Reflections from the Edge of the Field
By Rex Simmons ‘19, Taigu Fellow 2020-2022
My fellowship did not begin nor end as I expected it would. I was never able to travel to China due to Covid related travel restrictions, I was never able to secure a working visa in the two years that my application was sitting at the consulate, and I was never able to meet any of the students or staff at Shanxi Agricultural University in person. Instead, I was thrust into the watery realm of remote work, where I taught conversational English to students virtually, relying heavily on sitcoms to provide relatively interesting content and examples. I can’t say I saw it coming.
As the semesters passed and I became more adept at the day-to-day tasks of remote teaching, I was able to take on the responsibility of another job. I am currently working as a hybrid remote travel and logistics assistant for a foreign exchange organization, where I help manage the travel of hundreds of high schoolers heading abroad or coming to the United States, some for the first time. From the perspective of this industry, it is easy to see that my experience trying to get to Taigu is one that is reflective of the greater foreign exchange industry as a whole. Flights are canceled more than ever, travel regulations everywhere are confusing, volatile, and contradictory, and the idea of ‘studying abroad’ is shifting in the mind’s eye of many around the country. These types of fellowships and exchanges are not just about the individuals involved, but they are also both a reflection and bolster of the greater geopolitical forces at play. As difficult as it can be, there is no more important time than to have genuine exchange of thought through education.
While my fellowship may have ended at an airport, it was not the airport I expected it to be. Instead of returning home from a long year (or two) teaching in China, I talked to dozens of young students at O’Hare airport in Chicago, who were returning home from a long year learning in the United States. They were melancholy but excited, with exceptional new English skills that they were excited to show off to their friends at home. While I did not experience this sentiment myself, this Shansi Fellowship brought me closer to an industry that provides this for other young people. I saw students who had faced a lot of serious changes in the last few years, but who were still resilient and thrilled to have had the experience of getting to know a new place and people different from themselves. While I didn’t get to be the direct participant of these experiences, I was happy to have helped provide it.
As for my students in Taigu, I could see this same sentiment in them throughout the semesters. They had to deal with serious changes in their day-to-day lives on campus, but still found a way to appreciate the lessons and learning opportunities I had provided for them. I was able to give them a slice of myself and my experiences, and they walked away knowing something different from themselves. All in all, is that not so different from what I expected?