and let's see what they said abouttheir experience in Guangdong, China
What did you do before you came to China?
"We met in college in Canada, while we were both studying television and media production. After college, we worked for Rogers Television, a local cable network. While it was a good job, it was basically like an internship position. We were hoping to land a full time position there but this was difficult with the failing economy. At the time, Brandy had three other part time jobs and I had two just to make ends meet. One day Brandy saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a TESOL course. It had always been my dream to travel to Asia, and this seemed like the best way to do it. After completing the course, three months later we were on our flight to China.”
Why did you want to come to be a teacher for Worlda in China?
"I (Sean) had always been interested in China because my great grandfather was born in Guangdong a long time ago. He left China to go to Hawaii, and eventually ended up in Jamaica. While he was unable to come back to help his poor village in Guangdong, he continued to be successful in Jamaica. After many many years, he returned to his hometown and gave all of his fortune to the poor people he grew up with, so they would never have to leave their families like he did. While I would like to do something similar to this, I think education can help people make their own fortune. I’m very grateful for Worlda to give me the opportunity to make my dream a reality.”
You’ve been in China for 3 semesters already. How do you like it?
“If Neverland was real, I imagine China is the closest thing to it. People don’t worry about what you wear or what you look like. There’s freedom to do whatever you want to do without people judging you. The fact that you are very unique here creates a lot of opportunity. The money system here is much better then North America. The value of a dollar is known, you don’t need to worry about how much is tax or tip, and no crazy marketing strategies triple the price of standard items. Also, we feel very safe here all the time. I can go out anywhere at any time and not worry about our safety. Our community we live in is more like a family, where even though we cannot speak freely to each other because of the language barrier. Everyone is very respectful to each other, and they go out of their way to be extra generous to us.”
How do you find teaching so far?
“I (Brandy) absolutely love working with the kids. Each one of them has such a unique personality. Sometimes a boring topic makes you expect them to be naughty, but in reality it really intrigues them. Staying with the same students for a long time has let me see them grow. The things we taught them last year are common knowledge to them now. It makes me happy to see them progressing. I do find that children are also picking up my mannerisms and my accent. The most difficult thing so far has been trying to understand the children’s issues, whether it be they don’t understand a word or instructions, or they have to go to the toilet. Sometimes you run out of ideas of how to explain something, and even the translation sometimes doesn’t work. In the end, persistence and patience is the key to overcoming any problem.”
During this winter holiday, it will be your first time returning to Canada. What will you bring back that you recommend others to bring right away?
“The most important thing that we didn’t bring enough of was western medicine. It’s hard to find here, and Chinese medicine sometimes doesn’t cut it. Also it’s quite difficult explaining your symptoms to doctors here, so having the cure for whatever problem you have at home is very convenient. There is a feminine hygiene product (tampons) that is not readily available here, so that will be on the list as well. Deodorant, razors, and Chap Stick are also cheaper and better quality in Canada then you can find here. Finally there is some western treats that we miss, such as mac and cheese, maple syrup, popcorn, buttermilk pancake mix, and instant mashed potatoes. It is also difficult to find clothing and shoes in western sizes, so we will make sure to stock up on those.”
for more information about Worlda, visit: www.worldaedu.com/cn
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