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For the past ten years, I have been involved with the Shin Shin Education Foundation to help improve the education of the people in China’s rural areas. This year, under urgent circumstances, there was an immediate need for me to return to my homeland to take part in their field-work teams. I flew out on July 11th, the day after my birthday, with the Cupertino Rotary club. We went to a small town called Siping in Jilin Province, which is tucked away in Northeastern China. With the flavor of the birthday cake still lingering in my mouth, I rose to the call of duty with two other teachers from the US, Sara and India

Sara and India were two native English speakers and teachers. I was paired with them and as a team, we taught the classroom. They led the class while I act as a teaching assistant and translator to help facilitate the program. Neither Sara nor India have been to China before, so this would be an eye-opening experience for them.  Sara is an experienced teacher with over 30 years of teaching in classrooms. She is a wonderful and kind lady. India is a young and athletic girl with colorful and bright eyes. She had just returned from a tour of Spain and she loves to travel

To get to our location, we had to do a lot of driving and traveling. We flew for 12 hours on an international flight from the SFO and then had to embark on a 2 hour car ride to the school in the countryside. It was a long and tiring journey, but it was one that was well worth the effort. We arrived at Jilin Normal University in Siping, a town in Northeast China. We settled in an apartment complex prepared just for us. Our room had air conditioning, a laundry machine, internet, a living room, and a kitchen. It was much better than we expected and this apartment was considered a luxury compared to other apartments in the area. This would be a second home for all of us for the next two weeks. 

Jilin Normal University is a massive school, occupying half of the city. The campus was beautiful, with many trees planted all around the campus. Although there was a bit of smog and some litter lying around, it was still a nice and quiet town. We were teaching a class of 22 students who came from 5 different provinces in China. The students were young, yet some were married. They taught rural school children with passion and love. They were ready to learn and were enthusiastic when they saw us come on. Their lives were strikingly different from the lives of my team and I. While we got to enjoy the privileges of air-conditioning and big rooms, the students lived in small dormitory rooms with no air-conditioning. They were packed tight with 8 people in one room. They all share a public bathroom as well. Since they have no air-conditioning, they must open their windows to let in air, which in turn attracts flies and mosquitoes into their dorms. These people, however, are brave and are the saviors of future generations of Chinese kids. They are eager to go through hardships to learn everything they will need to learn to be able to educate future Chinese generations.

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We teach the class in the afternoon, so our mornings are free. We spend our time exploring the charming city. Sara bought me some sweet and delicious Chinese cookies, while India buys herself a cake. We take the bus and taxi to the bank to get money and even though we stand in line like everyone else, people watch us as if we were aliens, interested in these new foreigners that they may have never seen before

Our first class was on Monday, July 14th during a sunny afternoon. The classroom was filled with warmth and energy as the bright faces of students began popping in the door. The students, all filled with curiosity and a hunger for knowledge, actively participated in the class. Sara and India were well prepared with rich and mind-stimulating topics to enrich the students. The atmosphere of the class was stimulating and proved to be very fun and joyful.

I opened the class with an introduction of Sara and India, and then gave the podium to Sara and India, who in turn asked the class numerous so the class would be more familiar with them. We then, in turn, asked them if they had any questions. They had tons to ask, asking us dozens of questions such as, “What kind of food do you like?”, “Do you have any children?” and “Do you like China?” The questions were endless. They were interested in us, and we captured their curiosity and mind.
After the class, we ate dinner with the students and we chatted throughout the night after our dinner. The students sat around us, their faces lighting up with happiness and laughter with each question and answer. One of the students, the kindest there, bought each of us a Chinese fan. Mines was especially beautiful, painted with a beautiful picture. It was a lovely gift after a rewarding day with these lovely and kind Chinese students.