I moved to China! You probably already read that from the title, but I had to remind you all once again. It’s already been a little over two weeks since I moved. Someone pinch me. Eww, just kidding.
It’s been a lot to take in, with so much happening all at once. I’m glad I’m making an effort to write some of the things that come to mind.
The idea of moving abroad to teach really began pre-graduation. I wanted to do it mainly for travel, but to also experience life outside the confines of home. Aka the US. I went to many college workshops on different ways to live and work abroad, researched a whole lot, and acknowledged it was something I wanted to do. I also studied abroad during my last term of university in Ecuador, and it gave me all the reasons why I needed to take a chance on it.
Everything felt so surreal. The thought of how much I’ll be missing crushes me. My family is my biggest weakness; I see them and I see my world. Especially mama. I’ve come to terms with that it’s alright though. The things we love so dearly can’t always be in our grasp, but gently engraved in our hearts.
To break down everything that took place between job searching, moving, to finally settling into my new city and country, keep reading.
Job searching
During my job search, I found that most of the opportunities were based in China. It was never my first choice, but I was willing to keep my options open. I applied to numerous schools and companies, with only two recruiters responding and one eventually declining. Deep down I knew the decline and lack of responses had to do with me being visibly Muslim. Many international job boards require your picture attached to your resume, so it was obvious my image may have thrown some off.
There was one instance where I had to make a video for a school after having a conversation with the recruiter. Unfortunately, HR later decided they didn’t want to go through with my application. Alhamdulillah, it wasn’t meant to be.
I was eventually contacted by another recruiter and interviewed the following week. All while being interviewed, the recruiter mentioned a school in x city that showed an interest in me. I was very skeptical and surprised but came to find the school’s manager was Muslim. To top that, the school was also situated in the Muslim district! That’s when I first discovered Hohhot, China.
Look how God works!
I knew one of my biggest fears moving to China was whether I’d be in a place where I’d have access to a place of worship and an active Muslim community. For me, these are necessities I hope I won’t have to sacrifice just for the sake of living abroad. Especially if there isn’t much of a Muslim population.
Arriving to Hohhot
I arrived in Hohhot on a Monday morning, not feeling too jet-lagged, until later in the evening. There’s a 15-hour time difference from Seattle to China, and luckily I would always get tired around the evening. The entirety of my trip was from Seattle to Korea, to Beijing, and finally to Hohhot. My layover in Beijing was painfully LONG, and my connecting flight to Hohhot would later be the next day.
I had a few hiccups with security at the Beijing airport because I couldn’t understand the instructions I was being given in Chinese. The look of disapproval for not understanding Chinese was too real.
Then there were the stares. Oh, the stares. To make matters more awkward, I would wave and people would either look away feeling embarrassed, wave back and smile, or think I’m hitting on them.
At the Hohhot airport, both my manager and the Chinese teacher trainer (both Chinese Muslims) were eagerly waiting for me on the other side, and that’s when everything got a little too real.
A good kind of real.
The medical check
On my second day, I went to the hospital for a physical exam. All foreigners are required to do a complete medical check for employment. I did one in Seattle, but that was only to get me into China.
First off, can we please talk about all the barging into rooms people do at the hospital?! Exposed much! There was a list of procedures I had to do, and one of them happened to be a blood test.
I was feeling all kinds of determination that they wouldn’t take my blood even after showing them the recent blood test I did. I was wrong. Not going to lie, I looked a little crazy, and the jetlag wasn’t helping.
I have a phobia of blood and needles, that leaves me feeling very weak and faint, so I expected it to go a little bad. They managed to find my veins, thank goodness, but my body went numb and was on the verge of passing out.
Work
My first encounter with my new coworkers was during my training session with one other English teacher. I then met the Chinese staff and teachers later that evening. They’ve been a very welcoming and helpful group of individuals.
Before moving to China, most of my work and life-related concerns were answered by the current English teacher. Whereas, everything regarding my visa went directly through management.
I noticed quickly how limited the information was between myself and management. Considering the language barrier and cultural differences in what to and what not to disclose, I had to do a little more research on my own.
This is apparently a common issue, but to make matters easier there’s typically a separate foreign manager who communicates all the details to the foreign teachers. And that’s only if they do a diligent job in disclosing information as well – they can be equally as useless.
Life in Hohhot
Work stuff aside, I quickly became familiar with the area between my apartment and work. The commute is roughly a 30 to 45-minute walk or a 15-minute bus ride. On my way, I pass the Great Mosque of Hohhot and a couple of other mosques off the path. The school itself is in the Muslim district, and in very close proximity to the market, numerous halal restaurants, and the local Muslim hospital.
I’d say the hardest thing I’ve been struggling with has been trying to find my balance through the change. Moving to China has thrown me off in terms of how I do certain things, like my habits and routines, so it’s been a journey trying to stabilize myself.
Riding the bus is the worst, because of the number of stares I get. It likely won’t stop me though. I’m slowly realizing how very sparse the number of foreigners is in this part of China. Especially Muslim foreign women in hijab. The amount of times I randomly hear people calling me Indian or Malaysian is also another story.
I always come across older Muslim men and women rocking their hijab and kufi in the streets, walking or on bikes. They’re the cutest.
Above all, my favorite part is witnessing how much beauty this community has, and one I’ll be a part of inshallah.
Too much to say, but I’d rather not bore you all. So much to come, insha’Allah, and I’m constantly making an effort to remind myself of the beautiful things that come with this journey. Here’s to life.
To anyone following the journey, thanks for stopping by 🙂
