Blog

Cultural Differences Edition 4

In this post Dan covers public transport, and driving! Crossy Road Whether you are a pedestrian, a passenger, or sat behind the wheel, the road is a challenging place! Observing the road, you will get the impression that if there are any rules, they’re certainly not being enforced. Unpredictable, even suicidal behaviour behind the wheel […]

Read more ›

Cultural Differences Edition 2

The second instalment of Dan’s Cultural Differences Guide considers the important topics of meal time etiquette, and queuing!! Dinners in China are immense fun and a key form of social interaction, with delicious cuisine and rice wine aplenty, so accept as many invites as you can! But there are a few cultural nuances to be […]

Read more ›

Cultural differences edition 1

Our Teaching Manager, Dan, recently returned from a 5-year stint teaching in a variety of schools in Guangzhou/ Foshan. The following series of blog posts will explore just a few of the cultural differences he encountered – just being aware of these can lessen the impact of culture shock, and help teachers to quickly settle […]

Read more ›

A wedding in China (part 1)

So what happens at a Chinese wedding today? It is certainly very different to how we traditionally conduct weddings in the west! Here are my experiences: 2 days to go: A traditional Chinese meal for lunch is served at the bride’s parent’s home, including dumplings, pork dishes, eggplant, cabbage, and noodle dishes. The parents of [...]

Read more ›

Settling in to life in China: Culture Shock becomes Cultural Immersion

1. Spend a few days travelling around your local area Knowing your geography and getting your bearings is key, especially considering the size of the urban area in most of China’s big cities! Travel around on the bus networks, and the metro networks, when you have time on the weekends so you are adept at [...]

Read more ›