Junior and sophomore English Majors in the school of Foreign Language and Literature, at TJU, have the privilege to seeing pictures of Mr. Mackenzie, a cute toy dog, traveling all over China. Speaking of his master, Professor Keith Harrington from America, students are really fond of him due to his amiable smile and sense of humor. On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, Professor Keith shared his teaching and living experience in China with us.

In 2016, Professor Keith and his wife Doris came to teach at Tianjin University after participating in a program sponsored by Brigham Young University (BYU), where he and his wife are alumni. “We actually had many options at which university to teach,” Professor Keith said, “TJU wanted teachers younger than 60 and I was just in my early fifties. So here we came.” The lucky thing is that he feels very energetic being among the college students.

When it comes to his feedback on TJU, Professor Keith speaks highly of the university, saying that it exceeds his expectations. From time to time he meets other teachers from BYU who teach in different Chinese universities. When they talk about the universities where they teach, Professor Keith feels that TJU is among the best of them. “The administration of the school have been so good to us and they made suitable schedules for us.” Professor Keith feels proud to see TJU reach out to different universities around the world to have further international cooperation.

Professor Keith has lived in quite a few countries around the world due to his career development, but settling in Tianjin still gives him a fresh feeling. He considers Tianjin as a big city with a relatively slow pace, which suits him and his wife so well. “Tianjin has a population of more than 10 million, yet it is not so crowded as Beijing or Shanghai. We really enjoy living here.”

Though having lived in Tianjin for just one year, Professor Keith and Doris have formed a sense of belonging in this city. When they traveled back to the United States on this summer vacation to visit family members, Professor Doris asked at the end of the vacation, “When will we go home?” A one-year-long living experience in Tianjin has already given them a sense of home. “Tianjin feels like home to us now.”

In their spare time, Professor Keith enjoys traveling in China with his wife Doris. During the Gold Week last year, they visited Mount Hua in Shaanxi Province and had an unforgettable experience of climbing the mountain. During the National holiday this year, the couple travelled to Guizhou Province where they visited some famous waterfalls, among which a little one drew their most attention. They also visited Miao villages and a lot of caves where they had an exciting boat trip. He suggested we students find out our own hometown’s beauty. “I know how people often neglect the beauty of their own home. That’s why you need to travel in your own country a little more. China is really fascinating.”

At the end of the interview, Professor Keith said to all the TJU students, “You should definitely be proud of your school because of its history. I hope you succeed in all your classes and also gain the success you are looking forward to in your life.”

By: Cai Wenting

Photo: Zhang Saiya, Liu Chang

Editors: Qin Mian and Keith Harrington