School+Visit

=Return to My China=

We went to the school on a cool and clear day. The bus ride took us through the countryside. We saw crops of beautiful yellow flowering plants used for oil, rape-seed, known to us as canola. When we arrived at the school there was a band waiting for us. Now this was the weekend, they did not have to be there. They played for us and the other students formed a reception line for us to walk through on our way to the "stage". Here the students danced for us. It was cold but the atmosphere was warm. Very little English was spoken but we all found ways to communicate.

Inside the tiny classroom the children took to their seats immediately (really). Our group squeezed in around the walls. They sang for us and we sang back in Chinese (really). They wrote on scraps of paper that we would throw away for good luck. We communicated through pictures. They were very excited to speak with us.

The classroom walls were empty of decoration except for very old posters showing Lenin and Einstein. One by one they stood up and told us of their ambitions to become scientists and fire fighters. They really do think constantly of getting a career and moving to the cities. Life is very tough for farmers in China and they all hope to live with central heating and running water and toilets. Unfortunately, they will have to leave their families and even their own children behind to do it.

Many of the students are living without their parents. They are cared for by relatives or the community at large. It amazes me the joy that come from these children. They have so little but they were so excited to learn from us and share their culture.