Sup, I'm studying abroad abroad right a tad bit east of you in Japan. Study abroad is awesome (so long as you make it so) and I advise anyone to give it a shot.
I almost forgot about the weird picture taking. I know somewhere in Beijing a young couple have a photo of themselves and me in between them looking confused.
[QUOTE=FuDy;43064480]that's awesome, chinese sound like nice people.[/QUOTE]
They are but the government is terrible. There are tons of human rights issues but they don't come up in day to day life here.
[QUOTE=chongvon91;43064504]GET OUT OF MY HOMELAND STUPID YANKEE[/QUOTE]
:'(
[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;43064515]Drinks in Beijing clubs and bars at Sanlitun go for less than 30 kuai. Me and my mates used to go to a pub and always get several rounds of Tiger beer every weekend. Clubs sometimes have foreigner specials/days where they discount certain drinks. I'm not sure that's how they run clubs in Hong Kong though.
Also, have you seen a Mojito Man.[/QUOTE]
Nah, HK clubs are pretty shit. They're either super-elite for rich businessmen, or super-cheap for students. Since clubs are too expensive for us most of the time standard procedure is to get fucked up at 7-11 and stumble into the nearest bar, hoping to maybe see a single girl amidst the hordes of mainlander tourists that can't dance.
Also I've never seen a Mojito Man but they sound like a blast
[QUOTE=Mr. Bleak;43065071]How long have you been learning Chinese?
I always thought it'd be really neat to go somewhere to live for a few months and learn their language, and I feel like China would definitely be beneficial.[/QUOTE]
About a year and a half of on-and-off self study. Chinese is beneficial to know esp. if you're doing something business related but otherwise it's more of a generic resumé booster.
[QUOTE=Brandy92;43065579]Google Tiananmen Square repeatedly.[/QUOTE]
It's not blocked. In Beijing it's listed on guides as being famous for being "the largest public square in China" or something bullshit like that.
[QUOTE=raalph;43065637]how's the internet here? are they assholes too?[/QUOTE]
Really slow. Think 2004 internet - on the cusp of high speed but not quite there. Facebook, Youtube and blogs are censored. Everyone's an asshole in China but nobody really gives a shit.
[QUOTE=frozensoda;43065662]Are you afraid of getting gutter oil in your food? I would be, it's one of my biggest fears about food.[/QUOTE]
Just finished 4 skewers of beef or some mystery meat and helped my friend eat 5 crabs on a skewer. We're looking forward to having the shits for the next three days
[QUOTE=jason3232;43065675]你識唔識廣東話？ :v:[/QUOTE]
識
Weirdest thing you've seen in China?
[QUOTE=Mabus;43065783]I almost forgot about the weird picture taking. I know somewhere in Beijing a young couple have a photo of themselves and me in between them looking confused.[/QUOTE]
A lot of the time they try to hide it really badly. My friend teaching English a few hours south basically lives in a city of 400000 which is tiny by China standards and she's one of three foreigners in the entire town. On a bus once two Chinese girls tried to take their photos through the cracks in the seats and eventually gave up, gave their phones to my friend, and basically said "take your photos, we want one of you, one of you, and one together". They did it too :v:
[editline]4th December 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Black;43065789]Weirdest thing you've seen in China?[/QUOTE]
Today I saw a bunch of old Chinese guys wearing suits rollerblading on 4-wheel rollerblades. They were all holding on to the person in front of them, hand in hand, and zoomed past me when I was walking home in the historical district.
Do they all actually ride bikes and mopeds everywhere?
What's Religion like there also, I've always wanted to know. Is western religion becoming popular?
[QUOTE=Disseminate;43066352]3个月。我回加拿大1月
我自学广东话5个月但我不能写[/QUOTE]
Righttt, good luck with your studies, enjoy your time in Hong Kong, it's a great place.
[QUOTE=JCDentonUNATCO;43066164]Do they all actually ride bikes and mopeds everywhere?
What's Religion like there also, I've always wanted to know. Is western religion becoming popular?[/QUOTE]
Yeah it's pretty impossible to go anywhere without a cyclist or moped coming at you from behind. It's so common that some stores sell special 'oven mitts' that attach to the handlebars of a moped so your hands don't get cold while riding. It looks like it's out of a comedy, like everyone on a moped experienced rapture and all that was left was their gloves wrapped around the handlebars. I wish I had a photo.
There are also bike terminals - put down a deposit and you can rent a bike from terminals scattered around the city and return it to any other terminal, costs about 1-3元/hour depending on how long it's out.
I went to Shanghai earlier this year, it was such a good trip, also went to Suzhou which was pretty great. You do get stared at a lot for being about a foot taller than everyone else, and if you have tattoos you get a lot of weird looks.
I have the chance to study for a year in shanghai. Since my parents are chinese and ive been there before, its back to da hood for me.
One thing Im wondering: How is the dating in china?
Good photography opportunities also
one of my favourites while out there (in Suzhou)
[IMG]http://31.media.tumblr.com/fd8fe4c83f86c5c628adb1c50a15d5c3/tumblr_mkqhe4riQg1s6oxzco1_500.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE=D3TBS;43066692]I have the chance to study for a year in shanghai. Since my parents are chinese and ive been there before, its back to da hood for me.
One thing Im wondering: How is the dating in china?[/QUOTE]
I don't know about mainland but people are hella materialistic in HK.
In the mainland I'm pretty sure people are looking for marriage, not dating but I haven't been here long enough to tell.
My friend from the UK works in a restaurant/bar in HK called Brickhouse, meant to be nice. Might be worth checking out if its near you and you're looking for something to eat/want a drink
That being said if you're rich you'll love it. I know a Swiss exchange student in HK who's dad owns a bank or something. He got an HK girlfriend in about three days.
[quote]I'm studying abroad in Hong Kong.[/quote]
How is she?
I really miss Hong Kong. What's your background as a foreigner? My family is of Hong Kong heritage, however they are more contemporary in respect to cultural practices than I would ever consider "traditional".
With no intention to offend nor disrespect anyone, I'd like to note the significant difference of Hong Kong culture as compared to the culture that exist in mainland China. It goes to the extent that even my family refers to themselves as "Hong Kong-nese" instead. We tend to call the Chinese people "main land chinese" as a result of the differentiation in culture. The stereotypical Chinese, as portrayed in north american media, is generally that of the representation of Chinese culture residing in the main land. Such ideologies about Chinese people don't tend to apply well to Hong Kong. For example: I noticed this when people asked about pollution in the air in China; however it isn't the case in Hong Kong.
With that being said, whatever experience with Chinese culture you gain from your time in Hong Kong might not fair so well if you went to Beijing. Cultural differences in the people's mannerism do exist, however I do find that Caucasian individuals do not perceive these differences as well as they should (from my own experience that is). The largest difference is one's interaction between someone in Hong Kong and main land Chinese... Especially when it comes to dating, the women in Hong Kong are all too greatly influenced by British culture.
[QUOTE=Disseminate;43067501]That being said if you're rich you'll love it. I know a Swiss exchange student in HK who's dad owns a bank or something. He got an HK girlfriend in about three days.[/QUOTE]
Sounds about right.
Please excuse my English. It is technically my second language. I don't mean to offend anyone but I'd just like to bring to light the existence of a cultural difference between Hong Kong and China. If you'd like to experience "true" Chinese culture, that is, culture you'd be expecting as it is represented in mass media, Hong Kong isn't the place to go for it is simply too different from main land Chinese. For example: I remember a friend who said: "Oh yeah people in China litter all the time" and tossed away the seed of his peach out the car window in Hong Kong while we were driving. We told him that such behaviour is unacceptable in Hong Kong and that things here run differently.
I've always wanted to travel to china, what language do you recommend me learning and how do you recommend learning it?
[QUOTE=kevaughan;43067662]I really miss Hong Kong. What's your background as a foreigner? My family is of Hong Kong heritage, however they are more contemporary in respect to cultural practices than I would ever consider "traditional". [/QUOTE]
I'm a white Canadian of Scottish descent
[editline]4th December 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=JimmyBowen;43067879]I've always wanted to travel to china, what language do you recommend me learning and how do you recommend learning it?[/QUOTE]
Learn Mandarin.
Use QQ Messenger to practice with native speakers. Memrise for vocabulary. Grammar will come naturally if you practice with natives. Get a $10 phrasebook and use the phrases on QQ or if you're feeling brave, in real life. Obligatory: [url]http://www.fluentin3months.com/chinese/[/url]
Is it expensive?
[QUOTE=JCDentonUNATCO;43066164]Do they all actually ride bikes and mopeds everywhere?
What's Religion like there also, I've always wanted to know. Is western religion becoming popular?[/QUOTE]
If I remember correctly Feng Shui and Buddhism as well as several over smaller religions are slowly becoming less common as many are switching to Christianity. There was a report about it on the BBC not too long ago.
Ching chong ching chong chong?
Mao mao?
[QUOTE=kevaughan;43067662] For example: I remember a friend who said: "Oh yeah people in China litter all the time" and tossed away the seed of his peach out the car window in Hong Kong while we were driving. We told him that such behaviour is unacceptable in Hong Kong and that things here run differently.[/QUOTE]
how the fuck is that littering? is a tree littering when it drops fruit that don't get eaten?
[QUOTE=Simples;43068743]Is it expensive?[/QUOTE]
Nah. People get paid slave wage here but the thing is housing and food costs are adjusted for that.
[editline]4th December 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=proch;43072159]Ching chong ching chong chong?
Mao mao?[/QUOTE]
In the mainland it's more like "shurr shurr shing gwon shurr kuh yee"
So yes
I'm hoping to spend my next year of studies in Hong Kong, how is it and any general advice?
I know a guy from China who studies at my uni in the UK (Huddersfield), it's so hilarious to take him to Chinese food places and watch him criticise the food for not being anything like chinese food.
[QUOTE=spartan-9081;43073959]I'm hoping to spend my next year of studies in Hong Kong, how is it and any general advice?[/QUOTE]
If you're studying anything math based, do not go to Hong Kong, period. You will fail. Everyone I know who is/was in a STEM program is failing, myself included. My home university adds 15% to grades returning because of how difficult it is.
Learn Cantonese as much as you can before leaving. You can survive on just English, sure, but you're missing out by not knowing Canto. I've saved hundreds of dollars in cabs for example by knowing how to properly say where I'm going.
Travel a lot. I have 24 days left on exchange and regret not getting a chance to go to southeast Asia. Also, go to Korea. One of the best weeks on exchange for me.
Take a Chinese language course, Canto or Mando. I took Mando and it was one of the most fun classes in my university career so far.
It may seem hot 24/7 but it gets cold during winter. Bring a coat. The first weeks are the sweatiest but it gets nice fast.
Don't bother joining the clubs. They only speak Cantonese despite universities being English-language.
Feel free to add me on steam if you have any questions
[editline]5th December 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Coffee;43074039]I know a guy from China who studies at my uni in the UK (Huddersfield), it's so hilarious to take him to Chinese food places and watch him criticise the food for not being anything like chinese food.[/QUOTE]
I'm probably going to do this as a result of travelling so much :v:
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