In 2017, I was studying to become a secondary English teacher. In 2018, I dropped out of university and moved to China to teach English to kindergarteners. Why? I wanted to add a bit of excitement and spontaneity to my boring life. But I also wanted to experience working as a teacher before devoting four years of my life to a degree that I might not even enjoy. So far, I have realised three things:

  1. I am most certainly an animal person.
  2. Kids are adorable, but I don’t want any.
  3. Teaching is fun, but I couldn’t do it my whole life.

So, it paid off. The whole experience has been a whirlwind of emotions, challenges, and new experiences. But, I can honestly say it was the best thing I’ve ever done. Everyone says that once you get past that first day, things are easy sailing. I would say once you get past that first month, and the kids realise you’re actually not too scary, that’s when things pick up. At least for me.

The first day is definitely a stressful time. It’s your chance to make a good first impression. Don’t worry if you’re nervous, the kids won’t judge you. They’re just as anxious to meet you as you are to meet them.

My first day commenced the day after a ten-hour bullet train ride from Beijing to Guangdong. We arrived at our apartments – myself and the two other interns I was placed with – and were told to be awake at 07:00 the next morning. I was exhausted, and overwhelmed, and excited, and the second that I threw my enormous back pack onto the floor, I fell asleep.

My alarm woke me up the next morning, singing my most hated ringtone. I wanted to fall back to sleep, throw a pillow over my head and ignore the world. But another part of me was seriously excited. I did my makeup, dressed up nice, and mentally prepared myself for the possibilities that the day could bring.

It was the children’s first day back to kindergarten after having time off for Chinese New Year. A long, red carpet was laid out, stretching from the front entrance to the school. Dancers dressed like traditional Chinese dragons danced on either side of the carpet. Teachers were dressed in red, greeting arriving parents and students with broad smiles. We ate a quick breakfast of noodles and bread before being given red scarves and being instructed to greet the kids. The returning children greeted their past teachers excitedly and signed their names on a large sheet. Lots of photos were taken, and a few tears were shed.

After the arrival of the students, a welcoming ceremony was held. The dragon dancers performed an incredible dance and threw candies to the excited children. Myself and the other interns introduced ourselves to the school, singing a song and dancing with them. To conclude the ceremony, each class had a class photo taken. We had to pose in every photo. It was long, my mouth hurt from smiling, but it was fun. Then came break time! We got a chance to rest before the final events of the day transpired.

After rest time, we introduced ourselves to each class. In every class, we discussed our home countries and then sang a song while dancing with the kids. There was a lot of ‘head, shoulders, knees, and toes,’ and ‘if you’re happy and you know it.’ The kids fare welled us with lots of hugs and it was really sweet. We had a great time and there were lots of giggles.

The school supplied lunch and dinner and once school was over, we headed to the nearest store to buy some essentials – toilet paper, chocolate, and bottled water. These three things are the most important items when first moving to China. Remember that.

The rest of the week, us interns were divided between the three grades. I got the youngest grade and I love them, they are cherubs. I spent my first week singing a hell-of-a-lot-of-songs, and teaching colours. It was a lot to take in, being in control of a class for the first time. I ate a lot of chocolate, and I spent a lot of time reminiscing the simplicity of my retail job. But then I remembered that I am living an adventure that many people could never dream of pursuing, and I felt better.

That first day was the beginning of me becoming a better person. My kids brighten my day and it’s only been two months. I have less than three months left now, and I already know that I am going to miss them dearly.

Before I started this internship, the main coordinator, Ben, told us that the first month would be the hardest. And it was. I was so close to giving up, booking a ticket back to Australia and returning to my simple 9-5 job. But I didn’t. I forced myself to stay for at least one month, and now I couldn’t imagine leaving early. If you think you can’t do it, stop. You can. I had never left the country before. I still don’t know mandarin, and I’m not a people person. But I am still here, and I will still be here until the end. My family, my friends, my fellow interns, they all believed that I could do it. And after a while, I believed I could too.

Stay strong. The first day is only just the beginning of something great.