My Life in China
From：Shijiazhuang No.42 Secondary School Time：2013-03-11 15:39:54 Read：1226
When Kitty asked us to write an article about our time in China and particularly about our experiences and feelings regarding life at 42 Middle School, I instantly knew that I wouldn’t be handing it in on time. Trying to sort out my thoughts about this article has occupied me for the whole of last week and in certain ways, it has occupied me for the entire time since I stepped off the plane in Beijing in early August last year.
Much has been said about so called ‘culture shock’. Before my departure I was often warned about the emotional rollercoaster ride that lay ahead. I pictured myself feeling on top of the world with joy and excitement about engaging in this entirely new and different culture but I was also afraid that I would feel the lows. Indeed, the first couple of months in China were without a doubt the most exciting ones of my life. At the time, my impressions and perceptions of daily life in China were so vivid, that I was sure I would be able to capture these moments in my memory forever. The truth is however, that during that time I was overwhelmed by what my senses were capable of taking in and my mind was racing to keep up with them. What remains are blurred memories and amusing photographs of our time in Beijing and our arrival in Shijiazhuang. On our first day here at 42, Kitty took us on a walk around our new neighbourhood, explaining places of interest to us such as the fruit and vegetable market, which sold food I had never even seen or heard of before; the meat market (which I am still too sceptical about using) and the streetfood market. Admittedly the streetfood market plays a far too important role in my life, as I entirely rely on the ever-present skewer lady, the friendly old couple selling baozi (steamed dumplings), the sushi man and all the other kind souls who have saved foreign teachers and thousands of Zi-shi-er students from starvation – at least since August 2012! At the time I did not realise how important these people would become to me. Since we live right across from the school, the people who live and work in and around the school – from our charming life teachers, the shop keepers, the security guards, the teachers to all the pupils in their purple and yellow uniforms - all have become part of my China microcosm. This microcosm has not only become my workplace but rather a place that continues to give me the safety belt on my rollercoaster ride, and which I can now even regard as home.
However, as I am here to serve the serious purpose of teaching the foreign language classes, I am going to steer away from fairground metaphors and focus on the ultimate reason why I am here – the children at 42 Middle School. At the beginning, it was difficult for me, as a person who grew up in a western education system, to understand what life as a pupil in China entails. The sheer workload, the many hours spent in the classroom, and the expectations that rest upon them from a very young age, makes my own education seem like the proverbial ‘walk in the park’, in retrospect. I have learnt to respect and appreciate this fact, which has helped me to understand more about the students’ needs and expectations of me as their foreign language teacher. Trying to meet the needs of so many individuals often feels impossible to accomplish and can be very exhausting indeed. But when I walk into a class room and the pupils are smiling and happy to see me - and are still smiling when I walk out of the classroom, I can’t help feeling extremely lucky and grateful that I have the chance to work with these remarkable pupils, here at Hebei International School.
Now, seven months after my arrival in China, I’m no longer riding a rollercoaster. Life is steady and instead of being thrown off the track by the obvious and visible differences between life in Europe and China, I can focus on deepening my cultural understanding and appreciation for this country that has changed my life in so many ways. It remains for me to hope, that I have made some sort of impact, even if it is only a small one, on the lives of my colleagues and my students.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me so much over the last seven months.
Warmest wishes,
Jenny Laoshi
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