Martin: Well, to be honest, China never crossed my mind. For me China was an unknown, a no go country for various reasons. I found out about you guys though and had a chat about China. Your passion and love for the country sparked the interested in me. I started doing a bit of research and realized that China is not that far separated from what we call “the western world”. The combination of not going to a country where so many teachers go (middle east) and being able to travel to so many awesome surrounding countries was the main selling point for me.

Martin: Life in Chengdu is easy. Not having to worry about paying an arm and a leg for accommodation, food, etc. made the transition easy. The school I was placed at was incredibly helpful and supportive. Than in itself made life easier. Yeah, there were tough times too but that is life, nothing worth doing/having comes easy! But in this case, it certainly was easier!!

Martin: Martin: Back home I was already a teacher and boarding housemaster. My career was on a good path or so I thought. Working 12-15 hours a day was starting to take its toll on me. After moving to China one of the biggest things I had to get used to was the fact that I had so much time on hand here in China. Only working 6-8 hours a day, having between 8-12 kids in a class, and not having to grade papers all the time was really something I did not use to. I finally had time to do stuff I wanted to do and take up new hobbies.

As for similarities, the saying is indeed true. No matter how different their world and system may seem, kids have a need to have fun, to play around, to have a teacher that cares for them and to discipline them. When it comes to differences my biggest challenge has been with getting students to participate and answer questions in class, especially the older ones. They come from an educational system where the teacher does all the talk work and they just receive input but never give output. Only during exams do they give output. Once you pass that barrier though they are great fun to have in class. Another big difference for me was the extreme dedication and eagerness they have to learn. These students aren’t afraid to walk the extra mile.

Martin: Number one would surely be the road trip I did to the Tibetan autonomous region. I managed to pass the Chinese driver’s license test (which was actually an easy process) and rented a car for 15 days. I drove all the way to the Tibetan border and explored every part of the border and surroundings. Till this day words can’t describe the amazing experience that was.