ADONIS AND BIGNOSE IN CHINA - Teaching, Travels and Tea by Mary Perry and Edward Garner has just been published by Just Done Productions R170
Mary Perry and Edward Garner relate the compelling tale of a year in China spent teaching English and travelling...
Ted and I decided to do a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and see where it would lead us. Our CV’s went on the Internet. Offers came flooding in, mainly from the Far East. Before we knew it we had a one year contract and were on our way to China to teach conversational English. Our address from August 2004 to July 2005 was the Yangzhou College of Education, Gaoyou campus, 208 Zhongshan Nan Lu, Gaoyou, China. – can’t get much more exotic than that, can it? While there we wrote a diary which was emailed to more than sixty friends and family all over the world. This book is a direct descendant of that diary. Mary Perry
Everyday life – the joys, the difficulties, the triumphs and hurdles are discussed in an easy-to-read style. The book will enlighten all those who wish to pursue the art of teaching English in a foreign country and those who wish to simply enjoy the adventure of discovering another culture whilst snuggled on the couch.
Mary goes on to relay their experiences of teaching English to scholars of all ages. An excerpt:
“It was the practice at the college for each student to choose an English name by which they could be easily identified by their foreign teachers. A good idea and much appreciated by us. Many names were routine, but we also taught, among others, Water, Snow, Grape, Pomelo, Potato, Dive, Litchi, Even, Majestic, Genius, Wonderful, Cabbage, Ice, Harvest and Coffee. One girl, with more imagination than most, had decided to call herself ‘Nothing’. Intrigued, Ted asked her why and got the delightful reply, ‘Everybody knows Nothing’… ”
The culture –festivities, food and famous landmarks and wonderful adventures are interwoven in this entertaining book.
Edward’s account and comments add another dimension to Mary’s impressions.
“One of the great attractions of the Huang Shan, and untold thousands do it yearly, is to stand at the summit of the Bright Top Peak and watch the sun rise and spread its morning glow over the myriad peaks and valleys. Once at the Peak’s summit, over 1842 metres, our aching muscles were at last allowed to relax. We sat down, and waited for the sunrise, still 30 minutes away… Slowly the sun began its overture... Just ten minutes to go, our guide came to tell us. There came a tap on the shoulder. Our tour manager (still in his brown suit!), beckoned to Mary and me, indicating we follow him. Our immediate backdrop was an old hotel undergoing refurbishment, the outside toilets still functioning, as was only too obvious. To our amazement, down into this toilet he led us, then going deeper down a narrow side passage. Suddenly, we stopped; we were standing on the top of temporary iron steps leading down to a waste area filled with builders’ rubbish. Directly to our front there lay the finest view imaginable of the whole arena. Totally uninterrupted, we watched as the sky suddenly turned into a sea of flaming red, oranges and pinks: a silent lava flow spilling over the heavens.
From crowds now hidden from our view there rose a gasp of wonderment, followed by great shouts of approval. The sun slipped into view. Now, burning brightly, it threw its glow over mountains and valleys that Nature had ploughed out so violently millions of years ago. Whatever had been endured to get there faded into nothing. For a few precious, unrepeatable seconds, the three of us were silenced by this most glorious of dawnings.
Then it was gone. Higher rose the sun, the mountains became more distinct; the first heat of day brushed our faces… Time to go.”
Mary grew up in Johannesburg and started her teaching career at St Dominic’s Academy in Newcastle. She then moved to Durban and taught at Durban Girls’ High School for 15 years before going to England for ‘an adventure’.
Edward Garner was born at Derby, England and now lives in South Africa. As a professional soldier he travelled the world, including Norway, Malta, Russia, Cyprus and Germany. On leaving the army he and his family lived in Ireland for 20 years where he wrote a regular weekly newspaper column and also wrote a number of books on local history.
After their year in China they came to live in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Edward is still writing books and is also a keen photographer.
Binding: Perfect Bound
Cover Type: Paperback
Black and white photographs throughout
ISBN 13: 978-1-920315-31-3
Lulu ID: 7366388
Number of Pages: 306
Publication Date: 6 July 2009
Size: A5
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