Warm welcomes and WeChat: A Brit's tale of finding home in Wuxi

It was the end of 2020 when I received the news that I had been successful in securing my dream job – Head of School at King's College International School, Wuxi. I was both excited, and a little daunted at the prospect. I had never been to China, I didn't speak any Chinese, and I really had no idea what to expect. However, my wife is Chinese, and she's very nice, so that was a good start.

It took longer than expected to get all the visa paperwork in place, but finally, in June 2021, I packed my suitcase along with a mountain of paperwork and boarded a plane bound for China. I was the only foreigner on the flight but my fellow passengers were all very friendly and keen to try out their English with me once we got chatting. All I could say at this point was 'nihao' which I did, resulting in cries of delight and compliments on my excellent Chinese!

Upon arrival in Wuxi airport, I was immediately stumped because I couldn't read the instructions on an app I had installed on my phone, which I needed to be processed. I stood looking lost and bewildered for a few seconds, before a lovely airport employee spotted me and came to my rescue. She pressed a few keys on my phone and I was helped through passport and visa checks before being finally released into the wonderful world of Wuxi.