End of My First Adventure in China

I can't believe it has been a year already! It's hard to believe it's coming to an end so quickly.  I haven't written a blog post in a long time, mainly due to the fact that I haven't had a single day off in 2 months (Summer Intensive, plus normal classes = no breaks for me).  I am writing one now knowing that I only have  6 hours left in Xianyang, Shaanxi, China, literally my first home in China.  I know I will miss this place, especially the people I have come to know as my friends.  

Sometimes I ask myself: Why are you leaving? You are comfortable here, you know everyone! Then I realize I didn't come to China to settle down, I came to China to explore and gain experiences during my travels that know one else can have except me.  Some people have worked in the same place for more than 5 years and never really went anywhere else to see what they had to offer, I won't allow myself to get stuck in one place.  China is so big, and I really do want to experience as much of it as I can.

My new city, Hefei, is about a 17 hour train ride from Xi'an.  I am also going to a whole new

province, Anhui, farther down south and more towards the east and the coast.  It will be a little warmer, sadly, but also much wetter and less cold during the winter.  It has a huge natural lake as well, so local seafood (from the lake) is caught.  Hefei is also the capitol city of Anhui, so it is a large city with a metro and lots of foreign stores and restaurants. I chose this city because I have tried out a smaller city in China and now I want to see what the bigger cities have to offer, whether it be more or less in some areas. I will be the Senior Teacher at the new school so I will be working 28 hours a week, unlike here where I worked 25 hours a week. I am excited because not only do I get paid more, but it also looks good on a resume!

One of the hardest things about leaving any place is deciding what to take and what to leave behind.  I hate packing because I hate choosing.  I had to get rid of many things that I would have liked to keep but knew I would never use anyway.  

Turns out I have too much stuff so I will have my friend ship me two things (some winter clothes and laptop case with documents in it) after I get to Hefei.  Sometimes I wish I could pack like a guy...









I have many friends here in Xianyang and I will miss them greatly, but I have learned a lot about

how the Chinese and Foreigners work. Chinese teachers usually come and go frequently and unexpectedly because of being mistreated or not being paid enough and sometimes because they are pregnant.  Foreigners have contracts which are either 6 months or a year, so after that time has passed most of them travel to someplace new like me.  No one makes decisions based off friends, they aren't going to stay for you. 

 

 A lot of times in the past I have made decisions because I wanted to be closer to my friends, but in the long run you have to do what is best for you.  After realizing stuff like that I made a decision to leave this city in order to do what I came to do, travel and explore.  Of course I want to stay, solely for my friends and my own comfortability, but I know it won't always be that way.  The Chinese teachers said that I should stay because I am a good teacher and I know they are also nervous about having new inexperienced teachers to deal with.  I will definitely come visit them, plus my friend JJ (from Arizona; we met last year when we were both applying to get certified to teach in a foreign country, so I have been helping him out by answering a lot of his questions) will be in Weinan, which is a city near Xi'an. I will go show him some good places to eat there.  





Hopefully in my new city I make some awesome friends again and meet some really nice

people.  I'm trying to keep my expectations low so I am not surprised or saddened by anything, but China always has a way of surprising you at the weirdest moments.

I will miss most of my students quite a lot and I hope I have made a difference in their lives and taught them to think outside the Chinese box and into their dreams.  Maybe when I return to this city for a visit I can see my students again and they will remember me (Chinese students have so many foreigners come in and out of their lives, that it is common for them to forget).