{"id":526,"date":"2023-07-07T23:53:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T15:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.mandarininn.cn\/blog\/?p=526"},"modified":"2023-07-07T23:53:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T15:53:23","slug":"how-to-move-to-china-in-90-days-part-1-and-not-necessarily-teach-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.mandarininn.cn\/blog\/?p=526","title":{"rendered":"How to move to China in 90 days – Part 1 (and not necessarily teach English)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the past couple of years I\u2019ve been wanting to see Asia and I knew it needed to be more than a 2 or 3 week vacation. One day I looked around and decided that nothing was keeping me in Canada but some cute family dogs (sorry family, I guess there\u2019s you too.) So I booked a flight and let my 2 connections in China know that I was on my way!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Consider visiting first<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider being a tourist first, not only will this show potential future opportunities that you\u2019re serious, you\u2019ll be able to really think and reflect on this huge move and if you\u2019re up for it. For me, I was sure within a week of arriving. But I was also sure I needed to return to Canada and exit that part of my life responsibly. I will mention that many arrive in China to start new jobs without having ever visited, but many end up switching jobs in the first year when they learn more about which cities they like, what type of work they like best etc. It\u2019s absolutely possible to do a lot of the important research before hand, but if you can stand the hit to your bank account – I recommend visiting first. If you know you\u2019d like to eventually work here and you\u2019re not interested in teaching English, it\u2019s unlikely a corporate employer will take you seriously if you\u2019ve never even been to China. Think about it, would you?<\/p>\n\n\n

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Better yet, study Mandarin in China first<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way to visit first and make a few new like-minded friends is to study Mandarin. I recommend choosing a small local school over a university class. The small class sizes are a better fit for many, instructors usually cater to where you\u2019re at in your learning and not necessarily a set curriculum or schedule. Consider a school that has an immersive program like Mandarin INN<\/a>. You\u2019ll be learning Mandarin 4 mornings a week<\/a> and attending different cultural workshops each month. From beginning to end, Mandarin INN will help you secure your visa, lodging and act as your home away from home while you\u2019re here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Exit North America like a responsible vagabonder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will you sell, keep or give away? Selling takes the most effort, but if you have just a couple days dedicated to this it will be worth it to help fund your travels. Join your local Buy\/Sell group on Facebook, post there and kijijii and you\u2019re sure to get some hits. Think that old Christmas tree would never sell in January? I sold mine January 9th<\/sup>. For things you\u2019re keeping, label and organize things in a way that you could send someone looking for it. Make a plan for your mail. Do you trust someone to open it and check for urgent things while you\u2019re away? That\u2019s ideal. Check with your phone company to for options about your cell phone. Obviously it\u2019s cheapest to get a local sim card, but you\u2019ll need an unlocked phone and in China it\u2019s difficult to rely on any android phones because google applications won\u2019t work here. I realized just how much I rely on google maps this way. I elected to keep my Canadian phone number live for the first few months, with Koodo I can keep their cheapest plan and receive phone calls and texts from back home. If I don\u2019t respond it\u2019s no charge over and above the plan rate. I asked around and an uncle of mine had an old iPhone that I could use for full map functionality. I also liked this approach because it meant the device I was taking with me had a story, it actually belonged to a late cousin of mine so it\u2019s a nice momento to hold close.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Goodbye party or a never-ending saga of \u201cwhen are you leaving?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may want a big shin-dig or if you\u2019re anything like me you\u2019ll want to spend quality time with the folks that matter most. The latter could take the better part of a month so get started early and take pictures that you can look back on when you\u2019re homesick. If there are things you can\u2019t live without, favourite chocolate, coffee or handsoap \u2013 stock up so you don\u2019t have to say goodbye. This may seem ridiculous, but you\u2019ll notice expats return to Asia with suitcases full of consumable items like this. Depending on your size (if you\u2019re small) it\u2019s easy to buy whatever clothing you couldn\u2019t fit in your luggage once you\u2019re here, it\u2019s impossible or super expensive to buy your favourite lip balm. Burts bees for life.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Set yourself up for success \u2013 emotionally speaking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know I\u2019m going to be homesick – I\u2019m planning for it. There\u2019s my late cousin\u2019s memorial tournament, my close friend\u2019s wedding, my father\u2019s 60th<\/sup> birthday, Christmas, and new babies being born, just to name a few of the huge events I have just signed up for probably missing. But I know there will be plenty smaller events and precious moments I\u2019ll also miss out on. So I\u2019ve printed out photos, even taken videos and I\u2019ve signed my key family and friends up for wechat. These people will miss me too, so when they grumbled about having to download another app, I grumbled back that social media isn\u2019t as accessible in China and the good ones got wechat.<\/p>\n\n\n

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*Note: If you have a loved one in China, get WeChat. You really have no idea how much it will mean to your loved one.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned for part 2 where I\u2019ll continue my story and maybe even write a portion in Mandarin! Here\u2019s hoping my instructor Cici will help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love and cheese,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candice<\/p>\n\n\n

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About the blogger:<\/strong> Candice is a cheese-lover, a yogi and has a deep interest in languages. She\u2019s from Ottawa, the capital of Canada and her favorite past job was as a manager at a bilingual summer camp in Canada. She already speaks English, French and is enrolled in group classes at Mandarin INN. When asked why she chose to come to China, her answer is a bit unlike others. China chose her, things all fell in place pretty quick and she flew over to this huge beast of a beautiful country without hesitation.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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