A New Life Poem by Raine Wang

On the 17th of October, I stepped off the plane
Urumqi was cold, but there was no rain,
There to greet me at the airport gate,
Some good friends, not one late,
They took my bags and we drove away,
To the university, my place to stay,
We’re treated beyond what I’d never dreamed,
Like I was royalty, or so it seemed.

To me, this is like a alien land,
How big and pretty it is who can understand,
I never felt alone but very out of place,
As time went on, they got used to my face
I adjusted very quickly to the Muslim food..
The simple way of life and friendly mood,
The teachers here work so hard everyday,
And many of them, I guess, just for little pay,
Yet they still take pride in what they do,
I learnt from them one thing or two.
22 years of construction has been my past,
This college now seems like a ship with a mast.

So much has changed from old to now,
Only Xinjiang people can prove that it is how,
And there’s big plans for yet more to do,
It’s not just about buildings and so,
The students sure get into your heart,
For many, it’s life new to start.
A chance to teach English where there’s such need,
And deposit some good in the form of a seed.