#1 Racism in the workplace

So I've been in China for six weeks now and it's been a roller coaster of a ride. After a week of staying with friends, I met two great roomies and moved into their flat during an unfortunate rainstorm. I was also blessed to find a job within a week of coming here and thought everything was golden. Too good to be true you say? You're right.

After a week of work at the new job, teaching 3-6 year olds English through an interactive board, I was informed that I wouldn't actually be able to teach. Why, you may ask? Well, obviously, because I'm black. 'Not that your race is a bad thing, I mean, we just, well the marketing department just doesn't think our Chinese parents are ready for you, I mean, they may not like having a black person teaching their kids.'

Unbelievable isn't it? Not quite. One of the things I've learned in China is well, there's racism, a lot of it and unlike the US or other so called 'civilised' 'westernized' 'progressive' countries, Chinese people have not one issue with telling you to your face why they don't approve of you. There is no recourse. I can't sue for discrimination and there's no bureau to file a complaint with so I was stuck.

The last four weeks have been a mix of trying to reconcile myself with this pronouncement, getting angry, frustrated and depressed and ultimately realizing that I'd have to make the best of it somehow. One of those things about racism that's so insidious and disconcerting is that in the end, it doesn't really affect my company at all, but it does affect me, quite negatively in fact.

About two weeks after getting this news, something changed. I don't know if it was all the kids who seemed absolutely enamoured with me in the after-demo classes, or parents readily interacting with me in Chinese, or the fabulous KTV party the company gave us for getting 100 contracts, but something did change and I got to teach a demo class and then another and another and another.

Problem is by that time, the idea had gotten into my head and I couldn't help but watch each parent and my coworkers and bosses for hints and signs of discrimination; of minds that just quite couldn't reconcile my black face with my American accent, minds that couldn't trust me with their precious children because of the color of my skin. Then I had a demo class with 10 students in it, I gave it my all and not one student signed. Now, this obviously didn't have any bearing on my race, or did it? I didn't and couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of each of these parents saying no to the program because of me and that's when I started looking for another job.

Lucky for me, a bilingual kindergarten just lost one of their full-time teachers and I got an interview. Now I'll be teaching the same age group in an internationally friendly environment and there has been not one whisper or hint of dissent. I'm happy now. Not only does this job have better hours, but I've also been asked to construct an English Drama class for the students.

Although I'm sad leaving my coworkers it's not worth my self-doubt to stay there. Yes, I need to be an ambassador of change but not in a place where I'm not wanted; lesson learned.