The day of the trip to China arrived, and I was a bit anxious to be riding without my family. On the plane to Shanghai, I sat in a seat without any familiar faces, thinking of how boring and lonely it would be. A few minutes later I made a new friend with my seat buddy. She was a freshman attending an international boarding school somewhere in America, coming back to visit her family over in Hangzhou. It surprised me how well she spoke English with only one year of attending an overseas school! Pretty soon we found out we had similar hobbies in art and anime, and there was never a minute of boredom or loneliness for the whole ride!
We spent a few days in Shanghai after failing to catch a flight to Shennongjia because of poorly timed toilet breaks. When we finally managed to land in Shennongjia I was blown away by the amazing view. The mountains were bright with color and the sky was the clearest it had been for days. It was almost as if I could just reach out and grab the mountains, and I really did wonder if all this was happening. After an eventfully bumpy ride of 5 hours to the specific location in the mountains, we came upon a very nice looking school.
It was a large campus, with the school’s classrooms positioned in the front of the school gate. There were two wings, the east and west wing that separated the seventh and eighth graders. Beyond that there were several more buildings. Two four-story dorms for girls and boys, a two-story building for the cafeteria, an apartment building for the staff, a convenience store for the students, a public shower with a fruit shop inside, a gigantic track and field outside, as well as a garden for enjoying the sun. It was then that I realized that perhaps my ideas about rural life were all wrong. It was further confirmed as we got situated into dorms. I guess the girls were lucky, as we found ourselves in a wide space of four bunk beds and a two-toilet bathroom with open sinks. It was far beyond what I was expecting. You could say that I was preparing for the worst…There was even a window out looking the classrooms. During the first days, many students would smile and wave at us through the window, it was quite an experience!
Upon our arrival, the kids paraded around us, as we made our way through the school. It surprised me and I admit I did feel a little uneasy. I hoped they weren’t expecting anything huge from me…
Our first day at the school passed. Many girls came knocking on our doors to say hi. They were so shy and curious at the same time, I was overwhelmed. At night, more girls came in to chat, get autographs, and exchange WeChat information. It really felt like we were celebrities.
Now, for the most important part, teaching the students. We were given 2 weeks to stay at the school. Our first presentation was my unit, Ecology. It was amazing how fluent the kids were with their English, they were only around our age as well! I was also surprised at how polite they were when I was talking and how responsive they were during the activities. Of course, not all classes were the same. Some were shyer, others were livelier.