A teaching placement in China enabled Natalie Sew to reconnect with her heritage
Being British-born Chinese, I?ve always had a curiosity and connection to China, but sadly, I can?t speak any Chinese and have no family in China.
I?d spent months going to Chinese classes and listening to language tapes but never got the hang of the language in the UK. Living and working in a country that really forces you to learn the language is something I never thought I?d be able to do. I was never good with languages at school but now I love learning them!
What?s great about Lattitude in China is that the teaching placements are incredibly beneficial to Chinese students. As an English teacher at National Minorities School in Yuxi City, in Yunnan Province, it was so satisfying to see real improvement to students who become your friends over six months. You?re not a tourist, but a new member of the community and you make close friends the same way you make friends at home. I made friends with other volunteers from the UK and Australia, and with those in the community. My experiences never really ended as I now have such great connections with people across the world due to my placements.
Seeing and experiencing life there taught me more than I could ever imagine and helped me to understand people in a way I could never have learnt through reading books or watching documentaries. I made some really close friends, saw the most incredible places and, by the end, I spoke enough Chinese...