Living in China
Money
Food
Shopping
Transportation
Culture Shock
Hainan Province
Tourists often consider
Hainan Island, the southernmost province in China, to be "China's Hawaii." With a nearly year-round tropical climate,
Hainan offers a relaxing haven for travelers from all over China and the world.
Nestled in the South China Sea below Hong Kong and across the straight from
Vietnam, Hainan Island grows a large percentage of China's tropical fruits and
teas and exports them throughout the nation. Hainan has well-earned the name
"Coconut Island" and is a perfect destination for both teaching English and
studying Chinese.
Money
The exchange rate from US dollars to Chinese RMB (also called "Yuan") changes from day to day. Recently, rates have stayed around US$1 to every 7.8 RMB.
Perceptions of the cost of living vary, but in reality, the cost of living in China is much lower than that of the US. According to Chinese policy, minimum wage must be 500 RMB (US$64.10) per month.
Bargaining for taxis and in outside markets for food and products is a necessity-especially for foreigners. It may take some time to learn how to bargain effectively, but if you don't learn, you might find Chinese prices comparable to your own home country's-and that's not the case for most products.
You will find ATMs in
every city throughout the island. Most home banks will charge anywhere from
US$1 to $3 for the international transaction. You may get an account at a Chinese
national bank, free of charge, if you prefer. Doing so makes for simpler
transactions.
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Food
As a Chinese city, Haikou City has endless supplies of Chinese food-from local cuisines to the popular Hunan, Sichuan and Beijing styles of food. But don't let this overload scare you as a newcomer.
You can find three
popular Western chains in Haikou City: McDonald's, Pizza Hut and more KFC's
than you could possibly imagine. There are also restaurants such as SPR Coffee,
Coffee Time Restaurant and many five-star hotels with Western menus.
Many people say that in
China it's cheaper to eat out every meal than to cook at home. Depending on
where you decide to eat, this may be true. You'll find hundreds of street
restaurants throughout the city with excellent food and insanely cheap prices,
though it may take you some time to convince yourself they're ok for
foreigners. If you are not into
buying your products from family-owned street stores, cities in Hainan offer
many grocery and department-type stores. Presently, Haikou City's
best stores are the French-owned Carre-Four and the One Pro grocery store. On deck for Haikou
City is Wal-Mart from the US. Because you cannot
bargain here, these stores are more expensive than the family-owned stores, but
offer the luxury of clean, authentic and non-expired name brand products. For these name brand
products, you be paying the regular, name brand prices, because most are
imports from the mainland. A few stores around the
city will even sell internationally imported goods, but finding such goods is
often a hit and miss venture. Unless you plan to stay
in China indefinitely, you will not get a driver's license. Therefore you must
count on other forms of transportation to get around the city. Taxis in Haikou city have
a base charge of 10 RMB (Approx.US$1.25) per trip. All buses charge from 1-2
RMB Motorcycles are based on
distance, charging as low as 1 RMB. Buses and the taxi base
charge are the only fixed rates in in-town travel. It is wise to bargain for
lower prices on motorcycles and taxis. If you know the Chinese numbers, this is
easy to do. The best way to save
money on travel is to buy a bicycle. You will be surprised at how much time you
save (and calories you lose) by riding a bike instead of taking a bus. Doing so
also proves advantageous during the summer months when buses are packed and
deodorant is non-existent. No matter
who you are or where you're coming from, when you uproot yourself and move to a
new society and culture, you will experience some form of culture shock.
Street markets are plenteous and sell anything from fresh fruits and vegetables
to fresh fish and meat. It's best to bargain for these foods as well, and whole
meals can cost as low as US$1.50.
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Shopping
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Transportation
Every city has taxis,
motorcycle taxis, buses and different variations of the three on every corner
to get you from one place the next. Prices vary, but all are reasonable.
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Culture Shock
The best thing to remember is that culture shock hits in waves.
* For about the first month, you'll be surprised by the new sights and smells, and
this initial excitement will blind you to most things. When the excitement
wears off, look out.* After about three months, you'll get a good feel for
how things (schools, society, etc.) really work in the new country, and you won't
like it.
* After six months, the people will
start to annoy you more than anything, and you'll want to get away.
* These waves can hit people at different times and with varying ferocity. Be
aware that one wave will be your own Tsunami,
so grab your surfboard and get ready for the ride.
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