Job Discussion Forums

[yamahuh]

Hi all, my wife and I are flying to S.W China in just over a week and are curious to know what to bring in the way of necessities, personal items and such. Obviously space is limited in our luggage but I'm bringing my Tesol course notes and a good dictionary along with some China specific travel books. Apart from that the only items we are definitely bringing besides clothing are some CDs (gotta have good tunes) and toiletries.

Any other suggestions?

(I know there was a thread about this a while ago but I can't seem to find it)

[Lee_Odden]

I'm not exactly sure what you bring but I know for certain what you should leave behind; your sanity. It won't do you much good in China and if you bring it along with you, it won't last very long.

[Sinobear]

Forget the CDs! RIP 'em as MP3s and burn them on a CDROM. With P2P, you can download everything you need/want.

Deodorant. Soup mixes, "real" chocolate. Books! I mean real reading material (novels or what not). If you have large feet, lots of shoes!


You really can find most of what you will want or need here. I would suggest that you bring little items that can be given out as small gifts...Canadian candies (and lots of them). In the south, they love sweets, so maple sirop candies are a big hit. Maple leaf pins. Canadian cigarettes (those are for me - John Player Special, okay?). I mentioned cigarettes because an inordinant number of people smoke here and it's always nice to offer them Canadian cigarettes. You need only offer people one (at special dinners and what not)...doesn't matter if you smoke or not, sometimes it's like being inside a cigarette living here.

Don't worry too much, bring what personal items are important to you and some comfort food.

Good luck!

[limits601]

I have been here for over a month now and i wish i had brought some Nyquil and stuff for a sore throat. If you have allergies, bring some claritin. I use that stuff every so often on bad days. All those little medications you can buy at Shoppers Drug Mart are very good. Ill write a much larger list tomorrow. Got to head to bed now. Good luck on your trip. By the way, im in Jiaxing. Is that close to you ?

I see that your from Guelph. Im from Niagara Falls Ontario Canada. Close to you back in Canada:+)

[Talkdoc]

I would recommend you bring broad-spectrum antibiotics from home; that might be the only way of knowing for sure what it is you are taking. China has a very big problem with the production and distribution of weak and completely fake medications.

Doc

[2 over lee]

Agree with the above.

If your TESOL course was CELTA throw the notes away, as you can forget about STT (student talk time) being 90%.

Bring teaching materials. To be more specific maybe some good IELTS books or the Cambridge Business English series.

[burnsie]

Teaching materials. I am not sure what level the students will be but if they are low to mid level find some good books on teaching through games and teaching kids about the world outside of China. Nearly all have never gone overseas and are interested in what goes on.

This will certainly keep them interested rather than boring language books.

[lily]

Blue Tack. At least, that's what we call it in NZ. It's has the consistency of chewing gum, and the function of sellotape (plus) - use it to stick stuff on the wall/board when teaching. It's reusable, doesn't lose it's stickyness - i've been using the same lump for 9 months - doesn't leave marks on the wall, or what you're sticking up, and doesn't waste time.

Enjoy.

[amberrollins]

Deoderant. Aspirin. Dental floss.

I don't know what age you'll be teaching, but I stocked up on things from the US like take-out menus, grocery store ads, apartment hunter magazines, and Auto Traders, and my university students love those (they find the menus from Chinese take-outs particularly amusing). They also like things such as postcards from my hometown, especially the cheesy ones with cowboys and armadillos.

[amberrollins]

Deoderant. Aspirin. Dental floss.

I don't know what age you'll be teaching, but I stocked up on things from the US like take-out menus, grocery store ads, apartment hunter magazines, and Auto Traders, and my university students love those (they find the menus from Chinese take-outs particularly amusing). They also like things such as postcards from my hometown, especially the cheesy ones with cowboys and armadillos.

[Ariadne]

Make up a little 'get started' kit for yourselves. You might be able to get most of what you need in China, but it could take you a few days to find out where the right stores are and how to get to them. I recommend that you take a towel, pillowcase, small container of liquid dish detergent (you can use it to clean many things), small pair of scissors, duct tape, knife, fork, spoon, bar of soap, and a can/bottle opener. Also, find a good map of your home country and a good map of China in English. Take a picture file if you have one. Bring a good supply of any prescription or over the counter medicines. Bring a laptop even if you have to buy one and as much reading material as you can. It really doesn't cost too much to check an extra bag on the plane.

[extoere]

As suggested, a laptop. Computers furnished to teachers are sometimes unreliable. And internet cafes can be hazardous to your eardrums and sanity. Your own laptop with a good connection will give you some needed independence and an extremely valuable resource in many unforeseen ways.

cheers,
extoere

[kev7161]

It definitely depends on what age group you'll be teaching as to what kind of teaching materials you'll want to bring. But definitely bring some bright, colorful, full-of-pictures kind of things as most of the Chinese textbooks are so dismal. I brougt a few "Time For Kids" magazines with me and they are a big hit! "Sports Illustrated for Kids" as well.Also, it will depend on the size of your city whether or not you can find western things (as mentioned in previous posts). For example, when I went home to the US in the summer, I brought back some Hershey's dark chocolate ('cause I love the stuff AND I've read that it is much more healthy for you than regular chocolate). Well, it disappeared quickly, but I've found "Dove" brand dark chocolate and it's just as tasty.

I will second bringing packets of soup mixes along with packets of seasonings for such things as spaghetti sauce, chili, gravies, and anything else you might enjoy. Those can be a tough find here. I also brought flavored gelatin, instant pudding, and "Dream Whip" (to make my own whipped cream). Don't forget things like cinammon, vanilla, nutmeg, etc. You can generally find garlic, pepper, and salt here.

You are sure to wish for things you should have brought once you get here, but western items are becoming more and more commonplace each passing day.

[yamahuh]

Thanks guys, good suggestions. Are laptops readily available? I kinda thought that I'd pick one up over there instead of buying one here. Also we were planning on buying a decent digital camera because the one we have is crrrrrap!
Are the prices for such items comparable to Canadian / wherever you're from, are they even available?

Sure wish I could bring my R1....gonna miss my baby

[Sinobear]

Laptops are widely available...prices are about the same as Canada.
Digital cameras are cheaper here and most major brands are represented.

Which city are you heading to?