CHINA
Country Overview:
"A land of contrasts, where ancient traditions meet rapid modernization, and delectable cuisine coexists with complex political realities."
My seven-year journey in China, from May 2013 to August 2020, was a whirlwind of experiences. I taught English, pursued my Master's in Politics & Foreign Policy at the prestigious Tsinghua University, and immersed myself in the media landscape at China Today and Xinhua News Agency. Beijing was my home base, but my travels painted a vibrant tapestry of China's diverse landscapes and cultures: the bustling metropolis of Shanghai, the historic city of Xi'an, the tropical paradise of Sanya, the unique blend of East and West in Macau and Hong Kong, and countless other destinations in between. From savoring the exquisite flavors of regional cuisines to navigating the intricacies of daily life under a distinct political system, China left an indelible mark on me.
Headed to the Zoo tomorrow to wrap up my summer class. It’s been a pretty wild week. We learned about bones, created caterpillars from bottle caps, and made spider hats. This is my job.
Kids from my PK1 class, ages 3-4
Had a birthday party which explains the poorly made birthday hat that Michelle demanded she wear for the entirety of class. While Julie thought it was important to inform us every 10 minutes that she had a pink sticker on her forehead. And as for my man Pipi in the 1st picture, I have no idea.
I’m teaching a summer class in 2 weeks and on the last day, I’m taking my students to the zoo
So to prepare, my school sent me and my assistant teacher to the Beijing zoo for a day to ‘get ready’ for our class. A lot of people say it’s a shitty zoo, but I enjoyed it. We saw a dolphin/seal show at the aquarium, and tried to explain to my assistant that in America, people eat deer & sturgeon, and that I ate Alpaca in Peru. She was confused, this coming from a girl who admitted to eating dog. Also learned that it’s illegal to hunt in China, but fishing is ok. Overall, the Beijing zoo is legit.
Mickey thought he was the funniest kid putting stickers on his face
Dong Dong couldn’t quite get the hang of a foot roll up without a little assistance.
These are from my pk2 class, around age 5
Some kids don’t already have an English name so it’s up to the teacher to name them. Because of this, my school has kids named ‘Dinosaur’ 'Angry Bird’ 'Mickey’ & 'Brutus’. It’s ok for a 4 year old to be named 'Angry bird’ but when he’s 11, I’m not so sure.
At my school we do these things called ‘Outside Demos’, where we go to a public place, set up our stuff, then give 30 minute classes to whatever kids are there
Upon being asked to do this, I thought it was going to be super weird, but there were a bunch of kids and we had a good time. It’s amazing how trusting children are and how quickly you go from saying hello, to tickling them and lifting them over your head.
Smelly feet
I made a joke about a little girl’s feet smelling bad and of course, they thought it was hilarious so they all started raising their legs wanting me to smell their feet too.
