I've been in Nanning about three weeks now, taught my first full week, and am getting used to life here.
So far it hasn't been a huge change from Daegu. Things such as communication and last minute organisation are as common here as they were in Korea. However, there are a few things I have liked and noticed about the change from Korea to China, and I thought I'd put them down for myself (to see if I still think this way in six months) and friends who are looking to transition west (from Korea).
Anyway, a few things.
English-
Daegu wins this one. It could also be that because I can read Korean well and speak it enough to get by I didn't notice as much, but I do think that people here simply speak way less English than they do in Korea. Even supposedly universal words like smartphone and email are lost here. They also don't seem to understand body language the way Koreans do. You are at a restaurant. You point to two empty beer bottles and put two fingers up in a pace sign, with a smile. Nothing. Add a drinking motion. Nothing. Repeat with waving gesture towards table. Nothing. Get up and walk towards fridge to show them. Starts to clue in. Take beer from fridge and gesture to bill. Possibility of comprehension is at about 50%. Also, don't expect menu's in anything but Chinese, despite the huge Vietnamese population here, and the few thousand westerners.
Job-
Nanning. My job is more work in some ways (I am putting together a class on a Sunday afternoon), but it is way more rewarding. As to professional development, I've learned more in a month here than I did in my last two years in Daegu. Not that Moonkkang was anything but a great place to work, but they had a strict idea of what they wanted from us. Moonkkang was the greatest backpacker job ever, but for someone trying to build a career it was dead end. Guangxi Uni was a great move in that respect.
Food and Drink-
Sorry Nanning, Daegu wins this one handily. The food here is actually a lot like what westerners call Chinese food, as most "Chinese" food in the west is actually Hong Kong food. Hong Kong is in East Guang, I am in west Guang. The problem with Woon Lee Inn Chinese takeout is you can't eat it every day. There are a few other options (an amazing Korean place among them), but they are limited. There is a BBQ street near the university which I do really enjoy, but it is no Anjirang. I do find myself cooking more at home. I will say too that options for fruit are amazing here. A benefit of living in the tropics. Alcohol is limited to Chinese beer, a new fruity wines, and baiju, which redefines rotgut. 50% and tastes like paint thinner. I miss soju........ Coffee culture in both countries sucked, but there is always Starbucks ........
Climate-
I'll give this to Nanning. Daegu, much though I loved it, was either too hot or too cold. May and October were usually nice, but besides those you either bundled up like an eskimo or else wore as little a was socially acceptable. Nanning is tropical, with a mild winter (say 8-16 degrees). But for nine months it is low 30's and moderately humid. Some people might hate that, but I find consistent warmth easy to adjust to, rather than Daegu which lurched from -5 and howling wind from Siberia to plus 40 and humidity in the 70's.
Cost of Living and Salary-
Nanning with caveats. I make less here, but my cost of living is also way less. I can live comfortably here, going out one night a week, and spend maybe $450 USD/$600CAD (say 500,000 won). In Daegu I managed to live one month on 600,000 won (say $550 USD/$720CAD) during my grad school days, but I ate many an instant noodle dinner and didn't go out once. Wouldn't do it again. I'd budget $900-1000/m for Daegu (1-1.2 mil KRW), and that assumes that you don't hop on a train that month. Because I had a great salary at Moonkkang I was probably able to save more than I would here (I used all my saving to pay for my MA and CELTA, but I was able to do it up front on my MK salary, not sure about doing that here). However, a starting hagwon salary in Daegu would have me further behind than my salary here does by a fair margin. Then I add how the experience here massively increases my earnings potential down the line and Nanning wins.
The People-
Not picking a winner here, but a few things I've noticed. The expat scene here is decidedly limited compared to Daegu. There is basically one western run bar/restaurant. It is cool, but god help me if I end up there every weekend. I have also been less than successful in finding where the Vietnamese, Filipino, and Korean communities that are here. That means most of what I do here is Chinese. Not that that is bad at all, but it is more limited. There are also less expats, though no US Army, which is a definite plus. That being said, I've met a much larger percentage of expats here that I really like, so perhaps this is a case of quality over quantity? I do like the Nanning locals I have met so far as well. I also had (have) many Korean friends in Daegu, and I certainly liked the vast majority of Koreans who I got to know. However. Daegu (well Korea really) had the bbali bbali (fast fast) culture. It made for amazing customer service, but having everything turned up to 11 all the time gets exhausting. Nanning people are much more relaxed. As I said elsewhere, it is more southeast Asia than China in some ways.
Transportation-
For now Daegu wins easily, though there are two subway lines that are set to be completed before the new year here in Nanning, so perhaps that will change once the subway is built.
Apartments-
Sorry Daegu shoeboxes, Nanning wins. In Daegu if you have two rooms you are basically living it up. Both of my MK apartments were very nice, and certainly newer than the one in Nanning, but they were both small. My new apartment has four rooms, including an office that could double as a guest room very easily. Downside is that it is older, and in this climate mold is an issue. But I do like my patio and view of the lotus pond and palm trees I get from it.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Landed in Nanning
After a wonderful month living in Manila I have successfully made it to my new job in Nanning, Guangxi, China.
While in Manila we managed to get lots of paperwork done, visit all of Yen's family who live there, and relax.
Malate, Manila
Manila skyline
on a clear day
I have been hired by a Canadian run college at Guangxi University, the top university in Guangxi province. I mostly teach first year Chinese students who are hoping to transfer either to the main University or else to a university abroad. For anyone in Canada I am basically working full time at the equivalent of VCC.
My coworkers are, for the most part, amazing and very experienced. It is a 180 from the cram school environment I am used to. I've learned more practically in a week here than I did in years there. Barring any unforeseen problems that we encounter I could see myself here for a couple of years anyway. That being said, most of what I have done so far has been orientation, lesson planning, and meetings. I've set up my Bank of China account and managed to get internet etc. All in all good progress for the first 10 days.
Now we start mid-autumn festival (Chuseok for anyone in Korea) and then full time starts on Monday. I'm actually ready to just start, and feel more motivated than I have in years. Early days, but so far coming here was a good move.
The campus itself is also beautiful.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Heading Out
It is my last day here in Korea. Bags are packed, mail sent, tickets all bought. Now just waiting til I go and get the bus. I spent last night at Anjirang, getting my fill of Daegu makchang and gopchang, a "delicacy" that I am unlikely to find anywhere else.
It has been almost seven years here in Daegu, far longer than I ever thought I'd live here, but it was a good seven years. Did my MA, met Yen, got to experience an amazing place for an extended period of time (I should write a book about it :P)
However, it is time to move on.
Truthfully, I am ready to move on. Sitting here I am not especially nostalgic or sad or excited to leave, I just feel very ready to hop on that plane to Manila. I do think that at some point soon I will be back here. We have too many friends here to stay away forever. But for now it is off to Manila and then China, where I will be working for a Canadian company attached to Guangxi University.
I'll have a quick chat with Paul on skype and then head to the bus terminal. Fitting as he was the first friend I made here in Korea, he should be the last that I talk too.
It has been almost seven years here in Daegu, far longer than I ever thought I'd live here, but it was a good seven years. Did my MA, met Yen, got to experience an amazing place for an extended period of time (I should write a book about it :P)
However, it is time to move on.
Truthfully, I am ready to move on. Sitting here I am not especially nostalgic or sad or excited to leave, I just feel very ready to hop on that plane to Manila. I do think that at some point soon I will be back here. We have too many friends here to stay away forever. But for now it is off to Manila and then China, where I will be working for a Canadian company attached to Guangxi University.
I'll have a quick chat with Paul on skype and then head to the bus terminal. Fitting as he was the first friend I made here in Korea, he should be the last that I talk too.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
2015
I am sitting around in Saigon trying to sum up 2015. It was one hell of a year.
I spent nine months working at Moonkkang and doing my MA, which I finally finished and graduated with merit in September. I was very happy to be done with it but also very happy that I did it. It was a neat experience.
(I started this in Jan, edited it, and finished it in July)
2015 was a solid year, though 2016 is the year where I will finally say goodbye to my life in Daegu, and begin working for a Canadian company, which is sending me to China. Yen and I will be back together after long periods of time apart. I am very ready for that.
As to 2015. It was certainly not as good as 2014 (probably my best year in Daegu). I really felt the need to leave Daegu, and get a job that had some prospect of advancement and personal fulfillment. School dominated my time and finances. That being said, it was a very successful year. I graduated with merit (like a B+ I guess? Top 25%) and got my CELTA teachers license (I really should have done that the other way around, but oh well). The MA experience was one of the best things I have ever done, meeting Jon along the way and learning a lot, and later meeting Tobe and getting Will in to it. It has provided and strengthened friendships, and given me many opportunities for professional development. My CELTA experience was definitely more mixed, but looking back six months later it was certainly worth it. I use a lot of what I learned there every day, and more than a few of their methods work very well. It is absolutely worth doing. I also met more than a few amazing people while doing it. That being said, when I think about how many people consider the CELTA to be the only real course of value, the sole determiner of success and professional development (or even a major one), and doing it as a major accomplishment, I do cringe.
Yen and I got to travel up Vietnam, which was a lot of fun for both of us. I also got to see Cebu city, where I talk frequently about buying property and working. I can't see myself affording Qualicum in BC anytime soon, so perhaps Qualicum in SE Asia will do. I also snuck off to Tokyo with Bobby, which was a lot of fun. What an amazing city Tokyo is.
It is also the year I said goodbye to Korea. These few months here have been almost awkward. You know that feeling when you say goodbye to someone you won't see again for a while, and then you realize you are waiting at the same place or going the same way. It is almost awkward. That is how my time here sometimes feels. 2015 was when I said goodbye to the city that has been my home for over six years.
I spent nine months working at Moonkkang and doing my MA, which I finally finished and graduated with merit in September. I was very happy to be done with it but also very happy that I did it. It was a neat experience.
(I started this in Jan, edited it, and finished it in July)
2015 was a solid year, though 2016 is the year where I will finally say goodbye to my life in Daegu, and begin working for a Canadian company, which is sending me to China. Yen and I will be back together after long periods of time apart. I am very ready for that.
As to 2015. It was certainly not as good as 2014 (probably my best year in Daegu). I really felt the need to leave Daegu, and get a job that had some prospect of advancement and personal fulfillment. School dominated my time and finances. That being said, it was a very successful year. I graduated with merit (like a B+ I guess? Top 25%) and got my CELTA teachers license (I really should have done that the other way around, but oh well). The MA experience was one of the best things I have ever done, meeting Jon along the way and learning a lot, and later meeting Tobe and getting Will in to it. It has provided and strengthened friendships, and given me many opportunities for professional development. My CELTA experience was definitely more mixed, but looking back six months later it was certainly worth it. I use a lot of what I learned there every day, and more than a few of their methods work very well. It is absolutely worth doing. I also met more than a few amazing people while doing it. That being said, when I think about how many people consider the CELTA to be the only real course of value, the sole determiner of success and professional development (or even a major one), and doing it as a major accomplishment, I do cringe.
Yen and I got to travel up Vietnam, which was a lot of fun for both of us. I also got to see Cebu city, where I talk frequently about buying property and working. I can't see myself affording Qualicum in BC anytime soon, so perhaps Qualicum in SE Asia will do. I also snuck off to Tokyo with Bobby, which was a lot of fun. What an amazing city Tokyo is.
It is also the year I said goodbye to Korea. These few months here have been almost awkward. You know that feeling when you say goodbye to someone you won't see again for a while, and then you realize you are waiting at the same place or going the same way. It is almost awkward. That is how my time here sometimes feels. 2015 was when I said goodbye to the city that has been my home for over six years.
New Job, New Country
I said last October that I was done as a cram school teacher in Korea. Well, it turned out to be 4 working months premature, but that is about it.
I've been offered a job with SCIC, a Canadian company that teaches University courses to students heading to English programmes in China or else transferring to the US or Canada. That means that Yen and I will be moving to Nanning in September. I have had mixed feelings about moving to China. Pollution, internet censorship, and lifestyle changes are all negatives. That being said, Nanning appears to be a beautiful city in the south of the country, far less polluted than Beijing, and warm. It is also a new city, and a new country. Not that I don't love Daegu, but really after six years there isn't much left to see or do here.
The job itself also seems to be good, and a great resume builder. As I've said before, I am at the very top of a small hill. I want to get up a mountain, the top of which is my own company hopefully, or a solid job at a university in Canada. However, I need to climb down off this hill to start up the mountain. This job is the bottom of that mountain. My pay will actually be less, but so will my cost of living. I will also have opportunities to pick up extra work and get valuable job skills. It is also a new country, and I am excited for that.
I arrive on Sept. 2nd. My plan is to explore the area with Yen a bit, but mostly work and save between now and next summer. I'm sure I'll have more to say after I am there. First though it is my last couple of weekends in Korea, and then month in Manila spent mostly doing paperwork.
I've been offered a job with SCIC, a Canadian company that teaches University courses to students heading to English programmes in China or else transferring to the US or Canada. That means that Yen and I will be moving to Nanning in September. I have had mixed feelings about moving to China. Pollution, internet censorship, and lifestyle changes are all negatives. That being said, Nanning appears to be a beautiful city in the south of the country, far less polluted than Beijing, and warm. It is also a new city, and a new country. Not that I don't love Daegu, but really after six years there isn't much left to see or do here.
The job itself also seems to be good, and a great resume builder. As I've said before, I am at the very top of a small hill. I want to get up a mountain, the top of which is my own company hopefully, or a solid job at a university in Canada. However, I need to climb down off this hill to start up the mountain. This job is the bottom of that mountain. My pay will actually be less, but so will my cost of living. I will also have opportunities to pick up extra work and get valuable job skills. It is also a new country, and I am excited for that.
I arrive on Sept. 2nd. My plan is to explore the area with Yen a bit, but mostly work and save between now and next summer. I'm sure I'll have more to say after I am there. First though it is my last couple of weekends in Korea, and then month in Manila spent mostly doing paperwork.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Starting Up Again
I haven't been on here since I left Vietnam almost 6 months ago, mostly because there hasn't been a lot to write about. I was back in Vancouver for a full two months, which was great. I managed to see my entire family and most of my friends. I got to see my cousin Rachael before she left for Guelph, see most of my other cousins, aunts and uncles. I also caught up with friends. Chris came up from San Francisco, which was great too. Saw lots of Geoff and Elliott. Good times.
I am back in Daegu now until my new job starts in late August. I have been hired by a Canadian company to teach Uni transfer courses to Chinese students who are transferring to ESL programmes in China or transferring to schools abroad. I am looking forward to that. I said goodbye to Daegu, and Korea, last October, being here now I get that awkward feeling when you say goodbye to someone, and then find out you are both walking the same way and have to make awkward small talk. That is kinda where I am. Ready for next job (a real job) and ready to start next phase of my life.
Before that I have a few weeks in the Philippines.
I am back in Daegu now until my new job starts in late August. I have been hired by a Canadian company to teach Uni transfer courses to Chinese students who are transferring to ESL programmes in China or transferring to schools abroad. I am looking forward to that. I said goodbye to Daegu, and Korea, last October, being here now I get that awkward feeling when you say goodbye to someone, and then find out you are both walking the same way and have to make awkward small talk. That is kinda where I am. Ready for next job (a real job) and ready to start next phase of my life.
Before that I have a few weeks in the Philippines.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
So Long Vietnam
It is my last morning in Nam, and I am basically killing time while Yen gets ready. We will soon head out to the airport before heading to manila for three days and then home.
It has been a fairly amazing 9 weeks in Vietnam. The Celta, travelling, meeting some of my best friends for New Years. That being said, I am ready to head out. As usual, I am a bit impatient for what will happen next, rather than stopping to enjoy what I am doing. I am worried about Yen and I being separated for 8-10 weeks again (that is getting very old) but also very excited to get home. I am worried about where I will be working come March 1st. I know I will have a job, the question is where, and will it be the step up I want it to be.
I have enjoyed Nam immensely, but I don't think that I would want to live here, especially in Saigon. I have come to accept that I may have missed the boat on living in SE Asia. At 33 it is fun but also stressful. My goals have also changed. I want to save cash and begin to build for the future. I have crunched lots of debt and had an amazing trip, but it is time to start building a real savings account. That being said, if the right uni job came along... well who knows?
I am also kind of over extended travelling. The best part of this trip for me was when we rented an apartment in Hanoi for a week and just relaxed. I enjoyed Danang as a location more, but moving from place to place every three days gets very old. I like the idea of going to a tropical destination or a cool city to relax for a week. No more hotel to hotel. I think those will be my future vacations.
But Nam itself was an amazing adventure, and one that I am glad I was able to do. But I am happy to be heading home, and happy to start the adult phase of my life.
It has been a fairly amazing 9 weeks in Vietnam. The Celta, travelling, meeting some of my best friends for New Years. That being said, I am ready to head out. As usual, I am a bit impatient for what will happen next, rather than stopping to enjoy what I am doing. I am worried about Yen and I being separated for 8-10 weeks again (that is getting very old) but also very excited to get home. I am worried about where I will be working come March 1st. I know I will have a job, the question is where, and will it be the step up I want it to be.
I have enjoyed Nam immensely, but I don't think that I would want to live here, especially in Saigon. I have come to accept that I may have missed the boat on living in SE Asia. At 33 it is fun but also stressful. My goals have also changed. I want to save cash and begin to build for the future. I have crunched lots of debt and had an amazing trip, but it is time to start building a real savings account. That being said, if the right uni job came along... well who knows?
I am also kind of over extended travelling. The best part of this trip for me was when we rented an apartment in Hanoi for a week and just relaxed. I enjoyed Danang as a location more, but moving from place to place every three days gets very old. I like the idea of going to a tropical destination or a cool city to relax for a week. No more hotel to hotel. I think those will be my future vacations.
But Nam itself was an amazing adventure, and one that I am glad I was able to do. But I am happy to be heading home, and happy to start the adult phase of my life.
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