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Note - for my 1000th post at this 3rd incarnation of the Saloon, I dug up one of my favorite posts from long ago. This is one of mine from November 9, 2006, but remains relevant today. ababababab
Note 2 - I just used my 3000th post to bump up this thread. agagagagag
Note 3 - And my 4000th. jjjjjjjjjj
Note 4 - And my 5000th. agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa
Looks like I forgot to update this post for #6000. I must be getting forgetful. bgbgbgbgbg
Would you believe 7000th? aoaoaoaoao jjjjjjjjjj
How about 8000? btbtbtbtbt jjjjjjjjjj
Anyone for 9000? agagagagag btbtbtbtbt
一万, also known as 10,000! agagagagag btbtbtbtbt jjjjjjjjjj
OK, let's get past all the "experience another culture" and other usual reasons. Why does someone really end up in China?
I've been giving this question some deep thought and have a few possible answers. I wonder which saloon dwellers some of these will apply to. mmmmmmmmmm
btbtbtbtbt
1. You didn't get accepted into the Astronaut Corps, and decided that coming to China was almost like being on another planet.
2. You didn't get accepted into StarGate Command. Otherwise, same as #1.
3. You are on a lifelong quest to find the perfect bowl of wonton soup. (ok, that's one of my reasons ahahahahah )
4. After realizing that everything you own was made in China, you decided it would be cheaper to shop at the source.
5. You had an overwhelming desire to sample the local delicacy you kept hearing so much about. It was called baijiu. aaaaaaaaaa
6. You were about to join the French Foreign Legion, but remembered that the French military hasn't had any real accomplishments since Napoleon.
7. You were just trying to fly to Canada. It's not your fault that "CAN" is the airport code for Guangzhou.
8. No matter how many times you asked, the local McDonalds where you came from always refused to carry Civit Burgers.
9. You decided that the IRS/Inland Revenue would never be able to hunt you down if you were hiding in the outermost portion of Inner Mongolia.
10. You just could never find enough Chairman Mao memorabilia on eBay.
11. The job in the North Korean uranium enrichment facility just wasn't working out for you.
12. You were an illegal immigrant from Mexico, and the US Border Patrol decided that just putting you south of the Rio Grande wouldn't be enough to stop you from coming back.
13. You are a Hoganlander who secretly hates vegemite (a serious criminal offense in the Land Down Under). This was the one place you could go where it wasn't readily available. Now you can easily hide your problem by making lots of postings about how much you miss eating vegemite.
14. You and about 5 million other people in USania all swore you would leave the country if George W. Bush was re-elected in 2004. How were you to know that the other 4,999,999 of them didn't understand the concept of being true to one's word?
15. You were at the local seaport near your hometown. Who knew that "being Shanghaied" wasn't just an archaic expression?
16. After your locality banned smoking just about everywhere, you found the one place on Earth where smoking is virtually mandatory.
17. You answered a lonely hearts ad from a guy named Raoul. One thing led to another, and now you're kind of stuck.
18. After a really great party, you woke up in Beijing with no idea how you got there. You were looking for your country's embassy to try to get home when a local came up to you and said "You English me. 50 an hour."
Any more???
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I'm sticking to the same reasons I've always had:
I wanted to learn to sing old soul classics and Motown hits in Chinese, and tour Mongolian barbecue restaurants world wide. I do a version of Ray Charles' "Shemme Wo Shuo" (What I Say) that'll just knock yer socks off. uuuuuuuuuu
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Chaos and being totally confused most of the time are natural to me. I had figured out the system in Oz (only too well) and needed to return to my natural state.
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Lovely pretty girls, bike riding without a helmet, beilandi ......
............not necessarily in that order rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
wOZfromOZ
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In chronological order:
1. I'd been to China long ago. These folks are nice to foreigners, and if their mah jong opponent's cleaning lady's niece's coworker's cousin's son goes to your school, you are IN. You have people looking out for you from the get-go. The fact that they're making a killing off of you, and likely fleecing you in the bargain, just underlines how safe you are. uuuuuuuuuu agagagagag :lickass:
2. It's the farthest place to go without iceberg's, rebel armies or a religious jihad. :wtf:
3. They have an insatiable economic demand for precisely the things I'm good at: English, yyyyyyyyyy teaching, yyyyyyyyyy socializing, agagagagag and clowning around. pppppppppp
4. Similar yet different point: they see me as a combination of Einstein, Gandhi and the Fonz. :respect:
5. Another similar theme: have you SEEN these women? ararararar
6. I'm three times as attractive here as I am back home. ababababab afafafafaf
7. Okay, I get sick of it sometimes, but Chinese cuisine is arguably the best in the world. In fact, it's at least 6 distinct cuisines, 5 of which I adore. cecececece
8. For all the yelling and bickering, they're a gentle bunch. Ignore the cheating, cutting in line and atrocious driving, and you're left with folks who rarely have it in for you. acacacacac
9. They'll pick your pocket and swipe your bike, but if you want to avoid trouble, you easily can. oooooooooo
10. Cheap DVD's. I've watched as many movies in China as I had my entire life. You know that Imterpol warning about pirating DVD's? dddddddddd
11. I can buy an entire TV series and watch them in order. akakakakak
12. In one sense, I work harder here than I could back home- the nature of the work energizes me. In another, more accurate sense, I work way less.
13. I have more disposable income here than I ever had in my life back home. I'm not afraid of money. :banana:
14. You get to know other foreigners well, in a wartime type of way... without the bullets and disintery (sp?). Friendships are intense, and if you're in a big city, there's a ton of folks to pick through. :grouphug:
15. Plus there are heaps of Chinese folks, some of whom are awesome. akakakakak
16. I have a weird urge to sit by a canal in my pajamas, composing poetry on my day off. China was clearly my destiny.
17. Have you been reading about all the ugly shit going on around the world right now? China might be the only country whose economy grows this year. Hell yes, I'm staying put! :wtf:
18. The city I live in is older than Christ, and built with an ancient tradition of taste that conveniece stores and Starbucks just can't tarnish. atatatatat
19. YEs, it's crooked, but it's getting better. I can't believe how far China has come in the last 5 years! vvvvvvvvvv
20. So long as we don't make trouble, the authorities don't really give a shit what we do. aeaeaeaeae
21. Shanghai and Beijing are truly amazing metropoli. I could never afford New York or London.
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I can live my life comfortably, safely, and without hassles. China is (remarkably) close to many Asian countries with great food and gorgeous women. Money goes a long way here. Why go home and be governed??
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First off...Hello!
Brand new here, I'm Joe, from the U.K, greets go out to all of you!
Didn't know where to post first, then spotted this thread...
My reasons for coming to China:
1. I've been to Hong Kong before (my brother worked there designing toys for a reputable company I won't mention..but it was cool.
2. There's nothing that really inspires me other than the thought of teaching in China. There's no jobs here.
3. I love outdoor culture, street culture...the way you see old men just sitting about playing dominoes or Go (I think thats what they were playing?)
4. Life here as far as I can see is work until the weekend, drink til the momnday, work til the weekend.
5. A lot of my mates aren't going anywhere with themselves...they'll be hanging about the same places as they did 5 years ago (Normally not a bad thing, but there's nothing to do here)
6. Could you go to a more different place!? (other than Japan!)
7. The people are great!
See you in China soon!
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Welcome aboard, Joe. Reasonable reasons! agagagagag agagagagag agagagagag
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Cheers George!
That was a quick reply! I can think of another reason. I'm sat here in the cold (can't afford heating) writing an essay on ethnographic cinema of the 1950's. I see China as a reward for 3 years of useless essay writing on subjects that I just don't have an interest in.
I'm not usually this miserable..it's just nearly 7am and I've been up forever writing this essay!
I'm so excited about the prospect of China...Maybe I'll travel around before getting into a job, but all I know is, I'm getting out of here to see a completely new way of life, and maybe start learning things that really do interest me!
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Plenty of people in China without heating, but hopefully, you won't be among them. I hate writing essays for no other reason than to pass an exam. Most useless exercise ever invented! When do you hope to hit China??
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Yeah but Chinese summers are lovely, are they not?
I'm hoping to come pretty much as soon as I graduate...July maybe. I just need to get myself a TEFL! Learning Chinese as an extra module on top of my studies this year, starting next week. Are you a teacher too?
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Yes, been here 7 years, teaching. llllllllll Well, I think I've been teaching. Sometimes it's like the little smiley there.
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Yeah but Chinese summers are lovely, are they not?
I'm hoping to come pretty much as soon as I graduate...July maybe. I just need to get myself a TEFL! Learning Chinese as an extra module on top of my studies this year, starting next week. Are you a teacher too?
The summers are lovely ... unless you're in Beijing! Summers in Beijing are awful. asasasasas
My reason for coming to China?
When I first came over to China, I was on a foreign exchange program through my university. I came to study anthropology and Chinese, a reasonable motivation. When I arrived I found that pot grew wild on the streets of Kunming. As you can imagine, very few college students would be able to resist such temptations. I was on the next plane back as soon as I graduated.
Of course, the reasons why I stayed would be another post entirely, and have nothing -- or very little -- to do with leafy green substances, rest assured. bibibibibi
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When I arrived I found that pot grew wild on the streets of Kunming. As you can imagine, very few college students would be able to resist such temptations. I was on the next plane back as soon as I graduated.
Of course, the reasons why I stayed would be another post entirely, and have nothing -- or very little -- to do with leafy green substances, rest assured.
That's the best reason I've ever heard! Thats so ridiculous! Genius.
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1. Wanted something new
2. Hated my life situation with a passion
3. Knew this would be an adventure
4. Wanted something outside of my comfort zone
5. Like history
6. Never tried a crouching toilet
7. Wanted to try such famous brand names as Neke and Adidix. akakakakak
8. Asian girls are so hot
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1. Spent a year here before and got addicted to China
2. Worked at an office job and did not want to actually end up strangling myself with my tie.
3. Wanted to learn Chinese.
4. Denmark is too effing small to spend your whole life in.
5. The nicest, friendliest people I have ever met, both Chinese and ex-pats, have been in China.
6. Chinese girls.
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# 1) Chinese females
# 2 >>> through >>?>>)
.............. with Chinese females.
bfbfbfbfbf
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I'm so excited about the prospect of China...Maybe I'll travel around before getting into a job, but all I know is, I'm getting out of here to see a completely new way of life, and maybe start learning things that really do interest me!
Sounds like you qualify for reason #1 or #2 from the first post in the thread. ahahahahah
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I actually have no idea why I came here. It was my ex gf's idea. Now she is gone and I am still here. But I know what is keeping me here.
1.I love my job. I get paid to talk to people for a living.
2.The lifestyle. I had 4 months off (half of it paid), worked for less than 3 months, and now am once again on a six week paid holiday.
3.Money making oppurtunities. In addition to my uni gig, I have 3 private students paying 150 an hour, have done some freelance writing, voice acting and edited two ESL text books.
4.Food. I haven't cooked a meal at home in over a year. Not only is Chinese food great, but the access to delicious Japanese, Indian, Korean, Mexican, Itallian and Thai food is far superior to most Canadian cities.(although this is mostly a Beijing thing, not a China thing).
5.OK, I gotta admit it. The girls. There I times when I think I must be dreaming...
6.All the good friends I have made here. When I finally leave, I will miss many of them more than I did friends I left back in Canada
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I forgot a huge one: the emerging middle class.
The 35-and-under crowd here in Suzhou sport open minds and new ideas. The bars are full- I don't mix with Sinos there much, myself- but so are the coffeehouses. These folks are educated, moneyed enough to get out on the weekends, and some are supercool. It's great to see a massive cultural movement in its infancy.
This generation will change China forever, and I love watching and in my small way contributing. Actually, the laowai community form a fascinating culture in themselves. The subculture of Sino-laowai scene is a third group unto itself.
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Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure why I came here.
Some reasons that may or may not have been jokes when considering my move to China:
1. I'm sort of an economic communist and Americans aren't allowed to travel to Cuba or North Korea. I was misled about China being communist.
2. Similar to the original #4, China holds a massive amount of American debt. I figured I'd get paid by the source of my country's money.
3. I heard fortune cookies were more accurate in China. Again, I was misled.
4. I'm from New Jersey...China couldn't possibly be THAT polluted. *cough* *cough*
5. Shits and giggles.
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Ok ok. I am on a special assignment here from good ole KGB. uuuuuuuuuu
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And for my 3000th post, I'm bumping up my 1000th post thread. agagagagag
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As well as the usual reasons (for a guy, I mean), I came here to do business.
I'd heard how easy it was to make a stack of cash. But I ran into a few problems along the way.
First, the Chinese banking system. I met some really useful contacts online here and made, with their help, some fantastic investments in upcoming businesses abroad. I earned a fortune, ploughed it all back and earned an even bigger fortune, but for some strange reason my bank says it hasn't received the money from the Nigerian bank that deals with all these investments. Every time I call my Nigerian partners they say they will solve the problem, but it's expensive for them to do this and I always have to send even more cash to solve the local problems over there. Not to worry, I know it'll all get sorted out eventually. I'm a glass-half-full person. But these bloody Chinese banks.....
Second, my B-plan, money-making scheme involved buying cheap Chinese pharmaceutical products and exporting them back home. They are so cheap, really, I can't understand how they can produce this stuff at such a low price!
Now, the docks here are somewhat chaotic, and some kind of mishap took place. It seems my customers got the wrong products, and I'm now facing litigation in every EU country simply because a few people got sick after taking the stuff I sent them! How unfair is that?!
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I'd also heard that I could get certain, er, useful manly products here with ingredients like tigers' bits and pieces. Now this is actually true. I'm convinced they are working. Every morning I wake up with some memory loss due to baijiu, but my dear wife always says to me, "Last night you just went on and on. You couldn't stop. You always do this too much." Then she flings an empty bottle at me, which I imagine is some Chinese cultural gesture, a way of expressing admiration.
Oh yes, I almost forgot - I'm asking this on behalf of a friend: are there any Brits here who can advise me him whether it's true that the police back home stop looking for you after 6 years of skipping bail?
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Paul I think you are a REALLY naughty boy. Just say that to the nice officer and he will let you off with a caution afafafafaf
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Hey Piglet, I'm a big AA Milne fan. Are you that piglet from my youth?
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I certainly am,Paul.
P has been my alter ego for about 40 years or so ababababab
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I couldn't find a job in the UK where I work 14 hours a week and can live like a king.
I spend more time in bars and bed than in the classroom.
Oh and where else can you use this line "Hey mum I have a girlfriend! Her name? erm..... Tomato"
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Tomato? WTF are you doing with my fiancee!?!?!? asasasasas asasasasas asasasasas
Hey Paul, I know a good lawyer who can sort out those Nigerian and Chinese banking issues. Just send me some cash and I'll get him on the case. ahahahahah
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Tomato? WTF are you doing with my fiancee!?!?!? asasasasas asasasasas asasasasas
aoaoaoaoao
Maybe Tomato is a more common name than I first suspected. Still I met someone the other day whose name was "Pee" I suggested she change the spelling but I dont think she understood why.
Mime has limitations!
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4000 posts! agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj
Anyone else have any REAL reasons for being in China?
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Next week, I will.
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4000 posts!
bjbjbjbjbj = 2000 posts
+
bjbjbjbjbj = 2000 posts
TOTAL - 4000
Who needs a reason for anything?
Congratualations EL and EL! agagagagag
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Congratulations EL. agagagagag 1000 posts since December. aoaoaoaoao It's taken me nearly four years to get 1000. Now if we multiply that by four, I'll be dead ahahahahah Who says women talk more than men. ahahahahah (Perhaps I shouldn't have opened Pandora's box on that one. ahahahahah) James the Brit is doing well also. agagagagag
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Hey it's quantity not quality (479) bjbjbjbjbj
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Came for the differences staying for them too. oh ya and staying cuz my wife told me too. afafafafaf
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because my boss has told me to go to China.
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because my boss has told me to go to China.
James, Hell and China are not really the same place, it only feels like that in the summer.
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bkbkbkbkbk
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A breakdown of my posts at Raouls (yes, there is considerable overlap, but each post is only counted in one category):
794 Flirting with the ladies of the Saloon. akakakakak akakakakak akakakakak
1221 Talking about Chinese girls. akakakakak akakakakak akakakakak akakakakak akakakakak
627 Useless (often dangerous, sometimes potentially fatal) advice uuuuuuuuuu
1104 Utter drivel, post padding, and other bull bqbqbqbqbq
498 Insulting ETR, George, Stil, Zero, etc., etc. pppppppppp
751 Bragging about how cool my life in Dongguan is ababababab
4 Useful information yyyyyyyyyy
4999 Subtotal
1 This post.
Let's see. 4999 plus one. Hang on, I'm going to need a calculator. Hey wow! That makes . . .
5000 Posts!
agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa
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Congratulations !!!
A tremendous achievement -
Your plan is working ... I am sure that reading all those poss has affected my mind bibibibibi
5000 Posts!
agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa
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5000 Posts!
agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa agagagagag jjjjjjjjjj aaaaaaaaaa
Congratulations !!!
A tremendous achievement -
Your plan is working ... I am sure that reading all those posts has affected my mind bibibibibi
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I have a tremendously good, real reason for being in China...it is one of the only places where a postgraduate degree in English can actually lead to making money. I get to write my own courses...hence the tremendously cool dystopian novel course I will start teachinng in two weeks agagagagag agagagagag agagagagag
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Your plan is working ... I am sure that reading all those posts has affected my mind bibibibibi
Bwahahaha!!!!
I have a tremendously good, real reason for being in China...it is one of the only places where a postgraduate degree in English can actually lead to making money.
I thought all countries paid teachers to bore students to death. mmmmmmmmmm
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I think you made a few calculation errors regarding the breakdown of your posts.
4 Useful information yyyyyyyyyy
Way high man. Waaaay too high.
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What? The one where I suggested that "Me love you long time" as the only proper way for Chinese girls to greet foreign males wasn't useful information? mmmmmmmmmm I was also counting 3 posts where I advised ETR that the creature he thinks is a dog is really just an oversized rat. ahahahahah
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Suggesting that "Me love you long time" is the only proper way for Chinese girls to greet foreign males probably constitutes incitement to fraud. That it is probably no worse than other things people say is also true, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
The jury is still out on ETR's rodent. There are conflicting reports as to the under/over fed nature of the beast.
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That's fine advice for the Chinese girls but I'm not a Chinese girl. Now if you mention to ask for a "Big Airplane" then I'll start thinking about giving you credit.
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Congratulations EL. agagagagag :dancemj: I joined a few months after you did. Who said that women talk more than men? ahahahahah ahahahahah Seriously though, keep talking EL. bfbfbfbfbf
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And I just broke 6000. ababababab
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Congratulations again EL! agagagagag I know that I won't live long enough to reach that number of posts. ahahahahah
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Keep posting Granny Mae - tell the world you're going for 10,000 posts at the Saloon. agagagagag
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Real Reason I Came to China: Most people come for pussy, alcohol and easy living. I came here because I wanted to dodge my Asian mother (no seriously)
I was going to backpack/couchsurf in China, but I figured I could stay longer if I worked.
Then I got addicted to lamb kebabs and Mongol girls and it all went downhill from there.
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I came here because I wanted to dodge my Asian mother (no seriously)
So those crazy over-achievement oriented China moms in the US and Canada aren't just a press-created stereotype. aoaoaoaoao
Then I got addicted to lamb kebabs and Mongol girls and it all went downhill from there.
The kebabs are nice, but I'll wager that being a Mongol conquest has a lot more to do with it. afafafafaf
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So those crazy over-achievement oriented China moms in the US and Canada aren't just a press-created stereotype. aoaoaoaoao
They are a press created stereotype.
I just personally did not enjoy the best of relations with my mother.
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As long as Mongol girls match the image in my head, everything else isn't all that important. agagagagag
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Most people come for pussy, alcohol and easy living
What he said. And, if I was a desk-top, I needed a re-boot. China gave me one.
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Most people come for pussy, alcohol and easy living
Hey, I'll have you know my job is pretty demanding!
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Most people come for pussy, alcohol and easy living
Hey, I'll have you know my job is pretty demanding!
In truth, I think three adjectives are needed. "Free", "Cheap" and "Damn".
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I have a rare condition that makes clean air dangerous to my health. ababababab
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The kebabs are nice, but I'll wager that being a Mongol conquest has a lot more to do with it. afafafafaf
You can get laid anywhere. Charcoal grilled nuggets of lamb sprinkled with chili peppers and cumin? That's harder to find.
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You can get laid anywhere.
Have you met some of the other foreigners here in the Middle Kingdom...
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The kebabs are nice, but I'll wager that being a Mongol conquest has a lot more to do with it. afafafafaf
You can get laid anywhere. Charcoal grilled nuggets of lamb sprinkled with chili peppers and cumin? That's harder to find.
Laid is relatively easy. Conquered is another matter entirely. afafafafaf akakakakak afafafafaf
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You can get laid anywhere.
Have you met some of the other foreigners here in the Middle Kingdom...
I have. I spend the majority of my time socializing with Chinese people for a reason you know.
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Most people come for pussy, alcohol and easy living
In truth, I think three adjectives are needed. "Free", "Cheap" and "Damn".
Damn! Most people come free for pussy, alcohol and easy living. Cheap.
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ahahahahah bfbfbfbfbf
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it's been six years since i left china and yet my longing to go back is still strong because of the nice people i met agagagagag
and yes, easy living^^
and the SPATIAL freedom from my family bfbfbfbfbf
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Come on back. There's plenty of China to go around. agagagagag
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You should come back to China. We have plenty of love, (fake) alcohol and fun times for all.
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jjjjjjjjjj 7000! jjjjjjjjjj
And another reason - the fun just never stops. bjbjbjbjbj
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No, it's really just 575, what with your st-st-stuttering and repeating yourself and repeating yourself
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DD bjbjbjbjbj bkbkbkbkbk axaxaxaxax
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You should come back to China. We have plenty of love, (fake) alcohol and fun times for all.
No, the alcohol is real enough! :alcoholic:
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jjjjjjjjjj 7000! jjjjjjjjjj
And another reason - the fun just never stops. bjbjbjbjbj
Not sure if that should be 3500 or 14,000
Whatever way, it is fun trying to keep track of your life lives and time times.
agagagagag
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No, it's really just 575, what with your st-st-stuttering and repeating yourself and repeating yourself
I d-d-d-d-deny repeating myself.
I never repeat myself.
I haven't repeated myself even once.
BTW - I don't repeat myself.
I might, on rare occasion, paraphrase myself. ahahahahah
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Happy 7000 EL! agagagagag Please keep talking; I don't care if you repeat yourself. bfbfbfbfbf
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Even though I had a job I liked well enough back home, the wifey and I always waxed and pined for my ESL days of yore. Add that to the fact that teaching is a good fit for me in a number of ways, and that the ESL industry in Korea is becoming more and more llllllllll, China it is!
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...
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Because if I default on my student loans, can they really catch me here?
Also the boys, just to throw a wrench into everyone's girl ogling. afafafafaf
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8000!!!!
jjjjjjjjjj 8000 jjjjjjjjjj 8000 jjjjjjjjjj 8000 jjjjjjjjjj 8000 jjjjjjjjjj 8000 jjjjjjjjjj 8000 jjjjjjjjjj 8000 jjjjjjjjjj 8000 jjjjjjjjjj
btbtbtbtbt agagagagag btbtbtbtbt agagagagag btbtbtbtbt agagagagag btbtbtbtbt agagagagag btbtbtbtbt agagagagag btbtbtbtbt agagagagag btbtbtbtbt agagagagag btbtbtbtbt agagagagag btbtbtbtbt
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Bl**dy Hell EL! agagagagag bfbfbfbfbf :respect: jjjjjjjjjj :candyraver: :dancemj: :grouphug: bjbjbjbjbj
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It's not over 9000....yet.
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Over 8000 is what is important.
Unless you're really into American mistranslations.
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It's not over 9000....yet.
It is now. ababababab
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Again "bl**dy Hell EL! agagagagag bfbfbfbfbf :respect: :candyraver: :dancemj: :banana: :grouphug: :snoopytrage: jjjjjjjjjj bjbjbjbjbj
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I thought the replies by these posters were amusing, odd, and left of center: The Local Dialect, Con Ate Dog, Stil: Your comment through me off completely. And I thought I was crazy. Decurso: Rare condition...ha ha
My reason for coming to China. I love Asian bhbhbhbhbh, but I am not going to fall in love ever again. But I do hope to meet a compatible partner. Some men get off on bhbhbhbhbh every woman possible. You need a big wallet for that, which leads me to state, my second main reason is teaching and making some extra money. I think when I was younger I should have been a sex instructor, or a porn film actor. According to a few womens comments of size, you know what I mean? You want to see a picture ahahahahah
No I won't fall in love ever again.
But, my son whom lives in Australia is my financial priority. I would like to see him have a robust informed education. And he is such a good sculptor of pottery, I couldn't believe what I saw when he made a clay sculpture of an owl. And he made it when he was in fourth grade. Prodigious.
On a formal note. Yes I'm a formal English teacher and would like a break from Australia. I may possibly get back in to Kung Fu too, if I have time. It's such a great way of staying fit, focused and best of all excellent for self-defence. My reasons! :)
EL Moderation Note: Let's keep it down in the PG to PG13 range. We don't want to offend the harmonious nature of the People's Net.
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I've just started my sixth year in China and have never answered this thread.
Without going into my physical endowments, the real reasons I came to China are:
- Korean public school contracts were getting progressively worse (I was there during the halcyon days);
- Chinese apartments were (in general) much larger;
- 16 teaching hours and no office hours a week vs. 22 teaching hours and 18 office hours a week;
... and the biggest reason of all, 4+ months of paid vacation!
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@ Cruise Monkey. I remember you. You were a regular poster on Dave's ESL Cafe Korean forum. And if my memory serves me correctly, you were one of the more balanced textual contributors. Where are you located in China, and how do you compare South Korea to China. Or would you make any sort of comparison at all. I was in South Korea in 2001-02, the burgeoning education Industry years.
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JayJay,
I'm on the outskirts of Zhengzhou. The changes here in five years have been phenomenal - construction, construction, construction!
Comparing Korea to China is is sort of an 'apples & oranges' thing. I taught middle school in K-land, I teach university in C-land.
The students aren't that much different but the job is, in that:
- in Korea, 22 teaching hours a week... but I had to be there 8 hours a day for a 40-hour week; in China, 16 teaching hours a week... period (no office time);
- in Korea, I got 4 weeks of paid holidays; in China, 20 weeks.
- in China, I'm completely autonomous in the classroom (no co-teachers);
- in China, no 'desk warming', no English camps;
- in China, my gross pay is less, but I have almost no expenses except for food... so, end up with about the same money in my pocket (I'm personally responsible for global warming due to my exorbitant consumption of electricity to heat/cool my apartment ;) i.e. I have no utility bills);
- in Korea, I lived in a tiny 'one room' and had to take a bus to work; in China, I have a proper one bedroom apartment on campus (more than twice the size) with 2-minute (walking) commute to work;
But, the biggest 'plus' of all is in China, there's no effin': kimchi, marinated grass clippings and something that used to live under a rock on the beach (covered in gochujang) aaaaaaaaaa served everyday in the dining hall.
bfbfbfbfbf
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@ Cruise Monkey: Marinated grass clippings, ha ha. I still eat Kimchi, you know it contains the same bacteria fighting enzymes as yogurt? I was in South West Seoul in 2012 and taught in a high school, but I started off like many new expats in early 2001-2002. After that I returned to Australia and undertook, and completed a Grad Dip in TESOL. It was an 18 month course and dense in pedagogic theory, not merely practical. It was the best thing I could have done, but not for an Australian teaching context.
I can't brook the self-righteous bureaucracy of Anglo-Australian educators, especially the arseholes that have been in the same job for over ten years. They think they are untouchable on their pedestal, I loathe them. The amount of unemployed teachers in Australia is incredible, and it's even more incredible to believe education faculties still offer and deliver courses that net unemployment results only.
I find Australia and Australians depressing. It is the main reason I would like to spend six months of the year in China, and return for six months for governmental and health matters. I plan to do that twice a year, until I can possibly endure it. bjbjbjbjbj
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agagagagag 一万 jjjjjjjjjj
jjjjjjjjjj MY 10,000TH POST agagagagag
btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt :candyraver: btbtbtbtbt
I came to China for many reasons. I stay because I love the people, I love the country, and the fun of being here never stops. akakakakak
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Congratulations EL! agagagagag bjbjbjbjbj :dancemj: