Last couple of questions

[Liebkuchen]

Paperwork's arrived from China. Flight's booked for the 31st. Off to apply for my visa on Monday...

I just have a last couple of random questions before the off:

1. How popular is old fashioned 35mm camera film in China? I've got a Diana Mini for arty farty hobby purposes but buy the film online and pay though the nose to get it developed in a local specialist shop. How much does film and development cost in China? Or have most people gone digital?

2. How many private tutoring sessions should I look to get set up when I first arrival? I'm thinking 2 x 2hr a week. Is that too much/ not enough?

3. How much cash should I bring for my first month until payday? My accomodation and electricity is covered. Gas and the internet isn't. I do want to join a gym but I don't see myself leaving the town for day trips yet.

4. What region are Chinese dvds? Will I have any issues with my region 2 laptop?

25 DAYS TO GO!

Almost forgot- hot water bottle! Bring or can I get there?

Edited August 6, 2011 at 10:36 AM by Liebkuchen

[Lu]

3 Personally I think the most convenient way of getting cash in China is by taking it out of an ATM after arriving. Check with your bank if your card works here (and what the fees are), and you can get cash as you need it.

4 Illegal Chinese dvd's have several advantages, one of which is that they are region-free. As long as the quality of the dvd's is not too crappy, they should work fine on your laptop.

5 Hot water bottles are very popular here, no need to bring one.

[feihong]

All laptops are capable of playing DVDs from any region, provided you have the right software (e.g. DVDDecrypter and the like). But you're still somewhat unlikely to encounter region-coded DVDs.

I don't know about a 2 x 2hr private lesson schedule. Personally, a 4 x 1hr schedule makes more sense to me. But I guess it depends on your availability and learning preferences.

[xianhua]

A close and reliable friend of mine once told me that at any given time, on any major street, in any large Chinese city you will find a guy with a cardboard box full of the latest Hollywood and Chinese blockbusters - all for 5 Yuan. The same source revealed that quality may vary, but on the whole, they have had favourable experiences. <_<

I'd bring your hot water bottle. Sure you can buy them in China, but I've found that the quality of items like these vary so much it's actually a major hassle trying to find the right quality at the right price. The same applies for clothes so I gave up buying them in China a while back (well this together with the fact that the store attendants always seem to follow me round the store scrutinising my every move).

[amandagmu]

Are you coming to Beijing? Most gyms will require full payment for 6 months or a year upfront, these days that's between 1000-3000 RMB for a standard commercial/corporate gym. School gyms might cost less, but everything has gone up with inflation. I don't think you'll have a problem getting money out when you get here, in fact I'd advise getting at least a little bit out at the airport. Most important question(s) addressed by Roddy in another post recently (related to BLCU but applies in your case as well): have you been to the airport you're flying into before? Do you know how to get from there to where you're going? If your Chinese isn't up to par maybe consider getting somebody to meet and help you out once you arrive? My first time coming to China to study alone (not my first time here, but first time alone) I had a helluva not so fun time at the airport. Granted that was 2005 and pre-Olympics (and thus pre-Terminal 3 and pre-airport express train) Beijing, but still would be nice to have someone help get yourself sorted when seriously jetlagged.

What kind of hot water bottle? I have never seen a nice Nalgene here but there's plenty of choice otherwise. If you can spare the cash might be worth buying a decent one here.

Oh, and on the 2 x 2 hr thing. I guess it depends, but if you aren't going to have anything else on the schedule I'd say increase to at least 3 days a week and preferably 4. Reduce hours per day if that seems overkill, but in my experience having language classes too spread out leads to forgetting in between and not enough practice of new material. Instead it's better to have the 4x1 schedule someone else suggested, or I'd say 4x2 (or 2 hours some days and 1 hour the other days?) if you can afford it. This will lead to repetition and regular homework assignments without too much space in between.

[roddy]

1) 35mm camera film - hmmm, not sure. I'm fairly sure there are enough old film cameras knocking about that you could find film, but I'd question the quality, both of the film and processing. I suspect the stuff that is easy to find is kept for people who haven't bought a new camera since 1983, rather than enthusiasts. You may need to look for actual photography shops, or online, both for decent film and processing, not sure.

2) Is up to you I think. Like food, a little and often is often better than gorging. Might be better to start with a lot and then drop some if it's too much, rather than take it easy at first and get into the habit of watching all those DVDs the rest of the time. Two hours could be pretty tiring, especially when you're at a very basic level.

3) Hard to say - you'll have some start-up expenses, but nothing major. A month's wages makes sense. It may be worth asking your employer for an advance if you'd rather keep your money in your home bank account / foreign currency.

You'll be able to find a hot water bottle, but if you've got one and you're used to hugging it, bring it with you - there will, I promise you, be one winter's day when you've got the flu and you've had a bad day and something warm from home will be very much appreciated. Cupasoups are my choice. With crutons.

How are you actually getting to Yantai?

[Scoobyqueen]

2. How many private tutoring sessions should I look to get set up when I first arrival? I'm thinking 2 x 2hr a week. Is that too much/ not enough?

Research has shown the brain retains stuff better if you do a little every day rather than two big chunks a week (at least this is what Assimil is claiming). I think I would agree. For each hour of tuition you need to calculate one hour minium of preparation. This is also what the Chinese teachers will require of you. I cant remember how long you are in China for as this will dictate how you should plan your tuition to get the most out of it.

I can only do short bursts of intensive courses which is four hours a day for maybe nine days consecutively. I record all lessons to mp san and then go through them several times on my return (this is by the way a really good way of retaining stuff - something I may post about later). For the four hours I do four hours minimum of preparation.

This will all depend on your goals of course.

Plenty of hot water bottles are available but I still dont trust the Chinese manufactured ones. Always thinking about the safety of the materials used (dangerous polymers seeping out) and stories I have heard about factories owing guanxi favours to this or that supplier that then takes priority over satefy. So I only go for the Japanese and Korean makes there.

Good luck.

[jbradfor]

What do you personally mean by "hot water bottle"? Based on responses, people here seem to have different interpretations. Do you mean the type you fill with hot water and put under your head/feet when you fell sick/cold? Or something you use to drink from? Or something else?

[Liebkuchen]

Thanks everyone! So the dvds are straightforward, I'll get a month's wages in cash from the ATM when I arrive (must budget this year!), and I'll book a run of 4x1 hr lessons or as close to for the first month then re-evaluate from there. Everyone's feedback on what would work best in terms of learning has been brilliant and I really appreciate it.

@jbradfor- the rubbery ones you hug. I'm a cold fish.

@amandagmu- I'm flying into Yantai from Beijing. I'll be letting the uni I'm working at know so hopefully I might get met.

@roddy- I'm flying from Edinburgh via Heathrow, Dubai and Beijing to Yantai's international airport. 32 hrs...The uni seems geared up for foreign teachers- my contact's been great and I'm one of about 20 of FTs of various nationalities this year.

Oh, and I think I've found an alternative to taking my film camera with me. After I posted, I found that there's an ap for my android phone called Vignette which has tons of filters including ones for toy cameras and film cameras and I can also import photos from my computer to edit them using it.

I also have to say thanks again to everyone on the forum. I've had so much encouragement from when I was first joined a couple of years ago thinking of coming to travel or study and you all told me to just do it.I've learned so much from all your posts I'm not at all worried about stepping into the unknown. I'm also looking forward to using the forums to help me learn the language. And if anyone finds themself in Yantai for a weekend and fancies a drink- let me know!

[roddy]

Looks like you're all set.

Bit of extra unnecessary advice - going to a fairly small place, to teach English somewhere with a staff of 20 foreign teachers, means it'll be very easy to get into a situation where you are working, living and socializing with the same people. That can be fine at first, especially if everyone is new and a bit nervous, but it can get very claustrophobic quite quickly.

Do as much as you can off-campus, right from the start. Go into town for Chinese lessons if you can, do language exchange with someone from another university, find a restaurant or two nearby and keep them secret. You'll have a much richer experience overall.

I think I might be looking forward to this almost as much as you are.

[abcdefg]

How popular is old fashioned 35mm camera film in China?

Not popular at all. Go digital.

About the water bottle: They are easy to find and cheap when the weather turns chilly. You may have difficulty locating one at the end of August. I paid 10 Yuan for one in December in Kunming.

Hope you enjoy Yangai.

[Lu]

@jbradfor- the rubbery ones you hug. I'm a cold fish.

In that case, please ignore my earlier advice. I never looked for that kind of hot water bottle and have no idea how easy to find they are.

[imron]

I'll get a month's wages in cash from the ATM when I arrive

I would also consider maybe bringing a small amount of money in cash (maybe 100-200 pounds) just something to provide you with some ready cash in the case the ATMs at the airport don't work, or they swallow your card or something. Basicaly enough to tide you over in the case of an emergency until you get to the school and they can help you sort things out. The chances are you'll never need it, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

[skylee]

hopefully I might get met.

May I suggest instead of hoping you confirm it?

So you are flying Emirates? Might as well enrol in their mileage programme. It does not seem that hard to get a free ticket after a few long haul return flights.

[Scoobyqueen]

just something to provide you with some ready cash in the case the ATMs at the airport don't work

This happened to a speaker I had invited to come to Beijing. He was very perturbed he could not get any money out (and more or less blamed me that I had 'promised' him the cash machines would work with his card). He then had to use cash and was upset about the exchange rates (even though I was paying). Anyway had to baby him all week (answering questions like "do I have to wear a seat belt"? when sitting in the front....).

[Liebkuchen]

@skylee- I only booked the ticket on Friday so haven't emailed my contact yet with the flight details since he wouldn't have got my email until Monday anyhow. Don't worry I promise I'll email him straight after this. But thanks for the tip about the Emirates Mileage scheme- I fly so infrequently it hadn't crossed my mind.

And thanks for all the further tips about taking some cash with me- taken on board and will do.

@roddy- that was my first thought when I heard there will be quite a few foreigners, although this includes some Japanese, French and Koreans. Don't want to be rude, but also need to stay away from the accomodation in my free time and weekends. I really don't want to waste this opportunity. Taking my sketchbooks so hoping that this will entice nosy locals to come and talk to me. Suggestions for other ways to get 'out there' welcomed.

[imron]

Suggestions for other ways to get 'out there' welcomed.

Find local people interested in the same hobbies you are, and hang out with them regularly. Even without a common language, you'll still have a common language. Every city will have art supply shops and probably a local artists' association and whatever. Go and visit them