Expect The Unexpected!| 3 min read

Starting off with a full tour of the campus the interns were split into two groups and shown where all the facilities were and where they would be living for the next 4 weeks. As well as being shown the campus the interns were also pointed in the direction of the subway, some local restaurants and the nearest 7- 11, where they can fuel those western cravings (believe me those shelves are soon empty of chocolate bars!)

We then crammed everyone into the orientation room for Program Coordinator James’ lecture, sorry presentation! James introduced all of the TTC team members, gave interns the low down on Chinese culture, what will happen over the next four weeks and what to expect from their time in China. All the main do’s and don’ts were covered including a good explanation of the “face” part of Chinese culture, for example you should never make someone lose “face”, but you should give “face”.  Useful tips on how to keep safe in China were shared and were positive interns won’t be falling for the classic ‘tea scam’ any time soon!

After James’ presentation, interns were then treated to a Chinese trivia quiz, (with real buzzers and cheesy quiz style music!) with topics including ‘What is china’s population?’ ‘When is teachers Day?’ and ‘What is China famous for inventing? This was to see what the interns already knew about the country they will be living in for the next 6 months. Everybody was very enthusiastic and the lucky winners received a meal out with the TTC program coordinators!

Once the quiz was finished the TTC staff then handed the mic over to English language Company (ELC) head trainer, Amy Lynch who explained the course outline and what to expect from their training. A presentation on education then followed and provided an interesting insight into school life in China. A short film about the life of a Chinese student was shown and depicted the pressure students are under to succeed at school in China and why they appreciate having foreign teachers.

Finally it was time for icebreakers! After taking in information all day it was time to get up and about and well…break the ice! Everybody was asked to try and find somebody who has an embarrassing story to tell! (believe us there’s always some great stories!) ‘Huggy Bear’s’ was the next activity and was a huge hit with the interns, say goodbye to your personal space as you have to find increasing numbers of people to hug!!

At this point the interns were filled with expectation over the next 6 months and what lies in store for them…