Last blog from China - Gapbreak

In excess of a week, I have been pondering how to write my final and
complete update of China. I wanted it to encapsulate everything. I
wanted it to be worded impeccably, without any grammatical errors. I
wanted It to be descriptive and depthy. Basically, I wanted
perfection. But I have abdandoned that hope. I accept that there will
be grammar issues, bad spelling, puns that do not make you laugh.
Times where it makes little, to no sense. It won't be a perfect text,
but it will act as a sublime memory catcher for myself. I will keep it
concise.

Nine cities. Five and a half months. 24 weeks. 169 days. 4, 056 hours.
243, 360 seconds. And that brings us approximately to this exact
moment.

This my second to last day of teaching at Happyland. My senior class
is about to do presentations consisting of two sentences on their
favourite food. This morning, train races were held using giant boxes
and children inside. This has somehow transformed into an average day.
I don't exactly know when it happened, but it has. And I enjoy it
immensely.

The rudimentary purpose behind myself coming to China was to teach
English, and I think I kind of underestimated firstly, my role in a
Chinese school and secondly, how much I would gain from such a thing.
You can say I am looking after 2-6 year olds, or you can say I am
utilising their formative years as an opportunity to enhance their
language development. I much prefer to use the latter.

I mean, I may only be teaching emotions, or transport, or food, or a
very tangible concept; an object. They may be singular words, or a
short sentence. But not only does it impress me how much these
children can remember. But it makes me think laterally, use my
creativity, think outside the box. Constantly be innovative and
active. It's not only fun, but it's exciting, and challenging, however
it wasn't always like this. At first it was foreign. I was foreign to
them and they were foreign to me. But now, relationships have
developed. This morning, I got one of my six year olds to try some
imported peppermint tea. One kid, in my two year old class. She's so
on the ball, as soon as she hears the 'see' from 'see you tomorrow'
she runs to my lap and hugs me, the rest of the class follows and I
look like a giant caterpillar. I have wars with the teachers in the
ball pit and when it was a midly warmer climate, leaf flights on the
playground.

Yesterday, I told Linda, a 6 year old girl in my senior class that I
am leaving on Friday and this morning her mum came up to me, while
Linda hid behind her and confirmed the date of my departure. She then
went onto say that Linda cried very much last night because of this.
It made my heart melt. I am going to miss this place so much. It's
strange to think how much of an impact I am having on their lives, but
it wasn't so strange when I realised how much they have impacted me.

Not only have I been able to teach whilst here, I have also quite
extensively travelled north eastern China. It started in Beijing and
has continued in Shenyang. There was Dalian for the mid-autumn
festival. Huludao this winter. Dandong, I saw North Korea. Inner
Mongolia and back to Beijing, greatest week of my life. Benxi, with
it's beautiful rivers and clear, crisp skies. China has been a delight
in every facet of it's being. Especially with thew amount of rice
consumption I have.

I honestly don't think I could have gained more from this experience.
I know it may sound strange, but my time away has really provided me
with this sense of awareness. This sense of passion, curiosity and
thirst for success. I've explored almost every facet of this culture
to some extent. Now, I am excited for what is next.

I am going to study my ass off. I am going back to Adelaide, atleast
for a little while. I am going to begin university. Studying law and
politics, it is also a great hope that I will be enabled to study
Chinese in synchronisation. I am excited. Being detached from the 24
hour news cycle has been amazing. I read pretty much only politics.
And my passion for it augments each day. There are officially no
opinion pieces on the ABC website's offshoot 'The Drum' left for me to
read. From my time away, this idea of further education has only
consolidated more. It has made the idea more attractive, and has
labelled it an opportunity to pursue something I love, rather than 'I
may aswell do it.'

Perhaps it is because I am 18, every 5 minutes I am different, I
discover something new and interesting about myself or the world
around me. But China changes people even more rapidly and intensely,
I've seen everyone around me grow and develop. It's been an incredible
time, one that will be indispensable. I'm excited for what will come.

Tyler Gleason