Про Монг, на этот раз in English

Mоng came to New Zealand in October and will spend a year with us assisting Chinese National Adviser and giving Chinese classes to non-native teachers of Chinese in Auckland. Mоng has a nice friendly personality and is always keen to talk about her country, language and culture as well as her experience of living and working in New Zealand.  

Qinhuangdao, the place where Mоng came from, is a small town (3,000,000 people) not very far from Beijing (21,000,000 people), which is also called “a backyard garden of Beijing”. Mоng says it’s true: her hometown is just next to the sea and much greener and more beautiful than the capital. It is named after the emperor Qin Shi Huang who is said to have come there in search of immortality.

Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head), Qinhuangdao

Mоng holds a BA in Chinese language and literature and MA in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. After her first year of doing Masters she went to Bangladesh as a teacher of Chinese, which was her first overseas experience. She did not like it at the beginning – it was extremely hot (up to 46°C) and there were clouds of mosquitoes. She also missed her family badly. It became much better though when Mong started making friends among her colleagues and students so that at the end of the year she did not even want to leave. She is still in touch with the people she met in Bangladesh (300 friends on Facebook!) and hopes to go back and see some of them one day.

Mong with her students in Bangladesh

New Zealand is Mong’s second long-term trip which seems to be very different from the first. She liked it from the start: fresh air, friendly people, clean and tidy streets. There is also the sea, just like in her hometown and even more beautiful as it is cleaner and greener, with hills and volcanoes. Mission Bay is her favourite place so far – such an amazing scenery! Mong does not miss her family anymore, partly because she is older now, partly because of her homestay where she says she feels as part of the family. In Bangladesh, Mong shared her apartment with other teachers, here she is lucky to live in a beautiful house with a garden and have her own room. It seems that the only thing Mong does not enjoy about New Zealand is the transport system. She does not drive, taxi is very expensive and buses are not reliable enough.

Mission Bay Beach, Auckland

Mong likes her job and thinks she has made the right decision by becoming a teacher of Chinese: when travelling overseas she was gladly surprised to meet so many people who are interested in Chinese culture and keen to learn the language. Whether you want to work or travel in China, she believes it is going to be a much more positive experience if you can speak some Chinese, in light of the fact that not many people in China know English. Mong is interested in other languages too. Besides English, she can read and speak Korean which she learned by watching Korean movies, listening to songs and speaking to Korean friends. She also considers learning French one day as it sounds so special and romantic to her.         

Mong in Auckland

When asked to describe Chinese people, Mong uses such words as hardworking and diligent. She also thinks people are not very open in China, especially to Westerners; they tend to think before saying something and do not always say what they actually think. At the same time Mong finds Chinese friendly and helpful: if you ask them for help or advice they will never refuse. She has also observed that some foreigners have funny stereotypes about China, for instance they may think that Chinese men have long hair and all know kung fu. This comes from movies, she guesses, and has very little to do with the reality.

Talking about Chinese films Mong recommends her favourite – “Beijing Youth”. It is about the group of young people in Beijing who look for jobs, argue with parents, make friends, and fall in love. Being a young Chinese herself Mong finds it easy to relate to their stories and problems. She also names her favourite Chinese singer - Jay Chou, a handsome, talented, and hardworking young man. The three places Mong would advise the first time visitors to see in China are the capital Beijin, Xi’an – an important city in terms of Chinese history, and Shanghai to discover the modern China.  

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