orn in Ashdod, a coastal city in Israel, Guy Sharett teaches now Hebrew at Shanghai International Studies University. Guy says he always loved to learn foreign languages.

"It's probably a family tendency. Lots of people in my family speak foreign languages, and work in the field of language and music. Usually languages and music go together", he says. In addition to European and Semitic languages, Guy studied some Asian languages as well.

“I studied Thai, Indonesian and Mandarin. I love how Asian languages work".

In 2018, Guy started his life in Shanghai. "Growing up in a port town, I was excited to move to such a huge metropolis by the sea. Not only the city has a rich history and culture, Shanghai is such a regional hub, where you can hop on trains, ships and planes to anywhere in China and outside of China. This is amazing for people who liked to travel like myself", he adds.

As a language lover, Guy also has a special interest in Shanghainese. “People don't talk too much about it, but Shanghainese is the real local language of Shanghai and it's a fascinating one. I know only a few words, but I feel that even with the little I know, when I use it – in the right place – I can see that it makes people happy".

Shanghai is not simply a city to him. It also carries a historical memory of his family. On a recent visit to the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Museum, he found out that his relatives lived in Shanghai for nine years during the Second World War. "My grandmother's uncle and aunt, Selig and Rosa Bankier, were able to flee Vienna and find a refuge in Shanghai. They had a shoe shop called "Vienna Shoes" in Tilanqiao, not far from SISU’s Hongkou Campus”, he says. “Thanks to Shanghai, they were able to survive. Unfortunately, they passed away many years ago, so I cannot hear more about their life here".

Now working as a Hebrew teacher in SISU, he says it's a match made in heaven. “I wanted to work at SISU, because I heard about this old and famous foreign language university. I love teaching Hebrew and we have a great department here at the School of Asian and African Studies (SAAS) at SISU. It's great to be surrounded by languages, language learners and language teachers and I enjoy speaking Arabic to Chinese students who study Arabic, and French with SISU students who study French. When you speak a language, which is not your mother tongue, you're a bit helpless, as if you were a child again. I like to step out of my comfort zone. When I talk to other learners, we make small mistakes and learn from each other".

"Learning a language and then using it in a daily life context gives people a sense of achievement. For example, in our school we have a kiosk manned by our language students. When I buy a cup of coffee from students who study Farsi, and I try to use the few words I know in the language, they are very happy. Other students passing by say, "Wow, what language is it?" and ask questions. We need to remind ourselves – teachers and students alike - that language is not only essays, translation and exams. Language is communication, and talking to people is not less important. For me, this is the real spirit of language learning”, he says.

During his stay here, Guy tries to seize every opportunity to travel in China. A few months ago, he travelled to Chengdu to see the pandas, to have some Mapo Tofu, and of course to hear the locals speaking in the Sichuan dialect. “Cities are inspiring. It's always interesting to look at different cities here. Because China is so big, I sometimes feel I am in a different country.”

Guy’s linguistic voyage isn’t finished yet. “Next year, 2022, will be my last year in China, but I hope to be back in the future. It's not the end of my Asian adventure. I still need to improve my mandarin".