I wanted to tell everyone about my trip to the Formula 1 UBS Chinese Grand Prix race last weekend. If you’re looking for a great way to spend your weekend while teaching abroad in Shanghai, it’s a pretty amazing way to spend a Sunday. In true Chinese – Shanghai fashion, they went above and beyond on constructing this track. From what I read, it is the most expensive track on the entire circuit. Looking at the pictures, I think you’ll understand why.
It occurred to me that some people may go to teach abroad and assume that just because they are in another country that amazing things are going to happen to them. In some cases this may be true, if you lie low and don’t do much, it will probably still be a great experience. Of course this is the “easiest” path, stay in your comfort zone and let time pass you by. But that’s not the kind of person you are, that’s not why you’ve chosen to teach abroad, is it? Depending on which country and city you’re teaching in, this will be more relevant to some of you than others. Some of you lucky people will get placed in cities where you are one of very few foreigners, which will make following these steps easy. Others will end up in huge metropolises with McDonalds on every corner and an operator service that will send you text messages in the language of your choice. I write this more for the ladder situation. For those of you preparing to go abroad, put these items on your to-do list and if you’re already abroad maybe you need a reminder of why you’re there.
China being an ancient culture with 3,000+ years of history brings with it many customs, traditions, and ways of doing things. This isn’t meant to be a complete list of all of them, but just some day to day things that I’ve learned and may benefit you on your adventure to teach abroad in China.
