Job Discussion Forums

[BeijingBill]

Any thoughts on Zhengzhou University, or Chenggong University?

[johntpartee]

I've heard good things about Zhengzhou University.

[BeijingBill]

A friend of mine told me that "Henan has the best noodles in China" Is this true? Also, I heard there are many expats in the surrounding Zhengzhou areas?

[7969]

[johntpartee]

[rioux]

I am teaching at Chenggong College. What would you like to know?

[BeijingBill]

Anything would be helpful

[rioux]

I'll just list a few things and if you want any more information just let me know.

1. It's about about an hour and twenty minutes to Zhengzhou. They do have a KFC here but I wouldn't eat there. I did once or twice and that was enough.

2. To get to downtown Gongyi you can take bus #11 or bus #7.
Bus #11 stops right in front of the campus and it takes about 20 minutes to downtown. Bus #7 will get you there in less than 10 minutes but it is a further walk (about 5-10 minutes more) to where the nearest stop is.

3. The students are great. About 70 to 80 percent of them are females.

4. I think if you are a first year teacher you will teach all freshman classes - perhaps 1 sophomore class.

5. There are 18 teaching hours a week. Classes are held 8:10am to 10am, 10:15am to 12pm and 2:10pm to 4pm. One of those blocks consist of two of the same class.

6. The apartments are very spacious. Two bedrooms with a bed in each bedroom, refrigerator, a/c, microwave, washing machine, internet connection, telephone, free large bottled water, free electricity.
There are two apartment buildings for the foreign staff. Each building has 6 floors - 2 apartments per floor.

7. Based on my experience I get along with the higher ups. They're cool with me.

8. Quiet city here. It's not for everyone. From what other teachers have told me it is rather difficult finding a girlfriend here in Gong-yi. It seems virtually all of them can probably say just a few (as in very few) words or expressions in English. Not a problem for me since I am married.

9. The PA system is loud (for me anyway). It goes off every morning at about 6:15am then shuts off at about 6:45am or so. 7am it comes back on until 7:30am. Noon is the same thing for about half an hour. Then again at about 5pm to 6pm.
As I recall I think it was turned off for the most part on the weekends.

10. I did find a bakery that sells garlic bread and one of the supermarkets (G Holly?) has just started selling spaghetti and tomato sauce as well as a few breakfast cereals.

I doubt if I will stay another year because:
1. God willing my wife and daughter will probably be joining me in about June or July and this place is too remote for us. It's not bad for me being by myself this year but with the three of us I think it would perhaps be better to look somewhere else.
2. My wife is from the Philippines and I think the cold weather here would be too much for her to bear. Whereas I am sweating at 80F (26C) she feels cold at 72F (22C).
So perhaps a warmer climate would be better for us.....well really for her but hey that's part of being married I guess!

[BeijingBill]

Thank You Rioux. Just out of curiosity, what is wrong with the KFC?

[johntpartee]

The food at the KFC I went to in Zhengzhou was not very good, everything had kind of a "fishy" undertaste. Same thing in Hong Kong. I've been to a couple of places in China where the Colonel was okay, but I'm not a huge fan of the place.

[rioux]

Yeah just the taste wasn't good. To each his own I guess. Some people may like it. I know many of the Chinese people here in Gongyi do. The place is pretty busy.

[revenger2013]

I taught in two smallish cities in Henan. I quite liked it (on reflection) but it will depend on how much you need western comforts, I would say Zhengzhou would cater for those better than the places I were in.

The students were great mostly, I was left alone most of the time, as anyone who has lived in China knows, there are niggling annoyances and sometimes you will have those 'I hate China' moods but the winters were mild and the summers were very nice in comparisons to more humid climes further south.

The Uighur restaurants are where you will not only get the best noodles but the tastiest food in the whole of China in my opinion. There are KFC places everywhere and of course Dico's which I found a decent alternative to KFC. Doing my MA TEFL here in the UK but really looking forward to going back.

Henan people do have a 'reputation' in China but I found them to be quite honest. I found my Henan students to have strong views on the good people of Shanghai amongst others.

[fat_chris]

[choudoufu]

[7969]

I must go there sometime . . .