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| Life-changing experiences and Lasting friendships | ||
| Yes, there is a lot of negativity about the China experience expressed in ESL columns, some of it justified, but I think it also serves to prove that China is not for everyone. What I found from two separate experiences (2003 and 2004) I.e. one in central and the other in southern China, is that many westeners will struggle at times with many aspects of the culture. But really I think it's up to you to make a difference not only in the life experiences of those you meet but in your own. While I loved the many sites and cities we visited, I would say that it's as much an inner journey as an outer journey, turning upside down everything that we expect in the west, such as social security, clean water, hygiene, unsweetened bread, blue skies, kerbside waste pickup (rather than disposal), comfortable public transport etc. And yet the vaste majority of people we see leading very humble lives, living in the back of their shops and working 16hr days, don’t seem that unhappy. Not everyone in China wants to be your friend but some of the best friendships I have ever made have been with teachers and students who continue to send greetings, photos and well wishes, long after we have parted. In fact, two teachers have even come to visit us in Oz on a study visit and we look forward to a young man joining us soon as a homestay student in 2005. My advice to anyone thinking of teaching in China is do your homework on the city and the school before you leave home and don’t take your job too seriously because you're there as much to wave the flag as to improve the English of the students in your care. Xin nian kuaile Gerard Denaro 01-01-05 Brisbane Australia g_denaro@hotmail.com |