Overview

Initially, I was very nervous about moving to China. Being across the world from everything you know is a little intimidating. But, after 7 months of living here, I know I made the right decision to come here. Everything from Buckland, to my living quarters, to the foreign friends I’ve made here, to working at Goal Prospect, has been nothing short of a dream. I constantly have to remind myself how lucky I am to have gotten this job and to have ended up in such a great place. I never had the aspiration to come to China ever in my life, and now, after the experience I’ve had here, I can’t see myself leaving. I know I will cherish these next few months I have here before I go back to the U.S.

Buckland

Buckland has given me the experience of a lifetime here in China. Everything I have ever wanted or needed, they did or got for me instantly. They were expedient with everything I needed for my visa, and all other necessary documentation. They did paperwork to invite my mom and girlfriend out to China. While they were here, they invited us out to lunch and paid for everything which was very nice. Even when I had minor questions, like where can I get some good tea, they were quick to respond. During the holidays when they knew I would be alone, they invited me to spend it with them and their friends. They have been a so good to me while I have been here.

Teaching at Goal Prospect Foreign Language School and Living in Xi’an, China

Chinese dragon seen in a square in xi 'an

Before I came to China to teach I had recently graduated from my university in America, where I am from. I had no clue what to expect coming from the beaches in California, to the middle of China where I didn’t speak the language. What I stumbled into was nothing short of a dream experience. I have spent the last seven months teaching with Goal Prospect Foreign Language School in Xi’an, China and I would recommend this school to anybody who would take the time to listen. Goal Prospect is a chain of training all throughout China and South-East Asia, and there are roughly 12-15 campuses in Xi’an. From all the campuses, I was one of only two foreign teachers. I taught five classes while I was with this school, but met hundreds, if not 1,000+ students while teaching here. I even made some good relationships with those students as I would see them at my weekly English Corners. I made some good relationships with other teachers and managers at the school as well, and made some, potentially, life long friends. I recommend Goal Prospect Foreign Language School to any and all peoples who wish to have a great time teaching in a very fun environment.

Xi’an

Left: The famous “Da yan Pagoda" in xi 'an.

Right: The Terra Cotta Warriors in the tomb of an ancient Chinese emperor.

Xi’an is one of the oldest cities and China and has plenty of history and culture to enjoy while living here. Most notably, the Terracotta Warriors who stand a 45-minute bus ride away from the city center. The Bell Tower and Drum Tower also attract many visitors as well as the city wall around the city center. There are many hikes to enjoy around Xi’an, as it is surrounded by mountains. I have done a few myself and have seen nothing but spectacular views. Another appeal to Xi’an is how central in China it is. Any time you want to take a vacation, it is no problem. Everything seems to be equidistant from Xi’an and the high-speed-train is extremely convenient to use. Speaking of convenience, the subway system running through Xi’an is easily accessible and not confusing at all. There are currently three lines in Xi’an, soon to be five, and they are not confusing like those of Chongqing or Beijing. Xi’an is a big city, but not over crowded like other cities in China are. It has a relatively small foreigner population which makes it easy to make friends here. Life is pretty slow here, so long as you stay outside the major tourist locations. Staying outside the city walls, especially give you a slower feel.

Xi’an is a modern city and has everything you will ever need to lead a comfortable life.

Goal Prospect Foreign Language School

There are roughly 12-15 different location I have taught at since I have been here. I teach anywhere from 3-5 English corners which can be at any of the 12-15 campuses in Xi’an. Every week, my small team of 3 teachers have a meeting, where we discuss our last classes and they tell me which schools I will go to for English Corner that week. English Corners can have anywhere from 20-80 students depending on how many students sign up to come that week. We choose one topic for the month. We learn a few new words together and play 2-3 games where they get to practice using the new words and get to show off their speaking skills to their parents. My coworker, Erin, comes with me to every English Corner to translate the rules of the games we play with the kids because their English isn’t quite good enough to understand me completely, or at all. In most English Corners, the children are only 7 or 8, although some English Corners will have middle schoolers in there and they typically understand what I am saying.

The other teachers who I don’t directly work with, have nothing but smiles for me. They are all so friendly, and they don’t have the best English-speaking skills but are still fun to speak with and get to know. Being one of two foreign teachers is a bit odd because you become somewhat of a celebrity amongst the other teachers and students. They all know my name and want to make my life as easy as possible. They have made a real home for me at the schools. I truly feel welcomed and appreciated when I go to school.

During a typical work week, I have three full days off during the weekdays. I had to do English Corner on Friday night. On Saturdays, I had to do English Corner and two classes (one in the morning and one at night) with time to rest between. On Sundays, I had English Corners for a while, which got replaced with a class once I got enough students for another. Once I got that other class, I had three classes on Sunday which starts early in the morning and doesn’t end until night. You have a lunch break after the second class, but the day is still long and can really take it out of you. Lastly, on either Tuesday or Thursday we had a teacher meeting between our small team of teachers where we discussed our classes from the last week, practiced our upcoming classes and I recorded some things for the kids to listen to and practice speaking for their homework. The meeting runs from 9:30 most weeks, but the time really seems to fly by as you slowly become better friends with your coworkers.

I was responsible for teaching grammar to the students. The Chinese teacher teaches the first hour where they will learn 5-10 new vocabulary words. I teach the second hour where I teach grammar and I slowly started incorporating colloquial English if I had extra time. The kids started learning how to speak like an American. Learning how to say things like, “what’s up?”, “dude”, “no problem”, and other things like this. I wanted them to have options on how to say things rather than only knowing one way to respond to hello, thank you, or goodbye. The other teachers I worked with were all for this and I think they learned some things from this too. The good thing about this school, is that it seems like I have a lot of freedom as a teacher. They allowed me to spread my wings and teach things I wanted to, so long as I taught what was in the book as well. The book we used was relatively repetitive, and I could tell the kids were getting bored of it, so we spent lots of time playing games and learning how to speak like a real English speaker would.

The students I teach really have an urge to improve their English and it’s evident when they are learning something new. The get really excited and do their work quickly so we can start playing games to practice what they just learned. In the seven months I have been with them, they have improved tremendously, and I even noticed some of their accents have changed when they speak English. They work hard when they’re at school and even when they’re at home.

During the winter, I got ten twelve days off and escaped Xi’an for a while. During the summer, I will get another ten-day vacation to travel around China. There are also a few assorted holidays where I got 3-4 days to run around China and explore things. Like I said before, Xi’an is very central and is easy to get anywhere by train or plane.

Apartment

This is the first time I have lived alone, and the space provided for me was perfect. The room comes with a built-in dresser, and an additional dresser beside the full-sized bed. There is a large couch and coffee table beside the bed and a sizeable flat screen TV in a pseudo living room. There is a mini fridge, microwave, stove top with two burners, cooking equipment, sink, washing machine, drying rack for clothes. Also, there is a bathroom with a shower, seated toilet, large mirror and a large vanity with one sink. The toilet allowed you to flush the toilet paper, so your stinky toilet paper didn’t have to stare at you all day. The apartment is large enough to host 3-4 guests should you choose you. I was on the 18th floor of an apartment building that had a great view of many other apartment buildings and mountains you could see in the distance if the smog was down. The apartment is across the street from a mall, which has plenty of food options, a gym and a grocery store. There are also some food options, barbers, convenience stores, a pharmacy, and another gym at the base of the building. Lastly, there is an apartment somebody has converted into a mini restaurant on the 19th floor which has some decent food if you don’t feel like going too far. The apartment I stay in is in the Qujiang neighborhood and is a richer area and has a very good community feel to it. There are lots of older folks dancing around in the parks and children playing outside every night. It’s a good escape from the loud inner city. ■