The woman who quit school to teach

When Zhou Wan was recruited by the foreign affairs department of a well-known middle school in Chongqing, her parents were thrilled. After all, the job was a great start in the working life of the recent graduate of Sichuan International Studies University.

However, last year the 23-year-old made a decision that shocked her parents and relatives: She quit her job and joined a government-run volunteer program, offering her skills as a teacher of Chinese in Africa.

Despite her parents' objections, Zhou applied to work in Mauritius, an African island nation, for a year. At first, she found life difficult. Work at the middle school was hard and exhausting.

"The students there were very naughty, so we often shouted until we were hoarse. At the end of a day's teaching, my nerves were almost shredded," she admitted.

Zhou was briefly transferred to teach at a school in the northern part of the island. The one-way trip from school to the place where she was living usually took three hours, but when she was caught in heavy rains one day, it took five.

"I felt extremely exhausted and cried for a long time that night," she said.

"When I was too tired, I would cry in bed to vent my feelings. But I never cried in front of the other team members. I was the team leader and had to be strong," she said.

No one expected Zhou to endure the hardship and finish the one-year term. However, she not only completed her tour of duty, but also won respect from the students and teachers.

"Gradually, I became used to the working rhythm. The busy work schedule made me feel as though I was contributing something every day. When I witnessed students making progress in their Chinese studies, I felt that all the hardships had been worth it," she said.

Before the team left, the school held a large farewell party for them.

"The school has about 300 students and they came onto the stage in order to say the words they most wanted to tell us in Chinese," she said.

"To hear students who couldn't even say laoshi hao (Hello teacher) when we first arrived, begging us in Mandarin: 'Do not leave. We will miss you and we will come to China to visit you', was very moving. We cried like kids and the tears ruined our makeup," she said.

Peng Yining contributed to this story.