The Nomad of Books

“China was not on my radar…”

When I asked Ms. Cohen why she came to Shanghai, she surprised me by admitting that she hadn’t always been planning on China but was looking more towards somewhere in Europe or Africa. I joked that she’s teaching across the world.

Ms. Cohen in China

Her eyes lit up with an enthusiastic “Yes!” She’s always been enamored with the idea of living abroad, she said, and she has taught in Kuwait and Mexico before coming to China.

“New opportunities just keep popping up.” She smiled.

In Mexico

I asked her about Kuwait and the excitement that comes with living in such different surroundings, and she said she couldn’t even locate Kuwait on a map before she decided to go. As a Muslim country, it was constantly advertised in post-911 New York with bitter sentiments and heavy stereotypes. She insisted that many portrayals couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Muslim women, for one, were always shown as quiet, demure, and subservient to patriarchy.

“In reality, they were super strong, many of them very well educated, really esteemed by a lot of people in their society… and in Kuwait, women can drive, they can choose not to wear a hijab [head covering], they can run for government, they can be lawyers, or doctors... so I didn’t really find a lot of the stereotypes that were perpetuated to be true, and I found the women to be really strong…”

In Kuwait

She called the entire experience refreshing and eye-opening. The Kuwaitis were strong-minded and independent when untainted by the Western Gaze.

Cultural difference, however, was naturally still intact. With an awed expression she recounted Ramadan traditions. In addition to prohibiting alcohol and pork, eating and drinking water were legally banned in public, even in extreme Kuwaiti aridness.

Definite censorship was perhaps still the most shocking aspect.

“We [the English department] had to go through books and draw long sleeves over the shoulders of women wearing bathing suits or tank tops… every single page.”

She fell into thought before meeting my eyes again with certainty.

“I really learned about cultural adaptivity.”

She will continue traveling and teaching around the world, she said. Every incredible experience makes new opportunities all the more exciting, and she’s always ready to take on one more adventure, and then another more.

Traveling in Egypt

Across the countries, she has always been teaching English, although the decision itself occurred to her as a momentary click.

Her high school summers were spent in JROTC military boot camps with 4:35 AM mornings, half-minute showers, and rigid military routines.

“We had to do this thing—I think it was called “squares”—where we have to do this with our food… basically we have to lift it from our plates and put it into our mouths at right angles… And we couldn’t look at each other.” She gestured for me with clean and rigid movements.

She planned on joining ROTC after high school for a full college scholarship and the opportunity to travel the world, but a lecturer’s speech between junior and senior year made her set on becoming an English teacher.

“I can’t remember what it was about… I don’t know,” she laughed and shook her head. But it wasn’t so much about what the speech was on than it was about the pieces suddenly coming into place together.

“I was like, yeah, I should be a teacher—an English teacher! I love books… and I love helping people.” Her smile was bright in the shower of afternoon sunlight.

It’s almost an understatement to say she loves books. After her mother brought home The Boxcar Children when she was in second grade, she grew addicted to books.

“I just couldn’t stop [reading]. It got to the point where my parents had to force me out to have fun.”

Baby Ms. Cohen!

She told me about the narratives that stuck from different parts of life, from A Time for Dancing to The Count of Monte Cristo to A Little Life. She talked on, fascinated, about the intricate plots, clever narration voices, and the innate tenderness of the stories.

“[The books] tore my heart out. But they just showed me the power of literature and the fact that characters can come to life.”

Her eyes were wide and lit, and I commented with wonder upon sudden remembrance that her Chinese name contains the Chinese character for “book.” She confessed excitedly that it was the first thing she looked for when piecing her name together. Books are so essential, she said, and it’s almost impossible to spend a day without reading.

“A cup of coffee and a book is pretty much happiness.”

She went on to talk about a book she read as a child, the story of a woman who goes to New York City and starts helping a group of prostitutes.

“I would love to do that. I would love to just go off into a big city and help people who really, really need it… That book has always stayed in my mind. I think some small part of me was just very very inspired by that story and wanted to just become that character.”

Simply for being a teacher, she is filled with as much compassion and strength as the character—if not more—and with plenitudes of love and determination. I was astonished when she told me more about her journey with teaching.

“I had this distinct memory of books whizzing across my classroom in front of my face.”

Her first job was at a public high school in inner-city Bronx, New York, and she calls the first two years the hardest in her career. Having just graduated from college with a degree in English, she was balancing a master's in education with challenging conditions at work.

“[There were] kids with a lot, a lot of family problems, who just needed so much support.”

It was taxing to tackle all the behavioral issues, she said, especially being new to the profession and simultaneously learning how to teach. She described the classroom as utter chaos, with students out of their seats and shouting incessantly.

“I remember just thinking, what am I actually doing? How can I actually survive? Am I going to make it through? Are we all going to make it through?”

She continued telling me that the conditions were so far removed from everything she was familiar with. I listened, and her gaze never wavered.

She said none of the misbehaviors happened because the students wanted to. As difficult as the issues were to handle, she insisted they stemmed from emotional problems, inadequate financial resources, and unmet needs for care and love, all of which needed attention and support instead of reprimand.

“It was at that moment that I made a promise to myself that no matter how challenging any student was, I would never resort to hate. I would always find a way to love them and find something about them that is really lovable so that I could keep working with them and support them.”

She smiled again, and I listened as the words grew in the air between us. In the firmness of her voice, they swelled and reverberated with sturdy yet tender steps.

She led me out into the cream-tinted sunlight. It spilled all over me, uninterrupted, almost unnoticeable, but warmth found its way to every inch of my skin.

Snippets of inspiration, fun, and love in her classroom