Well, for some reason, i fell ill with heat stroke…blue lips, dizzy, fell over, felt really emotional, etc. So I ended up coming home from the English camp two months early early. I loved the people there, but I just couldn’t deal with the environment…humid, stifling hot, etc. And that’s really too bad. Who knows when I’ll get back to Japan again…
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This summer. Japan. Where? Japan. Which city? Don’t know yet. But I’m accepted to go, and I’m going. I’m excited. I wish mom understood how much I want to do this. Yes, I understand there are some vast cultural experiences, yes, I’ll have to do some things that will make me uncomfortable, but I want to do this. I’m going to learn so much. I can’t wait.
In 2003, I woke up on a beautiful, August morning in North Bay and informed my parents that I was moving to Asia to teach English for a year. It’s amazing, because I can remember that day so clearly. My family thought I was nuts. My 27th year had been a rough one and they thought that this was just a passing phase that I was going through. I, on the other hand, was determined to make a change. I knew of exactly two people who had done this and it seemed to have worked out well for them. So, that is what I proceeded to do. My parents were having none of it. They were supportive but I honestly don’t think they ever expected me to go. I took a course that September and handed in my notice at work and concentrated on packing up my entire life. I was leaving in January. By that time, it had become apparent to my family that I was, indeed, leaving, and they weren’t sure what to think. Perhaps they thought I’d be back in a few months, after I’d found what I was searching for. They never expected me to be gone for four years. I finally left Canada on the 23rd of March, 2003. I was headed for Changchun, China, to begin my first year of teaching with Bai Da Wei English School. That first year was magical. I knew within moments of my arrival that I was truly free to map my own course over the next year. I was free to explore, dream and conquer everything and anything. I knew I wanted, I NEEDED, to stay in China. I became completely absorbed in this wonderul, beguiling, bewitching country just for itself. I know that I am not the first foreigner to be hypnotized by China. The diversity. The beauty. The color. The allure of five thousand years of civilization. I began my love affair with China. And a large part of that love affair began in my classroom. I had never taught English before, but I was able to relate to my students. I’m not sure who had more fun in my classroom, me or them. That first year taught me so many things. I learned to conquer my fear of the unknown. Suddenly, after moving to China by myself, there wasn’t anything that I couldn’t do. I learned to love being on my own. I learned to make friends quickly and recognize the true gems that you find while you are on the road. I made friends that have been there for me through thick and thin. And I can travel anywhere in the world now and have someone waiting there on the other side with a smile on their face. I learned from my students and drank in every little piece of information that they had to offer. Often, I think that I should have been paying them, for teaching me how to live and enjoy all the little things in life.



