Teach English in China - Testimonials, What other people are saying about JourneyEast.org Summer Programs and Study Abroad

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My name is Jason McGarry. I am a military veteran, and currently a PhD student in an educational program at the University of Connecticut. I have been to many different countries and have taught in both elementary and high school settings.

When I signed up to join the China teaching program with JourneyEast (BESI LLC), I never thought that all of my travel and teaching experiences would be forever changed. I was not just an English teacher, but a student.

Living in China taught me how the Chinese people live within their social, economic, and political structure. Myself, and other English speaking teachers, learned how the Chinese culture shapes the true character of its citizens. This character, no matter where we went, involved both a kind and inquisitive nature. As we learned how to eat, speak, and live as the Chinese people do, we were able to teach English and our culture.

Teaching English not only involves speaking, reading, or writing English. Every language revolves around a societies’ culture. As an American English teacher I had to teach both my culture and my language. I would sometimes have to teach not only with words. I found that I would have to visually show an English word or action by performing an action or using the blackboard. This was challenging because not only was there a language barrier, but a cultural barrier.

Never in all of my previous travels or teaching experiences had I experienced such challenge. This is because myself, and the other teachers I was with, were relatively the first foreigners that the city or the school had ever seen.

After returning to the United States I found that I better understood the Chinese people and the culture. My impression of China is forever changed.

Living in a country is the best way to learn about a country and the people. But there is a closer connection that a person receives through teaching. As a teacher, a teacher is also the student. I would recommend a JourneyEast (BESI LLC) program not only people who love to teach, but also, who wish to learn. -September 10, 2002

The conditions here are excellent. The school has gone out of their way to accommodate myself and the other teachers way beyond what I ever expected. Speaking solely for myself, I could not be happier with the way the school, the administration, the students, and many people all around Changxing have welcomed and treated me in these first few weeks. This experience has been nothing less than excellent.

-2006, Hylan McLaughin, USA Email Me

"Everyone in china was extremely nice. It was a nice break from the fast paced American lifestyle. I made a lot of great friends who I will never forget and learned a lot about myself. The students were extremely intelligent and knew more about American culture than I did. Between the frustration with different cultural barriers, I learned to be thankful for what I have." -2001, Melissa Rocheleau, USA

Before I arrived in China as an English teacher, coming to China was only one of those dreams my best friends and I would always talk about, but never follow-through on. Needless to say, my family was initially concerned and worried about me living so far from home, in a communist country in which I do not speak the language. What I've noticed is that the citizens of my town have had minimal exposure with the Western world. The locals have been incredibly hospitable and take it almost as a personal obligation to take care of and share their culture with their Western friends. To their perplexity, and my humor, I am short, with curly brown hair, brown eyes, rarely drink, I'm a pure vegetarian (vegan), I have been very privileged to work with incredible colleagues and have wonderful adult students that have been more than happy to share their culture, language, and way of life with me. If I had the opportunity to go back in time, knowing what I do now, I wouldn't change a single aspect (except maybe taking a course in Chinese prior to arriving in China.)

-2003, Luis Aponte, USA