moving to China: FAQ.

Since I've told people I'm moving to China, there have been a lot of questions so I figured I would try to answer some here:

1. Where are you going exactly?

I'll be living and working in Zhuhai.

2. When are you leaving? How long will you be gone?

I've been told my flight date is August 20th, as long as my visa comes in time. I'll be gone until July 2013. If I like it, I can go back for another year, and another, and so on.

3. Will you come home to visit? 

Not until July. Flights are expensive and I'll want to use my time off to travel.

4. Will you be able to blog, Facebook, tweet, etc.? 

I think so. It might take some time to figure out, and posts might be more sporadic, but I'm hoping I'll be able to find a way. I've fallen in love with social media and although it can be a tumultuous relationship, I'd miss it too much to give it up for a year.

5. Did you need vaccinations?

Yes. I visited VON and spoke to a nurse. She looked at my vaccination record, we talked about where I would be going, what I'd be doing, and she gave me a packet of information, including recommended vaccinations.

6. Are you nervous?

Not really (which I'm kind of surprised about), but ask me closer to the date :) I've been more stressed about the practical side of things: paperwork, finances, how and what to pack, etc.

A friend recently asked me this and I told her: "I read We Need to Talk About Kevin a while back and when I begin to get nervous about moving to China, this excerpt comes to mind":

"Countries all have different food, but they all have food... Countries all have different weather, but they all have weather of some sort, architecture of some sort, a disposition toward burping at the table that regards it as flattering or rude."

- Lionel Shriver, We Need to Talk About Kevin

7. How much are you getting paid? 

While I won't go into specifics, I will say that I'm being paid a salary, and my visa, flight there and back, and my accommodations are covered. I had to buy insurance, but that will be reimbursed.

8. Are you teaching English? 

I'm teaching kindergarten. My students won't know English at first, so I'll be responsible for teaching them the New Brunswick kindergarten curriculum as well as English. 

9. Are you going alone or with people you know?

A few people I graduated with will also be teaching in China, but they'll be at least a few hours away from me. I'll be living and teaching with one other Canadian teacher but I haven't met her yet. 

10. Do you know Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, etc)?

I don't, but I'm hoping I'll learn some while I'm there.

11. Will you eat Chinese food? (This question is usually accompanied by a funny face.)

Yes. I've been told it's cheaper and I'm going with the attitude that I'll try anything once.

12. How long is the flight?

I've been told the flight from Toronto to Hong Kong is approximately 15 hours. I'll be flying Fredericton > Toronto and then Toronto > Hong Kong.

13. How did you find out about this?

One of my best friend's sister taught in China last year. Then, employees from Atlantic Education International came to STU and did a presentation. It sounded legit and I'm really excited about it!

14. You couldn't get a teaching job here, huh? (This question is usually accompanied by a look of pity.)

I didn't even try. Not because I thought it was pointless, but because I wanted to do something different.

15. Have you done a lot of traveling?

I've been to New York, Toronto, Montréal, and Vermont. Other than that, no. I've never even been on a plane! Talk about an adventure, eh?

If you have any more questions (or advice!) e-mail me or leave it in the comments. I'll do my best to respond!