Volunteer Stories  |  Louise

Hi! My name is Louise. I am 20 years old and I come from Sweden. I’ve always wanted to work as a volunteer and because of my passion for the Asian culture I decided to combine the two. I had never heard about Zheng Zhou city before deciding to come here. That’s also a part of the charm going to a new place you never heard of and making it your home.

This city is definitely very Chinese and almost no foreigners live here, only about two-thousand in the entire province. This makes the stay here a unique experience and living hundred percent as a westerner impossible. But many western brands and foods can be bought here so it’s not a problem. The streets here have many trees and I believe when the spring comes and everything blooms, then it’s going to be very beautiful. Otherwise the city is typically Asian with mopeds, bikes, cars and crazy pedestrians in a lovely mix. It’s a growing city and they are building new skyscrapers everywhere.

When I first arrived here it was scary not knowing anyone and almost no one speaking English. It’s a growing experience learning how to adapt to a culture so different from your own. I also like that I now have a better opportunity to make friends with the locals. That is harder to do when surrounded by many other foreigners, because they are the easier choice.

When I came to Zheng Zhou I got a very warm welcome from the Zheng Zhou no 42 middle school making me feel safe and appreciated. The people at the school (teachers) look after me and care very much about my well being. When I first met the students I knew this was going to be a very rewarding experience. The first time I entered the classroom the students just couldn’t stop smiling and gave me applause. In every classroom the students had decorated the board for me with drawings and welcoming texts.

I teach grade seven, and I have eight different classes with fifty-five to sixty students. I try to make the classes as interesting as possible, which can be very challenging because of the students’ different English levels. Something I’ve noticed everyone likes is to sing songs. Now I try to add a song that fits the theme every week, it also makes the students relax and stop thinking that they are actually learning. It always makes me very happy when students tell me after class has ended, that they really enjoyed my lessons. Being a teacher in China is very different experience from my home country, because here the students really respect the teachers. I’m still not used to students bowing and saying “Good afternoon teacher”.

To be here is not always easy but the students’ smiles makes it all worthwhile. And if I can inspire one of them to really want to learn English, then my stay here has been meaningful!

Louise