What to pack when you come to China?

I thought it might be helpful to anyone thinking about applying to pass on a few tips about things you might want to bring with you. Firstly shoes, now this applies mainly to the guys because it is quite difficult to buy larger size shoes here, it seems Chinese men have pretty small feet because I’ve been laughed out of shops before when asking for a UK size 11. You’ll do well to find anything larger than a UK size 8 so I suggest you bring with you shoes for all occasions…although larger shoes are available online which you can get delivered (maybe you’ll need a Chinese person to help you for this) Also ASOS do free worldwide delivery to any country as long as you’re willing to wait a couple of weeks.

It can be difficult to pack all the necessary clothes needed to live in Wuhan as you need to pack for all weather possibilities. Wuhan’s stiflingly hot summers and freezing winters means you’re probably want to pack sunglasses, sandals as well as a large winter coat. Waterproofs are also a must as the high humidity summers means thunderstorms occur regularly….I’ve never seen such appalling drainage system with water pooling on pavements every time it rains so waterproof shoes are pretty handy to help you wade through the puddles!

Coffee is very popular in China…Starbucks and Costa’s are everywhere and all supermarkets stock western brands. So you coffee drinkers will be fine however if you’re an English tea person you might want to pack a box of Twinings because you can’t buy it here, unless you want to convert to jasmine or green. Western food and snacks also aren’t stocked here so if there’s something you think you’re going to miss maybe pack some….a nice bar of dairy milk never goes a miss.

Whilst medicine is easy to find….buying the right thing is another story. I bought a little first aid kit from Tesco and it’s been a lifesaver, I also bought plenty of ibuprofen with me…you can only buy a couple of boxes at a time in supermarkets, so start buying early. If you’re going to make a habit of eating street food, you might want to bring imodium too. If you’re into your sport it’s useful to bring a few items with you to stop you buying things again when you’re out here that you already have back home. Tennis or badminton racquets are good to pack if you like a game as you’ll certainly come across some Chinese locals that want to play with you 

Bringing items from home to use in your classes are always received very well by both students and teachers…if you bring anything typical from your home country your students will be very excited. Your students will be very keen to learn about your home country as most Chinese students know very little about other cultures. If you have any old photos of you or pictures of your family to show definitely pack them as you get some good laughs out of them.

The last thing to pack is a bloody big smile! Don’t forget anything.