The last full week of the challenge went well. Brendan was invited on an all expense paid tour of nearby attractions. Massage has become routine. He experienced the thrill of motorcycle taxi’s, cooked at home, shopped online, and almost ran out of power. Overall, an exciting week. Read the week 4 summary by clicking these red underlined words.
Posts Tagged ‘foot massage’
The Week in Review: Week 1
22
Mar
It’s been a week so let’s see how Brendan is doing. Looking back from the beginning Brendan seems charged to do this challenge. He’s lived in two foreign countries previous to China and by his account it seems he had a rough go of it for some time.
His pay is on par for a 1st year teacher and taking on additional teaching is common for foreign teachers. The two most common types of additional teaching are to take on a tutor, or work in one of any number of private language schools in the city. Another option is to teach at two colleges or universities. The latter isn’t as popular because of the work load, however, the pay potentially is the best.
His diet started off well enough, though if I were family I might comment on his most recent grocery list- peanut butter, oatmeal, and jam. Hmmm…
It does appear he’s eating out most of the time. That’s common among foreign teachers as well. Most of the apartments are outfitted with basic kitchen ware but lack the small things a kitchen needs in order to be a proper kitchen- spices, herbs, prep bowls, cooking utensils, and such. Dining out is inexpensive enough and it offers the added cultural benefit of tasting many different authentic Chinese dishes.
Spending the day, Tuesday, watching streaming video on free internet is certainly one way to avoid expenses. Tudo, Youku, K6, and 56.com are all popular websites similar to Youtube in the US- the content appears to be all user uploads. The bonus is finding feature length movies and other content that would violate copyright law in the US, such as episodes of the Daily Show.
And then comes the weekend- Barbecue is a great snack that sells on street corners but it’s Chinese barbecue- Jessie’s barbecue was a traditional American barbecue, which isn’t as easy to recreate as you may think. In the past couple of years it has become easier to acquire what is necessary, however, that involves two important elements; time in the country to understand how and where to look for things, and increasingly available western amenities.
And then the massage. It is inevitable- the Chinese massage is a must-do for anyone who visits this county- be it for a day or a year. Foot massage and the Blind-man massage are the most popular forms of massage in China.
It can be expensive to live here and totals do add up, but I’m not sure if 142 (actually 87 until he pays Ben back) counts as an expensive day and Sunday- Well, if you don’t do anything it is hard to spend money. And Sunday is a great day to do just that.
Total for the first week:
Depending on how you add his total there are two tallies today. Remember he borrowed 60RMB for the massage so that money hasn’t actually been spent yet. By that math Brendan spent 317.3 RMB in the first week.
If you add in the 60 he will pay Ben back then his total for the week is 377.3 RMB.
That’s a good week. I think it reflects the low end of an average person’s expenses once they’ve established a pattern of entertainment. It will not always be so inexpensive and we still have three weeks to go.
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Working for the Weekend!
22
Mar
I had a proper sessions of rest and relaxation this past weekend. But first I had to get through a ten-AM class. After awaking at seven all week, this is no problem whatsoever.
For lunch on friday I had my standard “egg-pancake” (2.5 RMB) with a bing hong cha (ice tea, 1.5 RMB) and three veggie baozi (1.5 RMB). I was planning on a huge dinner, seeing as my American friend Jesie was to host a barbeque Friday evening. I taught an afternoon class, and then headed down to help prepare the feast.
I bought ten sticks with big hunks of pineapple (1 yuan apiece, 10 RMB total). I figured (correctly) that they would be delicious if cooked over charcoal and next to some dead animal flesh. Also, I brought a 6RMB bottle of orange juice for the teetolatin’-inclined.
The party was a huge success. Lots of merryment, music, and delicious food. Jessie supplied burgers, chicken, salad, and mashed potatos. Some folks brought cheese and beverages. I pitched in 18RMB to a general food and refreshment fund.
Later that evening (technically Saturday morning) I called my brother on skype and had a 1.9RMB conversation.
Daily Expenditure- 35.4 RMB
Total Expenditure (Five Days) 217.3RMB
I was surprisingly unable to sleep in very late on Saturday. Around noon I headed to the school gate and bought another 2.5RMB egg pancake. I then ran into Ben from England and we went grocery shopping. For 21.5RMB I bought peanut butter, oatmeal, and some very tasty coconut jam. And a bag. There is a national law in place that one must pay 0.2 yuan per grocery bag to encourage recycling and conservation.
Ben and I decided to treat ourselves to a oil back massage. It was wonderful, but a bit pricey at 60RMB, which I borrowed from Ben. I should probably pay him back. I also bought two baozi (1RMB) and had to pay a bus fare to reach the establishment (1RMB), although we decided to walk back.
I spent some time with a Chinese friend and then headed downtown to meet American Bhavin. After paying my 1RMB bus fare, we went to a cafeteria, where I bought 20RMB worth of food-chips. I spent twelve of these tokens on:
1 bowl of rice-and-bean soup, cucumber and garlic in delicious sauce, peanuts, ginger and peppers, a burrito-like thing with an egg, a small plate of tofu, and two pieces of deep-fried sesame bread.
I also ate an egg which Bhavin did not want.
We then headed to a foot-massage place. The foot massage is a Chinese speciality. It is supposed to be great for general health. Many pressure points from the foot are said to effect different organs. Indeed, I had a minor cold before going, but was cured the next day! All this and a delightful pain delivered by an attractive woman for only 30RMB.
I bought two ice-cream cones at McDonald’s for 5RMB.
Bhavin and I split a taxi back, although I only paid 5RMB of the fourteen yuan fare. There was a poker night at a friend’s apartment. I hung out for awhile eating snacks, but went home early due to extreme tiredness. Twelve hours of sleep were calling to me.
Yes I know I am quite the degenerate. I paid two women in one day to touch me! Additionally, today demonstrates how it is actually quite easy to spend a lot a money in China if one decided to indulge in some luxuries.
Daily Expenditure- 142 RMB (!)
Total Expenditure (Six Days) 359.3 RMB.
Sunday was deliciously lazy. Lots of sleep interrupted only by my first skype call from America, which was a welcome “happy Spring” from my dear parents.
Then I basically did nothing all day except spend some time with friends and buy one stick of pineapple (1RMB) and some egg noodles from the Muslim place (6RMB).
For dinner I was invited for some home-cooked Chinese treats by a coworker and her mother. Free but for a short clarinet concert and the implied future obligation of returning the hospitality.
Today shows how it is easy to live very cheaply in China if one only purchases necessities and exploits the generosity of others.
Daily Expenditure- 7RMB
Total Expenditure (Seven Days) 366.3 RMB
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