Thrilled by the spectacular and magnificent landscapes of Sichuan, the AIESEC team is now in a middle school located about 2 hrs from Guanyuan.
My first opinion of the school was that it was really dirty and it was indeed the case. The dormitory as well as the toilets are in a pity state. No mattress, no privacy in the toilets, no proper water flow & yes, the bathroom is open bathroom and you still have no privacy. It's like keeping pigs together.
The 1st day, we were welcomed and invited for lunch and dinner. The same day, we had a look at our dorms and living environment for the next few days. One word: Horrible...
A daily summary of my life in Sichuan would be too long and doing so would be a waste of time as well. I have quite a few things to do besides the teaching, such as writing a daily working journal, regular student evaluation and preparation of the following days courses.
The kids were really shy at the beginning but slowly, they got used to me and my buddy. Thanks to my buddy, who is a very nice chinese girl, my life is much much easier. The students barely understand english and 4 of them are really young. To be honest, communication with them is painful but I do enjoy teaching them some new games and 'attempt' to open their eyes on the world. Again, without my buddy, life would have been terrible.
I'm having trouble finding new sources of inspiration for my writings despite the awe-inspiring sceneries. It must be the omni-cumulative fatigue due to the bad bed and too little sleep.
The chinese kids are really amazing. They are smart as expected & really examinations focus. They are always doing their school homework during free times and sometimes, whenever the course I'm teaching is boring, they would do their homework.
On the other hand, each student of mine had a story to tell. Behind each smile lies a story. The question was how to extract those stories. I had 10 days to learn as much as possible about my students but 10 days might not be enough.
Some might think that I'm underestimating the chinese students but I believe firmly that they have enough pressure on them and that further 'simplified' complications of their lives would not help at all. We had to look for alternatives. Through the power of jokes, music and dance, my buddy and I tried to change their lives.
See post "The 5 last days in Sichuan"
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