Christmas Abroad: An Athlone man in a 'small' Chinese city of 10 million

Originally from Grotto View in Battery Heights, Athlone, Curt Evans is now based in the city of Hefei, China.

How long have you been in China, and how did your move there come about?

This is the start of my sixth year here, which is hard to believe. I originally came out for one academic year in 2018. I had been working as a chef in Athlone for six years leading up to that, spending most of that time working in Thyme restaurant.

I had studied Culinary Arts in Athlone IT (now TUS) and had gone on to study my Masters in Technological University Dublin, which was a MSc. in Culinary Innovation and New Product Development. I continued my study with the intention of one day working as a Culinary Arts Lecturer in Athlone.

Dr Tony Johnston, who was the head of the Hospitality Department of TUS at the time, was aware of my aspirations and he asked me in for a chat.

He explained that a partner school of TUS in China was looking for an Irish person to lecture in restaurant management. It seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I decided to go for it.

Where are you based, and what do you do there?

The city where I live is called Hefei, which is in Anhui province. I'd never heard of Hefei before the job offer. My Chinese friends refer to it as a smaller city. It has a population of 10 million people, so to a man from Athlone it's not exactly small.

I ended up staying here as long as I have because I got caught up in the excitement of living in a big city and exploring China. Work-wise, I also felt that if I was willing to work hard I would find opportunities here.

Currently, I am still teaching in the university. I've also set up two small businesses with local partners. One is a kids' school where we teach the children English, and I often use cooking as a medium for learning English. These cooking-English classes proved very popular and have been great fun for me.

Getting to play a part in the kids' language development, while giving them some fun memories, is a great source of joy.

I've used this platform to also do charity work, offering cooking classes to a local charity called the Masked Angels. This organisation is for children suffering from leukemia. These children have an amazing attitude, and cooking with them is very heartwarming.

The second business is more recent - I've helped open a restaurant and set up my own food consultancy company for Western food. Having had many years of experience working under John Coffey in Thyme restaurant, and with my education background, I hope I can play a role in the development of Western food in Hefei.

What are some of the positives and negatives about life in China?

A huge positive is how safe the country is. Walking home at night, you would always feel totally safe at any time. The people are very friendly and welcoming to foreign ex-pats. The speed of the country's development allows for many opportunities, and it's a great base for travelling in Asia.

Finally, the cost of living is so low compared to Ireland. Chinese street food is amazing and so inexpensive. For example, a delicious bowl of lamb noodles and a flatbread, with a drink, all handmade, would cost around €2.50.

Some negatives about living here would be 'The Great Firewall' - being unable to freely access Google, Instagram and other apps that are popular back home. The distance from home is another big one - it's too far to ever get back for a short, spontaneous trip.

What do you miss most about Christmas in Ireland?

Certainly family and friends. Christmas Eve has always been my favorite night out of the year. I'm blessed that I have the same friends now that I've had since childhood, so on Christmas Eve I always loved to get out for a few pints and everyone would be full of Christmas cheer. Everyone would be in such high spirits, myself included, and I'd always have one or two more than I had planned! That atmosphere cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.

For five or six years before making the move to China, I would cook the entire Christmas dinner for my family. I'd wake up Christmas morning (a little worse for wear!) and tell Mam to head off and do her own things, visiting the graves and popping around to some relatives' houses.

When she'd arrive home I'd have the dinner out, ready to go. I loved being able to give her the day to herself and cook dinner to show my love and appreciation for her.

So it goes without staying that I miss all of that while away; Especially my Mum Mary Evans, sisters Sandra and Caroline, nieces, nephews, childhood friends, and also remembering my late brother Alan.

When we are far away on important days it really shows us what's truly important; family, friends and home.

What are your hopes for 2024?

My hopes for 2024 are for my family and friends to be safe and happy, a trip to Japan, and a trip back home to give my mother a hug and have a few pints with the lads.