Girani Frederic Sebastien: Glad to Integrate Myself Within the Chinese Staff

lifeofguangzhou.com: As a foreign expert in Guangzhou, do you think what the biggest achievement you have got? What made you feel proudest?

Frederic: The new Sino-French Institute of Tourism started its program in September 2002. Having worked in this institute for almost six consecutive years, I feel proud now about two achievements. The first feeling of achievement is to realize that the Sino-French program I am working in is successful. I am proud to be among the several teachers – French and Chinese - who made this program successful. Indeed, within a period of six years, I have witnessed the whole process of students rising yearly from sophomore level to freshman, to Junior then to senior students and then graduating from university after four years of studies. Then I have witnessed a number of Graduate students going overseas to France for post-graduate studies and successfully complete a Master degree and come back to China to start their professional career. I should say that this feeling of achievement is collective and shared also by my colleagues.

On a personal level, I have another feeling of achievement, which is to have been able to integrate myself within the Chinese working staff of the institute. I am not only aiming at the Chinese teachers of French with whom I can easily communicate in French but also at the other Chinese teachers and the members of the administrative staff with whom I communicate in Chinese. There is mutual respect and cooperation between my Chinese colleagues and I, and I see it as an achievement in cross-cultural relation.

lifeofguangzhou.com:  Why did you come to work in Guangzhou?

Frederic: I originally came to Guangzhou to learn mandarin. I studied Chinese in Zhongshan University for two years from 2000 to 2002. In the meantime, I had made some friends with whom I could play tennis or music with and I had fall in love with the city's way of life, with its climate, its dynamism, its culture. I wanted to stay in Guangzhou for another year. In the summer of 2002, I leant then that the University of Guangzhou was opening a new program based on a Sino-French cooperation and was offering a post as a teacher of French. I applied for the job, took an interview which had the particularity to start in Chinese, to continue in English and to finish in French...The job interview was successful. I worked for a year, enjoyed a lot the teaching condition and environment, and then I applied for a second year. In the end, I still work now in the same institute and continue to enjoy this work.

lifeofguangzhou.com: How long do you plan to work in Guangzhou?

Frederic: I originally planned to work for a year only and now I realize I have already worked for almost six years... So I think I cannot tell how much longer I plan to stay in Guangzhou. Let's say the longer the better!

lifeofguangzhou.com: What's your suggestion to Guangzhou city?
 
Frederic: To me, Guangzhou is a very suitable place to live because I like tropical climate mixed with dynamism. I think it would become the best place to live if not for two inconvenient, which are traffic jams and air pollution. But those are two elements that every big city in the world has to cope with.

What impressed you most during the working period in Guangzhou?

Frederic: I was impressed by how close some students can be to each other and also by their ability to organize activities such as dance or song competitions, or French language langage cultural activities. When I was a university student in Paris, there was no such activites like that. I was impressed by the activities organized by the school for all the teachers, activities like going on holiday for a weekend.  

Are there any difficulties when working with your Chinese staff? How did you deal with it? For example, some culture difference.

Frederic: I have not really met any difficulties working with the administration, mostly because I can speak daily life mandarin. But there may be times when I do not know how to ask for something specific and do not know how to respond to some situations. In these cases, I usually ask for advice with my Chinese colleagues who can speak French, especially with one of them, Wang Rui, who is not only bilingual but who has also a double culture, Chinese and French, because he has studied in France and has a long experience of the French-speaking world. I think it is very helpul for a foreigner who works in China to have Chinese colleagues who can work as cultural bridges between oneself and the Chinese culture.

Source: lifeofguangzhou.com

Editor: Shanna Chu