Read as much book as you can and watch as many movies as you want on china but nothing and I mean nothing prepares you for the middle kingdom. Trekking nearly 5,000 miles across the world to teach English sounded crazy at first but I decided to do it. So off I went to china in the middle of august.
As soon as I got off the plane the smell and heat hit me as well as the lack of English speakers or signs anywhere, but it was really fun trying to find a taxi to get to my hotel.
I have now been in China for over six months and I can honestly say that I have adjusted to the vastly different culture. When I first got here I found myself comparing everything to back home in England. This resulted in me always being disappointed.
Everything is so different; from the way of life, eating habits, social etiquette and many other things, sometimes it even felts like a whole different world completely. My main hang up was personal space. This took a while to get used to as well as the staring. I sometimes joked that it is like being famous without money.
For your viewing pleasure:
Huaihua
Huaihua (Chinese: 怀化) seated in the western part of Hunan Province, is adjacent to Shaoyang to the east, Guangxi Province to the south, Guizhou to the southwest, Xiangxi to the north.
The city is a railway transportation hub in Hunan Province. The Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway, the Xiangqian Railway (which leads from Hunan to Guizhou) and the Chongqing-Huaihua Railway connects the city with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and other major cities throughout China.
Huaihua hosts diverse activities, such as cultural festivals, to boost the city's tourism industry. In 2010, nearly 10.98 million tourists visited Huaihua, which brought over RMB 7.03 billion in tourism income to the city, up 49.9% year on year.
Zhangjiajie
The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (Chinese: 湖南张家界国家森林公园) is a unique national forest park located in Zhangjiajie City.
In 1982 it was recognized as China's first national forest park and is part of the much larger Wulingyuan Scenic Area. In 1992, Wulingyuan was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2004 it was listed as a UNESCO Global Geopark.
The most notable geographic features of the park are the pillar-like formations that are seen throughout the park. Much of the erosion which forms these pillars are the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants which grow on them. These formations are a distinct hallmark of Chinese landscape, and can be found in many ancient Chinese paintings.
Here there are lots of challenges we have to face every day as well; the biggest one would be the size of each class. On average there are 50 students in each class at an ordinary middle school in China, so sometimes the order and discipline can be a big issue. But it really depends on the class, if you let the kids bug you then they will keep giving you a hard time and be loud and naughty.
In that case you need to get in touch with their class tutor or invent an effective form of punishment yourself. On the whole, however, as long as you keep your class interesting and engaging, they will adore you, enjoy your class, and appreciate your effort, all of which will make it the most rewarding job ever. At the university it’s a little similar; you teach smaller groups (30-40 students per class), students are much more engaging and always eager to participate in a discussion and always interested in any topic you would bring up in the class.
Of course, it’s not for everyone, but if you are the adventurous individualist, who is looking for a sudden 180degree turn in his or her life, a change in their everyday routine, someone who wants to sign up for an exciting discovery of a completely different world then China is the place you want to go to!
The beginnings are always hard and I won’t tell you that it’s easy for everyone to adjust quickly to the completely new environment. There’s no British food here, you won’t buy any normal ham or a sausage, milk is twice and cheese even 10 times more expensive than back at home, that’s true. But don’t forget that at the local marketplace you can buy vegetables and fruits that you have never seen before, eat dishes your palate has never tasted before and every day live your life to the fullest without being worried about how much it’s going to cost.
After many long months of hard work the SojournEast website is formally launching!
The intent of SojournEast is to provide a portal for youthful, dynamic and passionate people from countries like the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK to travel, experience and teach in China. However, this journey can be a mine field for the unprepared with ranging from culture shock to dealing with unscrupulous recruiters. Sojourneast seeks to make your journey an unforgettable experience!
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