Sam Meekings

I have had many baffling and enjoyable experiences - the one thing that always amazes me is the genuine enthusiasm and lack of cynicism of the students, especially ones that have never seen a 'foreigner' before. Walking into a room and having people hanging on your every word can be pretty daunting, and you have to make sure that it doesn't go to your head. As the Chinese education system pushes kids through a constant stream of gruelling exams, the students often become excited by interactive learning, as well as simple things such as 'free talk', as long it doesn't come from a textbook. The play that a colleague and I wrote and helped the students put on had even the quietest of them shouting and insulting each other in English - it's great to be able to be having fun and forgetting that you're learning at the same time. Added to this the manadarin lessons meant that my Chinese really imporved during my time in China although I'll still need to put some more hours in!