My Life in Guangzhou

It’s not hard to find how adorable Myint Myint Aye is as a teacher through just one brief interview. We had one of the most pleasing interview experiences ever, because rather than an “interview”, we were more like having a casual talk with each other. Although from Myanmar, she was able to communicate with us in English. Myint Myint Aye treated this interview very seriously, she even asked us for the questions we were about to ask in advance so that she could be better prepared. We also felt deeply honored when she told us that we were the first students to interview her.

“The Teacher’s Platform Is My Stage”

The ones who can follow their childhood dreams are worthy of other’s applause. Myint Myint Aye is one of them. During her childhood in Myanmar, Myint Myint Aye was continually inspired by her teachers, and so genuinely wished to be a teacher like them.

“I’ve been a teacher since 1997.”She said.

At the very beginning, she was a Burmese teacher in a Myanmar university, teaching foreigners from all over the world. When asked why she came to China, she replied seriously, “China is an amazing nation with beautiful scenery and historical values that I’m very impressed with.” Therefore, she made up her mind to be a teacher in China when she was given a chance.

Her first stop was Beijing. During the first three years, Myint Myint Aye worked as an editor and translator for China Radio International, sometimes she also taught her colleges Burmese. However, an inner voice kept telling her what she really loved was teaching and, as a result, she flew to Guangzhou and restarted her teaching career at GDUFS.

Day-in-day-out, Myint Myint Aye’s days at GDUFS now total one and a half years. Differing from other foreign teachers in GDUFS, Myint Myint Aye’s answer to the question about the most challenging thing about teaching her Chinese classes sounded a bit surprising and unusual. It’s not the silence of typical Chinese students, but the computer in classrooms which can’t store and present the Myanmar characters that makes her suffer the most. As a result, she has to write on the blackboard when she wants to demonstrate her lessons in words during classes.

Comparing teaching in Myanmar with that in China, both Myanmar students and Chinese students are very simple, hardworking, and polite. In addition, at the university in Myanmar, where she previously worked, the number of students in one class can add up to a hundred, while at GDUFS, there are only about 20. But it doesn’t bother her too much because she said her voice is really very loud.

Enjoy, Don’t Rush

As a foreign teacher who has been in China for 5 years, Myint Myint Aye has already gotten used to everything in Guangzhou and life on campus. Through our talk with her, the word “enjoy” had been mentioned several times. She enjoys many things here, and she loves her life here now.

She enjoys the weather here. On the day we had this interview, the temperature reached approximately 35 degrees centigrade at noon. Although she was sweating then, she still claimed to feel satisfied with the weather here in Guangzhou. “Sometimes Myanmar is even hotter than Guangzhou” she admitted.

She also enjoys the local cuisines here. “Myanmar people love Chinese food” she said. She told us very enthusiastically about what she loves about Chinese food. For example, she enjoys food served on the third floor of No.1 Canteen the best, because they taste great, and the price is reasonable. When it comes to her favorite Chinese food, she thinks it’s Ma La Xiang Guo, a very spicy cuisine from Sichuan Province.

She also enjoys what she does here——helping to popularize Myanmar culture. On April 23rd, teachers and students from the Faculty of Asian Languages and Culture held a grand food festival on campus, and Myint Myint Aye took part in it. According to her, she was proud to see her students dance, sing and sell Myanmar food in Myanmar traditional costumes. When we told her that we tasted Myanmar food, a spicy potato dish, served by her students that day, she genuinely expressed her gratitude to our willingness to try, again giving us a very warm and proud smile.

In her eyes, Myanmar people know how to strike a balance between life and work, and that’s why she doesn’t feel her everyday life here busy and stressed. She doesn’t understand why Chinese people are always in a hurry. “Myanmar people love a relaxing lifestyle,” she said, “We are also very hard-working, but we are also determined to enjoy our life”. For a international teacher, being able to conform to one’s own country’s way of living while staying in another country and being influenced, every day, by so many people who possess a different set of social values, Myint Myint Aye is truly amazing.

Students Are a Part of My Life

Although Myint Myint Aye hadn’t mentioned it, we know through her words that her students have already become an indispensible part of her life. She meets them, teaches them, and loves them wholeheartedly.

She shared a story from a student she remembered the most. Mr. Tian Xiu Xian was one of her students, a student who then became a teacher in a university in Guangxi Province. They met about ten years ago and, back then, he was learning Myanmar language from her. He was such a hard-working and polite student. Although he was a Chinese, to Myint Myint Aye, he was as close and dear to her as a Myanmar boy. Sadly, he died of liver cancer in 2012. Taking about his death, we noticed deep sorrow in Myint Myint Aye’s voice. “I am still very proud of him”, she said.

Interesting enough, two of Myint Myint Aye’s current first-level students walked past us during our interview and chatted with her in Myanmar language for a few minutes. We were both impressed by how fluently those two were able to talk and how good their relationship was. While we praised her for how well she taught them, Myint Myint Aye said humbly, “I still need to improve them.”

She talked about her students with great passion, she taught us the pronunciation of her name in Myanmar language patiently. Maybe to her, everyone who is interested enough in Myanmar culture and language can be her student, and she will definitely treat them with great enthusiasm and vigor. She is one of those teachers who treats students as friends, and wishes to be treated as a friend by students.

Never Stop

“I will focus on my teaching and stay in GDUFS for a long period.” Aye pushed her glasses up and said.

She plans to stay in GDUFS for a long period to focus on improving her teaching and writing textbooks, handouts and other beneficial materials. In her mind, spreading Myanmar culture is one of her duties.

Myint Myint Aye (in the middle) with our two reporters

As we were about to wrap up our interview, Myint Myint Aye eagerly recommended Chinese people to travel to Myanmar and buy some of finest jade pieces that ever existed in the world from her country. She was also full of smiles when she expressed her satisfaction in witnessing China’s increasingly harmonious relationship with Myanmar. Myint Myint Aye will surely continue to teach with great passion, live with great enjoyment, in this place she mindfully chose, with the students she adores.