Semester Done

This week I handed in final grades and said goodbye to year one at the university. It was a neat feeling. I have worked very hard over the last 4 years to get to a point where I can do this job, and to have done my first year here has been great. I have learnt a lot, and it has been good. I made a few learning mistakes, but I think overall I did alright. I am already contracted here for another year, and at the end of that time I will have my two years experience, and the world opens up to me.

With that being said, I think two years in Nanning will be enough. Not that this has been a bad experience, because it has been great, but after two years I'll be setting my sights a bit higher I think. Frankly because I can. Yen is fairly adamant that if we don't stay in the Philippines or Canada then she wants to go back to Korea. I don't blame her either. Korea has great jobs and I can't imagine a better country to have a child in, which is another goal of hers for next year. With good friends working there I feel like I am in with a chance (you reading this Mat, Darren and Tobe? :D).

Also, and this is a China thing, the visa requirements for teachers don't guarantee the best results. As an example. To work in Korea as a university teacher I usually require and MA and 2 years experience. For public schools an education background (and in Seoul increasingly teacher certification), and for the cram schools a BA in anything. I am okay with that. In China to work at a cram school you need a BA and either two years experience or a TEFL certification (approx 28 days). To work at a university? A BA in anything and either two years experience of a TEFL certificate. The result is that, while I work with many great people, the backpacker crowd is still alive and well at the university level. I am also not crazy about the way in which Chinese schools are run. Very communal and almost paternalistic. Add to that the housing situation, internet censorship, and in general everything just being less efficient than it could be, and I think two years will be ample.

So for the summer, I am in Nanning for July doing IELTS exam training. Then on August 2nd I leave for Manila where I'll meet Darren. Then on the 4th I fly down to Cebu to meet Yen and get married. This wedding has stretched the budget a bit (a lot), but it will be well worth it. I am also looking forward to a few weeks in Cebu just relaxing. Then it is back at the end of August for my second year in Nanning.

For next year, I would like to see a bit of China, as once I go I am not sure how much I'll be back even if I live in Korea (Hong Kong/Macau notwithstanding) and especially if I live in Canada. Mostly because the visa process is such a hassle. However, I mostly want to save and get more experience. I am actually looking forward to next year. Having a year done feels like a real accomplishment, and even though it may not be where I want to settle down, I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had in Nanning. It certainly won't be a time in my life I will remember badly.