My Life as Uncle Stupid in Beijing, China

Lessons learned early on in the world of teaching English abroad.

created for this piece by Nikita Klimov

My first job abroad was as a “teacher” for a daycare center in Beijing, China. My name is Ben, but the children called me “Ben-ben.” When I was introduced to the parents and their child, they’d say, “This is Uncle Ben-ben.” They’d hand me the baby, the baby would burst into wild tears…