China Travel Guide » Living http://www.chinalogue.com One Stop Travel Guide to China Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:05:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 This has been an incredibly interesting time that I have spent in China. http://www.chinalogue.com/economy/this-has-been-an-incredibly-interesting-time-that-i-have-spent-in-china.html http://www.chinalogue.com/economy/this-has-been-an-incredibly-interesting-time-that-i-have-spent-in-china.html#comments Fri, 01 Jun 2007 15:49:32 +0000 Adam http://www.chinalogue.com/economy/this-has-been-an-incredibly-interesting-time-that-i-have-spent-in-china.html I came back here three months ago, and in that short time I have faced just about every challenge a person to a new country can face. But, I am a much stronger man because of it. I have dealt with various housing and business issues, a broken computer, registration, passport extensions, teaching, losing a cell phone in the midst of yet another housing search, etc.

The biggest benefit from all of this is that intangible thing called experience. There is a reason why job recruiters have specific requirements regarding experience for most positions. Theoretically, a really smart person could learn as much in a year as an average person could learn in five, but in the end, the five years of certain challenges and tribulations come with them great value.

The other great benefit have been the friends that I have been able to develop very solid relationships with in a very short time; My closest friends include a Yale MBA, Oxford grad from Nigeria, several local Chinese, VP of Anheuser-Busch, etc. etc. – but, these are just the ones to brag about titles, there are several others that are just as interesting and generous – friends from Malta, Korea, China, Nigeria, etc. Dealing with one thing after another has made me rely on others a fair amount and there is a special intimacy that comes with facing challenges together and a certain gratitude that goes with the genuine help and care of others.

For my first three month report card, I give myself a “C.” I have handled these situations reasonably well, but I have also learned a great deal about attitude; as Viktor Frankl suggested, there is a choice we all have regarding how we relate to the world and our experience; we really can choose to focus on the positive/solutions or the negative/problems – and that, my friends, makes all the difference.

]]> http://www.chinalogue.com/economy/this-has-been-an-incredibly-interesting-time-that-i-have-spent-in-china.html/feed 0 Back to it after the May Holiday http://www.chinalogue.com/accommodation/back-to-it-after-the-may-holiday.html http://www.chinalogue.com/accommodation/back-to-it-after-the-may-holiday.html#comments Wed, 09 May 2007 03:55:53 +0000 Adam http://www.chinalogue.com/accommodation/back-to-it-after-the-may-holiday.html Alright! So, after all that stuff with the apartment and with the internet my computer went ahead and crashed. It seemed like one thing after another, but I took it to the SONY repair shop with a friend, and they repaired it for 300 RMB – about $40 – small price to pay. Apparently, they don’t honor a SONY warranty from the US. Strange, but still a small price to pay and I am happy they were able to fix it quickly.

I am in my new crib and really like the location. There have been lots of distractions since I arrived, but I have learned a lot, and experience is the best teacher. Now it is back to business. This week, I have a lot in the air, need to find out about a new job that has been presented and also need to get my classes scheduled. I should also find another gym or see if the other one is opened back up.

This last week has been the May Festival here in China. Most people were off of work. Last Friday, I went out with a group of friends here to a club called Baby Face. One of the guys that was with us plays for the Qingdao team and has appeared in two World Cups. The other folks in the club, recognized him and treated us like VIPS.

I was able to catch the De La Hoya-Mayweather Jr. fight as well. They showed it here for free and some friends and I went to a Japanese restaurant and had a great time. It was a pretty good fight; I thought De La Hoya was the more aggressive fighter and did enough to keep his belt, but when you look at the punch stats, it is hard to argue against the decision.

]]> http://www.chinalogue.com/accommodation/back-to-it-after-the-may-holiday.html/feed 0 Like Taking Food out of a Hungry Dog’s Mouth http://www.chinalogue.com/accommodation/like-taking-food-out-of-a-hungry-dogs-mouth.html http://www.chinalogue.com/accommodation/like-taking-food-out-of-a-hungry-dogs-mouth.html#comments Tue, 01 May 2007 06:32:24 +0000 Adam http://www.chinalogue.com/accommodation/like-taking-food-out-of-a-hungry-dogs-mouth.html That is what they say getting money back from a Chinese person is like. I spent the last month in my apartment with major noise and water problems, and, given the amount I was paying for the place, it just wasn’t acceptable. I allowed the owner several attempts to solve the problem, but it always remained the same. Several times, he said he would try one more thing and if it didn’t work he would let me out of the contract. So, I spent a sleepless month with cold showers, missing many classes and a couple days of work. Finally, he agreed to let me out of the contract last week, only to change his mind the next morning. I was frustrated and upset because I was paying a lot and was very uncomfortable, and most importantly, everything was on hold until I could get the problem solved. I didnt want to have internet installed or buy items if I was going to be leaving anyway. Finally, between my agent and another friend, we were able to pursuade him to terminate the contract and refund most of my money. Nobody I know here thought it could be done. The society is so relationship-based that if you dont have the right ones it can be difficult to get anything done around here. I have run a marathon before, I graduated college after having dropped out of high-school, etc. and, from what others have told me, getting that money back was harder than either.

This last month has been a crash course for me, it has been difficult, but I have learned a lot and made some great friends. First of all, anytime I can violate a prejudicial “truism” it makes me happy, and this man did honor his agreement and he didn’t have to. I also learned something about getting things done in China. The process is slower here and patience is necessary. It is always better to solve the problem with the source. There are some pretty effective tools I’ve also discovered; there is a consumer protection number (#12315 on your phone in Qingdao) and they are supposed to be pretty effective, but I think that property complaints are out of their purview. There are other options that involve paying people to get it taken care of, but, that of course creates other potential problems.

Once a decision was made it seemed that the Universe began to conspire with me to get everything worked out. I was able to get several friends to offer advice and help directly with the owner. May holiday begins here today. This means that the hotels are booked and most offices closed over the next 8 days. This meant it was going to be very difficult to get a new place with such little time, and very difficult to get a hotel as well. Well, as luck would have it, early last week I got a call from some guy I didnt even know, he said he heard I was looking for a place (not sure how he knew that, either.) Apparently, his girlfriend was moving in with him and she needed to get her half of the rent taken care of. So, I got a place that is month to month for 1/3rd of what I was paying before. It is much more comfortable and the other roommate isn’t going to be back for another couple weeks, so I have the place all to myself. It is quiet, in a great location, has internet and, most importantly, the shower is piping hot!!!

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