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1 READING
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2 TRANSLATION
I hope this letter finds you well. I have just arrived back in Beijing after two months in Gansu province, exhausted but elated, and I want to tell you about the marvellous experiences that I had there. The lessons I learnt in Zhangxian county I will cherish for a lifetime.
Key words:
Cherish: to keep something pleasant in your mind for a long time
Elate：extremely happy and excited
When I decided to spend the summer teaching in a place so far from home, I had no idea what to expect. I had heard stories from other students about how inspirational an experience it had been for them, but it wasn’t until I attended a talk by VTA — an NGO who specialize in this kind of teaching work — that I realized the true scope of this project. The opportunity to travel and work in a place so different from my home would help broaden my horizons. In previous summers I had spent my time improving my skills, or gaining office experience; I had never devoted my time to helping others. The thought had crossed my mind before, but when you mentioned your experiences, and how they had helped you realize much about yourself that you hadn’t known before, I really felt compelled to get involved. The chance to give something back and to push myself out of my usual routine would, I thought, stand me in good stead when I leave university next year and have to make my own way. Still, it was with trepidation that I left my house on the morning of 29 June carrying a few belongings and quite a lot of things which I would soon learn were not the “essentials” I considered them to be unlikely themselves to give such gifts to older people.
Background Information:
VTA: VTA does not exist but there are numerous volunteer agencies that arrange for students to travel in groups to rural schools, donate equipment and learning materials to the schools and support the volunteers while they are stationed in the localities.
Key Words:
Inspirational: giving you the enthusiasm to do something
Broaden my horizons：to make someone see a wider range of opportunities and choices
Compel：forced to do something
In good stead: useful or helpful
Trepidation: fear or nervousness
I met the other members of my group of ten students going to
different schools in Gansu province at the Beijing railway station. The VTA staff had collected textbooks, stationary and some clothes which we were to donate to our schools. My friend Wendi and I were to be sent together to the same school in Zhangxian county, which helped to calm my nerves a little. We all set out on the long journey with a feeling of apprehension. What would this remote part of China be like? Would the people be friendly or hostile to a young outsider like me? Would the food be too spicy? After an uneventful journey to Lanzhou on a hard sleeper, and a slow, tiring trip on a local bus to Dingxi city, Wendi and I were picked up at the bus stop and taken by a local VTA worker in a truck to our final destination in the countryside — the Number 2 Zhangxian elementary school.
Key words:
Uneventful: without incident
Our accommodation for the next two months was a room attached to the school consisting of a row of beds and no bathroom. It was small and spartan but clean and tidy. The toilet was outside the building. Of course there was no wi-fi coverage or TV here! I felt my first experience of culture shock and knew I was a long way away from the comforts of my Beijing lifestyle.
Key Words:
Spartan: very plain and simple, without the things that make life comfortable and pleasant
The primary school had five grades, with around fifteen children in each grade. I learnt that in this rural area, there was not much work to be had so many of the children’s parents had gone to the big cities to work, leaving the children to be brought up by their grandparents. The school had one teacher for each grade who taught all subjects. I was assigned to Grade 4 and the teacher I had to work with was a Mr Zhu. He seemed very happy to see me and even happier when I presented him with some of the books, stationary and clothes that we had brought from Beijing.
The first few days of working at the school were eye-opening.
The children sat on benches behind old desks with a simple blackboard
at the front of the class and no other teaching resources. They did not
wear school uniforms and dressed rather shabbily if cleanly. On some
they were working on their farms. I realized that I could not expect students to complete homework as after school nearly all the students had numerous chores to do at home. Wendi and I had to cook our own simple meals in our room using rice and vegetables given us by villagers living nearby, although often some of the school staff would join in and show us how to make tasty local dishes. Sometimes both Wendi and I felt depressed and wanted to give up and return to Beijing but we encouraged each other to keep going and gradually we got used to the tough life in Gansu.
Key Words:
Shabbily: dressed in clothes that are old or in bad condition
Depressed: felt unhappy because of a difficult or unpleasant situation that you feel you cannot change
A highlight of my time at the school came a month into my stay. One day I realized that one of my students, Xiao Mei, had not come to school for a few days and Mr Zhu said he feared she was going to drop out. Although the teachers had warned us that this did occur, I was still surprised as Xiao Mei was a very bright girl and had always been eager to participate in class. Mr Zhu cares deeply for his students and he suggested a visit to the family. I was very pleased when he asked me to come along. So I borrowed a bicycle from the school caretaker and rode with Mr Zhu to Xiao Mei’s home, which was almost an hour’s walk away from school. It was a small shack made of wood with two rooms and a tiny kitchen. As with many of our students Xiao Mei’s parents had both gone to the city for work and it was her grandparents who cared for the children. They were both advancing in years and it was clearly difficult for them to raise Xiao Mei and her siblings. They wanted Xiao Mei to stay at home to look after her younger brother and sister. This was clearly a very difficult situation, but Mr Zhu seemed to have some experience with this. I was impressed with how he started by praising the grandparents for their devotion to their children and grandchildren. As our aim was to get them to send Xiao Mei back to school I would have been more forceful, but Mr Zhu’s method was much more sympathetic and understanding. After all, the grandparents had taken on a huge burden, and were deserving of our respect.
Key Words:
Shack: a small plain building, usually made of wood
Nevertheless, I found it frustrating that they didn’t seem to realize how missing out on an education could affect their granddaughter’s future. I told them how she had impressed me with her quick mind from the day I entered the classroom, but they were still reluctant. When neither Mr Zhu nor I could persuade them he casually began to ask about Xiao Mei’s parents, where they were, and what their plans were for their eldest daughter. They had given up the opportunity to raise their children themselves in the hope of creating a better future for them. I realized that the grandparents were starting to look less sure of themselves and I followed Mr Zhu’s lead. I said that I had been drafting a letter to her parents about Xiao Mei’s progress and would ask them to offer support to the grandparents to look after the younger children so that Xiao Mei could continue her schooling. By involving the parents we were able to come up with a solution which suited everyone. Xiao Mei returned to school and sat in the front row every day. This incident surprised me. I hadn’t realized how much I had come to value education, nor how much I cared about my students until I found myself, on my day off, sitting around a table arguing passionately in favour of schooling.
Over the two months I spent at the school I noticed a number
of changes in me. Firstly, I grew fit as I woke early in the cool, clean mountain air, taught at school and then helped out on the local farms
most afternoons. Secondly, I found that I really enjoyed teaching, as the children eagerly learnt what I tried hard to teach. Thirdly, and most importantly, I discovered that I gained great personal satisfaction from working in this small community. All my life I had focused on myself,
my studies, my ambitions to get to university and doing what I wanted
to do, not appreciating how lucky I was to have these educational opportunities; now, for the first time I was doing something for other people who really appreciated my help. Just making the effort to help
other people less fortunate than oneself is all that is required and it felt
wonderful that I had learnt this life lesson in Zhangxian county.
Key Words:
Fortunate: lucky, especially because you have more advantages than other people
The weeks sped by and all too soon I had to say goodbye to my new friends. I promised them that I would come back to visit them again and that I would never forget all they had taught me. It is quite hard now I am back in Beijing to get used to the noise and pollution once again — although I am grateful for hot showers! You were right that my view of the world has been enriched by my time as a volunteer teacher and I think I am a much better person now as a result.
Key Words:
Grateful: feeling that you want to thank someone because they have given you something or done something for you
Enrich: to make something better
