A pivotal skill that are closely linked with migration is adaptation to the environment. In this section you will learn how Mr. Tafel adapted to the Chinese environment.
As mentioned in prior sections, Mr. Tafel initially struggled with communication. He had to use sign language to communicate with people. Without any exposure with Chinese language prior to migrating to China, the first few years in Shanghai was a deep struggle. However, if you compare Mr. Tafel’s spoken Chinese with other teachers at SAS now, he has one of the best Chinese skills. He immersed himself in the Chinese language, and fully adapted to the difference.
Surprisingly, adapting to factors like language and the local community was the easy part. According to Mr. Tafel, the hard part was the transition to be a teacher.