Hsiao-Mei did NOT lie about the welcome that Zhuhai Middle School No. 9 gives us. The red carpet, the reception, the stage, the cameras, were... wow. I felt like Beyoncé herself. But the thing is, I didn’t even do anything. That’s what you have to get used to: the kids’ applause and adulation just for being there, ALL the time. You really feel superb. This first day is so beautiful because it really set an amazing tone for the next two months. I felt that we really got to show the school how honored and excited we were to be here.
The first week’s classes are quite an experience. Each class is a whole new story. Some kids seem fluent in English, while others appear to not have ever uttered a word in the language. Some classes will be excited to learn while others seem to be interested only in what happens after the class ends. It doesn’t matter what grade, number, gender-ratio, time of day, or class; it’s just random. Introduction week is great though, because you get the opportunity to show/tell the kids about who you are. For the most part, they are very interested. Also, you truly feel like a real teacher. Although, you’re just doing personal introduction, you already begin teaching. This involves simple vocabulary like siblings, pet, movie, college, etc. I really loved it. In addition, meeting an innumerable number of students each day is like a perpetual game of Guess Who. It is so tough to keep up with the faces you meet and what their names are. But, it comes with time (kind of).
Meeting my host family was one of this week’s top moments. My whole DE team stood in the hallway outside the room of families nervous as HECK. We’d lived “together” for just one week and I was already so sad for us to go our separate ways. Despite these initial feelings, the first day was simply full of fun, excitement, and learning. My host family speaks very minimal English. Though we made it clear from the beginning that they would teach me some Chinese, I would teach them some English, and we would all learn along the way. Awkward moments are okay, it comes with the language barrier. I can’t even complain though, it would take me a novel’s worth of pages to write down everything I feel about them. They care so much for my comfort and have already exceeded every expectation I had. Not being able to speak is TOUGH; I feel that saying “thank you” (in Chinese) a million times just doesn’t do my immense gratitude justice. But this is a worthy challenge and I know we will continue to grow closer to one another.
Lastly, I’d like to add that being a person of color in China is a very interesting experience. People stare at you like you are a Martian. I can’t tell if the entire country of China wants me to leave or if that’s just what their resting faces look like. I’m 99% sure I’m the only black person in Zhuhai. I was 98% sure this was the case in Guangzhou. I am not saying this is a bad thing I just knew this demographic is a place where I’d have to be prepared to live in. For instance, I can’t get mad when a girl refers to me as “black brother” or when every student I talk to asks if I can dunk a basketball, or when a “compliment” I received was on my “racial gifts”. These kids are SO well-intentioned and light-hearted! They do not know better simply because of what they grew up in. It can just be hard to desensitize to words/phrases that have much stronger implications at home. Despite these instances, I have a deep excitement for the remaining weeks in my new home. Every day is a new story and I can’t wait to uncover each one.