Teacher Mary or Marianne Lourdes Leonor is a dedicated Filipino teacher and normal Filipino citizen who tried her luck to uproot in China and settled in the province of Hubei in the eastern-most part of Central China. She has been there for 13 years and never relocated to the big cities like Beijing or Shanghai.

            “Fortunately, I fell in love with my work,” Teacher Mary said. “I fell in love with my students. I fell in love with the city, the food and the locals. That’s why I decided to stay in China longer.”

            It was Teacher Mary’s second time to be in China. The first one was in 2009 when she came to Sichuan.

            “I’m very curious about China’s culture,” offered Teacher Mary. “I’ve been hearing good things about China in my History class and I also have Chinese blood. My ancestors were Chinese. I just tried my luck. I wanted to become an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker).

            “Besides, China is very near. I don’t want to be away from my family and live very far from them. I’m very family-oriented. I’m married to my job. I’m in love with my students.”

Before China, Teacher Mary also taught in Indonesia at Singapore International School in Medan. “I went to Beijing last winter, it was huge but it was also beautiful.”

            In Hubei, where there are many universities, there is a big opportunity. “I’m alone there but not lonely,” Teacher Mary said. “I’m the only Filipino in the city.”

She just fell in love with her work and profession, she hardly noticed it was already 13 years. “I know I’m just close to my family just being in Hubei,” she asserted. “My students are very sweet. I started teaching them at kindergarten, so I was able to follow them until middle school. My students are my teachers in speaking Chinese.”

            Peace and order is particularly important China. “This one I’m very proud to say, we are a zero crime rate city at Hubei,” offered Teacher Mary. “The place is very safe. I left my mobile phone many times. The environment is really, really safe. Even police do not carry guns. They are not allowed.”

When the life story of Teacher Mary gets to be filmed one day, like public school teacher Anita Pamintuan from whose life story was culled in Joel Lamangan’s “Mila,” starring Maricel Soriano, Teacher Mary expressed her desire to have actresses like Mylene Dizon, Iza Calzado or her look-alike, Dimples Romana, to star in the film-bio.

“I want it to be a feel-good film and the story to inspire teachers and students,” Teacher Mary said. “Millennials now are more on social media. I want my story to touch our inner selves.

“Mylene, Iza and Dimples are very versatile. They are very good. I watched their films. I watched their shows. They are very natural actresses.”

The teleserye of Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa was previously aired in China. Teacher Mary surely knows Lea Salonga and even Marcelito Pomoy, the grand winner in the second season of “Pilipinas Got Talent” who can admirably sing in baritone and mezzo-soprano.

Children’s day is in June. Teacher Mary assured she would make her students dance Bini’s hit, “Pantropiko.”

“Ako na ang bahala,” she said. “I’m also responsible for the program as long as there’s singing and dancing.” 

The youngest of seven children, Teacher Mary uprooted to China 13 years ago, in the province of Hubei. “The cost of living there is really cheap,” shared Teacher Mary. “Public transport is also very cheap.

“There’s the bullet train that costs around P500. If you want to save money, there’s the slow train that is cheaper, about only P200. Even the bus costs only P10 per ride.”

Every August and winter break in January, Teacher Mary returns to the Philippines twice a year to visit her family.

Interestingly, Teacher Mary has rescued more than 15 dogs to date as she lives in Hubei. She has rescued dogs from the streets, four stay with her up to this day. One has been transported to the US and another is in Canada. Four are here and the rest were given their respective homes.

Teacher Mary is teaching in five schools in China. “I make sure my career and life are very balanced,” she said. “The local community in Hubei, they constantly visit me. My employer makes sure I’m comfortable and she makes sure that Hubei is my second home. I’m the only Filipino in the city. I’m alone there but not lonely. But there’s no place like home.”

Admittedly, Teacher Mary is married to her job and “in love” with her students. “If I want money, I’ll go to bigger cities like Beijing or Shanghai,” she maintained. “I make sure I go home twice a year. During Hubei’s National Day, October 4 to 7, I make it a point to go back home to the Philippines.”

This year, being the 50th anniversary of the Philippine-China diplomatic relations, Teacher Mary keeps her fervent hopes for the friendship between the two countries to stay strong.

“Coming from my experience living in Hubei where it is very safe and the people are very friendly, I never felt out of place the whole time I was there,” she maintained. “During festivals, I got to different places. I visit temples, mountains, beautiful places and at the same time, earn a living.

“I never felt I don’t belong there. I never felt an alien or a foreigner. I felt the same here in Manila and there in Hubei. That has been my second home. I was raised in Palawan and I grew up there. Philippines and China, I really hope the friendship will remain stronger in the future.”

The Hubei government awarded Teacher Mary for staying in the province for more than 10 years.

With regard to the education system in China, Teacher Mary said students are really focused on passing their studies, passing their tests and doing their written homework or the holiday homework.

“Chinese schools are very objective when it comes to the grading system,” Teacher Mary informed. “Like me whose subject is English, I’m very focused on foreign tasks. The students have a lot of choices like Math, where it is more advanced. As early as kindergarten, the students are learning Math, with instructions.”

English is a foreign language in China, a second language. “My boss trusts me,” Teacher Mary said. “She didn’t give me a book. I have the academic freedom. She asks what my students need. They trust me. So my plans need to be focused on something colorful and visual.

“I teach students English songs, dancing, competition, corner. I made them watch English films like ‘Matilda.’ Song and dance are part of the curriculum. I don’t have exams. I have my oral exams, though, to just check on the English of the students.

“The students are not allowed to speak Chinese when I teach English. They are focused on comprehension, very particular in grammar. Basics and practical. More on writing. They are very disciplined and hardworking.”

Teacher Mary gets to enjoy fast food chains like Pizza Hut, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and DQ (Dairy Queen). “The rest are local brands,” she said.

            Thankfully, she has a lot of Chinese friends. “I’m really happy,” Teacher Mary said. “I care about my health. I make sure I go to the gym, do window shopping when I go out. I also eat a lot.”

Going to China is a real challenge for Teacher Mary. “I have a lot of students who are working now. We keep in touch. Mind over matter. There are a lot of days when I’m literally alone in the house. Christmas day, my birthday. You always have a choice. To feel sad or be happy. I always choose to be happy.

“I always count my blessings. I realized how blessed I am being in Hubei. There are two Catholic churches there. And there is a priest from Ateneo. I attend Mass in the Catholic churches.

She has lots of Filipino friends in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei and they celebrate the Philippine Independence Day in June. “We get together and hold a party,” Teacher Mary shared. “We also celebrate Christmas. We have a group in Wuhan. We support each other. We never encountered any problems there.

“I’m teaching kinder, primary and middle school. Some of them are working in international schools where the medium of language is English. I met some of them. They are happy to meet us.

“I met a lot of strangers there. I always felt safe. I never felt threatened. They only have one question for the foreigners. ‘Oh, Philippines. We’re good friends. We’re brothers and sisters.’ That is what I experienced in Hubei. It’s a beautiful place.”