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Now, I found myself connecting with friends in Suzhou, asking about my students, and missing my life there. That’s when I realized that China had finally become my home. 

    After an enjoyable evening spent at Eslite Bookstore in Suzhou where I leafed through pages of cookbooks from all around the world, pined over endless stationary knick knacks, and drank endless cups of lavender tea I returned to my apartment where I blissfully planned my next visit. I had lost myself in the renowned bookstore and had not noticed my phone buzzing with frantic texts and calls from my younger sister. My stomach sank as I dialed her number. My grandfather had passed away and instead of planning my next escape to my favorite bookstore I was booking a flight to Greece. 

     It was a difficult journey to find a last minute flight and I spent what felt like endless hours in four different airports fighting to stay awake and focused on not missing any connecting flights. I had spent many of my childhood summers in Greece visiting my mother’s family so it felt as if I was going home. The following days I spent time with family and old friends. While it was a sad time for my family, I felt comforted at the same since it had almost been five months without having seen a familiar face. 

     I told stories of my experiences in China, the food, the culture, and my job as a teacher in Suzhou. Then something unexpected happened. I missed my apartment, my students, my regular trips to the breakfast cart vendor down the street from my school. 

    When I first arrived in China I spent hours writing to friends in the US, sending pictures to my sisters, and keeping everyone up to date on my daily life in a new and foreign country. Now, I found myself connecting with friends in Suzhou, asking about my students, and missing my life there. That’s when I realized that China had finally become my home.

      I showed off pictures of my students’ crafts and videos of them dancing. I shared the valuable cultural lessons I would not have learned if I had not embedded myself in the Chinese daily lifestyle. I explained the amazing work ethic and admirable family dynamics that I hope the world can learn from China. I had become a part of a country where I had previously felt like an outsider. 

      My experience in Suzhou has taught me that a place becomes a home when you feel like you belong. 

编者按

Cassandra来自美国，是TEFL （苏州）第一期学员。去年9月来到苏州，任教于苏州一所幼儿园。她关爱学生，教学风格灵活有感染力。和孩子，和家长都成为了很好的朋友。她为人亲和，热心义工，是新区“四点半学校”的明星外教。 

Suzhou Boren HR Consulting Co., Ltd. is a company located in Suzhou New High-tech District. The company develops its own human resources at home and abroad. Its main service is to find qualified foreign teachers for schools (Kindergarten to College), and to offer positions to foreign teachers and specialists. For many years, the company has been cooperating with many schools in foreign teacher management and has built up trust between cooperation schools in Provinces such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Jiangxi, Hunan., etc.

联系方式：
www.borenhr.com.cn
suzhouboren@163.com
wechat:suzhouboren
Phone: 15162408020（政策咨询、合作咨询）

              15962211069 （TEFL咨询）

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