Name: Jenny Liang
Country of Origin： Philippines
Occupation: HR & Training Supervisor for Sealand Maritime Service Co. Ltd.
Years in China: 16 years and 1 month
How did your journey in China begin?
After my college graduation, I met up with my high school friend, Renelyn, who was at that time working as a foreign teacher in Xiamen city. After hearing her wonderful experience here in Xiamen, I asked her the procedure on how to apply to work as ESL teacher. At that time, the qualifications required for ESL teachers weren’t that stringent, basically, the requirements were to hold a Bachelor’s degree and a TESL certificate. I was lucky enough to pass all interviews and landed my first job as a foreign teacher in Xiamen Educational College which eventually merged with 2 other colleges and renamed into Xiamen City Vocational College.
What do you like most about Xiamen and China as a whole?
There are so many things that impress me, but from the top of my head, it would be the level of cleanliness and beautiful landscapes –mountains, seas and gardens within the city. Every time I return to Xiamen whether by plane, train, bus or car, I know I’ve entered Xiamen just by looking at the streets.
What fascinated you the most about living in China?
What fascinates me most about living in China is the rapid development of mass transit. In 2005, I had to travel to HK twice a year to visit my family. Back then, I had to endure a 9-hour bus ride from Xiamen to HK. In 2013, the high speed train from Xiamen-Shenzhen took 3.5 hours + 3 hours transit from Shenzhen to Kowloon city. From 2018, the direct train from Xiamen to Kowloon West train station all takes only 4 hours! It’s nothing short of phenomenal!
What is your unique China story?
Being a foreign expert in China, I’m entitled to a lot of perks and privileges like being invited to government banquets for official celebration of National Day Holiday and given the chance to attend exclusive conferences, for example the 30th Anniversary of the Xiamen Economic Special Zone. It makes us feel very welcome and special. We are usually given VIP treatment which I would never get to experience back home.
Some background on my country.
Philippines is known to have the longest Christmas season in the world as Filipinos start playing Christmas songs on the radio and start hanging Christmas decors at home and in commercial establishments quite early. The whole Christmas spirit usually starts when –ber months kick in, which is September all the way to the 1st week of January which ends at the Feast of Epiphany.
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