Finding a new home in a foreign land
By Tan Weiyun |
April 23, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WHILE a student, Briton Mark Coyle decided to come to China. Now more than a decade later, he's settled in Suzhou, married to a Chinese woman, is a proud dad ... and directs traffic with a flag in his spare time.
"When I was at university, I wanted to come to China because my brother was living in Dalian, in Liaoning Province. Somehow, I felt that China was calling me," 32-year-old Coyle says.
The English teacher at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's Suzhou campus, however, chose Dandong, a small city by the border of Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Liaoning Province, as his first stop in China in 2002, after graduating.
Coyle taught English in Dandong for a year, but the freezing weather almost drove him crazy.
"It was really, really cold. In winter, which was long, it would be as cold as minus 25 degrees Celsius. So I decided to move to south China," he says.
But after having experienced the steaming hot summer of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province, Coyle settled in Suzhou in 2003, attracted by the city's renowned beauty and pleasant climate.
"And I've been here in Suzhou for a whole decade," he says with a smile.
In 2004 and 2005, Coyle taught English in the city. After one course finished, Coyle's students held a dinner party for him. It proved a fateful event, as Coyle met his future wife Wei Wei, from Taizhou in Jiangsu Province, a friend of one of his students. Two years later they married.
"It was quite quick for a foreigner, but since I'm in China, it's also nice for me to adapt a little to Chinese life," Coyle says.
However, the decision to marry a foreigner was a big issue for a traditional Chinese family.
"At first, my wife's parents didn't agree with their daughter marrying a foreigner. It was hard for her to persuade them," Coyle recalls.
"Some families in Shanghai or other big cities could understand it easier, but in a small, traditional city like Taizhou, it was unimaginable."
Understanding is still an issue with his parents-in-laws, Coyle says - though these days it's a matter of language.
"My Mandarin is better than theirs," he jokes, beaming broadly. "Because Taizhou is such a small place, they never speak Mandarin, and their dialect doesn't sound anything like the Chinese I know.
"So when I get back to Suzhou, it's like I'm coming back to China," says the teacher.
The couple bought an apartment in Suzhou, and in 2007 Wei Wei gave birth to a baby boy, Noah.
Now Noah's loving dad takes him to kindergarten in the morning and picks him up in the afternoon.
"His English now is better than his mom's and his Chinese is better than his dad's," says Coyle.
While his son goes to kindergarten, Coyle goes to university to teach.
A veteran teacher, Coyle says he still has a passion for teaching English, comparing it to a yummy Italian dessert.
"Do you like tiramisu? The recipe is the same but every different restaurant you go to has different tastes," says Coyle.
"It's the same thing with teaching. I can teach the same lesson but because students are different, everything can be different," he says.
Although some students call Coyle a "strict teacher," he's not convinced.
"Actually, I don't think so," he says smiling. "Maybe they say that because I make them do their homework and check the work carefully."
After work, the Briton is also an enthusiastic volunteer in the city.
He takes parts in charity bazaars, and also can be seen waving a small red flag on Suzhou's streets to direct traffic and persuade pedestrians and cyclists not to run red lights.
"Well, to some extent, it works," Coyle says. "I guess most people stop to look to see why a foreigner is waving a funny flag," he reasons.
Coyle also loves to take part in Chinese festivals.
"For a foreigner, these are always a good opportunity to learn about the country's history and culture," he says.
He is also sports-mad, playing football and taking part in community events, such as tug-of-war.
"It helps people mix and make new friends," he says.
Coyle is goalkeeper for the Ganesh Indian Football Team and also played for local Chinese team Fei Long - Flying Dragon - for a few years.
"It was great to be in the football team because they soon forgot you were a foreigner, you were a teammate instead," he says.
In his time in Suzhou, Coyle has witnessed many changes.
"The Metro has been built up; the ring roads constructed; and more people have cars," he says.
"Ten years ago, we had to go to Shanghai for a cup of coffee, but now Suzhou has numerous cafes," he says. "The city is changing for the better, and I believe in 10 years time we will have seen many more improvements."
"When I was at university, I wanted to come to China because my brother was living in Dalian, in Liaoning Province. Somehow, I felt that China was calling me," 32-year-old Coyle says.
The English teacher at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's Suzhou campus, however, chose Dandong, a small city by the border of Democratic People's Republic of Korea in Liaoning Province, as his first stop in China in 2002, after graduating.
Coyle taught English in Dandong for a year, but the freezing weather almost drove him crazy.
"It was really, really cold. In winter, which was long, it would be as cold as minus 25 degrees Celsius. So I decided to move to south China," he says.
But after having experienced the steaming hot summer of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province, Coyle settled in Suzhou in 2003, attracted by the city's renowned beauty and pleasant climate.
"And I've been here in Suzhou for a whole decade," he says with a smile.
In 2004 and 2005, Coyle taught English in the city. After one course finished, Coyle's students held a dinner party for him. It proved a fateful event, as Coyle met his future wife Wei Wei, from Taizhou in Jiangsu Province, a friend of one of his students. Two years later they married.
"It was quite quick for a foreigner, but since I'm in China, it's also nice for me to adapt a little to Chinese life," Coyle says.
However, the decision to marry a foreigner was a big issue for a traditional Chinese family.
"At first, my wife's parents didn't agree with their daughter marrying a foreigner. It was hard for her to persuade them," Coyle recalls.
"Some families in Shanghai or other big cities could understand it easier, but in a small, traditional city like Taizhou, it was unimaginable."
Understanding is still an issue with his parents-in-laws, Coyle says - though these days it's a matter of language.
"My Mandarin is better than theirs," he jokes, beaming broadly. "Because Taizhou is such a small place, they never speak Mandarin, and their dialect doesn't sound anything like the Chinese I know.
"So when I get back to Suzhou, it's like I'm coming back to China," says the teacher.
The couple bought an apartment in Suzhou, and in 2007 Wei Wei gave birth to a baby boy, Noah.
Now Noah's loving dad takes him to kindergarten in the morning and picks him up in the afternoon.
"His English now is better than his mom's and his Chinese is better than his dad's," says Coyle.
While his son goes to kindergarten, Coyle goes to university to teach.
A veteran teacher, Coyle says he still has a passion for teaching English, comparing it to a yummy Italian dessert.
"Do you like tiramisu? The recipe is the same but every different restaurant you go to has different tastes," says Coyle.
"It's the same thing with teaching. I can teach the same lesson but because students are different, everything can be different," he says.
Although some students call Coyle a "strict teacher," he's not convinced.
"Actually, I don't think so," he says smiling. "Maybe they say that because I make them do their homework and check the work carefully."
After work, the Briton is also an enthusiastic volunteer in the city.
He takes parts in charity bazaars, and also can be seen waving a small red flag on Suzhou's streets to direct traffic and persuade pedestrians and cyclists not to run red lights.
"Well, to some extent, it works," Coyle says. "I guess most people stop to look to see why a foreigner is waving a funny flag," he reasons.
Coyle also loves to take part in Chinese festivals.
"For a foreigner, these are always a good opportunity to learn about the country's history and culture," he says.
He is also sports-mad, playing football and taking part in community events, such as tug-of-war.
"It helps people mix and make new friends," he says.
Coyle is goalkeeper for the Ganesh Indian Football Team and also played for local Chinese team Fei Long - Flying Dragon - for a few years.
"It was great to be in the football team because they soon forgot you were a foreigner, you were a teammate instead," he says.
In his time in Suzhou, Coyle has witnessed many changes.
"The Metro has been built up; the ring roads constructed; and more people have cars," he says.
"Ten years ago, we had to go to Shanghai for a cup of coffee, but now Suzhou has numerous cafes," he says. "The city is changing for the better, and I believe in 10 years time we will have seen many more improvements."
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