A Note on the Foreign Staff

So my current interactions with the Chinese staff is virtually null. Hence, I'll tell you about the foreign staff. We have a very diverse group with teachers from Italy, Brazil, New Zealand, England, and of course the US and Canada. Here's a brief description of each teacher:

Paula (from Brazil); She's in her mid-30s and have been teaching in China for many years. She's slightly diabetic and her biggest dream is to start an English school for minority students.

Gerald: He's African American and I'm unsure where he's from but he speaks perfect Chinese with no accent. I find it ironic he may speak Chinese yet I may not.

John: He's in his 60's and from New Zealand. He was inspired to teach in China because of his son. As Compass (my school) is an IELTS training Center, it's nice to have John because he can teach IELTS. With the new visa laws though, John will have to go back to New Zealand every half-year because he's over the age of 60.

Thomas: He's a middle-aged Italian who has also been in China for many years. He is married and apparently his wife is pregnant. I find it ironic that English is his second language but no one questions where he was born or his English abilities.

James: My boss. He's from Britain and my impression is that he has been doing this far too long. This often makes him bitter and cynical but when it matters, he's there for you. He's in his mid 30's and spends most of his money on games/new cell phones.

Edmund and Lillian: They are a Canadian couple from Vancouver. They originally came over together under one contract so Lillian wasn't really suppose to teach. But, the school needed more foreign teachers so now, they both have full contracts. Edmund was born in Hong Kong but because he is male and old, students tend to accept him.