Things You Wish You'd Packed When You Came

[amethyst]

Hello everyone!

My partner and I are packing right now, prepping to leave the US and move to Chengdu for a year on work contract.

We leave this Friday!

Fortunately, we are semi-experienced world travelers and culture-adapters, yet this will be our first time in China/Asia and we can only imagine and read blogs to get a sense of what it will really be like.

We think we have everything we need ready to go…..

But I thought we should ask the experts (you all)…
What things (tangible or not) do you really wish you had packed and brought with you. Things you can’t get there, things you really miss, things you broke down and imported once you got there, etc.

Would LOVE to hear from you! Thanks!!

Thanks!

[otchengdu]

Your only coming for a year, i would just pack lite then. If you were here longer than i would suggest more items (i.e. i have all my 110 voltage items with converters here with me). As far as really needing something you can pretty much find it here, i do alot of shopping on taobao.com  & jd.com, now i dont have to really travel heavy every quarter.

[Charlie]

The list of things that you should bring with you gets shorter every year as China is quickly catching up… but for me, I would bring vitamins and any supplements that you may take. Other than that, virtually everything I can think of is available here now!

[amethyst]

Thanks for the replies! It’s reassuring to learn about Taobao and excellent advice to bring vitamins etc. This blog has been the best discovery! I’ve learned so much and am open to experiencing what is to come… Expecting the unexpected and ready to go with the flow…

[Charlie]

amethyst wrote:

Thanks for the replies! It’s reassuring to learn about Taobao and excellent advice to bring vitamins etc. This blog has been the best discovery! I’ve learned so much and am open to experiencing what is to come… Expecting the unexpected and ready to go with the flow…

With that attitude I think you will do fine here, there are a lot of wonderful things in Chengdu to explore. Once you get through the winter (March) Chengdu will be a lot more fun, also.

[amethyst]

Thanks Charlie!

Speaking of winter…. How cold are we talking? Rainy or snowy? Windy? I’ve lived in the harshest blizzard areas of the Midwest US so I’m hoping for mild winters…

[Charlie]

amethyst wrote:

Thanks Charlie! Speaking of winter…. How cold are we talking? Rainy or snowy? Windy? I’ve lived in the harshest blizzard areas of the Midwest US so I’m hoping for mild winters…

It doesn’t get very cold, but the humidity is high so it’s a bone-chilling cold. Housing in this region of China is generally poorly insulated and during the winter months everything is pretty grey and dreary. Spring, summer, and fall are all really nice in Chengdu, winter is definitely the worst season. It’s nothing like the frigid cold of somewhere like Chicago, though.

[Vincent]

Depending on your or your partner’s shoe size, you might choose to bring an extra pair rather than leaving them at home.

Finding EU sized 45+ (male) or 40+ (female) is a challenge. Same (although less extreme) for jeans if your partner is really tall and/or muscled 🙂

[amethyst]

Yes! Thanks Vincent… He is very tall, 6’4″ and we definitely brought all the shoes and long sleeve shirts he has. 😉

We just got an apartment, wifi, starting to get settled, trying to sleep and rest up…..

[Author]

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