Ren Yanan, Kahutara School’s third Chinese teacher

Ren Yanan has arrived to take up her year long tenure as Kahutara School’s third Chinese teacher. Yanan will spends three days a week at the school and a day each at Pirinoa and Featherston Schools.
Each year groups of Chinese University graduates are given an opportunity to gain work experience in another country. The Chinese Government pay the student’s wages and in New Zealand’s case Victoria University’s Confucius Institute arranges their placements. The Confucius institute is dedicated to promoting cultural and artistic exchanges between China and New Zealand and Kahutara School has been happy to be accepted as a host for the third consecutive year.

This year forty eight Chinese students from sixteen Chinese Universities have come to teach in New Zealand schools schools. The group spent a week in Wellington where they were welcomed at parliament with a full Maori welcome and another week in Auckland before dispersing to their various destinations.

Yanan, who is living in Martinborough with a Kahutara School student’s family, comes from the Shanxi province in Northern China an area bounded by Mountains. She has attended Nanjing University from where she has a degree in English majoring in American literature and is now in her second year studying for her Masters. Yanan hopes to teach in a university, however she points out that in China it is very competitive, there are many applicants for every position, “you have to study very hard”.

Nanjing is a busy city with a population roughly equal to New Zealand’s, as a result Martinborough has come as a bit of a surprise “I look down the street and see nobody” she said, explaining that in China where ever you go there were always people “ but here I see only cows and sheep”.

Yanan saw volunteering to teach in another country as a good opportunity to see how other people live and in her case the time was right for a gap year in her Master’s study. For Yanan teaching Mandarin is a natural choice, “Mandarin is a very beautiful language and I want to let more people know about it” she said.

Asked why of all the countries available for her overseas experience she chose New Zealand Yanan said that there are lots of New Zealand products available in the shops and they were very popular and it is known to have lovely scenery. However, probably most importantly, was her safety, she was aware the New Zealand had good relations with China and New Zealand people are known to be very friendly, “maybe I would be safe here”. Happily she has found this to be just so.

Teaching young children is a new experience for Yanan, one which she is really enjoying “ the children are very lovely”. She is also greatly taken by the Maori cultural experiences she has had, being strongly moved by the spirituality in their song and dance. Having been demonstrated flaxwork at Pirinoa School she is interested to know more of Maori crafts.

Today’s communication technology is helping Yanan settle in; “ it’s very convenient, I talk to Mum every night “ she said. Also there is a fellow student working in Wairarapa and the two are planning on hiking and exploring together. We wish Yanan a pleasant year in South Wairarapa.