My First School Experience in China - Part 1

The first school I attended in China was an international boarding school in Shanghai. This was my first time experiencing living in a dorm. Each dorm room consists 4-6 students, and each floor has a shared shower room, shared restroom and a shared sink room. 

I was still in first grade at that time, and based on the school’s policy, we were only able to wash our hair on Wednesdays. Teachers needed to supervise and assist us while we washed our hair. To train us to become more independent, we were required to hand wash our underwear and socks each day (that’s the purpose of the shared sink room). And of course, each morning we needed to make our beds. Every morning, a teacher will come to make sure your daily chores are completed and completed well. Once they approve, you are able to get in line with your class and head to the cafeteria for breakfast. 

Because this was my first time going to school in China, I struggled a lot with Mandarin. Even though I went to an international school, most of my peers were still learning English. Which made it hard for us to communicate. I was quiet most of the time. The only thing that would make me happy was seeing my sister from far away. We were not allowed to visit each other. But there were times where we would run into each other in the hallways. At most times we needed to stay with our whole class, so we couldn’t talk. But we would wave at each other.