Because life’s complicated enough

Posted on May 13th, 2008 in Misc. by James

I tried to find an ironic slogan for the title to my blog post about banking in China. The Abbey National Bank’s old slogan was perfect.

I’ve recently opened a current (checking) account in China and I was pleased with how quick and easy it was. The only difficulty was the language for which I bought along a Chinese friend for help. If you don’t have any Chinese or any friends then you can refer to this comprehensive guide.

Requirements to open a Chinese bank account:

  1. 1 form of ID
  2. £1 processing fee.
  3. Yearly £0.70 for the privilege of a debit card.
  4. Receive your debit card and PIN number at the same time

The only downside is that you don’t get a chequebook, but no-one really uses them in China. The bank clerk laughed at me when I asked for one. You don’t get a £1000 interest free student overdraft either - but they’re not so useful.

Compare this with the requirements to open a British bank account:

  1. 2 forms of ID
  2. Proof of address
  3. Credit check
  4. Zero pounds
  5. Wait a week to receive your debit card and PIN number

Bear in mind that these requirements of British citizen. Good luck to those who don’t pledge allegiance to the queen. Why do the rules need to be so complicated? And thanks to a minor financial crisis, even the share price performance of the Chinese banks has been better than the British banks.

To be fair to the British banks, the rules are there to protect me from money-laundering. I’ve also taken for granted the free current accounts that they offer. What I appreciate most is the polite, pleasant and efficient service of the British bank teller. A kind of service that is only found in the English gentlemen. A kind of service that is envied by every other nation on the Earth. Indeed, let us celebrate the British bank teller!

OK, I’ll stop looking through my Union Jack tinted glasses.

Culture Shock Episode Number 28

Posted on April 29th, 2008 in Misc. by James

I’ve been quite down for the past week or so. Teaching is unenjoyable and learning Chinese seems like an insurmountable task. All the teachers have worked hard and are now stressed out. The situation is tense, so I’m glad that the spring term is ending today.

Inevitably, I blame being in China for my problems and the culture shock sets in again. I spend time on the Tianjin expatriates web site. So, I go to my usual hiding spot at Starbucks. I spot a foreigner there and I yearn to talk to them for just 10 minutes. So I prepare to put on my most British of British accents, but I realise that I look like every other Chinese person that wants to practice their English. So I stop myself. I end up dreaming of England’s green fields again.

Except that the Chinese culture is not to blame. There is an expectation that problems will go away when you are at home, that feeling is exacerbated when you are thousands of miles away. So, I try to put everything into perspective. I realise that England’s green fields are probably:

  1. occupied with protesters against the new runway, which has not even got planning permission yet
  2. flooded because of global warming
  3. swarming with Polish workers clearing up the mess for a reasonable wage
  4. falling in value because of the impending housing market crash
  5. experiencing cloud cover with some light drizzle but clearing up in the afternoon

Now, I don’t feel so bad and I remember what a famous Polish philosopher (my flat mate) once said: “Your problems follow you wherever you go.”

Fleeing from Britain

Posted on February 21st, 2008 in Misc. by James

It was more like a casual walk onto the plane, which had a dire lack of entertainment. But I occupied myself with reading, sleeping and balancing my accounts for the year 2007. All that I could conclude was a lot a money was spent at McDonalds.

I was privileged to have my flatmate organise a birthday party for me at Starbucks upon my return (a lot of money was also spent there in 2007). Despite the horrific jet-lag, it was much better than my actual birthday spent in hospital.

The jet lag remains but now I am back to the teaching routine. My Chinese is really rusty and my teacher is going to be disappointed when she finds out I have done no work in the past month.

My very first post!

Posted on September 13th, 2007 in Misc. by James

It’s quarter past midnight and I have wasted a whole evening to set this blog up. It cost just over ten pounds sterling (£10.04 to be exact). I expect to update this blog when I have some free time next year.