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Thread: What did you bring with you?

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[quote=TOMSPENCER,270224]I brought far too few winter clothes. I had been assured that the winters in sub-tropical Guangdong were mild and only a light jumper would be enough. No-one mentioned the fact that there would be no heating anywhere and even a relatively mild winter can end up seeming really cold!

I brought a fantastically expensive laptop (a desktop replacement), tons of deodorant (like you, I had also heard that it was hard to come by), and a lot of small packets of Kleenex (my mother had heard things about the state of toilets in China and was sure I would need it).

That was 3 years ago. And even in the small city that I arrived in, it was possible to find things like deodorant. And every restaurant gives you a packet of tissues when you order (normally for 1 or 2 yuan added to the bill), so the Kleenex wasn't necessary.

The things I needed to buy shortly after arrival included international plug and socket adapters, a broadband modem and wireless router. I didn't want to take these things with me from the UK as I knew they would be easy to buy in China, however trying to set up a router that is entirely in Chinese took a lot of effort and made me wish I'd brought mine with me.

Really these days you can get just about anything you need in all the major cities in China. Foods from home might be one thing you'll really miss. While a wide range of generic foreign foods is available, it can be very hard to find those special little things that you take for granted back home. Speciality shops that import foreign delicacies are few and far between, and the goods are expensive!

Coming from the UK I missed Branston's pickle. And for a long time I couldn't get cheese in my city - I had to make regular trips to Hong Kong to re-stock.

If you're going to be teaching, then the kids will be fascinated by anything you can show them from your home (photos, postcards or whatever). You might find it difficult to find English language books, here, but I'd have someone post these to you, rather than carry them, as they are bulky and heavy.

They sell those alcohol-based hand cleansers here, but always worth bringing one with you for the period before you get settled-in. And yes, do come with plenty of your favourite medicine.[/quote]

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