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Last year as I was about to graduate from university, I felt that I still hadn’t figured out what to do with my life. At university, I walked past an advert on the TV-monitors several times, stating that graduates were needed in China to teach English. One day I stopped and thought why not? Ten months abroad would buy me some time to think about the future, while doing something useful. It is always good with more life experience, and it would also be a good way of finding out whether teaching was something for me. It was going to be a challenge though; as I had never done anything like this before, and quite frankly didn’t know much about the Chinese culture or customs when I applied.
I was placed in Xinjiang in the Northwest of China: A region bordering several countries such as Pakistan, Russia and Kazakhstan. In Xinjiang there are many nationalities and minorities besides the Han Chinese, such as the Hui Chinese and the Uyghur people. I was in for a multicultural adventure!
To begin with, I taught primary school students in a private school. I was treated like royalty, and although the salary isn’t high by western standards, it allows you to live very comfortably in China. The kids I taught were extremely active and because of an average school day of 10 hours, there were a lot of games and songs involved in the teaching. It let me be creative, but being the only teacher in the classroom wasn’t always easy. To not be able to discipline or communicate with the kids effectively was difficult. In addition, with about 16-19 lessons a week and making lesson plans, it was challenging for me. After a few months, the private school was suddenly sold, as it wasn’t making enough profit. I quickly found a new job, at university level this time. For me, this was when my real teaching began…
Thus, since March, I have been teaching only one small class of students studying tourism, in Ürümqi. Here I have had more spare time and could, because of their maturity, focus fully on the teaching. It was great to be able to communicate with my students so well, and most importantly; I got to inspire them. Besides teaching English, I’ve tried my best to encourage them to think positively about their future, and to believe in themselves. Not only have I shared my knowledge with them, but also they have shared their hopes and dreams with me. My class and I have a very special bond as we spent so much time together. I have felt happy everyday because of the fun I’ve had with my students, and for the love and appreciation they have shown me. This for me is teaching at its best!
After initial complications and adjusting to a different culture, I have been able to focus more on enjoying the present. I will forever remember this year as a fantastic time in my life, when I grew as a person, got to meet so many wonderful people, and received so much love!
Viktoria Gunes
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