While participating in the AYC program, I began filming an ethnographic series on the experiences of expatriates of African descent called Black In China 黑人 在 中国. What I learned most from my time living in Shenzhen is I have the power to shape my experiences.
"the private market for English lessons in China has now reached an estimated 3.1 billion dollars"
"My name is Sarah Minkoff and I was part of the 2014-2015 AYC cohort....Ameson Year in China opened up a whole new world for me. I gained confidence in my self and achieved things I never would have dreamed I could."
While I may not be able to spare you all aches, here’s 9 things I wish professors, young professionals, and friends told me about the real job market and life after college.
Learning Chinese, a non-romance language, can seem like a daunting task. But in many respects, Chinese is actually easier to learn than English!
Here's the skinny on Chinese, and why you should learn one of the oldest and prettiest languages:
Some of the difficulties you’ll face while teaching in China will be unique to you, but others will be challenges common to every teacher. Here are some challenges you may face, as well as best practices to overcome them (tried and true by former teachers!).
Pull it together with some thought-provoking questions or a roll-playing exercise, and you’ve got an engaging lesson plan. Here’s 6 films most Chinese students wouldn’t, but should, see.
What I learned while teaching abroad.
This post has given you a better understanding of your role as an AYC English teacher and what you should expect next year in the classroom.
Here's a collection of information, answers to common questions, important links, and more for new AYCers to refer to as they prepare for their stay in China.
Sometimes plans don’t always go the way you would have expected. That’s how my story begins.
These members of Congress lauded this year’s educational ambassadors for their leadership, commitment to service, and commitment to building mutual understanding and strengthening people-to-people relations between the United States and China.
How do you balance your packing list by packing light and bringing over important items?
A clear theme emerged from several speeches, an informative panel discussion, and many lively dinner conversations: The AYC experience is life changing.
AYC is succeeding in its goal to provide a forum for meaningful exchange between Chinese and Western youth. It is exactly this understanding from one-on-one interaction and education that will improve relations between countries and nations in our increasingly globalized world.
June 15-19, we have our final lessons. Some classes were easy to say good-bye, but I had trouble closing the lesson with the students, and some students didn’t even want to leave the classroom.
AYC Educational Ambassadors Ethan Martinez and Caitlin Simcik ventured to Yunnan for Spring Festival. We just had to share their incredible footage.
To the Chinese, there are three important meanings behind the Mid-Autumn Festival: 1) gathering, as family and friends reunite to celebrate, 2) thanksgiving, to appreciate the life-giving harvest, and 3) prayer, in order to bestow both blessings and good fortune upon parents, babies, and lovers.
So, now you’ve been in China for about two weeks and you’ve had an inordinate amount of cafeteria food plus one or two lavish feasts at your new school. Where do you go from here? Well, if you want to cut your chops on the diverse cuisines that make up “Chinese food”, you should take a look at China’s Yelp: Dianping. If you don’t want to throw your gastronomical dreams to the winds of fate and your late night strolls around town, check out this site.
For those of you who aren’t quite ready to navigate a website entirely in Chinese, these two guides will help you get where you want to go.
http://beijingfoodbible.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/where-do-beijingers-eat-a-quick-dianping-tutorial/
http://www.lifeonnanchanglu.com/2013/12/unlocking-dianping-english-guide-to.html
This year was a long one, but many of the awesome AYC participants have finished out their academic year! The above collage only showcases a few of the 150+ teachers spread throughout China with their students. Many have already left for their next journey, others are teaching farther into the summer, but one thing remains true: AYC is immensely proud of it’s inaugural class of Ameson Year in China!
Salute — the AYC Class of 2013-2014!
