5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving To China

I never expected to move to China. China! Honestly, I feel like an outsider about anything in East Asia. I credit my husband for sashimi-appreciation lessons and convincing me to learn how to use chopsticks. [Sidenote: I handle chopsticks pretty well now, and do NOT look like a confused foreigner]I looked through blogs to get any clue about China and they weren't much help apart from the warning about flying drones near government buildings.We've been here officially eight months! So I feel like I can give advice now to people who are thinking of living here.Learn to count in ChineseIf you're going to learn to get around, start with numbers. Even just one to ten, and it's easier from there. Because in Mandarin, "ten and five" is fifteen, and "five and ten" is fifty. I took this Chinese for Beginners course AFTER I got here, and then I practice what I learned with the people at the grocery store on our ground floor. And when all else fails I resort to hand gestures. But yeah, counting in Chinese helps A LOT.Buy a maskWe arrived in the middle of Fall and the air quality was about 280. It's usually nice and pleasant that time of year because the breeze sets in. But it had to be horrible on our first day, of course. I copped a 3M PM 2.5 mask from the Lawson near us, and it helped put my mind at ease somewhat, and in the apartment we got an air purifier. I got my husband a Vogmask because he will need to go to work no matter the air quality. It held up for about three months. Not-so-fun fact: In December we had to endure air quality levels of OVER 400. For reference, the normal levels are around 0-50. Gaah!Pack lightlyEverything is practically made here. Leave your 5th pair of pants home, it'll be fine. In our case, we had one suitcase to fit ALL my clothes and Allegra's things too. I'm talking about her clothes, toys, bottles, everything! I came here with three pairs of socks and the plan to live here for a year. Forced minimalism, but I love it!Babies will get you unwanted attention (even when they're quiet)People here don't see many babies because of China's One Child Policy. So when they do, they just grab the opportunity to give out unsolicited parenting advice. My husband and I don't speak fluent Mandarin, so we're blanking a lot when strangers approach us. The strangers are usually little old women, too! We were at the park just last week and an elderly couple came up and just started talking to us. We were giving them the palms-up shrug, when the old lady grabbed my baby's foot and lightly tapped the bottom of it. I had to explain to her calmly that my baby doesn't walk yet nor is it cold so she doesn't need to have shoes on. This reminds me---Test for patienceLook, China isn't that bad. It's just different. And I'm not even talking politically or whatever. I'm just saying coming from an English-speaking culture with a specific set of manners, patience is bound to be tested. People smoke in the building stairwell, throw garbage anywhere, and don't cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough. But they also give up seats in public transportation, and offer to carry your crying baby in a restaurant. (True story. I said no, thank you, of course.) Yes coughing and sneezing without covering is a giant pet peeve, and man have I peppered people with dirty looks after they just expelled a satisfying (for them) yet gross (for me) sneeze, but this is the country I live in now. Hence, the mask.Beijing in the Fall or the three weeks of Spring is all so nice and windy and pleasant! Have you been to China or are planning to visit soon?