Moving to China the YPT Story Part 4. If you have made it this far it should mean you’ve A, subscribed and by know the story so far. If not, brief summary. Life rubbish, maybe to the Cayman Islands, worked on cruise ships, ended up getting a job in China.
At this point in my life I was 25 years old, and I felt that I was extremely well traveled. I had lived abroad since I was 21, but in hindsight China was to be a culture shock of EPIC proportions.
Why had I moved to China
Since leaving school I had spent the balance of my life as bartender, I simply wanted to do something “more”” with my life. In my mind teaching was “more”. I genuinely thought to myself that teaching could and might well be my calling. In retrospect it kind was and indeed nearly was, at least until I started YPT.
Severe culture shock
Despite being well traveled quite how different China was really took me aback. Like how little English people spoke. I know that might make me sound very arrogant, but the travel I had done up until this point had been very different.
But I buckled down, started learning the language and pretty soon felt right at home in Xi’an, China.
My career at EF English First
In the end I was to stay at EF for two and half years, during that time I worked my way from regular teacher to Senior Teacher, to Assistant Director of Studies, before becoming Director of Studies. To those not in the know that is the equivalent of Head Master. Yep, if that sounds crazy, Gareth Johnson in charge of a whole school!
In actual fact I took to this like a duck to water and loved my time here. I’d go as far as saying this was a bit of a golden period for me, I had a girlfriend that I liked, work was good and life seemed to be a perennial party. There was though with hindsight always something a little missing.
Initial fascination with North Korea
By this point I had already reasoned that I would be going to North Korea. I had started researching only to find there was only one real company going there. And boy were they expensive.
I did actually find company called PRK Tours, who I asked about partnering with. They eventually disappeared….
By this point I already had the idea of starting “a company” and was fiendishly making notes. The original working title for Young Pioneer Tours was Joseon Tours. Joseon Being the old name of Korea. Thank god I did not go with something so lame…..
The Trip that Changed Everything
After just over a year at EF I decided to take a sabbatical. This would take me on the Trans-Siberian Railway, overland to the UK, before going to Canada and even Las Vegas.
How did this trip affect me? So much, so, so much! Essentially it fixated my obsession with everything communist, as well as something more important. I wanted to travel, but not just travel, be paid to travel.
I was going to start a travel agency.
All good things must come to an end
By the end of 4 months of travel we were living in Canada. The idea was briefly floated about staying there for good, something I initially was not that against, before we decided to return back to China.
Work was resumed and I started planning intently to go to North Korea.
How did I plan the first trip to North Korea?
There’s only so much I can give away here, but essentially I recruited 5 people and found a company in Hong Kong that were a fraction of the price of the “main company”.
I designed the initial itinerary did the costing and whilst we were not yet an official “travel agency” I had still planned my first ever tour as one. So far, I liked it a lot.
Its hard to deal with anticipation
It literally took me a year to plan and execute this first trip to North Korea and what I remember most about it is the anticipation and excitement. Things were fairly different back then, not just things, but North Korea.
I can genuinely understand why our guests, or any visitor to North Korea gets as excited as they do. I feel this is what makes us so good at what we do, we genuinely once were you!
And then we were ready, for our first trip to North Korea…..