I tried to think of one story to tell about my time in China with CIPTC but in truth I couldn’t because I simply have too many now.
There are so many positives about living in China and doing the job we do it’s no surprise to me more and more people are flooding out here to experience this wonderful opportunity.
I have the pleasure of waking up every morning in a beautiful foreign country and being able to see far across to the mountains in the distance from my balcony. I admire this gorgeous view every chance I get and am very thankful for it.
I get to go to a job, where I see little bundles of joy everyday who are always happy to see me, that alone makes its hard to not be happy myself. That incredible feeling only escalates when I see the good kids in my classes excel further and further, and I see the ones who struggle at times improve bit by bit. It warms my heart and is a sense of reward I’m not sure I’ve had before and one I know I wouldn’t have back in England. If I were back in the UK, I’d most likely be cold, wet and working a job I hate, far more miserable than I am here today.
Everything here is a spectacle; from a new mall opening complete with red carpets and entertainers to the fantastic school sports days that so many teachers out here have been lucky enough to witness. My two CIPTC colleagues and I at Bao’an Experimental School couldn’t help but compare the epic scale of performance we saw which included; acrobatics; marching; tai chi; sword play and much much more, to the mediocre events we were parts of in our native countries.
Overall, I think living in China is pretty great. It’s so common to feel down at times or homesick and it’s perfectly acceptable to feel these ways. The important part is to remind ourselves how lucky we are to be having this experience. So if you do ever question yourself out here or feel lost. Take a breath, find a beautiful place that suits you and just remember where you are.
Thomas, UK, English Teacher at CIPTC in Shenzhen, China
Credit: CIPTC Shenzhen. Check out full article here.
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