Mandarin Phrasebook...

I want to plug a book. Anyone coming to China, and Beijing specifically, should pick up a copy of the Mandarin Phrasebook. It has made my life here a whole heck of a lot easier. It has all sorts of essential phrases that you can get in other travel books like "Can you tell me how to get to..." and "How much for the..." but also sections more appropriate for long-term travelers, students, and expats. There are sections explaining how to rent an apartment, hire a maid, open a bank account, find a job, and, most importantly, pet grooming. Speaking of grooming, explaining to a man in Chinese how you want your hair cut is good speaking practice. Plus, you can see almost immediately if what you wanted to say was expressed properly.

Were it not for the Mandarin Phrasebook, I would never have been able to say "I will take one order of the fried scorpion with spicy salt please." More on that later...