About a month ago, I got an e-mail from a woman I had met before I came to China. She works for Peace Corps, specifically with the Master’s International students, and was working on putting a piece together featuring the experiences of some MI students around the world. Would I mind helping?
I’m always one to do a favor, so I said yes. Plus, it always seems like Peace Corps headquarters passes over stories about China in favor of Central/South America or Africa. So, sure. I’ll help.
I wrote up my responses to her questions, sent along a few pictures, and maybe two weeks later she sent me a belated thank you. That last thing, the belated thank you, really made me feel like I was in the clear.
Until this morning. When I woke up, saw a newsletter from Peace Corps in my inbox.
Well, crap. That’s not just a mention. That’s a feature article. I can’t even bear to read it, but I know I have beloved friends and family back home who may be interested. Also, a general lesson to just never respond when Peace Corps comes knocking.
Here’s the full text, for those who care. Tell me if I sound stupid, because I haven’t been able to read about myself since that one time when I was 17 and the paper quoted me saying, “Please don’t harass the cars”. Anyway, here you go:
Master’s International Student Kathryn Johnston Falls in Love with Gansu, China
“I never planned on pursuing a master’s in TESOL or joining the Peace Corps. Both are things that happened to fall in my lap at the right time. Looking back from my 10th month of service, now I can’t see pursuing any other possible option.
“I got lucky finding this path. My old computer crashed with a few weeks to spare of graduate school application season. I had nothing backed up. At the same time, an email appeared in my inbox from a new program called Peace Corps Master’s International at Portland State University. I clicked over to the Peace Corps website, and an hour later I had planted the seed. Deciding to apply for a TESOL degree wasn’t too far from my original plan, and actually fit my life goals better. I have always wanted the teaching position in the end, and teaching English-language learners rather than liberal arts majors better suited my fledgling teaching philosophy.
“Everyone has a different experience and, even though I made my best efforts, I was still convinced that if I got placed in China, things would be terrible. I overcame that fear, got placed in China, but then maintained that getting placed in Gansu would be the worst thing ever. It’s good to admit to being wrong, which I wholeheartedly do in this case: Being in Gansu is the greatest experience ever. Of course, I think I would love any place with the same depth simply because that is what I wanted to do in the Peace Corps: I wanted to fall in love with a place and fall in love with my work. I’ve fallen in love a thousand times over already, and it happens in new ways with every passing day. My students inspire me to become a better teacher, and I hope that I, in turn, can inspire them to be better teachers when they leave our school and front a classroom on their own. I have done things I never thought would be fun, like visiting primary schools, only to get hooked and seek out new chances to return to the schools I have already visited and find new ones to visit.
“I think the most important thing I have experienced so far has been to go to a student’s home for the big winter holiday—Spring Festival/Chinese New Year. I spent almost two weeks living with her and her family, and this is really where I met Peace Corps Goals 2 and 3. I was the first foreigner they had ever met, and (I hope) I represented the American people to the best of my ability. In turn, I was able to tell my friends and family stories about China that often go unheard: stories about a family willing to take in a foreign guest for two weeks, have a huge communication gap, yet still treat that guest with extreme kindness. This is especially poignant to me as my hosts reminded me it wasn’t so long ago that there was not enough to go around to spare such kindness.
“While I stay busy enough that I can hardly even think a month ahead, let alone to the end of my service, no matter what I do in the future, I want to be with underserved populations and teaching skills they can use to create the destiny they want for themselves.”
Getting Schooled in China 
Hey, I think your comments are great! Good job finding that CDT article for historical perspective – and by all means, certainly “don’t harass the cars”, either in China or the US.
Kathryn – What a great article! Your enthusiasm is wonderful and your comments are quite articulate. I’m forwarding it to all of the Delta teachers. We are proud of you!