The children, who were mostly
Chinese, were so adorable and so
loved by their parents. For a long
time, China has had a one child
policy, which has now changed.
This policy has created six-pocket
children (two parents, two sets of
grandparents), and they are spoiled!
There were also many other
children from different countries
around the world enrolled in the
school, so the result was a rich,
diverse culture.
On the first day of school
the students came in their red
and white checked dresses or
checked shirts and shorts. The red
backpacks were bigger than the
bodies of the little ones! The older
students were shy and excited.
The younger students were crying
and apprehensive.
The staff, mostly from Alberta
and other provinces in Canada,
were excited to embark on a new
school year and an adventure in a
country where most of them had
never been.
There was no intercom or bell
system. After being a principal in
Alberta for many years, I know
occupational health and safety,
so I ordered the old, traditional
school bell. All of the assistants
were given bells and the times
they were to ring them. After three
days, the students became used
to the routines of lining up and
climbing the copious number of
steps to their classrooms. In many
aspects, as progressive as China
is becoming particularly with
international schools, there are
still many differences.
The school day is similar to one
in Canada, starting at 8:30 a.m.
and ending at 4:30 p.m. Apart
from the requirements of the
Alberta curriculum, students learn
Mandarin every day. This language
is very hard to learn and, given that
it is the most spoken language in
the world, these students will have
such an advantage in the global
world. Sometimes I thought I was
fluent in Mandarin because I would
speak in English and people would
speak to me in Mandarin, yet
somehow we just understood each
other. Non-verbal communication
is a wonderful thing, especially in a
foreign country.
Lunch, provided in the cafeteria,
was very traditional Chinese
fare, not so great for the other
international students and a very
difficult adjustment for the staff.
As you can imagine, Chinese food
in Canada is not Chinese food
in China. That being said, food
is inexpensive and fresh with
incredible variety, particularly
with fruits and vegetables.
At the end of the day, all of the
students participated in options
such as sports, art, cooking classes,
and other languages. Parents in
China want their children involved
in activities all of the time, every
day and often at night.
Most of the children are bused
and some have long rides home
due to traffic congestion and
often the weather if it is raining.
Every bus has an assistant who
supervises the children and keeps
in contact with the parents.
Every day was an adventure,
and every day we learned new
things about the culture we
chose to live in for two years.
The experiences we embarked
on daily opened our world and
challenged us to embrace a
different way of life. It was an
experience of a lifetime. ●
Lorianne and some of her colleagues, celebrating International Women’s Day
news&views AUTUMN 2019 | 57