Your first month as an expatriate in China can be overwhelming. There’s a lot to adjust to and sort out and even more to simply be learned about your new home. Whether you will only be in the country for a semester or have signed on for several years, here are six great things you can do in your first month to make your transition a bit better.

1) Network with Expats 
You will want to meet others in the same boat as you or ones who are a bit further along in the adjustment. Meeting other expats will make your transition a bit easier, even if they don’t end up being your permanent friends. In larger cities you won’t have much trouble finding a local expat network to plug into; really all you have to do is do a quick search on the web. If you are moving to a smaller city, hopefully you are going there with a job already set up. In such places, such as a Chinese university there should be at least one other expat working there. You need to take advantage of such connections, and don’t worry if they are different from the friends you keep back home. It is amazing how in a place so different how a simple sharing of culture can make friends out of people who are polar opposites. Even if you don’t become friends they will be invaluable to you.  

2) Find Your Cheap Chinese Restaurant
Once you settle in, look around your neighbourhood for one or two restaurants that you can eat at when you don’t have the time/supplies to make a meal at home. You likely have plenty of options within a couple blocks of your new home, but it can be easy to walk by the numerous little holes in the wall without even thinking about going in and checking them out. Resist the temptation to be oblivious; eat at some of these restaurants, ordering some of the staples they are likely to have: Kungpao chicken (宫保鸡丁, Gōng bǎo jī dīng), dumplings (饺子, Jiǎozi), or sweet and sour pork (糖 醋 里脊, Táng cù lǐji). When you find a place that has a good version of one of these, branch out with new dishes at that restaurant, even if you sometimes order something crazy. If your Chinese isn’t strong, attempt to get a server to write down the name of your favourite dishes in a little notebook for you. Such restaurants might not be the cleanest, but when you are stressed out and don’t want the hassle of cooking for yourself they are great places to go.

3) Make a Fantastic Western Meal
This will probably take a couple tries to pull off, especially as you are still getting accustomed to the Chinese kitchen you have and the limited ingredients you might find. Search in cookbooks or online for a couple recipes that use simple ingredients to make a good, home-cooked meal that will make you feel, well, at home. Don’t expect it to taste exactly the same as it would in your home country, but it might be just what you need after a week or two of straight Chinese food (however amazing it may taste). Being able to make a great meal will also give you some hard-earned confidence in your own ability to transition well.

4) Find an Escape
The idea of having a third place is that you sometimes need a place other than your home or workplace where you can escape to. This third place might be a bar around the corner, a cafe, or a mall you like to wander in. It doesn’t have to be fancy or even foreigner-friendly, although the latter might be the thing that ultimately helps you feel at home. Wherever it is, make it a place where you feel comfortable and can go when things start to feel overwhelming (because they will). Learn the names of the servers, if you can, and tell them your name; take a hint from Cheers and never underestimate how powerful it can be to walk into a place where everybody knows your name.

5) Get Your Address in Chinese
This is a handy thing to have in general, but it’s especially nice to send an email to your loved ones back home, detailing how they can send you things at your new address if they’d like. This gives them the option of sending you letters, cards and packages. You may want to note that a percentage of these may get lost in customs or elsewhere along the way. That fact makes it even sweeter when you do happen to receive something in the mail other than flyers in a language you can’t read.

6) Go to a Famous Location 
Go early in the morning to see the elderly crowd getting their morning exercises/dancing/taichi in before the crowds. Without too much effort on your part, this will remind you of the fantastic breadth of history that exists in China and may get you even more excited about your new adventure. You can avoid some of the crowds by visiting these sites during the winter or on weekdays, but keep in mind that you did just move to a country of 1.3 billion people, many of whom are also keen to explore the tourist sites of their own country.

Whatever you end up doing during your first month, make sure that you take time to breathe.  You’re embarking on a crazy new journey, so remember to slow down and appreciate the process. Welcome!
 

Related Links
Searching For the Real China
Adventures in China: Strange Expat Jobs
The Art of Guanxi: Benefits, Pitfalls & The Lifetime Debt of Favours

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