After landing in Hong
Kong, I was immediately impressed with how bright and clean the Hong
Kong airport was. Jim Fish, long time educator and current principal of
my school in China, picked me up at the airport and explained why:
"They've got a billion people here, Bill, and plus there is a
substantial fine if a person is caught spitting in public." If you
closed your eyes for a minute, one could imagine being in Florida, as
the weather on my arrival date (Feb 9th) was sunny and about 25
degrees, with everything green outside.
The Hong Kong airport is very slick. Passengers walk for under 10
minutes then a train takes you to your luggage. Within 10 minutes of
passing through Chinese customs Jim and I were on an Airline limo
heading for my excellent Chinese adventure!
There are two more customs checkpoints to pass through before we arrive
at the city limits to Shenzhen. From there it is a 25 minute ($4
Cdn) cab ride to my hotel.
Twenty-five years ago, Shenzhen was a sleepy fishing village with a
population of 70,000. The Chinese government then designated Shenzhen
as the first of five special economic zones in China. When the Chinese
say 'they are open for business, they mean they are open for business'.
Today Shenzhen comprises five different districts, with a total
population of over 10 million people, with over 7 million of them coming
from other parts of China to live/work in this booming southern city.
There are several beautiful parks, gardens and recreational facilities
in Shenzhen. There is no shortage of western and Chinese restaurants and
this place is a shoppers paradise. Within a 10 minute walk of my home
are several hundred restaurants, including the traditional, McDonalds,
(1/3 the price of Canada, but the workers make $1 an hour), KFC, Pizza
Hut and several excellent and hen pianyi (very inexpensive) Chinese
restaurants.
My apartment is a 5 minute walk from my school and I stop for lunch most
days at a restaurant on the way, $1 for a delicious meal of rice, pork
and vegetables, and I practice my Chinese with the workers while I eat!
So, you ask, what are the highlights of my trip so far?
1) Weather - for the first two months, all but 5 days were sunny and
warm - over 24 degrees
2) The Chinese people - everyone from my students, to the Canadian and
Chinese teachers and administrators, to my many friends who I have met
(who have helped me out immensely already), to the security guards in my
apartment to the attendants/nurses at the skating rink, even the
parents of the students whom I have met and so on and so on. My
translator in my office is a young lady who has gone above and beyond
her job description in helping me and getting me settled. She set up my
bank accounts, my Internet, bought me food, showed me around Shenzhen,
arranged to buy me Hong Kong dollars, arranged my working visa, and even
took me shopping for clothes at the Fat Store! Echo invited the Canadian
staff to her wedding reception and what a fantastic day that was, seeing
the differences and similarities between a traditional Chinese wedding
and our wedding celebrations in Canada.
3) Having the opportunity to work once again for Jim Fish. Jim and I
go way back to my days as a student at AVSS in St. Thomas, when Jim was
a guidance counsellor, to when I later taught at AVSS. Jim has taken me
all over Shenzhen showing me where to eat and where to play! We have
been skating at a local mall a few times and I have thoroughly enjoyed
talking about old times and our great mutual friends we had at AVSS.
4) I must make special mention of the students - from the very first
day, they have welcomed me into their school and been very polite,
friendly, helpful and appreciative towards not only me, but also towards
my family when Carol, Emily and Evan came for a 3 week visit in March.
Some have taken me and my family out for dinner to extremely nice
restaurants, one student has taken me and my family to a local driving
range and even took Evan and I golfing to two different courses, both of
which were posh courses. Golf was then followed up with a how chi
(delicious) meal. The same parent also took Evan and I on a tour of two
of his factories, which for me as a Business teacher, was extremely
interesting. On our way out of each factory, the parent loaded us down
with gifts and samples of his products.
5) Chinese culture and language - after studying Mandarin for four
years in London, all of my past efforts are paying huge dividends and
allowing me to have a very enriching experience in China. I am able to
converse with my students and help them understand a point in English by
speaking in Mandarin. This has been very helpful in my classroom. I am
able to carry on simple conversations with people on the street and when
I am out for dinner. I am currently tutoring 5 children Saturday
mornings and am thoroughly enjoying this new experience. I also tutor 6
other people (4 adults) in English conversation through the week.
6) Cost of Living - the prices of the major things here are much lower
than Canada - a 20 minute taxi ride costs about $4, an 7 mile ride on
the bus sets you back 40 cents Canadian, food is not expensive, and
there are thousands of little shops to practice my bartering skills at.
7) Table Tennis/Snooker- ample opportunities to play two of my
favourite hobbies for the past 40 years. My school has 8 outdoor tables
which are lit at night and I often play there with several students and
a few staff members giving me a good run for my money. One day Evan and
I played several players in the local park by my apartment. I practiced
my Chinese and the players and spectators would practice their English
with me. A local 5 star hotel has 15 table tennis tables and two 6x12
snooker tables, so my friends can usually find me there on Friday nights
trying to keep my game sharp.
I could ramble on for several more pages, but will close in saying that
I thank my friends and family in supporting me in my decision to come to
China for this once in a lifetime experience and as Jim said to me when
I accepted this job, this experience will change my life forever!
