The Charger staff sat down with Chinese teacher Xin Shi, who is new to the district this year, to learn more about her life and her transition from living in China to living in America.

Q: Where were you born?

A: I was born in China. In a city called Dalian. It’s a seashore city.

Q: What was your childhood like?

A: I think it was just like the American case. We play at home, go to school, make friends but I’m the only one in my family. I’m the only child.

Q: When did you move to America and why?

A: My husband started in America getting his PHC degree at the University of Missouri so I moved with him in 2009 or 2010.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: I like playing with my kids, drawing with them and reading books for them. Family time is my favorite.

Q: What do you like to do with your family?

A: I like to cook for them. I like to make Chinese dishes. And I also like to bake bread and cake for my kids.

Q: How many children do you have?

A: I have two boys, one is seven and one is four.

Q: Where did you go to college?

A: In Dalia my hometown. I have a Master’s degree in higher education and venture all Chinese later returned.

Q: Did you have any other jobs before teaching?

A: I only do teaching jobs. I used to teach in middle school in China and I used to teach at the company Intel. They had a corporation in my hometown. So some of them wanted to learn Chinese so I taught Chinese there also. I like teaching.

Q: How long have you been teaching?

A: In China, around the three to four years and I also taught Chinese at a school in Missouri one year then. I think three years ago we moved here to Oxford.

Q: What’s the biggest difference between living in China and living in America?

A: We have a lot of family members back in China, but here we only have our own family. So in China, we have more relatives. We can celebrate our festival together but we are making new friends here. That’s good too.

Q: How often do you visit your family in China?

A: We often go back to China once a year. Like last year in the Summer, we went back to China and now my at my parents-in-law just came yesterday to visit us.

Q: Are there any special holidays that you like to go to China especially for.

A: For Chinese New Year. It is also called the Spring Festival. It’s the biggest festival in China. All of my family members will go back together and celebrate.