They know nothing of falling stock markets or elections, intent on retracing familiar paths to the river and detouring past my raspberries, sarvice berries, and apples before the bears arrive to clean them up. Watching nature there’s little time to dwell on “What if I’d have insisted on pulling everything from stocks into bonds?” in July when my son advised it. Bye-gones. Instead, I took time to compose an encouraging note to my Chinese friend who’s losing faith in America’s economy, along with his countrymen who sold contaminated milk and skimmed off earthquake funds in his country. I assured him that I would vote, even though I would be in China by November. He ended his note with “Hope you have a good experience teaching on Hainan.”
In two weeks, my world will seem very different: Hainan Island in the South China Sea–from Haikou City to southern Sanya, where I’ll be teaching Golden Sun kindergartners and their English teachers–is quite scenic. Chinese call it “more beautiful than Hawaii.” Weather varies from tropical light rain to sunny; summer months become quite hot and humid.
Along its few developed roads, Hainan‘s spectacular countryside includes beaches, mountains, and farms still worked by water buffalo. Paddy rice, tropical fruit, coconuts,coffee and tea fields give a view of traditional Asia. Hainan is a fruit eaters’ paradise. Seafood, in both local and traditional dishes, is abundant. Sanya has three main beaches and many other attractions (Russian is the second language on one beach, due to snowbirds from northern Harbin area.)
I begin working two hours/day with five-six year-olds’ international class. Unlike my former two years’ teaching in Chinese cities, my other duties as “English Headmistress” include helping seven young teachers plan English programs, develop an eclectic early childhood program for approximately 200 young children in this private preschool, and coordinate disciplinary and artistic practices within the school. I’ve an apartment close to school and bus lines; one Philipino teacher can act as interpretor, when needed. Other English-speakers are like the island–developing! I can only hope the same for myself and folks on both sides of the globe.
