Expat Life Stories
“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be
afraid of standing still.”
Chinese Proverbs
Chinese Proverbs
I'm a wàiguórén 外国人
(foreigner) in China.
On the
internet you can find heaps and valuable tips and most of them are quite helpful
and logical. It seems simple: Don’t lose your visa, don’t lose your money, don’t
lose your mind. But life in China isn’t always logical or simple. And that’s
why I will take different tips to survive your first days in China.
Lose Your Dictionary
You won’t hear me say you don’t
need basic Chinese to survive in China. You need it, for sure! When you possess
the basic knowledge of Mandarin, a dictionary will hold you back when you’re
discovering China. So, here is how you do it:
Nǐ hǎo 你好 ‘hello’ and xièxie 谢谢
‘thank you’ are a good start, but they won’t get you far. Try at least to learn
some basic sentences. The most common conversations are about:
Going somewhere
Wǒ xiǎng qù 我想去 “I want to go to”
Buying something
Duōshao qián? 多少钱?
How much is it?
Basic
needs
Qǐngwèn, wèishēngjiān zài nǎr? 请问，厕所在哪儿？Where is the washroom please?
Wǒ yào zhège 我要这个 “I want this”
Wǒ yào nàgè 我要那个 “I want that”
My best advice is to
follow your instinct rather than your mind or you will lose the latter
eventually. I will end with some short, practical advice concerning food,
traffic and toilet in Yantai, China.
Food
Eat where the locals eat.
Try street food and it smells delectable.
Mode of Transport
Easy. Download Baidu Maps and you will never lose your way.
Toilet
Squat, squat, squat. Leave
your shame at home.
