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ibasiram
Joined: 24 Mar 2003
Posts: 107
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 Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 2:46 pm Post subject: advantages of small towns??? are there any? |
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Hello everyone,
I've just arrived in a very small town in South East Poland, and after spending almost a year in Poznan, this place really hit me as being boring with absolutely nothing to do. During my first day here I was asking myself how on earth am I going to survive in this place. There are less than 30,000 people here, and only 2 language schools. Needless to say, I work for the better one.. well, it's better now, anyway..
I guess though that small towns have their advantages -
- can't really get lost,
- you get to know the locals easier
- you experience the country more because all big cities are westernised now
- things are cheaper
Are there any other advantages? what is the feeling out there..... |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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Better to learn the language
Less competition for private students (may mean nothing in Poland)
People are friendlier
Less harassment because people will know you
Don't have far to get a way from it all  (down the street)
Commute is a piece of cake or non-existent
Cleaner air (usually) |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with Gordon: easier to get away from it all.
I still recollect with fondness my days living in Lilienfeld, Lower Austria, a village of 3,000. I would walk for a half hour with my snowboard and be at the base of the mountain. I would then hike up the mountain with board and then glide down. Repeat once. Awesome.
Couldn't do that in a big city!
Vienna was only an hour and a half away, so it was easily accessible. |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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I'm going to repeat some of Gordon's, but I'm going to do it so that you know which benefits are wide spread.
-It's easy to get around town, just walk. 
-More in-depth language immersion, no English mags on the newsstand.
-No pesky tourists to drive up prices, you pay the same as the locals. 
-More people know you, you become a local celeb (this is also a disadvantage  )
-You get to know local people better, less temptation to "become encapslated in the expat community" 
-Fewer temptations to spend money--no movie theater means more money in my pocket. 
-Cleaner air and closer to nature. 
-Your position as cultural ambassador for you home country is more important as you may be the first foreigner many people meet (this can also be considered a disadvantage at times  )
-Opportunities to learn something new, there are many things to do in a small town, but they may not be the things you are familiar with. Anyone for a game of Fronton?
-The historical culture of the country may be more intact--less "westernized"
Having said all that, if you've never lived in a small town before, you could be in for dual culture shock. When hiring I look out for applicants who grew up in small towns. People who are dependent on urban comforts tend to bail... |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2003 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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| MELEE wrote: |
Having said all that, if you've never lived in a small town before, you could be in for dual culture shock. When hiring I look out for applicants who grew up in small towns. People who are dependent on urban comforts tend to bail... |
MELEE--
Not always so. I grew up in urban environments, and now I am loving rural Japan--I do not plan on bailing any time soon. Why? Because of all of the reasons the other posters have given--no need to repeat them all.
It is a challenge to "go without" big-city attractions, but they're really not all that far away, and there are plenty of local, small-scale attractions.
I think you do have to make more of an effort to find things to do, though--you won't be inundated with amusement opportunities every time you walk down the main drag in town. Those opportunities are definitely there, though.
d |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 9138
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| Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 5:35 am Post subject: |
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May I add my personal impression that if you are in a partnership, preferably with a local person, your spare time is a lot more thrilling.
Those weekends in the West - all originally geared to putting you in communion with your God and keeping you away from the world's temptations had a traumatising effect on me. It is so different in a nominally-atheist nation like China - here, the weekends are indistinguishable from ordinary weekdays although most people now benefit from government-ordered days off too.
Those who have no family and friends are the first to be bored even here. That's why shopping malls tend to be fuller on those days off! |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 1:34 pm Post subject: Re: advantages of small towns??? are there any? |
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| Quote: |
| I've just arrived in a very small town in South East Poland, and after spending almost a year in Poznan, this place really hit me as being boring with absolutely nothing to do. During my first day here I was asking myself how on earth am I going to survive in this place. There are less than 30,000 people here, and only 2 language schools. |
That may be quite a few, relative to the 'small town' I grew up in BC Canada way back when. There were only 10,000 people at the time, it has since doubled. Even so, when I lived there, it was registered as a *city*. Not surprising, though, given that Canada's population is extremely small!
The numbers for towns and cities in China are considerably higher. The population of TOWNS hovers around 50,000. A small city (Taizhou?), we're looking at 100,000+ A mid-sized city (say Wenzhou) checks in at over 500,000. A large city is definitiely in the millions, say Hangzhou at around 5 million. If you talk about metropolises, they may approach the 10 million mark. Shanghai takes the cake because nobody really knows what the population is!!! Estimates are around 14 million with a 2 million floating population.
| Quote: |
| Are there any other advantages? what is the feeling out there..... |
Most has been said already, but another thing to consider is that you're going in reverse of the urbanization trend. And that can definitely work out in your favor. I read somewhere that by 2050, more then 70% of the world's population will live in cities or suburbs. That's incredible, especially for China when you consider the number of people who currently live outside of cities. These days, people are flocking in mass numbers to the cities. Cities all over the world are developing rapidly, and planning for expansion.
If you have a mass migration to the cities, what will happen in the small towns and villages? Likely there will be greater demand for people to fill the jobs of those who left for the cities. If job competition will be intense in metro areas, which it increasingly will, then smaller towns and cities may be a great opportunity as the trend is the opposite direction.
If cities get more and more crowded, then it may be a nice break to live in a smaller place for awhile.
I'll probably end up doing this after I finish with Shanghai. Maybe people are like salmon fish - we begin in a small stream (like a town), move into larger streams and oceans, but eventually go back to the small streams.
Steve |
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Buck Turgidson
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Posts: 96
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| Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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Sort of a Soylent Green/Blade Runner scenario? A world where most people are jammed into metropolae(sp?), cut off from nature. It is a depressing trend.
Steve, I think you are overlooking the fact that as population falls in small towns, so will the number of English teaching jobs. Some of the small towns in Russia and Ukraine, for example, are seeing serious depopulation as people flock to the cities or overseas in search of work. You probably notice the same trend in China.
I prefer medium to small sized towns for the same reasons others have mentioned. Immerse yourself. Drink in the unique characteristics of the local culture because they are quickly disappearing.
Buck |
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