Studying in Beijing in the fall, and have a few questions

[greenarcher]

Western Food can be found in Wal-Mart and Carrefour imported goods section. More products can be found in Jenny Lou's and BHG's Market Place.

[Holly]

Oh baby! Skippy peanut butter! They for sure sell it? I was thinking of bringing one jar along with me. I might still bring one, but that would be awesome if I could find it in China. Peanut butter should have its own food group. B)

I'll be curious to see what China's Wal-Marts are like. ROFL. The ones in America all seem to be going really downhill.

[Jane_PA]

I am not sure what brown rice it is. Purple rice/black rice is common in China. Corn is common. There are also many types of green vegetables and fruits that are not usually seen in western supermakrts in the U.S.

[greenarcher]

Skippy is available but it tastes slightly different from the one sold in USA.

[jbradfor]

Brown rice is 糙米.

In the USA at least, not sure about Europe, brown rice is popular because it is slightly more healthful than white rice. As I understand it, however, brown rice is not popular in China because it is associated with being poor. In addition, brown rice has more flavor, so it is more appropriate to western-style eating in which rice is a side; white rice has less flavor, so it is more appropriate to Chinese-style eating in which rice is often eaten with other dishes.

[Holly]

Can anyone help me with setting up a VPN? I looked at the list of blocked sites in China, and frankly, without a VPN I'm going to have a really hard time staying in touch with my family. I just spent all morning setting up a blogspot blog after being told it was allowed in China, just to be told later that it is in fact blocked. ARGH!

Oh, and does the pollution in China REALLY stain light-colored clothing?

[ScarlettWan]

I've heard its a mixture of pollution and the washing powder that discolours light coloured clothing...

The main things i've been told that are more difficult to get hold of are deodorant, fabric softener and post it notes....Does anyone know how easy it is to get decent english tea in beijing? I found in HK it was easy enough to find the tea in supermarkets, but it didn't taste quite right :/

[jmhcali]

Go to a real tea shop and buy it loose. They'll let you taste it so you know what you're getting, and there are more choices in quality vs price.

...um, if by "decent English tea" you mean a particular mixture of black teas, or black tea flavored with bergamot, these might be harder to find. You could buy a bunch of black teas loose and mix them in the proportion you desire though.

[roddy]

For comfort stuff like hot drinks, bring at least a small supply with you to a) get you started and b ) make you feel better when you're having a bad day and the local substitutes you found just won't do.

If you're having trouble setting up a VPN, follow the instructions from the provider very very carefully and if it doesn't work contact their support.

[Jane_PA]

I didn't see blue sky in Beijing as often as in the U.S. this summer, but I don't think the pullotion in Beijing would be so bad that could stain on your cloth... Maybe a few days of the sand storm would be very bad, the sky might be dark during the day ( I had a couple of days like that 10 years ago.) But even that bad, I don't remember any of my family or myself had cloth washing problem...

Also, you can choose stay inside when the sand storm comes...

[Holly]

Roddy, do you know the names of some good providers?

[roddy]

Start here and do some searching.

[greenarcher]

Paid VPN's are easy to use... I used Strongvpn.com

Freegate is working again (as of July 22 2010)

[Holly]

Hmmm. I'm hearing so many mixed things about VPN's - which are good, which are bad, etc. Looks like I might have to shell some money out for one. That, or I just won't use one...

My study abroad materials says one of the things students should always bring is a swimming suit. I believe Beida has an indoor pool, but isn't there an extra charge for study abroad students for some of their facilities?