Quote Originally Posted by TonyD
Hey fengzi im saving up to go and live in China for a year, not near a city though. Eight hours by train outside beijing, the shaolin temple their is taking westerners. I plan to live and train with the shaolin monks for a year have to save quite a bit up though.
Wow, it sounds like a great opportunity. Do you speak any Chinese? Not too many people speak English there, especially outside of the bigger cities. If not, I'm sure you'll learn while your there. There's nothing like total immersion to force you to learn. I studied Chinese for two years in college here in the U.S. but learned more in my first two months in China.

Anyhow, I'm envious. I'd love to do something like that but now that I've got my wife and daughter, not to mention a mortgage payment, taking off for a year isn't in the picture. I do go back to China for a few weeks each year to visit my wifes family and do some travelling but it's not quite the same. Have fun.

Oh yeah, a little money can go a long way in China so you don't need to worry about saving too much. Just be prepared to bargain your ass off for anything you buy. Most places won't have prices on things so you have to ask and the price they tell you will be twice what they'd tell a native. And that is about twice what they actually expect to get. Some people get frustrated but I always see it as a game. You win some-you lose some. Have fun with it.