Before Christopher Chandroo graduated from college, he wondered what he would do with his gap year before hopefully entering into a Master’s program.
It was then that his friends suggested Amerlish as an opportunity to spend his gap year. Doing his research and applying took a relatively short time, and within weeks Chris found himself in Beijing, China.
To be blunt honest, I had no interest in coming to China first.
ChrisCHANDROO
Chris said, “To be blunt honest, I had no interest in coming to China first. I am actually from the Chinatown of Los Angeles called Diamond Bar, I’ve been to Asia before, I’ve lived with Chinese people growing up and I’ve met a lot of Chinese people. I thought this would be kind of an opportunity to get to know the culture more, and at the same time improve my career because I want to be a future psychologist and get to know different cultures. So I saw this as a learning opportunity.”
Chris did attempt to teach in Japan, but it didn’t work out. In his interview with Amerlish, something that he liked was when he asked them what the goal for their education was. “Lots of times when you ask people that, they give you blunt answers, ‘Well, it’s to teach kids English,’ but their thing was they wanted to help these children develop and grow. It’s more than teaching English…the idea of helping children grow and develop, that’s more encompassing and developed,” Chris concluded.
Chris had taught kids before, but he was challenged by the kids here. In America, he taught native English speakers, and the kids were a high school age. In China, he teaches kids ages four to six, and most are beginning to learn English. “Little children, you have to find ways to get their attention,” Chris advised. “You have to be more interesting and be a little kids yourself to get them back paying attention to the lesson.”
This has been working out well for Chris, as he’s seen his kids begin to learn the language, learning in class and practicing at home. He has been surprised to see by how much they know.
While they are learning the language, Chris has only picked up a few words since he’s been in China. “Learn Chinese if you can!” he insisted. Overwhelmed with graduate applications, prepping for the GRE, and seeing China has taken up his time spending to study Chinese. He added, “If you are trying to do a lot of stuff back home and on the side, it’s going to be very hard.”
Chris has enjoyed China in the time that he tries to see it. Within the three months that he has been here, he has palaces and temples, Hong Kong, camped on the Great Wall, and been able to travel nearby countries for a cheap plane ticket. “Being in China is a great networking system to visit other places close by,” Chris suggested.
Chris is only going to stay in China and work at Amerlish for one year before he continues on his other longer-term goals, but he wishes that he could stay longer. “This is a great opportunity because you get work experience, good pay, also you have an opportunity to learn a different culture, and it is a learning experience for yourself too, to see how you grow.”
Chris’s gave his advice to anybody considering moving to China. “Don’t be afraid of coming to a foreign country. Go ahead and come out. Make sure your plate is not heavy…if you are looking for something to do and make some money, it is a good gig. Give it a shot.”