After graduating from university, I had long since been planning to do something drastic before starting “real world” work or graduate school. I wanted to break out of my sheltered bubble, what with the same established friends, places, and monotony of day-to-day activities. On the recommendation from a friend, I began looking into various teach abroad programs. ELI was well-reviewed. To confirm any lingering reservations, I messaged several members of the facebook group – which addressed any issues I had. The ELI associates were also enormously helpful, promptly responding to my e-mails and inquiries.

Having lived in large cities all of my life, I decided on Yanqing over downtown Beijing. I was told the town was tranquil and that I’d begin to see familiar faces once I had lived there for several weeks. This was all proven true. ELI sent me a Yanqing dossier which familiarized me with some of the aspects of the town, such as building/park locations. After purchasing my plane tickets, I was told I would be picked up at the airport. I bid my family and friends goodbye and departed.

The long flight mercifully over, I grabbed my bags and took in my surroundings. I was in Beijing! It was all very surreal. I had no real idea of what would happen next. Bags in hand, I wondered over to the airport concourse.  My stomach tightened a little bit when I did not immediately see any indication that someone was waiting for me. Finally, a portly man walked up, holding a basketball coach clipboard (literally) that said “Jacob.” My name is spelled ‘Jakob.’ Not an auspicious beginning! Once I verified that indeed I was the one he was looking for, I departed with him.

We walked for several minutes to one of the airport parking lots. The man identified himself as Jerry. He spoke very good English.  He explained that the school had been buzzing about my arrival ever since the headmaster told them about me. They had foreign teachers before (and in fact had one there currently – a man from Kenya), but never one from America. The drive to Yanqing takes about an hour, giving or taking twenty minutes with traffic.

Yanqing immediately impressed me. A large river signified our arrival. There were beautiful mountains in almost every direction. The town is a microcosm of China. The very interior of the town is extremely modern, but once you leave the city square the town is very traditional. Pagodas and street vendors were common sights. Crime was nonexistent.

We pulled into the school. It was impressively large. I was directed to a corner room on the fifth floor. It was similar to my university freshman dorm. There was a computer, a window with a breathtaking mountainous view, several desks, and a huge bed (I warned them I was tall but they overcompensated).  After being told someone would wake me up at 6:00am, I quickly fell asleep.

I awoke the next morning by the sound of frantic knocking on my door. I met Megan, one of the teachers at the school. We walked across town to the police station. The air was fresh and the scenery was beautiful. In contrast to some Beijing districts, there are very, very few foreigners in Yanqing. I received stares from literally everyone who saw me. I’m talking full on drop-what-you-are-doing-and-look type of staring. As if they were thinking “what will this crazy foreigner do next?!” This all subsided once everyone in the town got used to my presence. The reason we went to the police station is because all foreigners in Beijing must register with the local police station within 48 hours of landing. This sounds ominous, and I suppose it is in a sense, but everyone was extremely friendly about it.

We headed back to the school and I was introduced to the headmaster. He spoke English surprisingly well. He graciously welcomed me to the school. I then went to my office, whish I shared with all of the other English teachers. There were numerous computers lined up. Everyone was extremely friendly.  I was given the curriculum and textbooks. I was told I was needed to teach grades 3 and 7. Moreover, I was told I had 2 days to set up lessons in correlation with the textbook. One week the subject would be environmentally-related English words. The next week would be kitchen or household related English. Above all, the Chinese English educational system is grammar-intensive. The students desperately needed help with their actual spoken English, and that is what the vast majority of my lessons were centered on.

I taught class 3-4 times a day for sixty-minute intervals. I would wake up around 7:30, eat breakfast at a number of wonderful restaurants with some colleagues, and head back for 8 or 8:30 class. There would be lunch for 90 minutes in the middle of the day. Plenty of time to eat and sneak a nap in. Dinner was around 6:30 every day. The restaurants had huge variety and I can guarantee it will be heavenly to you if you’re a fan of Chinese food. Every class was quite crowded and had had at least 40 students in it. It sounds rough, but it was wonderful. The students were well-behaved and respectful. I always had the support of the faculty if there was any issue. I rarely gave homework – so the students loved me!

There were numerous other opportunities in Yanqing. I was approached a great deal of times about working as a private English tutor. You can make some pretty decent money doing this. Furthermore, I also eventually worked as a judge at the various English competitions throughout Yanqing. I was welcomed with open arms by the other judges. The students had never been judged by a foreigner from a West before. They were nervous – but wonderful!

My room, internet, food (all of it – and I ate a lot), traveling – were all paid for. We went on field trips every other week or so. We visited the beautiful Songshan Mountain, attended Museums, saw all the sites downtown Beijing had to offer, attended festivals (of which there were many).

I also ended up playing basketball. I played on a club team, a teacher league team, and also represented a local small town team that desperately needed a center for a huge tournament. We ended up winning the whole thing. It was a fun experience. I also played with my students every day and helped coach them. Basketball is huge over there.

Collectively, the experience was overwhelmingly rewarding. Leaving was one of the most bittersweet moments in my life. We had a huge farewell party and exchanged tears + hugs. Inquire with ELI and they can put you into contact with me if you have any specific questions about Yanqing. I could go on forever. I still talk to dozens of my students and friends there everyday. I cannot wait to go back.

-Jakob Nantz

Jakob participated in the Yanqing Teaching program in Spring 2009