Having returned home, memories of the week I spent teaching in Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School remain unforgettable. Despite a May Week full of planning, nothing could have prepared me for what an incredibly unique experience this programme offers. Even better than I imagined, my time in China provided endless opportunities for academic and cultural exchange, interwoven with both travel and food experiences that left me speechless.

I quickly learned that Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School is immense (and immensely impressive): a small village of classrooms filled with artwork, instruments and equipment – and 12,000 students. While we recovered from jetlag, the first few days of the trip were spent touring the school and meeting the teachers. During this period, each of us developed our lesson plans, refining details and translations over the course of several iterations presented to the teachers.

Teaching physics did come with its challenges. I found it initially difficult to design lessons that were both interactive and at the correct difficulty level for the students, who were aged 14 to 15. With the help of the school physics textbook, an idea eventually emerged: an experiment using paper helicopters to explore Newton’s laws and drag – hopefully both familiar and fun. In fact, standing on tables to drop the helicopters was even more popular than I anticipated! Grouped into teams of four or five, each class of roughly 13 students approached the task with their own flair. After introducing the key concepts in English, and the general plan, I gave the students creative freedom to change the shape, size and mass of the helicopters and investigate the effects, encouraging them with British sweets when necessary.

I was a little trepidated at first: not only was this my first time in China, but I had also never been given full responsibility for a classroom before. However, many incredibly warm and generous people made me feel immediately welcome and at ease. In fact, I soon realised that I was desperate to extend my trip so that I could travel with the others from Pembroke for longer. Jinduo gave us all invaluable help with rearranging flights and trains – she provided an ever-present safety net as we began our trip. Both entertaining and kind, Jack and Jamal were our hosts, who played crucial roles in helping us find our feet and settle into a routine – their care and enthusiasm is inseparable from my memories of that first week in China.

For me, the trip was defined by forging friendships from a sea of unfamiliar faces. Not only was it great fun learning the Chinese students’ personalities, but also getting to know the three other Pembroke students on the trip, who began as near-strangers and became everything from colleagues to confidants. Our days in Shijiazhuang were even more precious for the fact that the programme was shorter than planned. This only amplified how vivid and intense each new experience was.

Over the course of the programme, I learned to let the students guide my teaching. Throughout the week, I gradually increased the interactive elements of the lessons. These engaged the students more effectively and were less dependent on English fluency, which varied across the class. By the final day, we looked on with pride as the students presented their work, impressed by the evidence of their creativity and newfound confidence. I believe that we also had cause to be proud of each other, having rapidly earned the trust of more than 50 new students while navigating the challenges that come with teaching across a language barrier. I was very touched to receive so many gifts and kind comments from the students, and it was especially rewarding when one group of girls told me that this was the first time they had felt that they were good at physics.

Following non-stop mornings in the classroom, and a reliably delicious canteen lunch, each day held promise of a new site or activity. On the first afternoon alone, we ate an incredible dinner, visited the temple and old town of Zhengding and sang karaoke terribly in front of a crowd of locals. Visits to mountain caves and the nearby hot spring gave us a chance to relax, while socialising with a group of Canadians who were teaching classes of younger students. Memorably, each of us from Pembroke also spent an evening with a host family. Being taken to a tea parlour and then to dinner, followed by a tour of the local area, I was humbled by the generosity I received. With far more food than I could possibly eat, I made good use of the little Chinese I had learned: “Thank you”, “This is delicious” and, crucially, “I’m full”. Yet another of countless experiences not available to the average tourist, I felt very lucky to have such an intimate insight into Chinese culture. Once we left Shijiazhuang, it was a treat to finish the programme with a trip to Beijing: a whistle-stop tour of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and incredible views, including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. I truly believe that I have never experienced so many new things in such quick succession, and I have certainly never eaten so consistently and incredibly well.

To anyone reading, I urge you to apply! Whatever your subject and whether or not you wish to teach in the future, this programme will push you to challenge your beliefs about yourself and the world around you. Come with an open mindset and an imagination. In return, I promise that you will have an incredible time – bringing home a new perspective, a lifetime’s worth of extraordinary memories, and a suitcase full of gifts.