Teach in a foreign country

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…

No regrets!!

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.