Going to Guangzhou

The time came at our school – our two year contract completed – to decide to stay in Beijing or to move to a new location. This is quite common in international teaching, to move every 2-4 years.  We weighed staying in China or going, but ultimately wanted a change of climate, but not of China.  Anna, our 14 year old, has been learning Mandarin for 2 years and we wanted her to continue.

Our China adventure continues, but we have now moved from the Minnesota part of China to the Florida part of China. Guangzhou, which used to be called Canton, is a Cantonese speaking community in southern China. It is GREEN-GREEN-GREEN!  Topical plants and trees abound.  Our school is located in the Baiyun District and I have a lovely view of the Baiyun Mountains from my classroom.  The Baiyun Mountains are also called the White Cloud Mountains.  The gate to the park, full of hiking trails, is just steps away from our school.  It is very fortunate to have nature so close at hand.

The food in Guangzhou is very fresh and much more seafood-oriented that Beijing. The Cantonese are also known to eat very exotic foods like snake and scorpions.  So far I have been just enjoying the fresh stir fried vegetable and noodle dishes. 

The school we are at is very Chinese, when compared to my last school, which had a large mix of international students from Japan, S Korea, India, etc.  This new setting has allowed me to learn more Chinese words and customs.  One custom of the Cantonese that we will be adding to our experiences this weekend will be Sunday Dim Sum.  Dim Sum are small amounts of a variety of foods that you choose and drink with tea, surrounded by family or friends, and share hours of eating, drinking and talking.

My daughter is still learning Mandarin Chinese at school, although Cantonese language is what is heard and spoken on the streets.  If I can describe a difference, Cantonese has more tones than Mandarin, so it sounds more rhythmic.

While my American friends are fretting over the government shut-down, my family and I are sorting out our lives here.  We have a lovely 3rd floor apartment, moved our cat Panda from Beijing to Guangzhou, and are establishing ourselves again in a new place.  It is a challenge, but well worth it.