Over the past 6 months of living and working in China I 've seen and experienced things that are totally outside of my previous comfort zone. I've been surprised, shocked, delighted, stressed, amazed and everything in between. Before coming here I had never considered teaching, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. I was just graduating and unsure of what to do next. Coming to China was a great answer to that question, I have a job, a flat, and plenty of free time, and in exchange I teach oral English classes, 16 lessons a week. It seems more than fair to me.

Ever since my first day arriving in Changsha international airport with my girlfriend we have been met with politeness, kindness and generosity. Chinese culture places an emphasis on values, and those values are seen everyday in society here. As a guest here you are treated with a healthy mixture of hospitality and curiosity, people often want to say hello, ask a few questions or even take a selfie. Overall I have definitely felt welcome both in my school and in China. The school itself is very pleasant, a large campus with many trees and plants, home to three year-groups and around 5000 students, it is a nice place to work, and has convenient places to go for a run when I want to exercise. As I mentioned my schedule includes 16 lessons each week, spread over 5 days and lasting 45 minutes per lesson. It's definitely a low stress work environment, and I am given the freedom to design my own lessons. For the work you do the salary is quite good, it's enough to easily be able to put some savings away each month, and I've never had to worry about running out of cash while here. When I am not in lessons I spend time reading, exercising, watching movies and exploring the city, shopping, going to the cinema, or trying one of the many types of food on offer. One local specialty in my area is Dong An Chicken, a dish cooked with a lot of vinegar that tastes unlike any other chicken dish I have had.

While here I have ridden motorcycle taxis down crowded streets, had hilarious encounters with store clerks, and walked through temple gardens in the rain. I'd say that if you are looking for a little adventure and a lot of memories then you've come to the right place.

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