Author Topic: Life in China with Zhen  (Read 9038 times)

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Offline zook144

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #15 on: November 02, 2009, 02:52:23 am »
Brian,
Congratulations on your new love and on the new job. You knew what you wanted and made the leap to make it happen.
I admire you for that. Good luck on your new life in China! (although I don't think you really need it...the luck, I mean):icon_biggrin:

Don
The Journey Is The Destination

Paul Todd

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #16 on: November 02, 2009, 04:52:23 am »
Great news Brian,
looks like your moving to a beautiful part of China as well ! My wife says there is a saying in China that you have never seen a mountain until you've seen the Yellow Mountain (HuangShan). Supposed  to be very spectacular.  I've got to go with Willy on the dirty stairwell debate, not seen it in Baoding. All the shared area's are clean and sweet smelling,in fact I've not seen any piles of rubbish on any streets here either. Very clean city and it's announced that it's carbon neutral, first in China. By the number of electric bikes and three wheelers you see here I'm not surprised. As a side note you do not need a licence for an electric powered three wheeler just nerves of steel!  Best of luck to Zhen and yourself on your new life together !
Ming Zhi,Paul

Scottish_Rob

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #17 on: November 02, 2009, 05:52:37 am »
Brilliant news mate. I am so pleased to hear this from you...:icon_cheesygrin:

You are right, it just shows that sometimes taking a leap of faith can turn out fine.:icon_biggrin:

David5o

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #18 on: November 02, 2009, 07:27:57 am »
Brian,

Your also taking another leap of faith in the water that your drinking mate!! These water cooler things that also deliver hot water only heat the water to around 85-90c at best!! So it's nowhere near boiling. To be safe, ...water in China needs at least 3 minutes of boiling, that is the only thing that is going to kill all the nasties in the water. Believe me when i tell you, some of these bugs are really bad one's to get in your system and will knock you down very rapidly and keep you down for days.... and can be a lot more serious than that too!!!

Play safe Brian, because sooner or later your luck is going to run out and that water will get you ....big
time!!

Stick to the bottled water, damn it's cheap enough!!!.....

Apart from that, i'm glad to hear everything else is working out for you, ....Welcome to the Pleasuredrome, and Enjoy the ride!!!  lol!!

David.....
« Last Edit: November 02, 2009, 08:16:25 am by David5o »

shaun

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #19 on: November 02, 2009, 08:05:12 am »
Brian,

The experience you are documenting here gives many of us hope for a bright and love filled future.  You are paving a way just like Paul, Willy, soon Rob for those of us who are considering moving there for however long we choose.

I hope all goes well for you there and the the bumps that you hit in the road are minimal and small.

Shaun

Arnold

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #20 on: November 02, 2009, 09:20:16 am »
Brian and Zhen ... one BIG thumb :icon_arrowu: to both of you .

Yes , watch that Water like David said . I make my Coffee with Beer , to be on the safe side .
« Last Edit: November 02, 2009, 09:20:46 am by Arnold »

Offline Brian Mc

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #21 on: November 02, 2009, 08:14:08 pm »
Quote from: 'David5o' pid='21677' dateline='1257164877'

Brian,

Your also taking another leap of faith in the water that your drinking mate!! These water cooler things that also deliver hot water only heat the water to around 85-90c at best!! So it's nowhere near boiling. To be safe, ...water in China needs at least 3 minutes of boiling, that is the only thing that is going to kill all the nasties in the water. Believe me when i tell you, some of these bugs are really bad one's to get in your system and will knock you down very rapidly and keep you down for days.... and can be a lot more serious than that too!!!

Play safe Brian, because sooner or later your luck is going to run out and that water will get you ....big
time!!

Stick to the bottled water, damn it's cheap enough!!!.....

Apart from that, i'm glad to hear everything else is working out for you, ....Welcome to the Pleasuredrome, and Enjoy the ride!!!  lol!!

David.....


First thanks guys as always for the support and kind words.

David I hear you on the water thing.  I too am a bit concerned about it and once we hit Wuhu it will be bottled water all the way.  As you say better safe than sorry.  I think to be safe and not mess things up I will switch to the bottled stuff right away.  

As always David you are the voice of reason and common sense in my head and I thank you for that.

Willy, its not that a piece of paper makes any difference at all I just wish my divorce was complete, its costing me a fortune and it would be nice to put it all behind me and focus on Zhen and our new life without this baggage from the past.  Zhen and I are the happiest people in the world right now so its not really a big deal, I just want closure on that chapter of my life and feel relaxed and free and not wonder what other BS the ex can dream up to cost me more money.

By the way the position in Wuhu is confirmed and they want me there on November 11th so off to Wuhu we go.

Regards,

Zhen and Brian

shaun

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #22 on: November 02, 2009, 08:17:51 pm »
Congratz!!!!!!!!

rockycoon

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #23 on: November 02, 2009, 09:46:26 pm »
It's like being in the Navy, the ship belongs to the Bos'n, he only lets the captian steer it....

Congrats to the both of you...
« Last Edit: November 02, 2009, 09:47:38 pm by rockycoon »

Offline Brian Mc

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #24 on: November 07, 2009, 11:50:02 am »
Greetings Brothers,

Well its update time again.  

First Zhen contacted one of her multitude of friends and got us hooked up with flights from Zheng Zhou to Nanjing at a seriously discounted rate from the cheapest i could find on chepoair.com.  Then she proceeded to fix us up with travel for the 4 hours to Zheng Zhou for the stunning price of 20rmb total for both of us.  This girl is a marvel of connections and influence.  Its to bad we have to move away from her comfort area.

So these last couple of days in Handan are basically enjoying ourselves and each other and doing basically nothing.  For instance today I was forced to suffer through having 3 beautiful chinese ladies cooking lunch.  What did they make you ask?  Well nothing less than world class home made DUMPLINGS!!!!!!!

Yes thats right I have my very own personal dumpling maker complete with on demand accessories ( the friends heheh).  Fantastic eating I have to say and there was plenty left over for supper too.  Now supper was a real eye opener.

As many guys know when the chinese go to someone elses home for a meal they always bring something.  Whether it be mandarin oranges, bananas, potatoes etc its usually something to contribute to the meal.  Another fun thing is all the ladies then congregate in the kitchen and cook together.  So here I was the only male in a house with six chinese ladies being waited on hand and stomach.  Nothing like being the master of my domain heheh.  Fantastic food everything from dumplings to fish, tomatoes to stuff I have no name for, and surrounded in beautiful eye candy.  Ahh such a treat for the senses.

Much laughter and fun was had and also much grilling of the Lao wei about how he plans on looking after their friend Zhen.  After it was over one of them said I was the wonderfullest NINI ( her words through the Besta) that she had ever seen and how great I  was for Zhen.  Seems my Zhen positively glows with love and happiness and they all see it in her.  Makes me the proudest happiest guy in the world too to know that her friends love her so much to care so about her and that they are happy for us.

So for all you guys who wonder if its all worth it and the cost etc, well let me tell you one meal of home made dumplings surrounded by your lady and her friends and there is absolutely no doubt you will realize the truth.  You will never be treated so well by so many for so long as you will when you are totally committed to a chinese lady.  Her friends are fiercely protective of her and will not allow her to come to harm.  Show them ( and her family of course) your true intentions for her and assuming that she is in agreement with them you will be accepted and loved just like one of their own.  Its quite amazing listening to these ladies sizing you up in chinese right in front of you and you even kinda know you are the subject of conversation, and then realizing that they are all happy for you and your lady.

So in a couple of days Zhen and I leave Handan and all of our friends and family.  Zhen has given up her job and her friends to move with me to Wuhu.  Obviously a huge leap of faith for her since we are not yet married but we both know that nothing in this world short of death will ever seperate us. So for both of us we gave up everything we know to be with each other and start a new life together.  We will of course return to Handan when school breaks and holdays allow to visit family and our friends.

 Am I worried about taking Zhen away from everyhting she knows to go with me to a job I have virtually no experience, in a country that I do not speak the language and barely have a grasp on some of the customs?  Taking her quite a ways from her network and family and home town?  You bet I am worried.  Yes I have made an even greater leap of faith than she has, but I have the financial resources to do it and still land on my feet if it falls apart.  If it does backfire, Zhen has given up everything and since competition for jobs is so fierce for them she truly has given me her all and I am truly humbled at her depth of committment to us.

For all you brothers on the journey to finding your true love in china I offer a few words of advice, or wisdom or crackpot ramblings whichever way you choose to see them.  Remember that behind the translators and emf's are real live ladies, who are searching for a man to live the rest of their life with.  In many senses they are innocent and almost childlike in their views of the west and the men who write to them.  Please do not toy with them or play games with them.  Give them all the love you have to give and you will be blessed with the best wife any man could ever hope to find.  Also keep in mind that fragile as they may appear they are tough as drill sergeants when they need to be so dont do anything you will regret later.

Treat them with love and respect and honour, give them your total committment and you will receive at the very least exactly what you put in, and more often than not so much more that we ever deserve. Yes when you begin this journey through emf's and hopefully suppement with skype or msn, emails and telephone calls, its sometimes difficult to figure out true feelings and emotions, what is real and what is translator fluff, is she a player or is she serious.  Some guys advocate getting off emf;s as soon as possible but I disagree.  Everyones situation is different so blanket statements do not work.  After my first trip to china Zhen and I started doing a webcam every day, yet we also continued with emf's everyday.  There was just so much important stuff to discuss that we could not leave it to online translators to get right.  We both trust not only the agency we deal with but also our translator.  W e have come so far so fast in part through the great help from said agency and translator and I would and have recommended them to anyone who cares to listen including CHNlove. So despite all the negative things we have seen on these forums lately I am here to attest that good things are also happening and with the agency and translator helping the way they are supposed to.  Hopefully others can have the fantastic experiences that I have had and find that one woman in the world that you just cannot stand to be parted from and will move heaven earth and even hell itself to be with. Does it sound like I am in love with a wonderfull woman?  Too right I am and blissfully completely and totally happy about it too.

I have had two failed marriages already, so my marriage to Zhen will be my third.  Its gonna sound funny but this time it feels so right on so many levels that I never even knew existed before that it is impossible for this one not to be " till death do us part".   We both have given up our established comfortable safe life to take the leap into the great unknown to be with each other.  Will we fall and be lost or be triumphant in our shared love and happiness?  We choose to believe the latter, and with each others help and love and support we will be successful.  If we stumble we have each other and our love for each other to pick us up and keep us going.  Will there be hard times and issues and problems?  Of course, what marriage doesnt have these things.  But they wil only succeed in bringing us even closer together and deepening our love for each other.

So to steal a couple of lines from famous movies.....

Zhen and Brian  to boldly go wher no one has gone before...... also..
Do or do not there is no try.... and one last one...
An address is just geography...
Life is about making the choice and following through.  Working through the trials and tribulations perils and successes, heartache and heartfelt joy and happiness.  Zhen and I have chosen to see this journey called life through to the end together.  I sincerely wish for every brother here to find in there own life the happiness and love that Zhen and I now share together.

Be safe my friends, Live long and Prosper,  Make it so,

Zhen and Brian.

PS the quotes are of course from Star Trek and Star Wars.  The geopgraphy quote I will let you guess which movie its from.

Offline Rhonald

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #25 on: November 07, 2009, 02:16:35 pm »
Quote from: 'Brian Mc' pid='22234' dateline='1257612602'

PS the quotes are of course from Star Trek and Star Wars.  The geopgraphy quote I will let you guess which movie its from.


Well you did hitch your wagon to a Star
And trekked across the ocean wide
On this stage we call the world with its drama, Love and War
Proudly claim with  beating heart your treasured bride
« Last Edit: November 07, 2009, 02:25:29 pm by Rhonald »
Life....It's all about finding the Chicks and Balances

Offline Brian Mc

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #26 on: November 12, 2009, 09:27:03 am »
Greetings Brothers,

Well another update about our trip from Handan to Wuhu.  As previously mentioned Zhen arranged the details of our trip from Handan to Wuhu.  We took the bus from handan to Zheng Zhou which is the capital city of hebei province to catch the plane to Nanjing and on to Wuhu in Anhui province.

Well the bus ride was a trip from hell.  First it was supposed to start at 5:30 pm and so Zhen and I were at the pickup point in the very cold windy fresh air freezing our a...s off waiting for the bus.  However it seems the bus was delayed over half an hour and we werre stuck in the cold that much longer.  Finally the bus arrived and we all piled in for the four hour trip.  However travelling the highways of china is not for the faint of heart.  If you think a taxi ride in beijing or other city is hazardous to your health try riding in a bus at night on a highway pack solid with trucks of all sizes and varying states of repair.  We crawled along for hours with several stops for toll gates before finally reaching the halfway point and a stop of half an hour for food.  By now we were on the road longer than the entire trip was supposed to take and we were only half way there.

The second half of the drive was as bad as the first.  We were supposed to arrive in Zheng Zhou at 9:30pm but finally made it at approx 1:30pm.  Luckily the bus dumped us out at a hotel so at least we got to our room fast.  Seems also the concept of paying under the table is also alive and well in china as we could not get a receipt for the hotel room but also paid less than the posted rate so I didnt complain.  Also the hotel front desk clerk arranged for a friend to drive us to the airport at no charge so all in all nice folks.

At the airport we arrived about 2and a half hours early but they wouldnt let us check in until an hour before the flight.  At that point we also had to pay over 200rmb extra because of my overweight luggage.  Then we got to the gate and waited for the boarding call right up to about 5 mins after the flight was supposed to leave.  Seems the airplane didnt make it to the airport but was stuck elswhere so we were shuttle bused to a smaller airplane to take us to Nanjing.  At least that part went smoothly and even our luggage followed as planned.

So at the airport we cleared the baggage and made it out the exit in time to catch the 4pm bus to Wuhu.  this part actually went smoothly and we reached Wuhu with no incidents or hassles.  However once again waiting for the people from the school to come get us in the rain and then waiting for them to get two cabs to take us to our apartment was another exercise in patience in the cold and wet.  Finally Zhen and most of the luggage went on ahead with one person from the school while i waited with the rest of the luggage for the other cab.

Now for the fun part.  Our apartment building sits on top of the century mall in downtown Wuhu.  Yes thats right the apartment building is on top of the mall.  So five stories up from ground then another four stories up to the apartment and of course there is an elevator but only for the first 5 floors and only until 7pm.  So we had to drag all our luggage up nine floors in the dark and the cold.  Needless to say we were both exhausted.

Next fun thing was the apartment was extremely dirty. However we were beat so we went to a restaurant had supper and then into the mall to buy bedding so we could sleep.

Next morning we got up and went shopping for the necessities of starting a new household and then the cleaning began.  It took us all afternoon and most of the night to get some parts of the apartment ready to live in.  To say we were upset at this state of affairs was an understatement, however we were together and chose to keep positive and smiling.

Today I went to work for the first time and Zhen continued to clean the apartment and also made lunch for when I came home for it.  She truly is a wonderful Lao Po.

So all in all an experience to say the least but we are now in Wuhu which if it ever stops raining is supposed to be a nice city.  Also buying stuff here is cheaper than in Handan and much cheaper than in Beijing so that is good.  Tomorrow i will teach my first class in my new role as a shaper of minds so I hope it all goes well.  I sat in on a class by another teacher today so at least i got to see what goes on.

Anyway Zhen is telling me to get off teh computer and get to bed since tomorrow is a big day so I will continue the narrative later.

Sincerely,

Zhen and Brian in Wuhu.

ttwjr32

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #27 on: November 12, 2009, 10:18:53 am »
Brian,
Great story so far. keep us filled in on everything. I am extremely interested in
how the teaching goes for you as i am looking to maybe do that here in China.
Right now my wife works (her choice) because she has about 4 years more and
she will get her retirement from the government and then our travels will begin
between China and the USA. But i must admit when i sold everything in California
and come to China i thought WOW great retire when your 51 instead of working until
your 65 but now i am going crazy from not working for 2 years. I  thought about hanging
out with Willy but i figured he would get me in trouble ( hahahahahahaha)  joking Willy!!!!!
so i am thinking of sending out my c/v and see what happens. Also sounds like you found a
really good lady like i did. I dont know how or why she was sent to me but i cherish that everyday.
I did get the key to the house my first day and she said make sure you lock the door. I guess that
was better than leave the key under the mat

Offline Willy The Londoner

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #28 on: November 13, 2009, 04:43:31 am »
Quote from: 'ttwjr32' pid='22691' dateline='1258039133'


 I  thought about hanging
out with Willy but i figured he would get me in trouble ( hahahahahahaha)  joking Willy!!!!!


No problem Ted, I got the same reply from Bill Clinton!!! And his willy was always getting him into trouble.


Willy
« Last Edit: November 13, 2009, 04:46:04 am by Willy The Londoner »
Willy The Lpndoner

Now in my 12th year living here,

Offline Brian Mc

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RE: Life in China with Zhen
« Reply #29 on: November 14, 2009, 08:05:06 am »
Greetings Brothers,

Just a quick update.  Zhen and I are settling in to our new life in Wuhu and today i finished my second class as a teacher.  I was quite a bit less nervous this time around and even though the class I taught was my choice of topic and i chose weather it went very well.  Even though their english is of various levels their interest was good and we had a lot of fun with it.  So I think I will be able to do this no problem so I am happy about that.  

One never knows when you start a new career in a foreign country without knowing the language whether or not you skill and confidence can match your dream or desire but so far it seems to be ok.  Also things should only get better as my confidence and skill increase.

Also the weather here is quite cold.  Its still on the plus side of zero but because of the humidity and the wind it feels very cold even for me.  I think I will have to invest in a winter coat but the ones I looked at here are pretty terrible as far as ability to fight cold is concerned.  I found one with thinsulate insulation and one with a decent down fill but both were more money than I had with me at the time.  Zhen keeps telling me to dress warmer and wear long underwear heheh.  In Canada at 30 below I never wore long underwear I am sure not gonna do it when the temp is still above zero.

So we are happy together, just about finished spending money from savings and about set to live off my salary.  We seems to be doing well and Zhen's english is getting better, while I am starting to understand things when she speaks to me in chinese even when I do not know the words.  I still cannot understand other people yet but my chinese vocab is slowly growing just from listening to Zhen.

At the school I am almost the only native english speaker.  So far I have seen a lady from the philipines, one guy from italy, and one from Morocco, plus several chinese tutors and they are all teaching english, so at this point I am the only true english speaker I have seen.  Apparently there is an English guy here also but I havent seen him yet.

So for anyone who does not have english as your primary language it seems it is still possible to teach here.

Anyway thats where we stand as of today.  I will update as things change or things happen.

Sincerely, Zhen and Brian