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You mean home-schooling? I don’t know, our kids attend one of the international schools here. Have you looked into that? There are two or three catering for elder kids up to 18, all take kids from 3 years old, one takes them from almost 2 years old and primary only. I know there are some home-schooling families here, but have no contacts. Perhaps this forum will help.
People are generally very curious and will probably not understand at first sight where the kids come from and how you form a family together. So, they’ll ask (or look). Be prepared to have some ready-made answers (don’t forget to let the kids prepare themselves too) that you may give when asked about it. Answers that are true to your own heart, and that will not raise reactions in others that you find awkward. Short answers for people on the street and perhaps some longer or more detailed ones for people closer to you (like classmates). Having thought about your answers beforehand takes the stress out of the situation at hand. Otherwise, don’t worry too much about it now. To my experience, people are very friendly and almost never mean any harm with their curious interest in ‘strange’ things they see. Also, standing out from the crowd is a general expat thing not much related to China at all. To my experience there are many mixed families here (Asian/non-Asian) so also many people to share experiences with if you want.
Hahaha, ok guys, I admit, there is a fun aspect to it. But not with two toddlers loaded on your bike… Have fun and stay in one piece!
Hi there!
internet: we were told the presence of fibre is depending on the housing estate; ours doesn’t have. VPN: I have arranged that over the internet, it is not connected to your internet account. Just google VPN and read some feedback from users to make your choice, or see some of the threads on this forum. there’s a lot to choose from. Banks: I can withdraw from my foreign account with creditcard at almost all ICBC ATM’s. I have a local bank account and a debit card, which is accepted almost anywhere.
Utility bills: that also depends on your housing situation. we pay the gas bill in a shop behind the flat, and the water and electricity bill to the estate management. But others have to buy prepaid cards and upload their meter. It is easy once you know the system.
Cycling: doable but dangerous, I cycle but I can’t say it’s very pleasant. Quicker than the traffic or public transport. Metro is wonderful. For driving a car you need to sit an exam and get a Chinese driving license.
Welcome!
So, we’ve done the route I found on internet (mentioned above) today, or at least the northern half of it. It was nice enough, but next time I would rather spend all my day in the area around San Sheng Xiang, Lohas, etc. and try to avoid the western side of the route. There is a lot of building going on (flyovers, Global Center, etc.). The stretch along the river was nice again, and apparently also part of a ‘green belt’ Jinjiang route. I hope that all these routes will be connected one day, that would be great.
Looking at google maps pictures cycling paths seem to stretch from around the 3rd ring road, around a kind of racing circuit, all the way to the toll road and beyond, where there seems to be a windmill (as a Dutch I feel reassured…;-). But perhaps they are not the same routes, one is blacktop and one is orange. The orange is called 198 Lohas greenway.
I found this map on internet: http://www.bikemap.net/route/1586327#lat=30.559968878869&lng=104.088965&zoom=12&maptype=ts_terrain
Hurray!!
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDk3NzY0NjQ4.html is another video. Looks promising! I might try this out over the weekend, see if we can find it.
Dear Yang Shu, I am from the Netherlands and know both universities. They are both very good, depending on the course and your own interests. You can PM me if you want to talk more about it. One question: would choosing VU mean you cannot go to Maastricht? If not, why not confirm now, and you can change your mind later if Maastricht provides you with a scholarship?
Kim
For Chengdu, in our case: dish washer detergent. Or dishwashers themselves, actually (they’re here, but very small)! Cake decorating things. Yummy things from your own country (there are ‘imported’ shelves in big supermarkets but they may not carry what you fancy). Clothes and shoes in larger (or average European) sizes. Your own preferred medicines. But as long as you don’t need these things, I think you’ll be fine.
Hi there, we’ve moved here in August with a 3 and 2 year old. We came from Cairo, not the cleanest of cities, and we knew it would be dirty here, but to be honest we are shocked by the levels of air pollution here. We’ve installed air purifiers at home, use masks when AQI is over 200 (which has been almost daily for the past two months or so). Together with other parents we are trying to get purifiers installed in school as well, so that the kids can spend most of their day in reasonably ‘clean’ air (masks do not fit small kids). Leaving is definitely an option. I’m very relieved to see AQI going down this week and hope this trend will stay after the holiday. I never thought it would get to me so much, I find it heartbreaking to hear my 3-year old aksing mum can we go play outside or is the air pollution to high? It can also get to you to stay indoors weekend after weekend. I’m not sure what your other options are (I guess most Chinese cities and many other cities in the world are comparably dirty) but I think it is definitely worth much consideration. By the way, our kids do not seem to suffer from any health complaints (yet).
Brian, that is a brilliant site, with all these hiking trails and biking trails. I have been looking for tips on where to go, so this gives me a lot to start exploring! Thanks!
Just for anyone who might be interested in this thread:
our daughter has recently started at MyGym in the Suning Plaza mall. It is a kind of playfull ‘toddler gym’ not really focused at gymnastics as a sport but more at overall motoric skills development and play. She is having a good time there, for the moment it is enough. http://www.mygymchina.com
At MyGym, they were very kind to also enquire for me for a real gymnastics club for children, and she gave me the following:
Chengdu Youth Amateur Sports School, Caotang East Road, Qingyang (close to Sichuan Museum and the Art&Curio market), tel. 028-87319631.
I have visited the place but did not yet see a lesson or talk to a trainer, but perhaps will do so after the summer if my daughter stays interested.
I noticed that the government has now also added the 2.5 pm measurements, bringing their levels at par with the US consulate measurements.
Yesterday and today were so bad that I could feel my eyes pricking while bicycling.
We’re using totobobo masks on a daily basis. Yesterday I changed the filter and today, after about 1 hour of cycling in total, it is completely grey already…. We actually do not get a lot of ‘looks’, many people are wearing face covers anyway already.
The Chengdu government should not only be serious about combatting pollution (where is all this coming from?), but also about promoting taking measures at home, at work and in schools. If they want to attract more business to this nice city, they will have to show that they take action. So, have all schools equipped with air purifiers, encourage large foreign investors to sponsor that and equip their own workplaces too, and help local businesses to do the same. I’m sure that the government could strike a nice deal with one of the better producers of these machines, providing them for a good price to its citizens. The same goes for providing cleaner systems for heating homes around Chengdu (and dump the coal and oil heaters), enforcing factories and car owners to have filters on their exhausts, etc.
It is not really fair to blamy only Chinese for doing this. I personally know at least five well-to-do Egyptians and Syrians who flew to the states for the single purpose of giving their child US citizenship. Education is not the only driver; having a US (or other western) passport opens many other doors all over the world, compared to a Syrian one.
Etonhouse takes kids from about 2 years, and next year they will start with a class from 18 months. They don’t have to be potty trained. There is a chinese division and international division.
There is a large number of local kindergartens ranging from very expensive to reasonable, but not all will take foreign kids and many have long waiting lists. You could try to have your real estate office or relocation company inquire by phone about the situation near your future area of living.
If you are not looking for a pre-school but rather for nice activities and occasions to meet other small kids (and parents :-)), MusicBox is a good option, as well as Gymboree and MyGym (both in Suning Plaza mall). There is also a variety of baby playgroups at private homes. A parent or caretaker has to be present in all these options, however.
Hi, in my opinion it is not really difficult, but it does take a lot of energy and time. So, be committed. Once you are here, if possible, take a daily private class (if only 1 hour) at least for the first few months, to keep the rythm. In class, focus on those topics that are of interest to you. In your daily life, note down things you would have wanted to say but couldn’t and ask about it in class. Put the words from your class and any other words you run into in a system to memorize them (I use Trainchinese flashcards but there are loads of similar systems), in this way you are forced to learn and relearn the vocabulary that is useful for you. Use the lessons to learn about grammar rules, idiomatic expressions and to gain fluency. Most importantly, do not be afraid to speak, even if you only speak very little. In my experience, people here are very patient and friendly and do their best to find out what you’re trying to say.
Online in preparation, you could start with Rosetta Stone, I am doing it now and find it really useful. But that, too, requires a daily commitment. Good luck and have fun in Chengdu!
Hi Kristen,
Welcome to Chengdu! We arrived in August and like it very much. Our daughters are 2 and 3.5. They are now attending Etonhouse international preschool and we’re very happy with it. If you would like to talk more about it PM me!
Kim
