What happens when a clueless 21-year-old ex-Mormon dropout with zero teaching experience flies to China to teach English? A mess, mostly, but also the start of something transformative.
Yes China! is a brutally honest, sharply funny memoir about one American's bumpy, eye-opening journey into life and work in modern China. With no Mandarin skills and only the vaguest idea of what he's doing, Nielsen dives headfirst into elementary schools, middle schools, and adult training centers, racking up awkward moments, cultural missteps, and the occasional minor success.
As he lurches from one baffling experience to the next, Nielsen also reflects on his post-Mormon identity and the unexpected ways teaching abroad challenges his insecurities, worldview, and sense of purpose. From bewildering classrooms to bizarre staff meetings, Yes China! captures the full spectrum of life as a foreign teacher: the hilarity, the frustration, and, eventually, the affection.
This newly revised and tightened edition pulls no punches, but it also finds the heart beneath the chaos. For anyone curious about teaching ESL overseas—or what China looks like through the eyes of someone who never expected to love it—this memoir offers an unfiltered, memorable ride.