Language
The language was the most immediate thing I had to adjust my mind around. As you all know, the national language in China is Mandarin. There are dozens of dialects as well, depending on which region you are from. The dialect I hear is the Dongbei dialect, which means northeast, since I’m in the Northeast part of China. Before I came to China, I didn’t know much Mandarin, so adjusting has been difficult. I’ve become very creative in non-verbal communication. From miming what I need to using pictures, and translator apps, I’ve gotten around the city, shopped and spoken to complete strangers all on my own. In the meantime, I am also getting tutored in Chinese by a graduate student at Northeastern University.
School
After language, I had to integrate myself into the school community - first, as a teacher within the English department, and then, into each of my individual classrooms. I can still remember the first faculty meeting we had where I introduced myself to the other English teachers. Only three out of 15 of us were not Chinese, but the other teachers made us feel welcomed and part of the team. On Chinese Teachers’ day, a few teachers took us foreign teachers out for lunch. We talked about our classes, plans for travel during the national holiday week and our impressions of China thus far.
