Volunteering, a new learning curve
Print Edition
During the spring break, I went with my mom and sister, Ryyka, to volunteer in three village schools near Tenchong City, close to Laos border — almost 14 hours of travel from Hangzhou.
While our group was also involved in donating books, planting a garden, Ryyka and I were busy painting the bare walls with cheerful paintings and experiencing student life. It took us two days to finish the four walls.
The classrooms had more than two times the kids in our school and were almost full with rows of desks. The students at the school live in dormitories from Grade 1 and their parents work in faraway villages. They’re also expected to do chores, such as cleaning their dishes after lunch or tidying up the classrooms. Despite the harder environment, the students were always friendly, curious and full of energy. My mom told us that learning in this school was the biggest gift they wished to bring back to their parents.
I loved the opportunity to teach kids the English alphabet through the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” song. Ryyka joined the kindergarten and a PE class and was very impressed by the superior level of Chinese recitation practiced by the kids.
Their coal-fired stoves fascinated us, and I learnt to light up the fire up the stove. The local food was delicious and full of new vegetables from nearby fields.
I’m proud of the wall that we painted and hope this inspires the kids to realize their creativity in the future.
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