2 months in China!

COUNTRY: China
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Lane Breshears

It is crazy to realise that I have already been in China for nearly 2 months. Then again, it is also crazy to accept that I have only been in China for 2 months. Before participating in this program I was warned that it would be life changing and full of new and exciting experiences. And they were 100% correct!

Our month training course in Beijing finished with a well-earned TEFL theory certificate, and many teary farewells as our group of 75 was split up and shipped off to schools in need around China. Myself and a few others were some of the few to stay in Beijing. 3 weeks into our new placements and I am loving every single moment. I am a teacher's assistant to 2 classes of adorably cute 1st graders. Their English levels range from practically native to barely recognising their English name. Already I have realised that 1st graders are literally wacko - it is not a rare occurrence to catch tongues being stuck up friends' noses. However, every time I see their eyes light up at understanding a new word, or hear their ever enthusiastic "Hello Miss Lane!" in the morning - it makes me smile so wide in the knowledge that the next 4 months will be wonderful.


Aside from teaching, I am having a fabulous time learning and loving to live in China. My roommate and I - a girl from England - have had buckets of fun domesticating our new home/apartment. After comparing to some of our friends (e.g. the ones placed down South) I am thankful to have a Western toilet! To decorate we have bought some fish, a turtle, a cactus, and decorated our walls with local magazine clippings. This is the first time I have been completely responsible for my own home, and I must say I quite like it! Across the street we have become embarrassingly frequent visitors to Mama Zhang's, the best place for dumplings and mysterious meat kebabs.

As I am teaching at an International school I get more holidays than some of my other friends, and so last weekend my roomie and I took a trip up to Harbin to see the tigers. And next week (Golden Week) a good 50+ of us from the 1st month in Beijing have planned a big reunion in Shanghai!

While of course my family back home is always in my heart, each day I find China winning a place there too. While I am still young and have an excitingly large part of the world to visit and explore, I truly believe China has something special. From the young children with their bum-flap pants, to the old couples walking hand-in-hand while singing, and yes, even the entire population that believes it perfectly polite to spit on the pavement constantly, China is a unique place and I am so glad I have the privilege to experience living here for 6 months.