Just one more day before I leave. Hard to imagine the summer passed so quickly. I walked around with my camera for a good while today and took lots of video and photos of the little kids. Tomorrow I hope to get video of the older kids. Maybe if I ever figure out how to use Adobe Premiere, I can make a music video out of the brief clips I have. I have videos of the preschoolers doing the Hokey Pokey and singing the ABC's, and the best one is of Xia Bao and Xia Lu kissing. I have videos of the older students singing praise with Chris on guitar and Guillaume on drums. They sing "Open the Eyes of my Heart" and "As the Deer" very beautifully.
In English corner as of late we have been telling scary stories. Yesterday I told the Monkey's Paw story that I had to read in 7th grade. The girls were freaked out. I wonder how they feel fear, what inspires fear in them. For me, fear is so visual--I always picture a grotesque or frightening scene in my head, and little of it has to do with sound. For them, I guess most of the fear comes from sound.
My last weekend was memorable. Some friends came to visit Bethel on Saturday morning, and they took me to Tianjin and Tanggu in the afternoon. On Sunday Chris and Melanie and I went to church and then shopped in the huge electronics complex called Zhongguancun. Then we managed to find a Christian bookstore nearby and bought tons of stuff from there. When we finally got back to Lang Fang, eight episodes of LOST were waiting for us. Just watched the first three of season 2 a few hours ago, actually. I'll have to finish the season in the US...it won't be the same as watching it here though, sitting in the sick room on the couch with a towel wrapped around my legs to block mosquitoes...
I don't think the little kids will understand when I say I'm leaving. I tried to explain this morning that I am going back to America on Thursday, and the brightest kid asked if I would come back on Friday. I explained that America is on the other side of the world, very far away. I will give them all candy tomorrow. I will give Chun Yu something extra--the day of the surgery, she kept playing with the metal chain that says "Coach" on my handbag. After the surgery, I gave it to her to keep playing with. The nannies said she cried whenever she dropped it, so they gave it back to me. I'm attaching a wooden keychain that says, "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you." I hope that every time she touches this chain, she remembers me. It is really sad to think about the probability that the little kids will forget who I am in a few months.
The older students are already rather clingy. Right after English about half of them hug me and don't want to let go. Some of them call me "mommy" even though I say I'm just a sister. Tomorrow night we are supposed to have a party for me. I wonder if some will cry. It feels like I have been here forever with them; I have seen basically all the other volunteers come and go, and I've held the same routine every day with the children. I bought gifts for each of the students. The six younger girls will get flower hairclips. Sam will get a hat that says "Way Truth Life." Li Qin and Li Ying will get wooden combs that have an encouraging spiritual message engraved on them.
I can write emails to Li Ying and Li Qin, the two oldest ones. I trust they'll pass on any messages I want to write to the other kids who don't have email.
So then I have one week before going back to school. Hope that can be worthwhile too.
In English corner as of late we have been telling scary stories. Yesterday I told the Monkey's Paw story that I had to read in 7th grade. The girls were freaked out. I wonder how they feel fear, what inspires fear in them. For me, fear is so visual--I always picture a grotesque or frightening scene in my head, and little of it has to do with sound. For them, I guess most of the fear comes from sound.
My last weekend was memorable. Some friends came to visit Bethel on Saturday morning, and they took me to Tianjin and Tanggu in the afternoon. On Sunday Chris and Melanie and I went to church and then shopped in the huge electronics complex called Zhongguancun. Then we managed to find a Christian bookstore nearby and bought tons of stuff from there. When we finally got back to Lang Fang, eight episodes of LOST were waiting for us. Just watched the first three of season 2 a few hours ago, actually. I'll have to finish the season in the US...it won't be the same as watching it here though, sitting in the sick room on the couch with a towel wrapped around my legs to block mosquitoes...
I don't think the little kids will understand when I say I'm leaving. I tried to explain this morning that I am going back to America on Thursday, and the brightest kid asked if I would come back on Friday. I explained that America is on the other side of the world, very far away. I will give them all candy tomorrow. I will give Chun Yu something extra--the day of the surgery, she kept playing with the metal chain that says "Coach" on my handbag. After the surgery, I gave it to her to keep playing with. The nannies said she cried whenever she dropped it, so they gave it back to me. I'm attaching a wooden keychain that says, "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you." I hope that every time she touches this chain, she remembers me. It is really sad to think about the probability that the little kids will forget who I am in a few months.
The older students are already rather clingy. Right after English about half of them hug me and don't want to let go. Some of them call me "mommy" even though I say I'm just a sister. Tomorrow night we are supposed to have a party for me. I wonder if some will cry. It feels like I have been here forever with them; I have seen basically all the other volunteers come and go, and I've held the same routine every day with the children. I bought gifts for each of the students. The six younger girls will get flower hairclips. Sam will get a hat that says "Way Truth Life." Li Qin and Li Ying will get wooden combs that have an encouraging spiritual message engraved on them.
I can write emails to Li Ying and Li Qin, the two oldest ones. I trust they'll pass on any messages I want to write to the other kids who don't have email.
So then I have one week before going back to school. Hope that can be worthwhile too.
posted by Ann Chao at 10:18 AM
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