Travel Guides & Tips in this video
Lizzy talks with her mother about a year living in Kunming. Her mom recalls culture shocks, including seeing people leave litter after outdoor barbecue, but says she adapted to life there. She enjoys shopping because clothes and everyday goods cost less, takes rides on an e-bike, and eats familiar South African food alongside fruit, chicken feet, and stir-fried noodles. She also describes her experience with healthcare, including finding her chronic medication and helpful hospital staff. Safety matters to her: she says she felt comfortable taking a Didi alone after midnight. A school project led her to notice solar panels, replanted trees, and roadside flowers. She says she feels less stressed and happier than when she was an overworked teacher in South Africa, and is willing to recommend moving to China.
Next travel video:
More about the current video:(Published on 2025-06-10)
Settling into life in Kunming
Lizzy sits down with her mother to discuss the year she has spent living in Kunming. Her mom remembers some culture shocks, particularly seeing people leave rubbish on the ground after barbecue and expecting the shop owner to clean it. She also mentions spitting and people staring, but says these experiences became more familiar over time. Shopping was a positive surprise: she found clothes, shoes, and everyday items more affordable than in South Africa, and she especially enjoys being able to buy things within her budget. She also got used to riding an e-bike.
Food was not a major obstacle. She continued to eat South African dishes she knew, ate plenty of fruit, and discovered Chinese foods she likes, including chicken feet and stir-fried noodles from street stalls. The conversation gives her personal account of adjustment rather than a broad guide to every person's experience in China.
Safety, healthcare, and a change in pace
Lizzy's mother says she never felt unsafe, even when Lizzy sent her home alone in a Didi after midnight. At first she worried about the ride, but grew comfortable with it. She was also impressed by healthcare in Kunming: she says her chronic medication was available and hospital staff were friendly and efficient. A school project about green energy changed what she noticed around her. She points to solar panels, replanted trees, and flowers along highways as visible parts of China's green initiatives.
The biggest change she describes is lower stress. She had been a tired, overworked teacher in South Africa and now feels more relaxed and healthier. Lizzy says her mother is happier and more chilled, and her mother has lost weight. She is considering starting her own social media channel, and the pair say they plan to make more content together. When asked about moving to China, she recommends it based on her own happiness and laughs off the suggestion that someone pays her to speak positively. Her story is about a year of personal change, from cultural adjustment and healthcare to daily shopping and feeling at ease.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What was Lizzy's mom's biggest culture shock?
- A: She says people sometimes left their rubbish on the ground after barbecue, leaving the shop owner to clean it up. She did not understand the custom at first, though she also mentions adjusting to other differences such as spitting and being stared at.
- Q: Does she feel safe in China?
- A: She says she never felt unsafe. She even took a Didi home alone at midnight; she needed time to trust the ride at first but says she is used to it now.
- Q: Would she recommend moving to China?
- A: Yes. She says she once believed negative things she had heard, but after arriving she found it to be a normal country and became happy living there. Her recommendation is based on her own year in Kunming.
- Q: How did she adjust to the food?
- A: She continued eating the South African food she knew and ate plenty of fruit. Her favorite Chinese dish is chicken feet, and she also likes stir-fried noodles from street stalls.
- Q: Do you need to speak Chinese to live in China?
- A: She says no: she knows only a few words such as hello and thank you. She describes this as one of the biggest misconceptions, while noting that basic phrases can help.
