Teach Abroad Blog

To a Westerner, preparing to live in Asia can be exciting and daunting, primarily because of its diversity. Chances are, your new home country will be drastically different from everything you are used to, and you’ll be greeted by a wealth of new experiences and more than a few challenges.

Traveling and living abroad can mean different things to all of us. Here’s what living in Shanghai means to me!

Adjusting to a new environment takes some time for your body to adapt to. With your focus on adapting to your new life, you may have neglected your health as well. Keep in mind these tips to prevent catching something during flu season!

1. Kid Germs

It’s no secret that when you’re working with kids, you’re more prone to catching a bug. We all remember our younger selves and the questionable and sticky things we got on our hands and shirts. Keep in mind that this can easily be transferred to you. When you’re teaching kids in a confined classroom, there’s no escape from ‘Kid Germs’. Try your best to limit direct contact with your students and promote healthy hygiene. You’ll be doing yourself a favor and have an additional topic to fill your lesson plan!

2. Hand Sanitizer/Wet Wipes

With any sudden stop on the metro or bus, your hand automatically shoots up to steady yourself. More often than not you will have grabbed onto one of the many poles on the metro car. With more hands touching these poles than the door knob of the busiest bathroom in your office building, you will have been transferred many people’s hand germs. Hand sanitizers and wet wipes fit right into your pocket or bag and get those pesky germs off your hands. These can be a life saver if you commute to work during the week.

3. Stay Clean at Home

Every working adult has their lazy days. Laundry begins to pile up and dishes in the sink are neglected. The longer you haven’t touched your vacuum or washing machine, the more time germs have to build up. Regularly clean your space no matter how tired you are. Walking into a clean space and being able to kick your shoes off is more rewarding than walking into a cockroach infested home (not that we believe you have a cockroach infested home but you get the picture).

4. Healthy Diet

As good as it feels to eat some nachos and wash it down with a beer, there are few benefits to eating junk food. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats have vitamins and antioxidants that help your body attack some of those viruses. Something as simple as a squeeze of lemon in your tea can do wonders.

Lastly, you must be pro-active to prevent getting sick. Don’t wait until you can’t even have a full conversation without coughing every thirty seconds to do something about it. In the long run, it saves time and you’ll feel your best all year round!

                                                                                                                                           By June A

Associate Placement Consultant at Teaching Nomad

About our company: Teaching Nomad is an American owned and operated education recruitment company based in Shanghai, China. Our goal and purpose is to help great teachers find great teaching jobs. Year round, we have hundreds of teaching job vacancies. Whether your goal is to be an ESL teacher or teach in an international school, we have a teaching job for you. You can browse jobs online at www.teachingnomad.com/job-search for the latest job openings. Teaching Nomad is here to make teaching in China easier, so please feel free to reach out and contact us with any questions or inquiries!