Student comments 2016#

Although students had found it tough adapting to the living conditions and the language barrier made it difficult for some to communicate with the local children, the experience of meeting new people and making new friends made the trip a great success. Here are some comments by students at the end of the trip.

The most memorable moment was in a Year 3 lesson. When I told everyone to line up in order to get a candy each, one student decided not to take his ‘reward’. Instead, he ran to the playground and taught 6 of his friends how to pronounce some “occupations” in English. When I overheard each of them recite “doctor, singer, driver, writer,…” I was extremely happy and pleased. The new knowledge we’ve taught has reached outside of the classroom and this alone makes my Baiwan trip truly meaningful.

The kids that I’ve come across have taught me more than I could ever teach them: you can do so much with so “little”! I saw how happy they were. Just by standing in a school’s playground. I saw how excited they were to be at school. Some kids were really naughty (it’s part of the package), but even so, you could see how eager they were to gain insights on these new ‘foreigners’ arriving in their village…. At the end of the day, I think it’s easy to think you’re privileged. But you don’t really know what it means to be underprivileged until you’ve seen it with your own eyes. Unless you can begin to imagine what it is like. Unless you’ve been shown it. This was a trip that opened my eyes, pushed me to my limits, and ultimately taught me so much.

Their level of enthusiasm really showed me that we were making a difference in their lives, whether it was to just lift their spirits, our presence was doing something.

This trip was one of the greatest and most surreal experiences of my life. Being able to experience and see the life in Baiwan is a great privilege but also a great opportunity to bring joy to their community. I had a great time teaching the students, even the naughty ones, as I was able to connect with them through our interactions.

Teaching the kids was an unforgettable experience. It was extremely rewarding to go to such a small village and share a bit of our knowledge. The little kids really look up to you.