Possibly the toughest thing about coming to China so far were the three days before I left Ireland – I think I cried roughly every 2 hours for 3 days straight. The magnitude of the move I was making hit me like a truck and uncertainty plagued my every waking minute. Why on earth was I moving to the other side of the world where I didn’t know a soul or a word of the language? Whatever I did to distract myself I could only play through various disaster scenarios – I would hate the job and be miserable, I would never be able to get anything done because of language barriers, the year would crawl by and I wouldn’t be able to cope without my regular Dairy Milks.
Thankfully, my experience in China has been completely different from that. Of course, the language barrier can be difficult but it inspires you to learn Chinese and often through pictures and app dictionaries it’s simple to get across what you need. Sometimes the language barrier is trickier between you and other foreign teachers as you argue vehemently over whether it’s eggplant or aubergine. Every day, I learn more functional Chinese and become more used to the sounds of the language. You will feel so proud of yourself when you order correctly in a restaurant by yourself for the first time!
Back home, my friends labelled me a ‘picky eater’ so they were very surprised to hear that I was really enjoying the food here! I’ve tried things that I honestly never thought I would dare to taste – from donkey (it was an accident, but it was surprisingly nice!) to jellyfish (not so good). The food is different to home and can take some getting used to, but whenever you need a reprieve there are pizza places, Mexican restaurants and plenty of other nice Western eateries littered around the city. I am also notorious at home for my sweet tooth and I must admit that nice chocolate and cakes are harder to come by. But I can get my Mam to send care packages at home for the special occasions.
China is different, but often in a great way. People are usually very eager to help- bus drivers here will wait for you if they see you running to catch the bus! I’ve only been here two months and I’ve already had one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of my life -camping on the Great Wall! Despite the cold and the hike, it was an unforgettable night and the beautiful sunrise was well worth getting up at 5am for! There have been some tough days here, but they have been less frequent and less troubling that I had anticipated. Aihua has been there to help me through every hiccup and hurdle involved in the big move. Less than six weeks here, I lost my phone and everyone was incredibly helpful in trying to help me find it and then replace it. Something like that could have really set me back if it weren’t for the support of my fellow foreign teachers and my Chinese colleagues. I wish I could go back and reassure myself during those days before the move that I would not regret coming here – that I would see more of the world, have great new experiences and make wonderful new friends!