hongyu's final reflection

Pre-trip

Pre-trip activities were meaningful. Thank you teachers for spending time to plan them! You all have done a great job!

Though there were many meetings, looking back, I think it’s all worth it because the sessions made me clear of what to expect for the trip and as well as the purpose of the trip.
Before the S-L discussion, it never crossed my mind to think of the differences.

Trip

Travelling in China takes a long time, way longer than travelling from East to West in Singapore. We can spend 3-4 hours travelling on highway and that means 3-4 hours of sleep.

This trip somehow turned into an educational trip for me. Because of my stomachache, I have only been to the worksite once. And that time we were merely doing simple work. Therefore, most of the work that I have done is to teach and play with the students in the 4 primary schools. Their attitude towards learning makes it easier and fun to teach them! They are very enthusiastic students and are very willing to learn. Despite the harsh conditions such as no electricity at home for the Miao zhu students, they will finish their homework before the sky turns dark everyday. It makes me reflect on my attitude towards learning and also to appreciate my parents more. I am also inspired to be a teacher, probably a pre-school teacher. However, will Singapore students be as eager as them?

I enjoyed the firewood gathering session. It was my first time chopping branches using the chopper. It was really hard. You need to aim the same place and hit it with all your might before you actually chopped the firewood into half whereas the kids there seems to have no problem. It just seems so easy for them. Well, I am a noob compared to them. My two buddies were super thoughtful. We had a formation. I must be in the middle so that one leads the way and the other stay behind just in case I slipped and fell. They insisted carrying the firewood and chopper down the mountain. I really must thank them for doing so because I am sliding down the slope most of the time. They even made a walking stick! Of course, I didn’t use it. Instead I gave to someone else whom I think needs it more. HAHA.

I hoped that their lives would be better but after much thinking, maybe they are contented with their current lifestyle. Even if they are not, I realize it’s really up to the individuals whether they want to work hard and change their life. Other people can provide help in terms of building facilities, improving the school environment. But ultimately, there is a limit to what we can do and it takes time to change people’s lifestyle or habits.

Post-trip

I started off not knowing most of the team and the teachers, through the time that we’ve spent together, now I have more friends in TJ. Thank you everyone in YO! and other team members for making this trip a memorable one!

Stay in touch, okay!!