Adventure to the Middle Kingdom

Adventure is calling! It's appeal is never ending. The excitement of a new place, new culture, new food, new people...it's all overwhelming but so worth it!

In December, just a week before Christmas, my university position was eliminated. The worst time of year to look for a job in academia, I became depressed. Job hunting was not on my radar at all! The excruciating pain of the unexpected "punch in the gut" took a toll and hung like a shadow over my holiday. I began to think with dread of the job hunt ahead.

Gathering my thoughts, I knew that some of my favorite things to do are travel and teaching. After discussion with a few family members and professional colleagues, I decided to pursue my passion and get some more international teaching experience under my belt. The timing is perfect!

I began reading some international teaching blogs and perusing job postings on various internet sites. I contacted several recruiters who were interested in and valued my experience and training. Finally coming to agreement with one of them about a good package, I accepted a position in China that will last three months and twenty days.

Why so short, you may ask. I will be bringing my 8 year old daughter with me and leaving my spouse, my pets, and my wildlife rehabilitation behind. I can't in all fairness, leave it all for any longer. If I were single and childless, it might be a different story, but I have responsibilities I can't just shirk. Both my daughter and I will have birthdays in China this year. We anticipate an experience that is sharply in contrast to that which we are accustomed. Time and experience will tell.

We will leave in the third week of February for an employment start date on March 1st. The high school is public and has about 2000 students. Located in a "small" town of about 500,000, Pujiang is situated about 1.5 hours by bullet train southwest of Shanghai and northwest of Jinhua, which is the administrative seat of that prefecture. I will be the only native English speaking teacher, which I believe to be a plus because it allows us to be better immersed in the language and culture rather than having the opportunity to naturally gravitate towards the familiar. My daughter will attend an international school, where her classmates will be Chinese, but also the children of other native English speakers. We both expect to learn some basic Chinese and have already started working with a language app.

All of us affected by this temporary move have an abundance of feelings going on. Excitement, trepidation, nervousness, curiosity, etc. I can't wait to see how it develops. Keep up with me here, because I don't know what I will be able to access in China.