I
want to give you a little bit of personal information
about myself before I tell you all about my experiences
in China - I know that from some of the experiences I
have read on this website myself I would love to know
a bit more about the people who wrote them. My name is
Tamzin Hardy, I'm 24 years old, from Cairns, Far North
Queensland in Australia - and this is my first trip overseas.
About a year ago I decided that I had two choices, I could
either stay in my nice, safe, job as a retail trainer
or I could do something that was going to change my life,
and take a trip overseas. Backpacking wasn't an option,
I don't mind traveling around a bit but I have to have
somewhere to call home, and I wasn't interested in a four
week whirlwind tour either. So working overseas looked
like a good option for me. I decided to take a TESOL course
through Teach International, but at this stage I wasn't
sure if I would be able to leave my family and friends
for such a long time. What made me make up my mind was
meeting a couple of friends from High School who had been
working in London for the past few years. They had so
much to talk about and it made me realize that if I wasn't
careful I was going to end up being the person at our
20 year high school reunion who hadn't done anything interesting
with their life! So I posted my resume, and got a heap
of job offers from a lot of schools I knew nothing about.
The job ads all seemed to promise the same things! Some
of the schools had a photo or two, but nothing really
caught my attention until I found Owen's website. The
added security that Owen and his crew personally check
out the schools and accommodation was a big plus for me
- the last thing I wanted to do was end up in a country
where I didn't speak the language, and have problems that
I couldn't handle on my own. I'm so glad I did, it's great
to have the support the Owen and the crew at Buckland
International offers.
So here I am.
Arriving
in Yangshou
The night I arrived in Yangshou will go down as one
of the most fantastic, freaky nights of my life. I can
still remember the feeling of total bewilderment I felt
as I got off my plane from Hong Kong in Guilin. I was
totally wired from lack of sleep and way too many hours
of not being able to stretch my legs out properly. After
my brief visit to Hong Kong and seeing their state of
the art complex which they call an airport but could
be better classified as a small city, I have to admit,
I was expecting something similar in Guilin, especially
with its reputation for being a tourist mecca. Not the
case! I managed to pass SARS inspection (walking through
a gate that takes your temperature) and get through
customs (two guys talking and drinking tea totally ignoring
everyone) and made my way to the gates where James was
holding up a sign with my name on it. He first asked
if I needed to use the bathroom - which I thought was
totally considerate - and let me know that we were in
for a bit of a drive. He also asked if I was hungry,
and I said no, thinking that I would be able to get
something once I got to Yangshou, but more on that later.
We walked outside, saw the illuminated palm trees and
he went and got the car and we were off.
I think it was about a half an hour to Guilin, and James
took me on a scenic drive through the town, which was
pretty amazing. Guilin is very much a nighttime city;
it reminded me a lot of The Esplanade in Cairns. A long
street running along the river, with restaurants and
curbside cafes lining the pavement on one side, and
on the other trees decorated with fairy lights. The
hotels all have huge signs in bright neon, all advertising
the names, but you wouldn't believe the difference it
makes when you can't understand the language. At home,
any type of light show that bright and in-your-face
would be an assault on your senses. I found the experience
to be, in some strange way, relaxing. When you can't
understand what the signs say, you can enjoy the lights
for what they are. Also totally amazing was the traffic
and lack of road rules there seems to be. We then drove
about another hour and got to Yangshou. The trip at
nighttime is not impressive, you can see vague outlines
of some of the limestone peaks but you can sense that
you are in for something special the next morning. It
wasn't boring though - watching the traffic and playing
dodgems with the oncoming busses is enough entertainment
for anyone. There seems to be a kind of code when you
are driving in China, dip your lights a couple of times
when a car or bus or truck is far away from you, and
if they dip back that means they have seen you and know
you are there. If they don't dip their lights, lean
on the horn a few times. That usually gets their attention.
Also lean on the horn if you are about to overtake a
man on a bike, teenagers walking home, woman carrying
basket full of ducks or anyone else you might see. Lean
on the horn a lot if three busses are trying to overtake
each other at the same time. In fact, lean on the horn
every time a car passes you - I'm not too sure if it
is like a hello to them or what but it made for a noisy
and interesting ride home. I think that I hitting the
brakes more than James was. And perhaps I over-exaggerate,
but I have been exposed to the traffic for a while here
now, and honestly, it's enough to make you want to take
a train. Or walk!
When
James told me we were arriving in Yangshou, I thought
he was joking. After the bright lights of Guilin, I
was expecting more of the same in Yangshou, but on the
way to the Buckland Hostel there are very few road lights,
no signs, and definitely no shops open there at 11pm
at night, so when James asks if you are hungry, take
him up on his offer of dinner if you are! James showed
me how to turn on the heat for the shower, the air-con
and showed me the welcome information booklet in my
room. He said to just come downstairs when I was ready
in the morning. I didn't have a clue how to get into
town, I wasn't even sure there WAS a town at that stage,
but was too tired to care anymore, so I made myself
at home in my room, got used to the Chinese shower,
and went to sleep.
The
next day I got up and wandered downstairs to the office
to meet Jennifer, I also met Betts, David, Star and
some of the other Buckland crew. I also met a heap of
other teachers who were going out for lunch, so I followed
along and got my first look at the town. There are internet
bars all the way into town, as well as places you can
make international phone calls, so don't worry about
keeping in touch with family and friends. We went to
MC Blues for lunch, where they do a mean veggie pizza
and a great bacon and egg sandwich. I was also warned
that this might be my last taste of western food for
a while, especially as far as cheese is concerned. MC
Blues is a fantastic restaurant/bar and I ate there
a lot before I left for my school. The walk into town
is also lined with restaurants selling simple dishes,
and a street market where all sorts of food can be cooked
right in front of you. The street market has all types
of interesting things in buckets which you can try -
if you're brave enough!
On
my second day in China, I came down with the flu! Probably
from sitting in planes for a stupid amount of time -
and spent most of the next few days laying bed, with
a shocking fever. I had brought enough cold and flu
products with me to last a week or so, and now I was
going to use the in my first few days! Jennifer and
Owen were wonderful, they offered to take me to the
hospital, but I declined saying I would get better in
my own time. I ended up taking the teaching training
even though I wasn't well and thankfully I was back
on my feet for the start of the demonstration lessons.
The
training was very informative - most of the topics I
had already covered in my TESOL course, but the lesson
on Chinese culture given by Owen really interesting,
and the demo lessons by Betts and David were also great.
My repertoire of games was fairly limited, so they also
helped me out by giving me a few new ideas. David's
"Three Little Pigs" lesson was the highlight
of my training, and is not to be missed! I've never
seen a lesson presented like that before and I use some
of the same ideas in my own lessons now. The classes
were very relaxed, and you also get a couple of hours
break for lunch and siesta.
After
I got over my flu, I did get to go and see a couple
of things worth mentioning. Buckland had organized a
group to see a "show" and despite my questioning
the other teachers who had already been about what I
was spending my money on, all they would say is "It's
amazing - don't miss it!" So I went to see Impressions
of San Jie Liu. And I'm not telling you anything! You
will just have to come and see it for yourself. But
it was absolutely amazing, Andrew Lloyd Webber eat your
heart out. We also got a big group of teachers together
and went for a massage. $5 Aus for a one hour full body
massage!
While
this was happening, people were arriving and leaving
all the time, the people who finished the course the
week before us were all going off to their schools.
Make sure you keep your bags fairly well packed when
you finish the course, most people got at least a days
notice that they were leaving. Jennifer asked me which
school I wanted to go to, and I only had a general idea
of what type of climate I wanted to live in. I didn't
really want to end up somewhere as hot as home! So Jennifer
showed me a map of China, I said something between "here
and here" and Jennifer gave me the option of two
schools in that area. I ended up picking the one where
I would be teaching primary school students. The next
day I was on a plane to Xian!
Travel
to Xian, Shaanxi province and arriving at My School
When
I arrived at Xian airport that night, I was met by Frank,
the Buckland representative for the region. The representatives
have all been taught how to make a teacher feel at home,
and they have a good grasp of English. Frank got us
onto the airport shuttle, and took me to my hotel. He
met me downstairs soon after and took me on a walking
tour of the town. We also got some dinner at the markets,
which included some tasty BBQ lamb. Xian is a huge city
(by my standards, anyway) and is fairly heavily polluted.
It's surrounded by city walls, and has some great examples
of Chinese architecture and an interesting history.
Frank told me that I would be able to sightsee for a
couple of days, and I would catch a train to Hanzhong
City. He was going to be my tour guide and translator
for the trip, and would make sure that I arrived to
the school safely and got settled into the apartment.
But before that, we were going to tour the city, and
also visit the Terracotta Warriors. A couple of days
later we caught a bus and traveled about an hour east,
with Frank pointing out the sights along the way. Everyone
has seen photos of the Warriors, but nothing can prepare
you for when you walk into that building. It was absolutely
breathtaking. I also walked along the city walls while
in Xian, and visited the Drum Tower.
My
first train trip in China was great! After being in
the city for a few days, I was dying to see some green
grass and mountains, and on the 9 hour journey to Hanzhong
City I got to see so much of the countryside. The trip
was very comfortable; we traveled in hard sleeper, which
is a bunk bed with a thin mattress. They also give you
a blanket and a pillow, which I was grateful for after
a few hours. We arrived at Hanzhong city at about 9pm
and the Principal, Vice Principal, Foreign Teachers
and about ten other teachers met me at the station.
They were holding a banner and presented me with a huge
bunch of flowers! They took me to the front of the station
and we got into a fancy car which drove me - across
the street (it was raining, but not heavily) - to the
hotel where I would be staying while they put the finishing
touches on the apartment. The hotel was lovely, very
fancy, and they had brought a heap of fruit and snacks
for me, as well as some Nescafe instant coffee. They
had ordered dinner for me in my room, and after chatting
for a little while, they left me to settle in.
I
was picked up the next day and taken to the Post Office
Hotel for a welcome lunch, where they have a restaurant
on the top floor. We had a private room, and they brought
out heaps of tasty dishes. The food in this city is
great and I only ever cook for myself at night when
I don't feel like going out. Breakfast and lunch are
my favorite meals here; make sure you try the steaming
hot baozi stuffed with pork or green vegetables and
tofu. Most of the locals eat noodles for lunch, but
they put too much spice on for me! I have eaten all
sorts of strange things since I have been here, chicken's
feet, pigeon, and something I think was a centipede.
The other teachers love watching me freak out when they
tell me what's on the table.
The
Accommodation
They
took me to the apartment a couple of days later, and
it wasn't at all what I was expecting. In Australia,
I lived in a one bedroom shoebox which cost an absolute
fortune because it was in the city. Here I live in a
semi-loft style apartment which is about four times
the size! The place looks like something out of a TV
show, or a Better Homes magazine.
The
whole place has been painted in a very light purple,
there are full length cream drapes on all of the windows
and the floor has parquetry floorboards. There are two
bedrooms, office, dining room and lounge, bathroom and
kitchen. The lounge room has a funky purple and cream
lounge suite, big screen TV, DVD player, entertainment
unit, heater/air-conditioner, coffee table and water
cooler. The office has a bookcase, brand new computer
and computer desk and filing cabinet. The bedroom has
a closet and a huge bed with matching side tables. In
the kitchen there is heaps of pantry space and lots
of benches to put dishes, pots and pans. There is a
stainless-steel-look fridge, microwave, grill, gas hotplate
and a sterilizer. The whole place is fairly quiet and
feels very secure - there is a gate watchman and my
door is metal with a security peephole. It's on the
second floor which is nice because there are no elevators
- just stairs! The school had fitted the place with
all of the basic necessities as well, linen and towels,
dishes and cutlery and had also filled the fridge with
food!
Across
the street there are fruit stalls and vegetable markets.
There are also good corner stores and bakeries along
the street to school, a good supermarket and some great
places to get your hair cut. Down the street there is
an excellent bookstore where you can buy DVDs and some
English books - they're all classics though, the university
students use them as their texts for English studies.
There is also a great gym near my apartment, with modern
equipment.
Hanzhong
West Street Primary School
The
school is only about ten minutes walk from the apartment,
and although the school gives you a bike I don't usually
get it out just for the quick walk. The school itself
is very modern looking; inside all of the classrooms
have whiteboards instead of blackboards which is a definite
bonus. Chinese chalk does terrible things to your hands!
I have an office on the second floor which I share with
5 other teachers, including Helen, the teacher who sits
in on my classes to translate when necessary, and she
also helps me with marking and lesson planning. She's
learning my teaching methods at the same time.
The other Foreign Officer, Donna, is just down the hall.
Both of the girls have been really helpful since I have
arrived, they go out of their way to answer my obscure
questions about postal services, international phone
calls etc. The Principal of the school, Mrs. Wei doesn't
speak much English but she is a great lady - she's even
come over to my place to show me how to make dumplings!
Mr. Chen, the Vice Principal is also very helpful, he
is always interested in the lessons and the progress
the classes are making. I have made some great friends
here which is strange because I speak about as much
Chinese as they do English (not much) but they are always
keen to learn and love singing karaoke and dancing.
I invited twenty teachers over to my place only a couple
of weeks ago, and made them some hamburgers! Everyone
had a great night and we played a few games I teach
the kids in class. I have three classes most days, and
teach grades 2-6. They have three classes with me a
week, so after a month they are starting to make some
real progress in their studies, which is very rewarding.
The classes are 40 minutes long, and most of the students
are beginners.
The
school has been fantastic ever since I arrived, they
always welcome my opinions and ideas, and I feel really
lucky to have picked such an excellent group of people
to spend a year with. I would highly recommend this
school to anyone thinking about teaching here; they
have been fantastic from day one.
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