| guest5717 | |
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| Feb 19, 2008 08:01 |   |
| guest11841 | my partner has been asked to move our family to nanjing for his company.while every thing has been sorted ie housing,transport and schooling I feel as a mother i do not have enough knowledge of lifestyle over there.I need to know about safety for myself and two young children,where to shop,where to find other expats aprt from in dannys irish bar.lol.also as i come from the uk the nastiest thing that might hurt my kids is a bee.I know it seems silly but i need to know if there is anything that insect or animal wise may be hazerdous.any info about the area would be apprieciated.the are we are looking at is near to the british school of nanjing.thankyou for any help. |
| Feb 22, 2008 22:39 | #1 |
 | If your kids will be going to the British school you should get plenty of help once you arrive. There are insects but nothing too bad. You are more likel\y to notice an absence of wildlife, except flies perhaps . Your personal safety in the streets is probably much better than any city in the UK or most other western countries though locals will say the cities are unsafe - if only they knew! China is still a developing country and cannot be expected to have the same safety standards that we are used to in the west. Having said that there are many westerners thoroughly enjoying life here. So here are few initial things you learn to live with. You should not drink tap water in most places and generally there are more chances of getting stomach complaints as hygiene standards are lower (oh and you ALWAYS carry a supply of tissues for use in the WC). You will all have to learn new pedestrian safety (especially that a green man does NOT mean it is safe to cross), you will need to be wary of electricity and power boards (multi adaptors), safety exits are often locked, sprinkler systems are not universal and who knows if they are working, seat belts in taxis are often not working or non existant, and the driving style has to be experienced to be believed. |
| Feb 23, 2008 09:47 | #2 |
| Fair and detail opinion from Paul. |
| Feb 26, 2008 10:04 | #3 |
| GUEST23153 | thankyou for your reply. I do hope that you meant I am not likely to see a snake at the bottom of my garden as there is a lack of wildlife(this has been one of my concerns) I did visit Nanjing for a week and fully understand the road and driving issues,bit scary, but nothing we would not get used to im sure.If there is any more information that you think may be of use to myself and my family I would be greatful. It has also been mentioned to me that it may be frowned upon if we did not employ a house keeper. Every house that we went to view had a room for a house keeper and the ones that were occupied did have one.Is this true as I would hate to do anything wrong.our host said it was a good thing to do as it helped with employment. Thankyou again for your time and help. |
| Mar 24, 2008 22:03 | #4 |
| Maybe now you have already moved here in Nanjing. I'm based locally here. If some more questions, feel free to ask me. Or you can email: sina.com|sabrina6556 |
| Apr 10, 2008 03:09 | #5 |
| GUESTBARBARA | When you are in Rome, do as Romans do. That's what I want yo say.Try to adapt and enjoy your life. If we can not change the environment, we change ourselves. Anyway, stay happy!!!!! |
| Apr 10, 2008 06:27 | #6 |
| Since you have already visited Nanjing you should have seen that it is a very pleasant place to live. Traffic is pretty tame in comparison to other large cities. Very few places have what you would consider a back yard and while I do see bees, even a bumble bee buzzing around my balcony flowers this week, they would be less of a threat than you'd expect. You and your children will most likely be safer in China than at home. What all of you will probably get tired of is the locals looking at your children, especially if they are blond and cute. But try to enjoy it. If your children have serious allergies then I would recommend that you do just what you do for them in the UK. Be prepared. Once your children are in school you will quickly meet other parents and try this website if you haven't already http://www.ni-club.com/ I'm sure I came across a Nanjing Expat website but it seems to have gone since I last looked. There are a few forums about and you may introduce yourself to some of the Nanjing members on these who are also looking for other expats to make friends with. Just be patient. Give yourselves a couple of months to settle in. Ask about shops like Carrefour, Metro and Ikea where you can buy familiar foodstuffs for your family. The school and other parents will be a good source of useful information for you. Welcome to Nanjing and China PS I really like Nanjing because it has loads of great green space and I'm sure you'll learn to enjoy it once you've settled in. Don't forget to get a map and take a few bus rides, while the kids are at school and then you can take your family out on the weekends. |
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