This post originally appeared on itisreal.net and is reposted with permission by the author. The life of an expat is often viewed as glamorous, stress-free and full of tasty, exotic cuisine. It’s true, living abroad often does include these elements of fine living. However, my experience as an expat is a great deal more complex that the above description. There are many positive aspects to my life in Beijing. First, the cost of living is significantly cheaper than in London and so living and working in Beijing is a great way to save money. Second, during the 6+ years that my husband and I have lived in China, we have met many incredible people that hail from all over the world. Third, we have found a great community. I spoke about this in a previous blog post but it’s worth repeating. Many of the expats I know live thousands of miles away…
Most parents, whether they live in China or not, know the frustrations of having to deal with strangers wanting to touch their newborn. Living in China means facing these experiences, on a far greater scale, and in ways that will surely blow your mind. We have had complete strangers pick up our child, and walk away! Many lean in close to look at our son, and then touch his face. To be honest, this infuriated me in the beginning. Trusting that a complete stranger has clean hands, in any country, is a risky game. As your child gets older and their immune system has strengthened a little, these intrusive touches may begin to bother you less, but still many parents are highly aggravated by these actions. By the time that your little one can walk, they will be bombarded by one group after the next, all wanting a photo with this sweet foreign face. Here…
As a couple who have become parents in an exclusively foreign environment, this has been a wonderful chance for us to introduce our child to racial and cultural diversity. We are blessed to be able to raise our son abroad, but since we are from different countries, no matter where we live, at least one of us will always be a foreigner. In our community, and while out and about traveling the world, we come across so many ethnicities. This gives our son plenty of wonderful opportunities to learn and appreciate how different cultures live. Understanding that people are not all the same will enable your children to embrace and value the things that make each person or group of people different. Children really do notice differences, so take the time to teach what is important to each culture and help strengthen acceptance and understanding. Even though we are currently…
Every culture has different rules for pregnant women. While we were traveling through Thailand earlier this year I was about 5 months pregnant, and on more than one occasion we were told that it was okay for me to drink a bit of alcohol, even though I was expecting. The same opinion holds for some European cultures, but that would never be accepted here in China where rules for pregnancy are extremely strict. Chinese women have a special set of rules to follow. This list in not exhaustive. It is simply the rules that I can remember hearing, or reading about, over the last 9 months of being pregnant in China. Food and Diet Pregnancy is considered a “hot” condition, so to balance the scale between “hot and cold” or “ying and yang”, so called “cold foods” must be consumed throughout the pregnancy. I was therefore told by another pregnant…
China’s growth as an economic superpower has opened up opportunities for several multinationals to set up operations here and bring their countrymen to run these branches. It is not surprising for local residents to now have expatriates working as colleagues in these multinationals instead of seeing them as just tourists. The centuries old culture of China that has remained unaffected continues to shock and intrigue expats as they try to assimilate themselves into the surroundings. Greeting and acknowledging people in China – The usual practice of greeting people in China is putting a smile to those lips and bowing your head down in acknowledgement along with verbal greeting of “hi hao” and “nin hao”. Though shaking hands is not a common greeting among Chinese culture, they have started to practice it with their Western counterparts. To increase familiarity with each other, expats may get invited to their Chinese colleagues’…
Moving to China may seem like a daunting task if you have lived in Western nations but lucrative pay package and a luxurious lifestyle lures many to its shores. Though culturally and language wise there may be many challenges, there are several expats from all across the world living in these large cities and have assimilated themselves to local life. Before moving to China for a job assignment, expats should research cost of living in the country and make sure whether it suits there standards or not. Though the cost of living China is low when compared to Western nations, it is increasing rapidly in large and developing cities . For an expat, the salary can be low or high depending on the kind of life they try to lead in China and their attempts to recreate similar lifestyle practices that they are used to. Basic expenses in China –…
For families with small children, even moving to a different state within their own country can be stressful, let alone moving to a different country like China, which has a culture vastly different from Western countries. Besides the stress of learning a new language, children will also have to contend with leaving their friends from school and the neighborhood. In addition to reading the below tips, also be sure to check out this cool, visual book to help you talk about China with your child: All About China: Stories, Songs, Crafts and More for Kids. Preparing your child for your move to China is an important step to moving overseas – even for toddlers. More than likely, your child will be excited about the move, especially if you are also excited about it. But in order to minimize the effects of culture shock, they should be made aware of several…
China is very rich in culture partially because, geographically, it is a very large nation. Its population of 1.35 billion people constitutes around 50 ethnic groups with customs and traditions varying accordingly. Such diversity can be unsettling for a foreigner and can be quite difficult to adapt to, especially when you’re raising children in China. An unfamiliar environment can cause culture shock in young children. Cause of shock Children adapt to changes more rapidly than adults do, but they face their own set of unique problems. For raising children in China, you have to deal with these problems to minimize culture shock. One of the major causes for culture shock is improper communication between parents and children. If you are moving to China and aren’t going to be returning to your home country any time soon, then be sure to convey that message to your child. Children often think they…
China is an Asian developing country with a different culture, and as such, people visiting China from other countries or foreigners living in China can sometimes face a culture shock. What to expect Chinese people are generally quite friendly and hospitable. The country has a collective culture that values society over individuals. Expect a lot of friendly warmth in China. Unexpected lunch and dinner invites to strangers are common here. Do not expect everyone whom you encounter to understand English, even in China hospitals. Bigger cities have a considerable English speaking population, but taxi drivers and domestic helpers do not generally understand English. Foreign visitors, especially children, are generally given a lot of attention by being pointed or stared at. This is general curiosity and you should try not to get offended by it. Check out The Chinese concept of privacy and personal space is quite different, as such, people…
The following article is presented by HBIC contributor Jerry Jones. Jerry has vast experience in China and writes a popular blog at www.thecultureblend.com. Check out his site to read more awesomeness. Hey good news. No matter what you’re feeling right now . . . you’re normal. If you are among the thousands of families who are in (or recently went through) the process of packing up your lives and relocating to China then I’m happy to tell you that whatever is going on inside that confused little head and heart of yours is absolutely, undeniably . . . normal. It’s normal to be excited. It’s normal to be scared. It’s even normal to be massive amounts of both at the same time and not know which one you are at any given moment. Don’t feel guilty if you catch yourself looking at your kids and thinking to yourself, “what in the…
