laowai12

day to day life. sure food can be cheap but that is also usually just noodles or wontons which leave you needing something more nutritious, transit, cab when the metro closes at 9 pm, your sim card, entrance fee to a museum, long underwear since you are relocating near siberia, things come up in the course of living that aren't rent or food (hopefully, unless you are a bland robot tethered to your dorm room). And god forbid you have a credit card payment, or a private student loan that doesn't care about forbearance, or need to get a teatnus shot or something and the bad fulbright insurance isn't covering it, or you crack your tooth on something in the 10 quai dumplings you resigned to eating... then what do you do?

wow, i just made an account to react to this post. What is wrong with you Hobakie???????? Why are you the apologist for Fulbright? you getting paid extra? $500 a month for a grown person to live on is nothing, even in "northern China." Harbin happens to be one of the more expensive cities to live on. I just did a quick google https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=China&city1=Beijing&country2=China&city2=Harbin that says that rents are cheaper but groceries are actually more expensive in Harbin than Beijing. I this OP is fair to bring this up-- academics need to push back against institutions like Fulbright that perpetuate the cycle of academia being exclusively for those who can afford to live on nothing (i.e. can ask their parents or SO for help if they need a coat or a emergency dental procedure etc.) Also the website explicitly promises the full stipend and then gives you 1/4 of it? that is not "sounding like a defensive ass" I've just returned from living in China and no, it is not easy to live on 100 quai, by any means. also LMAO at " 500 a month is a lot more than some people make in Harbin and they can make ends meet and still eat well and such" cool story bro???!? Glad you are an expert on frugality and the strife of the poor northerners and their delicious daily meals.....