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These things are great! I want one.
Al, I think you’re talking about a Segway, right? They use those things to punish police officers back in the states, they can be fun but if I remember pretty expensive.
Props on getting started so early! A lot of the schools work on a semester-based system, and so the big hiring times are November-December and April-June. That’s not to say that you can’t get hired outside of those times, it’s just more difficult and puts you on a weird schedule if you want to switch jobs after your contract is up.
I was in pretty much the exact same situation as you about a year ago, nothing really materialized despite starting in August due to the condition of internet hiring Charlie mentioned. I ended up finding a way to make a little extra where I was living at the time, enrolled in the Nationalities University over here for a total of 6400 yuan for the semester, and worked on my Chinese while I looked for a job. It worked out pretty good and I’ll be starting at a school I like come September.
A lot of university students also work part-time to cover the cost of studying/rent, which can be done legally now with the new visa restrictions.
I’ve been out to Xindu once, it’s like your typical suburb but maybe a little more Chinese-feeling (giant apartment complexes instead of cookie-cutter houses). There’s a temple to a famous general and a park that belonged to a Ming or Qing dynasty top-scholar, if you’re into those sorts of things. There are a couple of good restaurants I’ve been told, but they’re all Chinese; as far as I know there isn’t much in there isn’t too much of an international community out that way.
Best way to get into town is the bus that leaves from the N campus of the Sichuan Music Conservatory- it takes a little doing to find but is a straight-shot 45 minute 6 kuai bus ride that drops you right next to Sichuan University.
I’m hoping to go to Leshan on the weekend, but I’ve been doing a little bit of research. As far as I can tell, the cheapest way to get there is to take a train to Mt. Emei and a bus to Leshan, although you can also bus straight from Chengdu North Train Station to Leshan for about ¥50 one-way, if you wanna avoid the hassle. If you go in the morning, be prepared to deal with huge crowds, it’s supposed to get better in the afternoon (also, hotter). There are 2 ways to see the Buddha, taking a ferry that costs about ¥70 and goes right to the toe or entering the park and walking down (costs about ¥90 or ¥50 with a student ID, but you get to see the rest of the park).
Do you speak Chinese? I’m probably going to go buy a ticket sometime later this week, maybe after all the May Day insanity has died down, and I speak enough Chinese to be useful, you’re welcome to tag along.
If you’re looking for classes, Dragon Expeditons is the name I keep hearing. They haven’t got anything about rock climbing on their site (that I could see) but if you call them I’m guessing they’ll have something going on. Honestly, if it’s your first time going climbing, you’d probably get more out of a ropework/canyoneering course, which is like rock climbing except you start at the top of something awesome and lower down.
Whatever you do, don’t go ziplining.
Quote:#caution aftershock# It is reported that because of the remaining thermal energy you’d better stay outside during 7:00pm to 11:00pm today.The aftershocks may visit recently.Predicting earthquakes is really tricky, and really interesting. As it stands, scientists are fairly successful at predicting aftershocks, and China seems to have a fairly strong earthquake monitoring program. That being said, the Chinese Earthquake Administration has stated that the likelihood of a magnitude 7+ aftershock is small, and that this quake does not predict a potential larger earthquake.
Quote:Best thing way to help is to donate blood and money.Another question is where to donate money after Red Cross Society of China’s controversies before?
I’m all for donating blood, but I’m not really familiar with China’s track record. Is it safe and sanitarily handled? I’ve heard a few horror stories about hospitals being insanely unsanitary, reusing needles etc., and definitely don’t want to be a part of that.
There was just a report on CDTV1 about Chengdu Blood Center, lots of people lining up to give blood.
More photos posted on 163. Awe-inspiring and heartbreaking.
Live update of earthquake info here , and also China Daily. Death toll currently 82, 1000’s injured. Earthquake info, and photos on Ya’an Microblog.
Also, a live news feed of CDTV-1 (In Chinese) for anyone without cable/at work/not in CD.
Photos of Lushan, village of population 120 K and very near to the epicenter.
Quote:I remember Heart to Heart were involved in advising volunteers how to prepare Care kitsThe owner of the Bookwork, Peter Goff was very involved in despatching the kits to the affected areas.Perhaps anyone who wants to help can start there, or advise if there are any alternatives or they are thinking of organising an event.
Seconding this. Anyone with any info on what people can do to help, or ideas of how we can use this site to help?
Just found this in a classified ad:
Quote:Earn money. Just 4 hours a day.hi girls. we are one of the leading KTV in chengdu (tongzilin area.) you need to chat and make customers happy. and sometimes drink. if you are not willing to drink then itz fine. just need to participate the party.
working hours- 8pm-12pm
transportaion provided in night.
payment daily basis. 700Rmb per working day. if you work 30days then 20000Rmb per month.
you need to be looking good. All nationalities welcome. prefer white good looking people. also asian good looking
20K is bank, and doesn’t seem that out of line with what the article said. This job is totally China’s version of being a stripper.
This is me.
I’m in level 5, but don’t let that fool you, come by and see how bad my Chinese is for yourself! I have class in room 2012.
Nova Heart- Beautiful Boys EP (Spotify Link)
Her old band is incredible, Nova Heart is her new band. For some reason I can’t find them on Spotify, but they’re called Ziyo (自游) and also Free the Birds, songs here, here, and here.
What are the rules about guns in China? Not that I want one, but can citizens carry guns for any reason at all? The only people I’ve seen with guns so far are cops and military.
The language also sounds really cool, I haven’t really heard anything like it before. The only thing I can say is “Qiu demok”, which I was informed by a monk means hello. All the cowboy-hatted Tibetans seem to get a kick out of this.
Yeah, you can ask the locals for advice too, usually people know a massage place in their neighborhood that they can go to without risking their wife hitting them with a frying pan.
Quote:a massage Chinese or SwedishMaybe Daniel at Kaffestugan could set up a little side-venture? Not that he’d need to these days.
Yeah, I second everything that Onosaka just said. I’ve talked to a few of the guys in your program, they said that getting an apartment is definitely the way to go. The dorms let you get to know some Chinese students a little better, but they’re pretty small, expensive when compared to what you could get in an apartment, privacy is an issue, communal bathroom/kitchen, 等等. The apartments that Onosaka mentioned seem pretty good, I’m not sure what they cost. I get ~80 sqm for 1600 元/mth., 6th floor, which I split with my roommate, and I live literally right next to campus.
Riding a bike is actually the fastest way to travel here, because of the traffic. I rode in a car for ~30km yesterday coming back from outside of Chengdu, we had a friend on a bike who left at the same time we did and actually managed to beat us back. Get a respirator if you do decide to bike, though; they’re pretty easy to find once you get here.
@Kim: This is an awesome idea, I always feel for the migrant workers who have to do that to make a living and I’m used to separating anyways. I’ll have to check out that movie, the way what the West used to call the third world is pulling itself up is fascinating.
@Sara- Portland, yeah! I feel like I can hear my neighbors passive-aggressively clucking at my unsorted garbage.
@Charlie- I had to look up what a 门卫 was, I’ve been calling those guys at my gate a 保安. It’s amazing that they’re provided as part of the package here, especially considering what I’m paying in rent.
@Charlie: Yeah, there’s another one outside the 5th ring road expressway, looks pretty nice but also in the sticks.
@Meowz3r: I’m currently studying Chinese there and rent an apt. outside the West Gate. What classes are you taking?
I just finished reading this too. Sort of a humbling reminder that most of the pollution that has led to global warming was, and continues to be, because of the West. It’s nice to see some Western news outlets starting to abandon the ego-stroking “This is China and here’s why it sucks” approach, because there really is some cool stuff going on over here.
Cool, we usually go later in the evening like 7 or 8, hope to see you in the future.
@Ian: I’d be totally down to check out Yangshuo, if I can coordinate my schedule/afford it. Have you been there before? I don’t know much about it, except that it’s becoming a sort of climbing mecca.
