Job Discussion Forums

[Rooster_2006]

Honestly, I hate it when FTs who have lived in a country for one or two years sing "IT'S SO SAFE!" from the rooftops. I have lived in, and been assaulted in, both Korea and Hong Kong. Both of these places are often categorized as "safe" by naive, bright-eyed FTs, but trust me, I know from personal experience, you need to exercise caution WHEREVER you go. In Hong Kong, there was a wave of anti-US sentiment back around the late 90s/early 2000s when the Chinese embassy was bombed, and when the spy plane was brought down; a Chinese classmate at HKIS assaulted me on an elevator not too long after that. In Korea, I actually got assaulted multiple times (once just walking down the street to the convenience store). So I get so sick and tired of people who say "I got through my year, so everybody else who says otherwise is a liar."

Like, as if not being assaulted in the course of 365 days makes a place a peaceful utopia...

You go to America and you ask an African-American in Georgia or Alabama if he has been assaulted in the past 365 days -- chances are he will say "no." However, does that make America a perfectly safe utopia for racial minorities? Once again, "no." There are still over 7,000 reported hate crimes there per year. And similarly, China has plenty of hate crimes, too -- just that some English teachers never encounter them personally, and assume they are all myths, but I am here to tell you that they aren't.

Similarly, just because some naive FT gets through a year in China with no bruises doesn't mean "it's the safest place in the world."

China is safer than many countries, but you must watch your back and your belongings. Don't go out after midnight unless you're with (preferably more than one) male friend. Don't leave your belongings out. Lock your door. Don't engage crazy people, and when someone calls you a Yankee piece of you-know-what, just let it roll like water off a duck's back. If you do all these things, you'll probably be fine.

However, I am continually annoyed at the number of FTs with tunnel vision on this issue. They're almost as annoying to me as the hate crime perpetrators themselves.