Bruce
Kennedy, former CEO of Alaska Airlines, and his wife Karleen Kennedy decided
to make a dramatic change in their lives. They left the corporate world for
something...
Radical. Something different. Something faraway. Not anything we were
used to. Something we could do together. Something to get completely away
from my former life as a CEO. Yet something challenging. And something where
it mattered being a Christian. Travel has always interested both of us but
experiencing work overseas, though it always intrigued us, had only been a
vicarious experience. Grass roots-type involvement had in the past proved
to be our kind of thing.
So the opportunity to teach English in China with ESI (Educational Services
International) sounded inviting that summer of 1991. And our time in Weifang
was enjoyable and well-spent, as evidenced by the tearful good-byes at the
end of the program. It was an experience we would recommend, the highlight
of which was relating to our students cross-culturally.
The Chinese (our students were all high school English teachers and therefore
all spoke English to some degree) were very interested in the western world
and in the United States in particular. Spending time together, whether in
the classroom or on bicycles, was our greatest joy.
Was it difficult? We had a great team of five teachers who worked well
together under unusual and unanticipated conditions. Our ESI training prepared
us for many of the unforeseen situations. The spirit of cooperation among
the American teachers itself was a great witness to the Chinese who constantly
observed us. We were able to attend the Three-Self Church where we understood
little but admired a lot. Hot water was on at 8 P.M. daily. Copy machines
and telephones weren1t as common, but carbon paper and the post office were.
No, it wasn't difficult, it was revealing.
Our perspectives were different. We adopted the ways of our friends/students.
Even if that meant cycling around town and checking at many stores for a cheaper
wrench ($1.00 instead of $1.20). We discovered that hot water is drinkable
and that a coke once a week can be a real treat. We learned that we could
very easily live in the accommodations provided and enjoy being without the
usual luxuries of American living. Even though our work was to teach English
(we did our job and hopefully did it well), our greatest joy was interacting
with the people of our town, perhaps a microcosm of the big country of China.
Actually, we appreciated the opportunity and enjoyed stepping up to a new
and rewarding challenge!
