Jakub from Poland pictured having an English class in Pingtan

Jakub, an English teacher from Poland, walked into a classroom at Sai’er Bilingual School in Pingtan, an island city off E China’s Fujian province on October 12. Jakub was getting ready for his 9:10 a.m. class. Standing at the podium, he enthusiastically delivered a lesson about occupations to a group of fifth-graders. The synergy in the classroom was amazing as Jakub kept his kids occupied with tonnes of games and questions.

Jakub with a master’s degree from Poland was also an English teacher in Poland before coming to China eight years ago.

"I like China very much, especially its culture." Over the past 8 years, he has travelled a lot in China including Beijing, Shanghai and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He found love and even got a Chinese name-Gao Yang.

Before coming to Pingtan, Jakub received two job offers from Pingtan and Jinan this August. Later, Jakub was stunned by Pingtan’s landscape online. “The beautiful sceneries impressed me tremendously.” 

Here in Pingtan, he found his second love - the sea. "It's not as crowded and noisy as big cities, it's tranquil and relaxing, and the working environment is also satisfactory." Jakub said, "That's how I came to work in Pingtan with my wife. After two months’ stay in Pingtan, I have completely fallen in love with the island. I can breathe the fresh air and see the beautiful sea every day.”

Jakub said that the couple is now devoted to education in Pingtan. They hope to spend the rest of life here.

Pingtan is stepping up efforts in connecting to the rest of the world. Jakub, a foreign teacher, is just a miniature of its educational internationalization. 

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