Jemma
Jemma is from Huddersfield, UK. She studied Forensic Science at The University of Lincoln. She has traveled to many countries all over Asia and Australasia including Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Lao and Cambodia. She fell in love with teaching after doing some volunteer work in Indonesia. She achieved a life goal of traveling around South East Asia and Australasia for a year after university. She lived and worked for a year in New Zealand after traveling. Her interest include kayaking, snorkeling and traveling.
Life in Beijing.
Beijing is a great place to teach in China. It has a great mix of western luxury and Chinese culture. In the centre you can find most of the comforts of home such as Starbucks and western food. You also have a lot of culture and heritage on your door step like The Forbidden City and The Great wall. At times in the centre you could forget you were in China. In Shijingshan you can immerse yourself in Chinese life (and shock some locals).
An average trip into the centre of Beijing into ‘Western town’ will take between 45 and 60 minutes on the subway (in my opinion the best way to get around Beijing at just RMB2 a journey). If you are after culture and heritage then Beijing is the centre of it all. The Forbidden City is easy to get to from the subway as is Tian’amen square. The Temple of heaven is also easy to get to and a good way to spend an afternoon just walking lazily around. There are various other Temples that you can almost feel secluded in (which is a rare feeling in Beijing). The Great Wall is reached easily by public bus and taxi combo and when I went it was almost deserted in parts (seriously I have photos with no one in!). In ‘Western town’ you can find a lot of home comforts like restaurants and coffee shops. You will start to crave western food. There is also a good western supermarket chain called ‘Jenny Lou’s’. This is great to get some of the things you miss from home.
Life in Shijingshan is more Chinese. You will get some inquisitive looks from the locals (a looking up and down, which I would normally associate with eyeing someone up in a bar, is pretty common). There are various Chinese restaurants around that are pretty good (a warning. Chinese food is nothing like you get back home). Shijingshan is a nice area to walk around and explore. There are some creature comforts around such as Carrefour; a French supermarket. It is the only place I can find bread that doesn’t taste like it’s been stored in a bag of sugar. Wanda Plaza is a good place to waste some time. It has plenty of shops and restaurants plus a cinema and an arcade. The arcade has everything you expect plus snooker and a roller disco. The games are addictive and dispense tickets, so if you ever feel like your apartment is missing a novelty lamp and you have the time, a trip to the arcade is well worth a look. You will always have someone to socialize with. The teachers often meet up for dinner, drinks or shopping. Shijingshan is a great place to be and I really enjoy life here.