Kelly is one of the most popular teachers in Anji Tianlüe Foreign Language School

Coming from Cameroon, a far-away African country, Kelly now works as an English teacher at Anji Tianlüe Foreign Language School in Anji county, Huzhou city. Kelly has a Chinese name, Zhu Xiaoyu. She loves Anji’s bamboo, and she also loves the name of place, the characters “An” and “Ji” specifically — they are her favorite Chinese characters.

Perhaps because her parents are both teachers, Kelly had a good education in Cameroon and is fluent in French and English. During her college years, Kelly grew interested in Chinese history and culture. In 2010, she came to China for the first time to become an English teacher at a school in Guizhou province. That summer, Kelly followed a friend on a trip to Anji in Zhejiang province, and was instantly captivated by the clear water and lush green mountains.

“At that time, I made a decision: I’m gonna stay here.”

The right opportunity finally came to her two years later. In 2012, Kelly was introduced by a friend to Anji Tianlüe Foreign Language School as an English teacher, and has now been teaching there for seven years. She landed in the emerald green bamboo sea of Anji like a unique, radiant black peacock.

Cheerful and open-minded, she wears the African-style dreadlocks, and is one of the most popular teachers in the school. Her classes are full of enthusiasm and energy, and are always smartly organized. She just has this magical power to instantly bring her pupils into an English world that is joyful and fun. At the end of the school day, the children habitually keep saying good bye to Kelly in English: “Goodbye Kelly, see you tomorrow, I love you.” And Kelly always answers them one by one with a “goodbye” and a hug, which is her happiest moment.

In her spare time, Kelly often goes on short trips through the large bamboo sea and the white tea valley in Anji. She really enjoys living comfortably in the embrace of beautiful mountains and waters. She loves swimming, which she does every week.

She is a quick learner for almost everything. Once she went to the swimming pool ready for a vigorous workout, only to find the place was closed. She then turned to learn playing badminton from an instructor at the gym, picking it up at an impressive speed. Playing badminton has since become another of her hobbies. She can make clothes as well. She has an old sewing machine at home, and in her free time she likes to make herself some special African dresses. She is also addicted to cross-stitching, which has become her night pastime. In her cross-stitching works, strong lines and vivid colors are often used, which have been praised by many cross-stitch connoisseurs.

In Anji, Kelly has already integrated into the local community. She often visits the vegetable market in front of her house, picking up local seasonal vegetables while chatting with the vendors in fluent Chinese. The vendors are getting used to welcoming the “black peacock” as well, sometimes greeting her in English in a clumsy but friendly manner.

Although she was alone in a foreign country, Kelly is treated kindly and warmly everywhere, like her family are actually around. Once she was hospitalized for surgery. Just when she was feeling very scared, a voice comforted her: “Ms. Kelly, don’t worry, I will take care of you.” It turned out that this voice belonged to her internist, who had been one of her students. Kelly was so surprised that she was moved to tears. It was this student’s thoughtful care that helped Kelly recover quickly.

To Kelly, Anji is her second hometown and she is already an Anji native. She has made a lot of local friends and with them there is a routine for getting together every week to share delicious foods and each other’s life, as close as a family. Sometimes, Kelly also cooks her favorite Anji dishes such as dried bamboo shoots, braised fish and some African specialties to treat her friends.

Kelly has a dream: to return to Africa one day and open a Chinese training institute and a B&B. She hopes that through her efforts, she can make her fellow Africans learn Chinese and understand Chinese culture. At the same time, she is also thinking about inviting her Chinese friends to travel to Cameroon and learn more about Africa.

Editor: Huang Yan