Amber Robertson worked for Xplore last summer teaching English at Finborough Hall. A parent of one of the young children staying with us from China asked Amber to join her for a few months to give private English lessons to her and her daughter.
'Altogether I have lived, worked and experienced China for just under five months. In this time, I have learnt a lot about myself, other people and other cultures. The reason I was there was to teach a mother and daughter English. In our time together their levels have improved from Elementary to Advanced and Primary to Preliminary. Alice is eight years old, very shy, sweet and adorable, I quickly learnt she enjoys dancing and sparkly things and appeared very happy by my presence; which made me equally so.
My flat was a two bedroom, 24th (top) floor two bedroom apartment it is the biggest flat I have ever had, with a great view of Shanghai.
So, what do I think of Shanghai, where I have been living? I prefer it one hundred percent to London. How would I describe it as a city? Unusual and enrapturing.
People I have met in China are very kind, welcoming, hospitable, will do anything and everything to help you and they are honest. Little English is spoken but like travelling anywhere, I think it is polite to make an effort to try and learn about the culture and the people of the country you are visiting. Most mornings at around 08:30 there was beautiful Chinese music played outside of the building where I lived. Elderly women and men do Tai-chi either in the outside gardens, (green space) if it is not raining, or under outdoor shelter. I have learnt that round tables are for good luck and health and so most families will have this in their homes. I'm getting better with chopsticks, realising the trick is to hold them three quarters of the way up. However being left handed with chopsticks is unusual in China as everyone holds them with their right hand. People (I am informed) think I am Russian, Ukrainian or French but not English!
My experiences have involved both some of the most difficult and challenging times but more so the best of times. It is by far the best or one of the best things I have done. Luckily, I made a good network of friends, all of which are Chinese and Shanghainese. In my free time I explored, mainly on my own, sometimes with friends and also with the family.
My experiences have involved both some of the most difficult and challenging times but more so the best of times. It is by far the best or one of the best things I have done. Luckily, I made a good network of friends, all of which are Chinese and Shanghainese. In my free time I explored, mainly on my own, sometimes with friends and also with the family.
What next? My friends here tell me I seem more like an Asian girl than a Western girl, I have always been most attracted to Asia so over the next five years I will live in at least two or three more Asian countries. Tomorrow I will fly to Taiwan and work in a summer camp teaching for two weeks. Following this, I shall be moving to Italy for two months to teach also both in summer camps and also privately. Then I will end the year teaching for six months in Indonesia, after all these great experiences I must return to England for two months to finish my third year of University. Then I shall move back to Asia, to Thailand for two months.
I am both thankful and grateful for all the opportunities that have both come my way and which I have worked hard for since the age of twelve, many of these opportunities are unusual for a British national such as myself.
Thank you to everyone who made this experience possible, Xplore has given me many great memories over the past year and I can only recommend them and forever be thankful.'
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