Hanging out in China

It’s tough to make friends in a place where they have more than 370,000 words. Even my folks back home told me that I am gonna be back in 2 months and I’ll hate it in China. To be honest, anything is better than a life in Detroit. That crumbling city has nothing to offer, in fact, I feel the states has nothing to offer anymore. That’s why you see Yanks move out of the star-spangled nation more than ever.
Hangzhou is pretty dope. The people are good, the food is even better. I’ve been living here for more than a year. It’s turning out to be the best time of my life coupled with new experiences that are killing my depression.

When I signed Haida, I was scared as hell, since I was a lone wolf in the forest. It took me a long time to adjust to the standard of living. The culture is different and my job as a teacher, although exciting, is challenging. The little children I teach perform outstandingly on their tests when they’re guided right. It makes me really proud. 
 It’s still scary, but now I have new homies. I’ve found friends in Haida-mates from all around the world, especially Antoine, the chilled-out but responsible dude from Lyon, France.
I’ve been traveling to different places in Hangzhou, trying out different street food, the local eateries, the high-end cuisine, and the home-cooked food Mrs. Yi makes a few blocks away from my apartment. The delicacies of Hangzhou are too good to be missed, especially the juicy Xiaolongbao. The dim sums here are like forbidden fruits. They’re too delicious, but eating too much might give a hard time on the pot.
I had a great time at the Leifeng Pagoda, most of the pictures you click here are photogenic. Make sure you don’t miss the West Lake and Qiandao Lake. The diving experience at Qingdao was different than what I had in Jamaica. It’s a lagoon so some places can get muddy.     
If you’re signing up with Haida, let me warn you, it’s not a walk in the park. Take the contract if you’re looking for something entirely different in life. Good luck! 
       

A bored Frenchman’s tasteful life in Hangzhou

When English isn’t your first language and you’re selected to be an English teacher in a land far away, the experience can be really exciting. Being French, I’ve had a few problems dealing with pronunciations of English words, but my nationality and culture can never compromise my prowess in spoken and written English. I enjoy teaching English to little children in my village so they can experience everything our little blue planet has to offer. I took the call too when I found Haida HR, the recruitment company online forums had been talking about.

I had seen a good share of negatives about this Hangzhou-based company, which really didn’t convince me. I suspected that most of these badmouths were posted by people who mainly had problems with the Cooperation Agreement of Teacher’s Dispatch and other things. Instead of heeding these reviews, I tracked people currently working in Hangzhou with the help of Haida HR. Turns out they love their job in China.

I am not much of a sinophile, but I love Kung Fu movies and Chinese cuisine. China has some beautiful panoramic places, which made it easy for me to settle in. Hangzhou features a long roster of eye-grabbing sceneries like the West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Six Harmonies Pagoda, and the tea plantations. All of these places proved that there is more than it meets the eye in Hangzhou. People who complained about the food in the forums have obviously not tried dumplings at XinFeng XiaoChi.    

You might have heard this earlier from other Haida HR recruits, the company takes care of your mind-numbing forms and Visa issues. It’s true but like other red tapers, the process isn’t smooth. They do get the job done though. I got the accommodation as it was promised, the room was aptly furnished and really simple.

Life has been going really good and it’s beating the monotony I’ve felt back home. Hangzhou has been a good change for me, especially the eye candy and food. I’ll stay here for a few more years I guess. Hope the UAE has a Haida HR-like company that recruits foreign teachers for its students.