So far, there are four English teachers in our program – two from the U.S. and two from Canada. Four more arrive next week – two from the U.S., one from Scotland and one from Tasmania. I can already hear the devil jokes.
Here’s a brief rundown on my three current colleagues:
Edith: A retired elementary school teacher from Saskatchewan, she first came to China in 2005 and has taught on and off here ever since. This is her sixth time in China, including teaching stints in Yantai, Xiamen and Guangzhou. She is our Director of Teaching Affairs, which is the equivalent of a school principal. Her husband, a former car salesman, isn’t here now but will be coming to join her later in the year. He also has taught in China, though this time he’ll just be tagging along. She has two daughters and two stepsons. She’s a chain smoker who would like to quit, but “with all the pressures here, I don’t think I’ll be able to do it now.’’
Jennifer: A native of Trinidad, she moved to Toronto in 1971 and has lived there for 42 years. She was a French teacher until she retired in June. She saw an ad in a teachers’ magazine for a job in China and decided to take the plunge. “I was looking for a new experience,’’ she says. She is single with no children, but has a nephew who works in Shanghai. She loves music and is always listening to songs on her mobile phone. Though she’s lived in Canada for four decades, she still speaks with a lilting Caribbean accent. “I love it here,’’ she says. “The students are so respectful and eager to learn.’’
Emily: Born in England and raised in Georgia, she grew up in an Atlanta suburb and graduated from Kennesaw State University, where she majored in philosophy. After working at Starbucks for a year, she moved to China with a college friend and taught in Tangshan and Yantai before coming to Zhengzhou. Another college friend is going to join her here next month. She always wears a knit beret “to cover my bald spot.’’ She first visited China in 2008, spending two months studying Chinese history and philosophy. “I fell in love with the country and decided I wanted to come back to teach,’’ she says.
Edith, Jennifer and I are all 61 years old. Emily is 27. We expect her to stop occasionally to let us catch our breath.
