by rgrowden » Sat Oct 11, 2014 1:34 pm
I taught in China 6 years ago - only until I had finished the 90 day trial period. Most of the schools there were burn and churn. We had to be in the school from 9am - 7 or 9pm, even when we had no lessons scheduled. The teachers' room was a clear plastic room-within a room. Parents, visitors, and students viewed us like animals in a zoo. The pay was about $800 US/month. I loved the people, which is the main reason I retired to Cambodia. The reason I only stayed 3 months was the pollution and health hazards endemic to China. I was in a city called Ningbo. You couldn't drink the water - not even to rinse your toothbrush. The river running through the city was so polluted, it'd make you gag on a warm day. There was no soil, as such - just 7,000 years worth of rotting human detritus as you dug down. Every teacher in my school, myself included, came down with a lung infection within a month of arrival. Teachers, as are all workers, are treated as serfs. I was there during the contaminated milk scare. I drank soy milk, and apparently it was adulterated as well, because with 18 months of returning, I passed 2 kidney stones(one of the side effects of aduterated milk). One more thing - some of the bottled water is drawn directly from the river - you have to ask a shopkeeper which water is for foreigners.
Hey, I loved the people and culture, the crowds, the girls all holding hands and carrying umbrellas against the sun, and the buzz of a country with big plans. I fear, however, and this is just my opinion, that the pollution is so bad, they'll never recover.
I taught in China 6 years ago - only until I had finished the 90 day trial period. Most of the schools there were burn and churn. We had to be in the school from 9am - 7 or 9pm, even when we had no lessons scheduled. The teachers' room was a clear plastic room-within a room. Parents, visitors, and students viewed us like animals in a zoo. The pay was about $800 US/month. I loved the people, which is the main reason I retired to Cambodia. The reason I only stayed 3 months was the pollution and health hazards endemic to China. I was in a city called Ningbo. You couldn't drink the water - not even to rinse your toothbrush. The river running through the city was so polluted, it'd make you gag on a warm day. There was no soil, as such - just 7,000 years worth of rotting human detritus as you dug down. Every teacher in my school, myself included, came down with a lung infection within a month of arrival. Teachers, as are all workers, are treated as serfs. I was there during the contaminated milk scare. I drank soy milk, and apparently it was adulterated as well, because with 18 months of returning, I passed 2 kidney stones(one of the side effects of aduterated milk). One more thing - some of the bottled water is drawn directly from the river - you have to ask a shopkeeper which water is for foreigners.
Hey, I loved the people and culture, the crowds, the girls all holding hands and carrying umbrellas against the sun, and the buzz of a country with big plans. I fear, however, and this is just my opinion, that the pollution is so bad, they'll never recover.