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And, there’s a new METRO in the south near Huayang, next to the ITO YOKADO. One more place to buy western food, good beef, etc.
Got to agree with OLSEN…Can’t imagine a large need for food shopping with waifood and all the rest. Maybe the “community” idea would have some legs to it, but…………..
My two Jiao Mr. Kazuchan….good luck to you and your endeavors! Don’t give up on the entrepreneurial spirit.
My wife received a lot of support on how to breast feed and what to expect.
Great point Ben. Very useful if one has In-Laws and/or a wifey that may not believe they have the ability to breastfeed, in that perhaps they can “persuade” the old guard into catching up to modernity :).
I also can see how being a first time parent the “pop-in” would be reassuring. This was our second so my wife was a little irritated cuz she just wanted to rest. But overall she was very happy there.
@RAY,
Thanks for the PPTV tip! Usually have to wait a couple days till I can dl it…but this is perfect if i’m feening for the fights.
Update on New Born Maternity Hospital near Swufe.
Similar to a foreign run hospital, in that u have ur own room with amenities. They still operate “chinese” with workers coming in every other hour to do “something” which isn’t ideal for a resting mother, but besides that quality is good. Wife was very pleased with the ER and Operating room care when she delivered…was almost shocked compared to our prior birth in a public hospital. Price is about 4 times more, but worth it for peace of mind and keeping ur wifey happy, imo.
One possible problem if you cannot speak chinese, not really anyone speaking english, so for all the instructions and papers to be signed while your there, might be an issue.
One note, no extra charges that have been reported from other “private hospitals” except for one shady thing that they did right before wife was about to give birth. Unknown at this moment if they will still try to charge us.
So far, would recommend it over any other public hospital.
There should be some foreigners since there are a couple of intl schools and Uni’s, but typically not the “fun” place to live if single, imo.
At your job, no laowai friends?
I don’t understand why you ask this. What does it matter re: the quality of local schools?
If you can’t afford the intl’ schools which are the only ones that could cater to your kids that will be in Middle School ( not Senior School, btw) then u have ur answer.
What alternative do you have? what kind of answer are you looking for? There is no magical solution as far as I know. The only option left is the what I suggested, since u are determined to move here.
Ur not helping this confused woman with ur bad advice and thinking.
Local schools? the kids will learn in a chinese school without being able to read or write or understand chinese? ben dan.
and besides, everyone, including u and ur countrymen understand that the education system is pretty shitty, not to mention the fact of being brainwashed with a bunch of “SUPPORT THE PARTY” shit and false information.
Perhaps u don’t see this because u r a product of ur education?
She’s Back!
Any suggestions?
Yes, stay in England. Don’t put ur kids in a shitty position since u don’t seem to know what ur getting urself into or have not really planned well.
But if u MUST, considering ur criteria……HOMESKOOOLLLL…..
Interesting.
Seems like the PSB have been more concerned with accommodation registering rather than working issues. Opposite of my thought/concern when I heard of the “crackdown”.
ok….
Hey Charlie,
Just found this.
My wife alerted me to a group out of Fujian Province, called Putian Group. Apparently this has been all over the news the last couple of days. It’s a group of wealthy people that buy private hospitals and clinics and such and turn some of them into “international” hospitals.
It made the news recently (CCTV and the rest) because one of their hospitals claimed they cooperated with Stanford Uni (U.S.) and claimed they can heal cancer. Some young fella had cancer and spent lots of cash and it turned out being fake, and he died.
Stanford denied being a part of this group. I am sure some already realize the “INTL” anything here can be bullshit.
They have over 8000 private hospitals in China. In Chengdu the Maria Tianfu Womens and Childrens Hospital, the Angel Hospital, and Aurora Dentist are on the list.
I can actually attest to the b.s. at Aurora. Had an impacted molar, and they could not get it out, they broke the top half of the molar off, but left the rest in. And, the really annoying part besides the incredible pain I went through, and still have at times, the doc was in a damn rush(even though it took hours) because there were other patients waiting!!! And, no foreign dentists there, even though they told me they had….I remember getting the info from this site and talking to a nice fella that worked there, and put out info on here. I believe u might have gone there charlie as well, dont remember the details now. Was last year.
Anyhoo, wifey just told me there are over 50 of these hospitals connected to this group in CD.
So what does all that mean? Not sure, and not sure re: Angel. From the reports perhaps some or all of the doctors are of good quality, but what they claim or advertise can be fake…
Kinda sounds like International anything with education, eh?
According to the dates, this happened last year.
I don’t remember hearing about this at all…anyone else? And the article is now published a year later?
Either way, truly sad.
I always bought turkeys from Metro (was in another city though, dunno bout CD), usually around 6-7 Kilos and about a few hundred rmb.
Infallible,
I’m going to give u the only advice you need. Since you are doing this for the “experience”, then take your time and figure out where you want to go in China. Then figure out ALL the details that u need to know about re: that location(s) FIRST.
Then, apply next April-ish for Uni jobs. This way you have about 5 months to get this all figured out and hopefully have a wonderful experience in China.
If you rush into this you may be making a big mistake considering you need to care for your children.
Infallible,
Working is simple. It is illegal without the proper visa. Yes, you would have to leave the country and go through the process again. The Universities and larger training schools will most likely not hire you without the correct visa, and I would suggest not going through any job agency or agent to land that type of job. Unnecessary and they will rip you off, with pay and most other things.
But I assume you would not want a full time job anyway? If not, then the options are simple. You can find a part time job anywhere in CD. There are lots of small schools that will hire you and many that are looking for teachers (check gochengdoo). Teaching English will not be a problem for you, just don’t let them take advantage of you. They are making plenty of money, and as you will see, education is big business here, so make sure you only choose the right circumstance and you can make as much money working part time on your own, than working for a company or school directly, just no benefits.
UHT milk and fresh milk can be found at the grocery stores and all over. Foreign UHT milk as well. Also, one can buy from import stores, we have at least one here in CD, and a couple in Shanghai that will ship here to CD. Formula can be found online, but again, even if one says its from overseas, you can’t be sure. Many comments from Chinese parents that buy online, even from Registered Tmall stores, often remark there is a difference in quality from the product they buy here compared to the product the get sent from overseas (so says my wife).
Simple enough, you can have formula sent from your home country, you can buy online from Amazon, as an example, or from other countries directly from their store. We used to do that when our baby was younger, and we still buy vitamins, supplements and medicines only from overseas.
And regarding your first question re: assistance, if your Uni and FAO (foreign affairs officer) are any good, they should handle all of that for you.
What part of CD will you be in, West (Swufe), South, etc.?
Infallible,
The problem with the question of it’s “doable” is that it’s subjective. People often ask these type of questions on various forums, whether X amount of money is enough to live on, but it all depends on How u live, what you will eat, the types of food you buy, etc. I am sure you know how to budget, right? I think you could make it work.
No housing allowance and other ‘perks’ is unfortunate. Can you guys re negotiate? 🙂
But, for example, ur 1 year old, milk? I buy imported milk for my baby, which costs a little more than the local milk. Formula, no one wants to use local formula. If your 1 year old is sick, even with insurance, will u be willing to go to the main hospital waiting for a long time to get service that you may not be comfortable with??? Hospitals here will most likely be quite different than what you are used to. Or would u opt to go to the foreign clinic where it will cost from 500-1000 rmb to see the doc, but get seen quickly with an English speaking doctor and nurses?
The older kids? education? If they are not home schooled the whole time, you will have to pay tuition, and will you be able to? And will they fit in, could they handle the classes in Chinese? Are you familiar with Chinese style teaching?
My general point is simply this, with kids you need to consider a variety of other issues, some which can be challenging. And if your not sure of all of this, and don’t have answers or the funds to cover these things…..then?
8 hours is plenty of time to go do something. Just get in a taxi brother…maybe 40 or 50 minutes to downtown depending on traffic.
Hello Infallible,
I would suggest that you add to your concerns the food safety and quality. You can get health insurance from some of the main insurance companies here ( I have a policy, from a national company), and it can range from 5000-10,000 rmb per year, depending on what coverage you buy.
As a parent I would investigate food issues here in China. It can be quite surprising. Unfortunately Organic food is quite costly.
Housing, it all depends on what you want and where you live. Also take into consideration the bad air quality during the fall and winter. We just had a week of 150-200+ in Chengdu, and it will most likely continue this way till the end of winter with some good days here and there.
Working as a piano teacher, dunno. If your husband is a subject teacher at the Uni making 20,000 + a month, I think you can take care of your family in the way you would desire, i.e. healthy food, air filters, safe housing, etc, IMHO. If not, perhaps a little extra research should be sought. Don’t want to sound too negative, but it kinda sounds like your not too familiar with China and Chengdu?
Either way, Chengdu and Sichuan are a nice place, but with kids come other concerns and perspectives come into play in contrast to those without. I am a parent as well, so I have some differing views than those that luv CD. If it wasn’t for the money, I would be in Kunming or Xiamen, or somewhere with some sun and good air! 🙂
