This has been one of the biggest and craziest transitions of my life. There have been struggles...oh so many struggles, there have been amazing and unforgettable experiences, there have been moments of loneliness and even depression, but I am pulling through it all, because I know that God did not bring me to this place for no reason, so I will work hard.
So how do I know that God led me here? Well just the way everything worked out. The whole lead up to me leaving, and also when I arrived here. It was all far from a coincidence..
Basically, I was working before, at another place. Doing the same job for the longest time. I was really unhappy, and I wasn't treated well there. But I just stuck at it. Then one day, I just snapped after I had this one rude customer..now, I dealt with so many rude customers for many years, so actually this was nothing, now that I think back. But it pushed me to the point where I just quit my job. I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore. Like God just told me to get out of that place. After that I was really stressed as I didn't have a job, but I felt at peace and like a burden had been lifted. I knew it was time to focus on myself again.
So one month later, I was told by a Pastor, that he had a prophecy that I would go to China. I had not told him nothing of my wish to go.
I prepared myself with teaching work experience which I learnt a lot from, and it was really fun. For some strange reason my China application was taking the longest time to process. It was getting very late into the year, the term had began so long ago and then I started to have doubts. I wasn;t sure if it was going to happen after all. Then after a month had passed, everything had finally processed. It was really happening, then before I knew it, it was time to leave.
Without thinking twice, I just did it. I have never flown anywhere by myself, or lived away from home but I was not afraid. When I think about it now, it seems pretty crazy that I was brave enough to actually do it (especially when I had been doubted by so many before that) I just took that step. That leap of faith and everything was fine. I arrived Safely, nothing went wrong. I was so happy....Until the next morning when it actually had sunk in about what I had done..
When I first arrived here in Shenzhen, I was staying in a pretty crappy hotel, with an even crappier internet connection. It was the accommodation that the agency had provided for me. It was an absolute nightmare. It was so frustrating when I tried to Skype with my family and friends back in the UK. Then to top it off I could not access Facebook, Youtube, Blogger, Snapchat, Instagram or even google. I knew Facebook was banned in China, but the rest came to me as a surprise, It made feel really lonely and really tested my patience. But I stayed positive as I was excited and pretty nervous about starting my new job.
So my first day was literally insane. I had arrived in China on a Saturday night, literally only had Sunday to sleep in and get over my jet lag, then on Monday was my first day. Not my first day if training, literally my first day.
So Monday morning, a girl from the agency collected me from the Hotel and took me to the hospital for a full health check. So they literally tested everything, took urine samples, did x-rays, you name it. Then it came to "my favourite part" the blood test. So, I have some kind of problem, I'm not sure what exactly causes it, but every time I have blood taken and even sometimes when I get an injection, I pass out and I don't know why. So they took my blood, and I passed out in this hospital. I'm not sure how long I was out for, but I woke up to a nurse squeezing my hand and poking a pressure point in between my nose and lips, and the girl from the agency was almost in tears. I was so confused.
So anyways, after all that we went to get photos taken for ID cards etc, made a bank account (all whilst I was feeling dizzy and weak from the blood test) then I was taken to the agency office to fill sign my contract (even though I was too out of it to read it). Then finally we had lunch and then I was taken to my School.
I was literally exhausted. Firstly I had not gotten over my Jet lag, and then having blood taken out had really gotten to me. Not only that but also, it was soooo hot in Shenzhen and I had just come from a very cold winter in England, so naturally I was having a hard time adjusting. I literally felt like I was going to die.
So We finally arrived at the school. I was then introduced to the current foreign English teacher, and told that I would be taking over from her, as she was leaving the following week. This explained, the delay in the process of getting me to China. I was delayed because I was supposed t take over from THIS particular woman. She asked me to come into the classroom and introduce myself to the children. I walked in, nervously and all I heard were gasps and a chorus of children's voices saying "Woooooooooooow", followed by applause. It was one of the sweetest and most surreal experiences I had ever had.
So I got to watch her teach her final 2 classes for the day. Literally absorb what I could, then at the end of the lessons, she told me that I was teaching the next day. Literally the next day! So no training, nothing. I was literally thrown into the deep end. So that night I prepared my powerpoint and crashed out to sleep. I was literally drained.
So the next day came. I was so nervous, standing at the front of the classroom. I remember my knees were shaking. I had a full classroom of 50 students staring at me, eagerly waiting for me to begin. And at the back of the classroom was the other foreign teacher. Watching me with a huge smile.
So after observing my classes she gave me some advice and was a really great mentor. I later found out that she was the one who mentored the other foreign teachers, and I was blessed enough to get one on one mentoring from her. So throughout the week, my confidence grew and she guided me a lot. Then on the Friday just before my lesson began, I went in earlier to pray in my classroom, and she walked in. We started speaking about our personal lives and I then found out the reason she was leaving China. It turned out that she was a Christian too. The reason she was leaving China, was to go back to America to get married, to a Pastor. I was so shocked, I knew there was something about this woman the moment i met her. We just clicked. It was the spirit of God who brought us together, and that was in us. She then told me that she had been praying for a God fearing teacher to come and take her place, and that God had heard her and sent me. It was so surreal, but I knew that God had orchestrated everything. Nothing is a coincidence. I know that now for sure. I went home later that night and looked at the quote that was printed on the hotel room wall above the bed and smiled. It said " A journey of a thousand miles, must begin with a single step."
I'm going to stop here now, I wonder how many of you are still reading? If you are still reading, well done, seriously 😂
Thanks for reading and I hope that this blog post encouraged you!
Love Jen-jen
xoxo
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