Bulgaria with Noodles

I don’t like racism. Whatever you think of people from other countries, even those whose skin colour is not the same as yours, you still do not have to be rude and unkind to them, even if they do eat some weird or disgusting things. (I often wonder what my Chinese friends would think of haggis, that highlight of  Scottish cuisine, or my special favourite, black pudding.) Yes, it is true that the Chinese have some pretty racist attitudes, especially towards black people, as I made clear in my blog. (See my posts Blackface, Red faces and Hell’s Holidaymakers ). On the other hand, I have I have been absolutely disgusted by some of the appalling and racist comments I have read about China recently. Irena and I were very happy during our five years in China because so many Chinese people were kind and friendly to us. I particularly enjoyed teaching my students at Green Oasis. Blaming China (or individual Chinese people) for the Coronavirus pandemic is outrageous, esp...

Even though we left Qatar more than five years ago, many teachers still contact me through the TES and ask me what it is like to teach there. Hi Hippo I hope you don't mind me pre-emptively sending you a conversation about my job offer. GEMS Wellington Qatar have offered 13.5k which I think is reasonable for three years' experience qualified (five including unqualified experience). However, they are not offering medical insurance for my family nor are they covering flights for them. At the interview, the Director intimated that my family might even have to stay here in the UK while stuff like permits got sorted out. My gut instinct tells me not to accept the offer as a result. Also, I've heard Qataris can be quite racist towards non-white people. How true is this? I've always fought against this sort of thing in the UK as an Asian man and don't want any trouble when I go out to work. Is the cost of living higher than Dubai or London? Obvio...

Dear Jaye, How lovely to hear from you! Yes, of course I would be happy to help you, if I possibly can. No, I am not such a great fan of Dubai. It is an exciting place and I have visited it quite a few times, but I am not sure that I would want to live there. It is a bit overrated, in my opinion. China is seriously foreign. It is about as foreign as you can get. I think that I make this clear in my blog, bulgariawithnoodles.blogspot.com and if you want everything to be the same as in the States, then do NOT go to China.  My wife and I had five happy years in Shenzhen (just around the corner from Hong Kong) and we had some lovely Chinese friends. In some ways, I wish that I had not retired and I was still there! I did know several African Americans in Shenzhen and they liked it. Yes, of course you will "stand out" and you might be stared at. Children might look at you as though you have three heads. However, all  laowai  (foreigners) get some of th...

Alona Beach on Panglau Islan It was of course J.R.R. Tolkien, in The Hobbit , who wrote, “It is a dangerous business going out of your front door.” The truth is that more and more Chinese people are not just going out of their front doors: they are heading overseas for their holidays each year. Should we be celebrating the adventures of these Middle Kingdom (not Middle Earth) Bilbos?  In the Philippines, the waves of Chinese tourists that invade the archipelago, especially during the Chinese New Year holiday, bring lots of tourist dollars. The problems that Mr and Mrs Chen and their children bring with them are not so welcome. (Those who have read An Unexpected Party may recall that Mr Baggins was rather put out by the large number of uninvited dwarves that appeared at Bag End.) For example, the Chinese young men in the next hotel room to ours were talking and laughing loudly on their balcony until after 1am.    Although Chinese children are so well-behav...

It was a source of embarrassment for the Chinese government and a dent in China’s image around the world: that is what some commentators are saying about a TV comedy sketch that appeared during the Chinese New Year. Lots of Chinese people, especially the younger generation, go back to their hometown during the CNY holiday, in order to see their parents and grandparents. Sometimes they will bring with them their boyfriend or girlfriend. This means that the Chinese New Year is often the first occasion that the older members of the family will have to meet their future son- or daughter-in-law. In the television sketch, a smart-looking Chinese young man is going with his black girlfriend to meet her parents for the first time. The sketch was meant to be funny, but many people all over the world have condemned its blatant racism and the way that it perpetuates racial stereotypes. The sketch was supposed to be set somewhere in Africa. The girlfriend’s mother was played by a Chinese l...