In a blink of an eye, I have been in Baku for 3 years, being an overseas volunteer of the Confucius Institute at Azerbaijan Language University for 2 and a half years.

During this period, I learned how to cook authentic Chinese cuisine. So I was very excited when I was invited to give a Chinese cuisine class at the Institute. Since there were no teaching materials, I prepared some simple PPTs with Russian and English illustrations for better understanding. Everything got under way quickly and interested the students a lot, which could be considered a small success, winning praises and recommendations from the students.

After that, the number of people grew as teachers and students were attracted to join in the class, leading to it often extended from 2 hours to 4 hours. In order to practice what they learned that day, the students would cook the same dish for their parents. Whenever they told me that their parents also liked the food, I always felt proud of my ability to spread Chinese food.

With the rapid spread of the epidemic in February this year, Azerbaijan has also implemented strict compulsory isolation. Teachers only teach online at home. But the food class has to be suspended as it’s hard to continue without face-to-face teaching, making me often think of the joy of teaching Chinese cuisine.

I hope everyone can take care of themselves and their stomach during the epidemic, and ensure good health while being teachers. Hoping the epidemic will end soon, and everything is going well.