Before embarking on my journey to China, I did not know what to expect. What would the Chinese people be like? Would my new job at Beijing Royal School be all that I hoped? How would my students behave? After over 6 months in China, I am now able to answer all of those questions with a huge sigh of relief. There are so many incredible things I have managed to experience in China and I will only be able to share a snapshot of them with you. Since my arrival in early September I have already been offered so many opportunities and had many new positive experiences.

　　在踏上我的中國(guó)之旅之前，我心中充滿了對(duì)未知生活的不安和疑慮。中國(guó)人怎么樣?在北京王府學(xué)校的新工作會(huì)一切如愿嗎?學(xué)生們的行為舉止如何?如今，半年時(shí)間轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝，我現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)釋然多了。不僅如此，從2016年9月初來中國(guó)至今，我還收獲了許多的寶貴體驗(yàn)，很樂意在此和大家分享。

▲ Charlotte(右二)在王府學(xué)校參加秋季運(yùn)動(dòng)會(huì)

　　The entrance to Beijing Royal School is as grand and beautiful as the people within it. Although I have only been in China a short time I have already made friends with many people, both Chinese and Foreign. As the school offers an international education, that means not only do I get to experience Chinese culture but I get to learn from people from all over the world. In January, my lovely boss and friend, Belinda (夏偉燕) offered both me and my boyfriend the opportunity to visit to her home and learn how to make dumplings. Of course, as a foreigner I had no idea how to make this delicious Chinese specialty and was overwhelmed by how warm my colleagues were in making me feel at home. I already feel that I have made some great friendships that have truly contributed to my positive view of China. After this experience, I am proud to say that I made my own dumplings and was able to share this dish with my parents when I visited my home back in England. My time in China so far has made me realize the importance of learning. Not only knowledge from a book, but from the places we go and the people we spend our time with.

　　王府學(xué)校的大門設(shè)計(jì)恢弘壯觀，校內(nèi)的員工也同樣高端大氣。盡管來的時(shí)間不算長(zhǎng)，我已經(jīng)結(jié)交了幾位好朋友，他們既有中國(guó)人，也有外國(guó)人。

　　王府是一所國(guó)際學(xué)校，在這里我既能體驗(yàn)到中國(guó)文化，也能結(jié)識(shí)到來自五湖四海的朋友。今年一月，我的主管夏偉燕老師邀請(qǐng)我和男友到她的家里做客，還親手教我們制作中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)美食——餃子。盡管這對(duì)于一個(gè)外國(guó)人來說比較困難，但是她的好客和誠(chéng)意已經(jīng)深深打動(dòng)我們。能夠結(jié)交新朋友也是我喜歡這里的原因之一�，F(xiàn)在我可以自信地說，我已經(jīng)會(huì)自己做餃子了，等返回英國(guó)故鄉(xiāng)的時(shí)候，我會(huì)親手做給我的父母吃。在中國(guó)的時(shí)光讓我意識(shí)到學(xué)習(xí)的重要性，而且體驗(yàn)到除了書本，旅游、交友同樣可以獲得知識(shí)。

　　Chinese culture is highly focused on education as it is seen as a window to the world. I can see this attitude welded into my students, driving them to work as hard as they physically can in order to succeed. When I compare my experience of education to theirs – I cannot. From a foreign perspective the students here are like machines; able to handle large amounts of information and work in an ever structured manner. As the school continues to adapt and becomes more internationalized, I can see that the students will benefit from a fresh outlook. My students are creative and energetic, but like an old battery, we drain them with long hours and heavy textbooks. Although I understand that there are differences in Chinese education and culture, I still find it hard to accept this as a norm.

　　That said, in the short time I have been at the school there have been so many changes for the better and I am sure that as time passes even more will come. I only hope that one of them is allowing our students more time to be creative and express themselves so that we can help them to be prepared in their transition to university.

　　中國(guó)文化非常重視教育，他們認(rèn)為教育是了解世界的窗口。這種觀點(diǎn)也深深地植根于年輕人的意識(shí)中，我的學(xué)生們?yōu)榱艘院蟮那俺潭荚谄疵鼘W(xué)習(xí)，相比自己的學(xué)生時(shí)代，我自感相形見絀。以一個(gè)外國(guó)人的視角看，中國(guó)學(xué)生真是太用功了，能夠短期內(nèi)系統(tǒng)性地掌握如此大量的知識(shí)。隨著學(xué)校越來越國(guó)際化，學(xué)生們也受益良多。但是課業(yè)負(fù)擔(dān)還是占據(jù)了學(xué)生們過度的精力，以至于他們難以有足夠的“電量”去張開想象的翅膀，進(jìn)行創(chuàng)意活動(dòng)。盡管我理解東西方教育理念的不同，但還是很難接受這一點(diǎn)。

　　簡(jiǎn)言之，在我來到這里僅僅幾個(gè)月的時(shí)間里，學(xué)校每天都在發(fā)生著日新月異的變化，我相信隨著時(shí)間的推移，學(xué)校的發(fā)展會(huì)越來越好。我希望能多給學(xué)生們一些時(shí)間去發(fā)揮創(chuàng)意，讓他們以自己的方式表達(dá)自我，加上老師們的引導(dǎo)，最終使他們邁入理想的高等學(xué)府。

　　One word that comes to mind when I think of BRS is “opportunity”. I have found BRS to be flexible, progressive and supportive. I have been an ESL Teacher for over 3 years and throughout this time have worked for different language schools. But, at no point would I have considered myself a part of the school the same way I do here. For a foreigner working in a different country career development can be difficult. However, in my office I am surrounded by teachers that have been supported by the school to go overseas and obtain their masters degrees, enroll on training courses or attend lectures given by prestigious professors. This shows that the school really does invest in its people, pushing them to meet their full potential. A good example of this is back in November of last year when I began running my own clubs for teachers: a Zumba Club and a Fitness Club. These are two things that I love to do and was encouraged by the school to share my passion with others. In addition to this, I have been involved in delivering a TOEFL Training Course to other teachers to promote cohesion among teachers and share our teaching experience with one another. The Chinese focus on education plays a part here and shows that not only the students are keen to learn but the teachers also strive for continuous personal development.

　　說起王府學(xué)校，一個(gè)詞會(huì)立刻跳入我的腦海——機(jī)遇。我發(fā)現(xiàn)王府學(xué)校是一個(gè)有彈性、開明和鼓勵(lì)人的地方。過去3年間，我曾在多家語言學(xué)校任職做ESL老師，但是從來沒有哪一所學(xué)校像王府學(xué)校一樣給我一種歸屬感。對(duì)于一個(gè)在異鄉(xiāng)求職的外國(guó)人來說，謀求職業(yè)發(fā)展是很難的。但是，現(xiàn)在就在我的辦公室里，許多老師都曾經(jīng)通過學(xué)校資助獲得過海外深造的機(jī)會(huì)，他們有些人取得了碩士學(xué)位，有些人接受了職業(yè)課程的培訓(xùn)，還有些人聽過教授的培訓(xùn)課。一切都表明，王府學(xué)校重視培養(yǎng)人才，不惜成本幫助他們實(shí)現(xiàn)職業(yè)抱負(fù)。還有一個(gè)很好的例子。去年11月我在王府學(xué)校組織了兩個(gè)面向老師的興趣俱樂部：健身舞俱樂部和減肥俱樂部，這個(gè)想法得到了學(xué)校的大力支持。另外，我還開設(shè)了一門托�？荚嚱處熍嘤�(xùn)課程，這些活動(dòng)不僅有效增進(jìn)了教師之間的凝聚力，還藉此分享了彼此的教學(xué)經(jīng)驗(yàn)。中國(guó)人重視教育渴望學(xué)習(xí)不僅體現(xiàn)在學(xué)生方面，老師亦是如此。

　　During my time traveling I have been lucky enough to visit 8 Asian countries, all of which have their own distinct culture and are unique in their own way. Of all of the places I have been, some of my favorites I have seen in the last 6 months in China. The famous food street in Wangfu Jing decorated with hanging lanterns, the hidden gems in the Hutongs and of course you can’t forget the breathtaking Great Wall, to name a few. Above all, the most memorable place would have to be the Summer Palace. While visiting I was moved by the rich history, beautiful scenery and attention to detail on every pagoda. When I reached the top of the Summer Palace to take in the view, I looked out across Kunming Lake and was reminded once more of the reason I came to China. The current season showcases the beauty of China, framing every building with pink blossoms and sunshine. If I am asked for advice on places to visit in Asia I would be sure to recommend this phenomenal site.

　　我曾有幸去過8個(gè)亞洲國(guó)家旅游，每個(gè)地方都有其獨(dú)特的風(fēng)土人情。中國(guó)無疑是我最喜歡的地方之一。有最負(fù)盛名掛滿大紅燈籠的王府井小吃一條街，隱匿在胡同深處的瑰寶，攝人心魄的萬里長(zhǎng)城等等。其中最令我難忘的是北京的頤和園，我被它悠久的歷史、迷人的景色和精美絕倫的寶塔所深深折服。當(dāng)我登到頤和園的最高點(diǎn)，俯瞰身下的昆明湖，很慶幸自己選擇來到中國(guó)。3月的北京很美，盛開的櫻花和溫暖的陽光勾勒出這個(gè)城市的線條。如果你不知道選擇哪個(gè)亞洲國(guó)家旅游，我會(huì)毫不猶豫地建議你來這個(gè)了不起的國(guó)家——中國(guó)。

　　For all of the things I have mentioned above and more, I would like to express my gratitude toward my new friends and Beijing Royal School for making me feel so welcome. I feel like I have become a part of the team and look forward to continuing with my career at BRS.

　　綜上所述，我想對(duì)王府學(xué)校和我的朋友們?cè)俅伪磉_(dá)我的感激之情，這里像家一樣溫暖，我期盼在這里繼續(xù)我的職業(yè)生涯。

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