to teach English in a global setting and fit Aaron well. “I already knew that I liked languages because I was studying German at the time,” Aaron said, which only encouraged him to pursue TESOL and graduate.

“I wanted to teach in Seoul, because it was a big city and everything seemed to be very interesting because it was so much different than everything else,”

Aaronthompson

First spending two years in Thailand with the Peace Corps, Aaron taught English there and learned Thai. He returned to the United States and started another search to teach English, wanting to stay in Asia but experience a different part of it. “I wanted to teach in Seoul, because it was a big city and everything seemed to be very interesting because it was so much different than everything else,” Aaron noted.

He searched through Korea, Shanghai, but did not find anything that suited him. The hours at the school did not work for him or the places that he would live were not suitable. After weeks of searching, he finally told himself that he was going to give up his search in two weeks if he couldn’t find anything. That was when Aaron found Amerlish.

Finding the job posting on Dave’s ESL cafe, Aaron applied, interviewed, and found himself working for Amerlish within two weeks. “One of the reasons I came here is because I was flexible with my job search and it worked out that way,” he said. “I had to get my visa in [Washington] D.C. and do all that stuff on my own, but Amerlish really helped me out with that.”

Arriving in Beijing, Aaron quickly enjoyed teaching the kids at Amerlish. One detail that he noted was that he liked teaching the small classes. “I’ve taught very big classes, like 30 students, and that’s not ideal for learning a language. Working with the kids and actually getting to know them, not being so much their teacher but being close to where actually we can interact on a one to one basis. It makes it easier for me and easier for them.”

One thing he especially loves as a teacher is whenever a kid begins to understand what Aaron is teaching. “Some of my favorite memories with the kids is whenever you are just talking to them and you can see little gears in their minds working, and they are trying to speak the language…the most important thing is that they are trying really hard.” He’s enjoyed his time with each kid, having fun little conversations with them as he’s taught them.

Accustoming to China is also something that Aaron, like so many others, has had to get used to. “China is so different from anything that I have ever experienced,” Aaron mused. “At first it’s different. You go through the whole culture shock thing, everything is so different. You don’t really love it as much as you thought you would, and that’s normal. But after you get over the initial shock, you get over the vulnerability of being in the country, it’s okay.”

China has had it’s benefits and shortcomings for Aaron. He’s enjoyed learning the language while he has been year for over a year, even though Chinese is a difficult language to learn. Beijing has been something for him to get used to, being an especially large city that Aaron has never been used to, having to get used to “the hang of everything,” as Aaron says. Getting used to the large crowds has been another thing Aaron has had to get used to. He said with eyes wide, “There are so many people everywhere and you have to get used to it.”

Aaron suggests if someone was considering coming to China, they should be flexible. “If you have never been to Asia before, things aren’t scheduled so strictly. Things change often and very quickly…maybe your class is canceled, or maybe you don’t have a video, or things just don’t happen. That’s okay, you just have to roll with the punches…It’s not America and its not the West,” Aaron suggested. Having already lived in Thailand before, he was accustomed to this already.

Now since Aaron has been in China, he has grown and had to learn how to accustom to a different culture. Being the only passport holder in his family and having left the United States, Aaron has taken his time abroad to share with others. “I’m more open-minded to different cultures,” he said. “You have to change…I like change. I like to be different, I still like to fit in of course, but I like to give my opinion to others on things they have never thought about before.” Aaron is now looking forward to living in China, experiencing new things, seeing new places, and continuing to learn the language.