Student comments 2010#

We experienced excellent weather this year. Students enjoyed the week thoroughly. The following are some comments by Group 2010 at the end of the trip.

Baiwan is such an eye opening experience. You look around and see that those children have so little, but with something so small as waving hello their smiles are so bright! I think the most beautiful part of Baiwan, despite the stunning scenery, is the people. For me it was quite hard to communicate as all I knew in Chinese was “ni hao’!

In Baiwan, you would easily find yourself surrounded by attention-seeking kids screaming ‘HI!’ at the top of their voices, or having 25 kids listening carefully to every word you teach in your lesson. After every lesson, there would always be students who didn’t want to leave, and some would even ask for your contact address. The lifestyle of Baiwan was fairly simple. It doesn’t have that Hong-Kong-specific rush, or the packed schedule that you always need to follow. It’s just a slow lifestyle that was addicting.

During the days in Baiwan, I have made many new little friends when my group was teaching. All of the children were energetic and were eager to learn and always tried their best in learning what we taught them. I got really nervous when I was teaching, but the students’ enthusiasm quickly helped me settle in and we had a very good time together. We had lots of fun and it was very memorable for me. I really miss the students I taught and truly hope to keep in touch with them. This is one of the trips that will stay in my heart forever and I will never forget about it.

Coming from a materialistic community like Hong Kong, I found it hard to believe and unimaginable to hear that sea of laughter in the vertiginous mountains of poverty. This taught me that happiness is not about the superficial objects and activities, but rather about how I see, look and interpret the life I am living.

During this trip, there was the obvious task of teaching the children. I was sure that it would be tedious and unenjoyable. But after the first lesson, I felt such success in watching the children enjoy our lesson that immediately took pleasure in teaching them.

I see now there is more than one form of success in this world, it is not just about the grades, but there is a feeling of success in enabling the learning of others. It was a lifetime experience. Although it is merely a few hours’ bus ride from Hong Kong, Baiwan exhibited a completely different lifestyle from that of a city, and thus made us realize how we take everyday privileges for granted. Most notably, in the midst of these underprivileged circumstances, the children of Baiwan were eager to learn and to be actively engaged in all lessons we taught. These adorable, bubbly Baiwan children, the scrumptious Chinese food, and the last night’s pleasing stay at the “four-star” Tian Hu Hotel I will not forget for a long time.