I have officially been living and working in Wuhan, China for three months! I can’t believe how fast the time has flown. I feel as if it was yesterday that I touched down in the Guangzhou airport, when I was still fresh-faced and unsure. Yet, it also feels like a lifetime ago.
In class today, I found myself questioning: When did I become a teacher? When did I become so relaxed standing in front of a room of people and speaking in public every day? Public speaking has always made me nervous--especially as a shy and introverted person. Yet, now, in China, it has become second nature. Within the short three-month time period that I have been living in Wuhan, I have gained so much more confidence than I thought possible. Teaching has made me more relaxed; I have become less anxious of what others may think of me based on what I say. I have become more at ease with myself, and in turn, I’ve become more comfortable approaching people and asking questions in my day-to-day life.
For example, this past week in hip-hop, I struck up a conversation with one of my fellow dancers. I have seen her every week for the past three months, and though we always smile at each other, we have never really spoken.
