To those happy and pure times ---- Memories of teaching Chinese in Northern Ireland, UK

On October 24, 2021, after a flight of nearly twenty hours, I finally arrived in Northern Ireland, UK. It was 4 p.m. UK time when we settled in, but it was already completely dark. Looking out of the window, filled with joy and anxiety, I was eager to know what I would experience here in the next eight months.

Teaching in Northern Ireland, UK

After a period of adjustment, I gradually adapted to the living environment and teaching work here, and changed from a young and naive novice teacher to an increasingly experienced Chinese language teacher. Looking back on the work I have undertaken in the past eight months, I have truly gained a lot and felt very fulfilled and joyful.

I remembered when I just came here, my first student, Frank, was a very funny man who used to call me "Boss", which made everyone laugh. Frank was very interested in Chinese culture and introduced me to the cities he had visited and his impressions of each city. After the course, Frank wrote me a letter of thanks, complimenting me on being a great and interesting teacher, which was very touching.

After gaining a little experience, I took on the Chinese language program at Dundonald Elementary School. During the 20-week program, I started from teaching students how to greet each other in Chinese, how to read numbers, names, nationalities, families, ages, body parts, animals, etc., interspersed them with cultural knowledge such as Chinese New Year, digital culture, food, and Beijing Opera. The students especially enjoyed learning through games and songs, and the Chinese classes were always full of laughter.

The most touching part for me was the farewell class in the last week. I wrote what I wanted to say on a greeting card and read it to the teachers and students. I thanked them for their sincerity and friendliness and welcomed them to visit China in the future. The atmosphere became somewhat emotional with the music, and by the end the students and I all started to sob. There was a very beautiful little girl who said to me seriously before I left, "You are the best! I will miss you!" When I left the school and waved goodbye to the place, tears moistened my eyes. At this moment, I really realized what a valuable experience it was to be a volunteer Chinese language teacher!

In addition to teaching, I was also responsible for coaching elementary and middle school students in the "Chinese Bridge" competition. This competition provides a broad stage for students to demonstrate their Chinese language levels. I coached a total of 3 competition events. The first one was the "Chinese Bridge" Group Competition for Secondary Students. I helped the students to prepare for the performance of "The Journey to Beijing", from the script to the pronunciation, from the costumes to the props, and finally the team won the third prize in the final of the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students in the UK.

The second one was the group competition of the Chinese Show for Foreign Primary School Students. The students prepared a program called "Spring Morning", in which we tried to combine recitation with Tai Chi to create an innovative program. The children were very enthusiastic and carefully played Tai Chi, eventually winning the Best Creativity Award.

The third one was the individual competition of Chinese Show for Foreign Primary School Students. Although the students did not get a place in the final round, they finished the competition successfully, gave speeches and answered questions to the best of their ability, and were determined to continue to work harder, so the process is far more important than the result.

We also had a variety of cultural experience workshops, including face painting, handkerchief spinning, shuttlecock playing, ink plum blossoms blowing, printmaking, Chinese name making, etc. I performed 24 styles of Tai Chi, which won a round of applause. The children who participated in the experience felt the charm of Chinese culture and were enthusiastic about learning Chinese in the future.

In addition, by actively participating in the preparation of the poster competition and teacher skills competition, undertaking the translation of documents, filming and promotion, and invigilation of HSK exams, I have improved my communication and coordination skills and gained all-round growth and progress.

Overall, the work I have undertaken has been very enriching and fulfilling, and I have enjoyed it without feeling tired. In this process, I fully felt the collision of different ways of thinking and deeply appreciated the mission and the value of volunteer Chinese language teachers.

Living in Northern Ireland, UK

The climate in Northern Ireland is humid and changeable, especially in the autumn and winter, sometimes rain suddenly falls a minute after the sun shines in the sky. The diet here is mainly potatoes, beef is more common, the main food is bread, and the speciality is fish and chips with various sauces, but I still choose to cook Chinese food, and my cooking skills have improved a lot by continuous practices.

It was my first time to teach in a foreign country, my first time to be away from my family and friends for a long time, and I occasionally felt lonely. But fortunately, I had a good house mate and a warm and caring family of teachers, and the laughter we had together diluted my loneliness. My home was conveniently and safely located in the city center, surrounded by friendly neighbors, and I quickly adapted to the unique British climate and food.

This was also a year of great change in my mind. I have broadened my horizons, out of the previous inherent mode of thinking, increased my knowledge, and at the same time also learned to see things from a different perspective. My way to deal with problems have become more mature, and I was no longer panic and impatient, but with a positive attitude, I have been openly optimistic to meet the unknown tomorrow.

July is the season of parting. When I stepped onto the plane for my return trip, I had mixed feelings in my heart, not only about Northern Ireland, but also about the excitement of returning to my country. These eight months of teaching in Northern Ireland, UK, have been invaluable and I am very grateful for the opportunity of being a volunteer Chinese language teacher. I am proud to have helped young students to grow and improve, and have built a bridge of friendship between China and the UK. See you soon! Everything in Northern Ireland, UK, Nice to meet you!