Before I came to China I had no idea what to expect, apart from the occasional trip to a Chinese restaurant my experiences with the Chinese culture was nil. Moving forward 7 months to where I am now, I can honestly say that I am a completely different person, and that China has opened my eyes to a wonderfully different culture to what I am used to back home in the U.K. I’m not going to lie, I have a definite love-hate relationship with China, I have had some experiences that I will remember for a lifetime, some however, have almost brought me to tears.

When we first arrived in Shijiazhuang, I was amazed by everything I saw. In England we have markets and fast food, but nothing like the street food you can see here. I remember on our first day in Shijiazhuang we took a walk down the fruit and vegetable market near the school. To me this felt like authentic China, with the hustle and bustle of every day people going about their everyday lives… but to me their everyday lives were brand new. It’s hard for me now to express how I felt when I first came to China, as things I used to think were strange have now become part of my life on a day-to-day basis. It’s easy to forget what you used to consider normality.

Working in No.42 Middle School is great. I love teaching my Junior 1 students and getting to know them. Though I only see each of my students once a week, it’s great getting to know their individual personalities! I also teach 2 junior 2 classes, who are a little bit older, which is good because I get to experience a number of different age groups, which has definitely improved my teaching skills.

Since being in China, I have been very thankful to everyone who I am involved with at No.42 Middle School. I have been made to feel very welcome and it’s a pleasure to work with and teach such friendly and helpful people.  Yes, the language and cultural barrier can sometimes make life a struggle in China, but it’s a struggle that I am more that willing to have. This year in China has been amazing so far and I wouldn’t change one bit!