FIrst Week in Shunde

Upon arriving to Guangzhou Airport, the teacher I would be working with and I were picked up by the our students’ homeroom teacher, Binley. Binley took us to dinner near our school campus in Shunde and soon enough, I was in my new apartment. Honestly, I have very few complaints since settling in here. I like it. My apartment in faculty housing is simple, but seeing as how I live in the same-sized apartment as many teachers raising small children, I really shouldn’t complain.

The next few days, consisted of Binley showing us around school, helping us open up a local bank account, get a local phone number, and basically get acquainted with our new surroundings. He and his wife took us to Lucky City, the local mall, which could really be any mall in the US. We only spent a little bit of time here so I definitely want to go back to shop! We also met some local coordinators of the program, the headmaster, and briefly, our students. I could not help but feel from everyone’s kindness that Americans are such assholes. We tend to stay locked up in our own struggles in our minds and never want to go out of our way for others. Here, no one really shows any personal struggle they may be facing. They stay present and want everyone around them to be happy and secure. There are downfalls to that, but I do wish I can take this mindful habit back with me.

The school, itself, is huge. There are 3,000 students and 300 teachers. The campus is open and has several basketball courts, tennis courts, a pool, and a gym, aside from the several classroom buildings. It was built in 2008 in just 5 months, which is clearly spoken from its very utilitarian facade. The classrooms are hooked up with smartboards, microphones, and a visualizer (the camera version of the projector, which I LOVE!) I don’t even have to buy my own paper and I can send copies to a copy room, instead of running around finding an available machine. And get this: the cafeteria food is great and free for teachers! The reason why the school can afford these amenities is because it was founded by a construction firm that pretty much owns much of the area around the school. It's also a private boarding school for middle-class families. Apparently, the locals consider it the rich part of town.

Classes started last week and we ran diagnostics with the students. It seems that a lot of them have much lower English skills than I imagined. At first, I thought it was going to be a struggle. I have taught a few classes since then, and I think my students are brilliant already. They are so loveable and their minds are like sponges because they are incredibly curious. While the students in China have been trained to carry themselves in the classroom in such a manner, I can’t help but compare it to the training my Newark students underwent. They, on the other hand, were trained by a different kind of education, in and out of the class, where many seem to have had the curiosity sucked nearly dry out of them.

The workload has ben pretty insane and that’s why I haven’t posted in a long time but as my work/sleep routine balances out, I promise to be more consistent. Before I go, a few quick developments:

1. I went for a 3-hour walk around my school and didn’t get lost. I found a bike a store and I bought a bike. Fucking success. 

2. In most other spheres of life I stand firmly against standardization… standardized tests, standardized education, standardized definitions of beauty, but can we please adopt a standard for bathrooms worldwide? I’m getting used to carrying toilet paper and hand sanitizer to the bathroom but I don’t think I should have to! 

3. Hang drying clothes ain’t that bad. 

4. Men gawk and honk their horn whether you are in Jersey or China. Some things never change, I guess.
5. Talking to friends and family back home is keeping me sane.

Salaam!