In the beginning there was TEFL...

This week I have been attending TEFL (Teaching English in a Foreign Language) Training in Beijing’s Foreign Experts Exchange Building (or whatever.) This program was instilled to allow teaching rookies, such as myself, the opportunity to take a dreadful, seven-day course in order to skip the two years of experience normally required from the government. I’ll gladly accept the seven day pass, because we all know how hard it is for someone to take a chance on a newbie to give you that two years of experience. 

This place is college all over again, but with less drinking, less visits home, and it only takes seven days. We take quizzes, do projects, receive lectures and get shushed at least once every 30 minutes just like the old days. Oh, and our companies pay for the tuition so that’s a big plus. 

I’m not going to bore you with what’s happening in TEFL China because you’d stop reading after this sentence. It truly is boring, but there are helpful moments and demonstrations. 

I understand why we have to take this class, but it doesn’t make the eight hour classes any more bearable. The people do. The greatest thing about any new adventure is always the people you meet. Even the bad. Of course the scenery is beautiful, unique and so on, but that’s not what makes the memories stick. What makes a journey memorable for me are the humans I share them with. The ones who, even though they had no choice either, were right there with you through that wretchedly boring training class. In only three short days, my classmates are the ones who have kept me motivated, inspired and entertained. 

Twenty-something-year olds training to teach children and nothing has changed from the classroom order we create at the elementary level. There are the dedicated students, the teacher’s pets, the over achievers, the slackers, and of course, the class clowns. We are all here for the same purpose, though.

I’m surrounded mostly by some fellow Americans, the English, a few Canadians and my new favorites, the South Africans. 

The English friends I’ve made speak so properly that they could literally be telling me to bug off and it wouldn’t even be offensive. The Canadians are some of the nicest people I’ve ever encountered. They literally like everyone. The South Africans are so courageous and just happy to be out of their third world country making a new start. 

My fellow Americans come from all over, but their mindsets seem to be similar to mine in the sense that we all find one (or more) thing we truly dislike about the states. We are all here to see the world while doing something worthwhile that many Americans probably never consider as an option. And if they do consider it, it’s  nothing more than an idea or a dream. 

This is just a generalization. Obviously, we are all just a bunch of 20-something-year-olds trying to figure out life. What better way to do that than going back to a juvenile way of thinking on a daily basis. 

Life, to me, isn’t about making millions but about helping others. If you get to see the world while making a difference, then that’s just a bonus. 

There are billions of humans in the world and it’s selfish not to see it and share yourself, your country, culture, ideas, and so on with people from other countries. I’m talking face-to-face, one-on-one, real man-to-man conversations. 

We are the people of the world. Our voices and actions are what’s real. Politicians, actors, athletes and other persons of celebrity status is not who makes our human race. Interacting with real life, average joes is how you truly learn about a country, race, culture and so much more. The media is shit. You’ll only ever know what they want you to know. Which we know isn’t always accurate. I’ve been proved wrong on three “facts” since coming to China a week ago. Overcome the stereotypes.