It’s official. I’ll be moving back to Shanghai next month.

For awhile I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to leave the awesome bubble that has become my world in Nanjing. Finally, I decided it wasn’t worth going unless I was moving for a job I was stoked about. Well, I’ve found a job that I’m happy to be starting and I’m ready to get myself down to Shanghai.

I’ll be working for a Korean High School. Originally I wasn’t so happy about the idea of not teaching/working in a non-Chinese environment, but somewhere along the way, I started seeing it as a challenge. I’ve been doing the ‘training center’ thing for over a year a now and I’ve got it down. I love teaching and that place has been a great way for me to realize that, but I’m ready to move on and hone some new skills, namely: teaching without being able to use my life in China and my struggles learning Chinese as a way to win the hearts and minds of students. It’s a common ground and a great way to connect with students that I won’t have while teaching Korean kids.

I’ll also be losing the great wellspring of information that are my students. Working at a center is an excellent place to learn what Chinese people are thinking and how they feel about certain issues. Looking back, that experience has been irreplaceable. It’s good to keep the discussion relevant and for the past year, I’ve always had my finger on the pulse, so to speak, concerning whatever issue may be in the forefront of people’s minds. Whether it be the earthquake, the Olympics, 陈冠希, or whatever. It helps put a personal face on the issues and people in general and I’m thankful for that.

In the end, I think it’ll be a good change. I’m glad to be developing more as a teacher and equally stoked about moving back to Shanghai. Cheers to change.