By Bea Fantini
Xu Sha arrived in Brattleboro a year ago, assigned to the SIT Graduate Institute as a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant. Xu Sha, who comes from the city of Wuhan in the province of Hubei, where she teaches English at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, has been teaching English for ten years. She came to the United States, because she wanted to understand more about the United States, especially the people and the different cultures that form American culture. While at SIT, she spent her time teaching Chinese and taking graduate classes, although she already holds a Master’s degree. Now ready to return home, Xu Sha shares her impressions.
Your job in China is as an English teacher, did you enjoy teaching Chinese to Americans?
“Very much so. I wanted to show Americans more of the real China. In my personal experiences, I feel that Americans know much less about China than what we know about America.Even ancient China, not to mention modern China, has usually been misinterpreted by the many American scholars or writers’ who strove to understand it over the years. When an issue seems too difficult to understand, people tend to drop it. It seems that people don’t want to be bothered to learn about other peoples and cultures. However, my year here has made me change my impression of Americans, at least people in Brattleboro are different, I think. As a teacher of Chinese, I also want to teach about my culture and bridge our cultural differences.”
What will you be doing going back to your country?
“First, I have a commitment to go back to my university, but even after the year, I will most likely continue there.In China it is not like here, where people can move from place to place and still continue their career. We usually stay in the same place for our entire career.This year has been a fantastic year for me, because in my country I would never have the opportunity to teach anywhere else, except my hometown.”
Since you also teach university students in China, can you tell us if you find any similarities among students in China and here?
“It is difficult. I think students are the same. They have the same aspirations and desire to learn. In China today, everyone wants to learn English because, as you know, we want to go out into the world. Before, it was difficult for us, but now, people are going everywhere. I found the graduate students at SIT very interested in China. They were very devoted students, I think Chinese is a complex language but my students did not get discouraged.”
Besides preparing your classes and studying for your courses, how did you spend your time in Brattleboro?
“Besides my students, I made many friends, and also met Chinese people in town and in Keene. This helped a lot, because it helped me when I was homesick.”
Xu Sha has been married for 8 years. Her husband is a sociologist and he came to visit her this winter. They spent time on the West coast and visited New York and Florida. Her parents came about two weeks ago, and she will return home with them, after spending time in Rhode Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Boston.
“I want to see all these places, because I think the United States is a very diverse country. I also wanted my husband and my parents to see this country.I have met wonderful people. I spent the holidays in Key West, Florida and that was quite different from what I left in Vermont! Not only was there no snow, but the only thing that made me think of the holidays were the lights…nothing else. I think I like Vermont better.
Was there anything that you found difficult to adjust to while here?
“Well, they say the most difficult thing to adjust to is the food. But I think I have an international stomach. It is also a matter of attitude, you cannot expect to have the same kind of food as you have back home.I was ready for the change.”
Any last comments?
“Just that I was very fortunate to end up in Brattleboro. I think it is a very friendly town, very tolerant of foreigners and interested in international issues. I will always remember my stay here and I hope to come back one day. I would also like people to visit me in my town, I would be very happy to receive you.”
Tags: Fulbright, interview, SIT Graduate Institute, World Learning
