Job Discussion Forums

[kev7161]

As I type this, it's a lazy Saturday morning. The sun is shining outside, the weather is that early Spring coolish/warmish type I like so much. It's about 10:30 am and I haven't even showered yet. A nice, lazy day off. The thing is, I have no plans to go out today. Maybe get a quick lunch at a nearby hole-in-the-wall place, but no real plans. Of course, I DID go to Shanghai last weekend for one craze-filled day, so I don't need to DO stuff every weekend.

However, the fact is, I'm BORED with life in China. My job is, you know, fine. Not too stressful and the pay is good. I teach little kids. Not my cup of tea so they're a little boring as well. I'm waiting word on whether or not the school will re-sign me or not, but I'm finding myself not really caring one way or another. I would just like to KNOW . . . NOW, so I can make approprate decisions.

But, I can't find anything that interests me anymore. If I was back home in the states, a Saturday would bring garage sale-ing, or game night with friends, or a movie and dinner, or maybe go to a theatrical production (my local community theater is doing "Sweeny Todd" right now and one of my best friends is starring), or a couple hours at my favorite bookstore. Any of these activities would include me jumping in my car and just going.

My Saturday night here is maybe, MAYBE getting together with a Chinese friend if one is free and watching a DVD. We'd talk about the same sort of things because, as much as I like my new found friends here, they (we) basically cover the same topics (such as: "I wish I could go abroad", "today I worked all day" (me)'What did you do at work?" (him)"Entered data on my computer.") and it's becoming a little redundant. My hobbies include movies, reading, comic books and, except for the DVD availability, I'm sort of stuck when it comes to being creative.

I inquired about joining a nearby gym so I could go swimming and work out on occasion, but the cost was 1/2 my monthly salary and they don't take installment payments.

So, basically I'm bored with life here, can't seem to stimulate myself enough to go out and TRY to find something interesting to do (and, believe me, I've tried numerous times in the past). I'll clean my home later *sigh!*, watch a DVD, *sigh!*, maybe work on the latest "Harry Potter" book, *sigh!* . . .

Is it time to go home? or to another country? or even to another Chinese city? (nah, they're all about the same I guess) And don't EVEN suggest I find a girlfriend/wife!

[acwilliams]

I feel exactly the same way... Three years in China... It's getting old. I can't complain about my job, colleagues, friends, lifestyle, or salary. All fine. Just... I'm bored. It's all too easy, somehow. Still, my contract is up at the end of April and I think I'll be heading for Europe. Itchy feet, time to move on.

[7969]

at my first job in china in guangxi, i was much happier than i am now. i lived on campus, in the city and the students lived right beside me. we often met for ping pong, shopping or just having chats, or something to eat. the salary was low but the atmosphere there was nice, the school admin was decent and overall it was a nice introduction to china. guangxi is also very scenic and since i enjoy photography, it was a gold mine of photographic opportunities.

my second job was at a middle school in jiangsu. i didnt like it. little or no after class interaction with students of that age (they're too busy and too young), and i didnt enjoy living in the typically non-descript city that i was in. however, jiangsu is close enough to other places of interest tho, so you dont have to go far to find something to keep you busy.

this is my third job in china, and while the job itself is ok (as are the students), the school is way out of town and we have to be bussed out there daily. this means you have no interaction with students outside of your class which is too bad since this is when you can really get to know them and maybe make things in your classes a bit easier and more enjoyable. also, henan is not the most scenic part of china either. i've gone to beijing and a couple of other places since i've been here, but i've found little of interest compared to other parts of china i've been to. further, the school admin here is the worst of the three i've seen and i'm now just counting the days till contracts end.

i swim and cycle a lot, but dont interact much with people here. i've met enough chinese people but we share so little in common that i've just found it easier to hang out on my own. my colleague and i drink beer on occasion but other than that, unless i'm somewhere taking photos, i do get bored here a bit too often.

kev, if i go to the pool for a swim it costs RMB45 for one visit. a monthly pass (as many visits as you want) costs only RMB368. pay monthly and you'll find its well worth it. i've been to several pools in china and most of them are quite nice..... you may find hot and cold tubs, sauna and steam rooms as well all at the same place. take up photography..... seriously. theres plenty to photograph here in china and if you master the fundamentals of the art, you'll be amazed at what you can do and how much you'll look forward to going to some new places.....

have a look here and you can see what consumes a lot of my time, on and off,

http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/24995.html

so when is it time to move on? for me, i dont mind moving to a different place each year. even during childhood my family moved often, so for me its normal. i suppose when you get bored is a good indicator. seems to be a common link in the three posts so far.

7969

[Babala]

I have been feeling the same way lately. No complaints about job, house or students. I am just bored out of my mind. I just joined a gym so I am hoping that will help and I have set my mind to doing more travelling around to nearby cities (7969, I am living in the same city in Jiangsu you were in). If you are interested in swimming, go to some of the nicer hotels and you can just pay as you go (usually between 20 - 30 RMB).

[william wallace]

nil.

[Spiderman Too]

Kevin

You came to China for a reason. What was the reason; mundane life back in the States? Is the reason (whatever it was) still valid?

I don't agree with you that all Chinese cities are the same. For example, of the half dozen or so big cities I've been to (which doesn't include Beijing or Shanghai), I wouldn't live and work in Shenyang for 20,000 RMB but I came close to accepting a position in Zhuhai for 4,000 RMB because the city appeals to me so much.

As for other countries, at the end of this semester you will have been in China for just on 3 years. You're now a veteran EFLer! You can now cope with anything!

Thailand offers an exiting, exotic, almost surreal, existence if you want to let your hair down for awhile. Cambodia offers foreign teachers an easy-pace, laid back lifestyle for around the same (net) salary as China (USD11.00 / hour).

Vietnam will probably be my next destination; although it's apparently a little problematic for U.S. citizens to get a work permit because of the requirement to tender a police clearance. The salary is reasonable at USD15.00 / hour.

And what about Latin America?

Anyway, regardless of where you go and what you do, quality of life depends upon personal relationships; friends and/or lovers. It doesn't matter whether you are basically a homebody, it doesn't matter how nice your apartment is, it doesn't matter how many TV channels you can receive, you need relationships with kindred spirits.

Someone special to talk to, someone special to spend time with, someone to share with.

Even the most independent person needs a close friend every now and then.

Hmm, maybe that's why you have 2,139 posts on this forum?

Babs, I thought you were about to sign on for another year?

Kevin, here's a thought; why don't you pay a visit to Barbara? You never know (assuming that Babs isn't ageist)!

[Roger]

What a SURPRISE, KEvin, to read of BOREDOM from you in a city such as SUZHOU!!!!

I bet if you get bored there then so you would in San Francisco...

Maybe some members of this forum need a dedicated training at handling their spare time... how to survive in China with enough money and too much time on one's hands!

I have never had this problem since arriving in China!

And my lifestyle hasn't changed dramatically from what I did before coming here. Maybe you should take up some of the hobbies you no doubt practised back in the U.S.A.?

If I have several days of leisure ahead of me, I seldom fail to maken plans for a lengthy getaway!

Shanghai is so near.

Have you been to ZHOUZHUANG? Hangzhou? Yangzhou? Xuzhou? Huangshan? Man, there are so many thrilling destinations in your part of the country... youonly need a little energy and a pulse!

[kev7161]

Ha! To date, I've been to two of the famous Suzhou gardens - - Tiger Hill and th Humble Administrators Garden. I think there are about twelve more to go. Yes of course I can appreciate their beauty and serenity and it took me about an hour in each to explore them before I started to lose interest. By the way, I was with Chinese friends who experienced the same boredom as I (and thought the entry fees were WAY overpriced!). I think I'll pass on the rest of the gardens.

I love beauty as much as the next waiguoren, but there's got to be more physical and cerebral things to do out there. Actually, I'm not much of a physical guy, but walking around a garden and then sitting and sipping tea all afternoon ain't much of a "holiday" for me.

It seems most activities that I've experienced have been walking around and looking at scenic (or ancient) vistas and . . . what else? There's always shopping, I guess. Some have opined to go out with friends and do stuff. Well, I DO like things such as bowling but my friends rarely have free time and don't really know the sport. Time to make new friends? Easier said than done. I told you that the favorite thing in my holiday trip to Hong Kong was seeing "Rent" - - well I'd love to attend live theater more frequently, but please spare me the Beijing Opera.

Maybe I'm being lackadaisical in my approach, but . . . well, I'm too bored to finish this post!

[Yu]

It never hurts to know what your options are.
I think it is always better to leave somewhere before you hate it, better to leave when a part of you still wants to stay.

[dajiang]

Well, if you've got no commitments then just head off for greener pastures I'd say. You could try out a different job or just bum around for a while if money permits it.

A nice thing to do is to visit friends who are also living abroad. Went to several countries that way. Just take all opportunities that you come across, which means getting into non-teaching stuff too.
You could try out tourleading for a while. Plenty of touroperators need people who have experience in China and with groups.

Hobbies are good too. Get into playing guitar or something, and by doing that you get in touch with other people again.
Other ideas could be: Start writing a book, get a girlfriend (or a couple of em), make a website, join a hiking club, create a hiking club, check out the nearest orphanage and do some voluntary stuff there, check out if there are any voluntary organisations active in the area and give em a hand (set up a project of your own?). Actually, VSO has got some really interesting stuff everywhere in the world, check it out.

Dajiang

[Malsol]

[sojourner]

Kevin,

Follow Malsol's excellent suggestion. But , apart from long-distance bus journeys, why not jump on any local or city bus that you haven't been on before, see where it takes you to, and then explore the destination on foot. Yes, it might be some grotty industrial area - but, on the other hand, it might even be some picturesque village !

I'm currently working in a Zhejiang backwater.This city is very small, compared to other Chinese cities. Yet, once a week I make it a point to explore, by foot, some part of the city that I haven't been to before. You never know where "that lane way" you travel past every day, but have always been curious about, actually leads to ! A 500 hundred year old temple, perhaps ? Even if it doesn't to lead to anything remotely exotic, there may be some interesting restaurants, shops, etc, along it. And, of course, there may be alleys that lead off from that lane way - heading to where ? - why not find out ! I'm also fortunate in being close to a number of islets, most of them accessable by ferry.

Another option to consider is to enrol in a distance education or online Master's programme.

Yes, I know that it's frustrating not knowing whether one's college or uni wants you to stay on for another year. I haven't asked whether I can stay on - I'm waiting for them to ask me - this will put me in a much better position to bargain for a salary increase ! That's what happened last year. Over the next couple of weeks, if they don't invite me to stay on, I'll start making enquiries with other unis. I might also consider Sth Korea. I've been in China for almost three years, now. Have worked at two unis, in two provinces. Maybe, it's time not merely to go to a different town, or even a different province - but, rather, to another country ! But, before I do, I still have a lot of exploring to do in my current city; as well as on, and around, the island. Thus, there is no way that I'll be bored from now, until when the current term ends, in late June !

Peter

[sww]

You probably ju

[sww]

You probably just need a break. Go home for a while. Soon t

[sww]

You probably just need a break. Go home for a while. Soon the China bug will return and you will be anxious to go back.