China here I come


by Josephine

Why would anyone want to go to China? That was the question posed to me many times when I announced that I wanted to go there. My interest in china started in 2002 when I was a freshman in college. I was sitting in my counselor's office and saw a flyer on the board that read teach, travel and see china for 5- 7 weeks for $490 dollars.  I took the flyer off the wall, made a copy of it and took it home and placed it in an abroad folder that I made. I would not look into that flyer again for another 3 years. Upon graduating in 2005 I had no summer plans and I was itching to do something or go somewhere. I couldn't do any study abroad programs because it was too late to apply for them. China came to mind and at that point it was now or never. For the past three years I couldn't do the program because I always had internship obligations. Since I was free the only obstacle left was my mother. Convincing her was no easy task. To her China was a no man's land and she couldn't understand why I would want to go there. After pushing she finally agreed to let me go. My reason for going was plain and simple. I wanted to go somewhere different, so different from other common places I had traveled to.  A place where I would be so out of my comfort zone that I would be forced to open up. And to top it off I would be an English teacher for the next month and a half.

Fear

Like my previous trips I wanted someone to go with me but none of my friends parents thought going to China was a good idea so I was solo on this trip. Was I scared? Absolutely, I was going to country where I would stand out more than anything. On this trip there would be no blending in. This was not London or Brazil, this was China. I am a brown skinned African American who stands at 6 feet tall. Blending in was not a possibility at all. I was a bit uncomfortable but it was challenge I would have to face.

The Program

The program was called the US China Summer Education and Cultural Exchange program whose aim is to bring two countries together in order to bring cultural exchange. For Americans it is an opportunity to experience a culture that is vastly different from their own. In the process also forming life long friendships with Chinese students and colleagues, and gaining comprehension and wisdom that cannot not be taught in a classroom. You get to go to China not just as a tourist but actually living, working and experiencing China first hand. This organization offer many different programs including study abroad opportunities and full-time paid teaching position varying from 6 to 12 months.

The summer TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) program is a unique teaching and learning program which allows individual to spend the summer teaching English, studying Chinese culture and learning Chinese. The program includes round trip tickets to China, room and board, and travel and sightseeing all for an affordable price ranging from 600 to 800 for a 5-to 6 week program. As part of the program you get to tour cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and other areas as well as see all the famous sights and monuments. You get to immerse yourself in Chinese culture and take Chinese classes while teaching English, what more can you ask for!

The Experience

Where do I begin…? I am now unofficially a spokes person for the Summer TESL program. Everyone who has an opportunity should go to China.  I spent my first 3 days touring Shanghai which has become a metropolis over the last couple of years and reminds one of the hustle and bustle of New York City with architectural wonders and tall skyscrapers.

So I mentioned that would stand out but not so much because Shanghai is quite a tourist spot and I was taken to the tourist attractions of the city. In Shanghai I meet the 4 other teachers that I would be staying and teaching at the same school as me. Our school site was located about 8- 10 hours outside of Shanghai in a province of Hang Zhou called Jinhua. Jinhua is a small city that is not use to seeing tourists or foreigners of any kind except on billboards and advertisements. With three 19 year old guys a 22 year old girl and 36 year old women Jinhua was skies the limit for us. We wanted to do everything and were full of energy.

The school was a mini university and the summer camp ranges from grades 1 through 5. I lived on campus with the students and teachers. My assigned class was 2 first grade classes. Upon first glance they were fascinated it my height, skin and hair style.

I was given the pleasure of given some of my student's English names. The process was a joy to me. I selected various names and allowed them to select the names they liked. I was told that the names I gave them would be names that they would take on into adulthood. These were my students and there English names stuck like glue.

In the morning my students usually woke me up by knocking on me and my roommates door with there newly learned words "get upa" . At 7 am I had my morning Chinese lesson and then it was off to class. I taught 2 classes from Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m. with a 2 hours siesta in the middle of the day.

Outdoors

Going outside was an interesting experience. Wherever I went I stopped traffic. I became a sort of over night celebrity. People wanted to see all of us but once they saw me they were even more intrigued. I rarely went out alone; I always went out with one of the teaching assistants or my roommate. The supermarket was hilarious. People would whisper and point and stare. Some were bold enough to approach me and my friend as to inquire as to who I am. They were most impressed when they were told that I was an English teacher from America. I was always the center of attention.  I am not one to be in the spot light so it was uncomfortable at times.  One day one of my students saw me in the supermarket and ran screaming my name and hugging me. She introduced me to her parents it was like everyone stopped shopping to see what was going on. Some people already knew who I was because I was featured in the local paper but they were eager to see me in person. It was weird that a lot or parents wanted there newborns to say hi to me and wave. They always just stare. Sometimes I was happy that I didn't understand the language very much, who knows what they were saying about me. It's best to leave it up to the imagination. People always stopped me to take pictures with them or just took pictures of me through there cell phones.

The community welcomed us with open arms and the school was so friendly to us. The principal took us to dinner quite often and made sure that our every need was met. The teachers at the school love to have big dinners so they would invite us over for dinner so that we could learn to cook and eventually eat the food that we just cooked. They had so many questions and it was the school's first time getting teachers so young. Most of the head teachers didn't speak English so when we went out there was always at least 4 people translating what we the English teachers were saying.

Tours

I went to so many places while I was in China, I went to Shanghai and Beijing which was part of the program. I got to see the Great Wall of China and was able to climb it in the rain which was a lot if work. I went to see Tiananmen Square and spent half the day in the famous Forbidden City. While in Jinhua the school made it possible for us to go to Yiwu the international trade city where we could shop all day long. We saw the west lake, went mountain hiking and visited many famous site in the region.


I'm a teacher

Looking into the faces of 62 eager 5-9 year olds was sometimes scary and most times a memorable experience. They were so small and so adorable. Unlike the older kids who had a better handle on English, my students were real beginners. They knew general terms like "good morning" and "how are you", which always seem so formal when they said it. My students picked up fast, however there was a lot of one on one session to work on speaking, they had so much energy and always invited me to go "Yo yo" which mean swimming in Chinese. They were learning to swim and I would make fun of them that they were drinking the water and not swimming. Eventually they stopped saying yo yo and would say "let's go swimming". I taught them that! We had two English lessons a day and 1 gym/ entertainment / cultural exchange session where we played games, did art work and I showed them pictures of my family, friends, and school. Being a teacher was exhausting but I enjoyed every second of it. They were always around and always playing in my room. What gave me the most pleasure was when after working for days to teach them something, they can internalize it and actually communicate with me. The first time it happened I almost cried because the student who too young to even be in my class and was the baby of the class. He came up to me and said something and I was in shocked that I picked him up and hugged him and told him that I was so happy that he spoke in English to me.

In the all the entire experience is one that will never be forgotten. I am itching too go back real soon because I miss it I know my next experience won't be like the first but at least I can make new ones.