Student comments 2007/學生感受2007

The visit to Baiwan has always turned out to be an extremely rewarding experience for IS students. The following are some comments written by Group 2007 at the end of the trip.

探訪白灣對港島中學的學生探訪團經常是一個寶貴的經驗。以下是二零零七年學生團在離開白灣後，寫下的部份感受。

探访白湾对港岛中学的学生探访团经常是一个宝贵的经验。以下是二零零七年学生团在离开白湾后，写下的部份感受。

At first, I strongly regretted to come to this trip because of the conditions and environment. However, I realized that I was wrong. I gained friends, and learnt lessons while teaching the kids. Kids in Baiwan are pure, and innocent and even without toys and technologies, they still live happily which I feel that there is too many luxuries around us.

這裡的環境和生活條件，令我剛來時感到十分後悔．不過我知道錯了．我交了一些朋友，並在教授孩子時獲益良多．白灣的孩子很純潔，雖然沒有玩具和科技，他們仍然快樂地生活，令我覺得實在有太多的奢侈品圍繞著我們。

这里的环境和生活条件，令我刚来时感到十分后悔．不过我知道错了．我交了一些朋友，并在教授孩子时获益良多．白湾的孩子很纯洁，虽然没有玩具和科技，他们仍然快乐地生活，令我觉得实在有太多的奢侈品围绕着我们。

Seeing the children and teaching them English is worthwhile out of the trip. People there are friendly and it is a calm and serene environment….I felt like a celebrity wherever we walked.

這個行程最大得著是看到孩子和教他們英語。這裡的人十分友善，而環境很寧靜 …. 不論我們走到那裡我都覺得像一個名人。

这个行程最大得着是看到孩子和教他们英语。这里的人十分友善,而环境很宁静 …. 不论我们走到那里我都觉得像一个名人。

For me, the trip to Baiwan was all about the people. From the moment of arrival, I knew that I would be able to get from the trip the experience I hoped for when I signed up. The extremely different conditions we lived in for the week allowed us insight into the people’s lives there and although the squat toilets and showers were quite horrifying, I found that as the week went on, I slowly forgot about it and was almost accustomed to it because as we began to increasingly understand the way of life there, we became amazed by the people’s ability to live so cheerfully with such simplicity and lack of wealth. We realized we had nothing to complain about.

Although the breath-taking mountain scenery and good food are definitely good memories from the trip, the one thing that has stuck with me after the trip and is still on my mind are the local village kids. Different from comments I have heard from past trips about the kids at school and the bond that was formed between them and Island School students, I found that the ones I really grew attached to were the small children living around the village and along the way to the schools we taught at. It amazed me how although they were the ones that truly had nothing materialistically speaking, and would be ecstatic if my friend and I simply buy them candy, they looked so happy and seemed to be enjoying every little thing about every day. The hours spent playing with the small village children, taking photos with them, teaching them how to draw, buying them candy and visiting their houses were the times that taught me the most.
As the week went on and you feel the small children warming up to you and smiling every time they saw us coming, you realize that this was all worth enduring the toilets and bugs because you realize you are changing someone’s lives and making them happy with small things like a piece of paper and a pen. Although the aim of the trip was to visit Baiwan schools to teach them and show them things they normally don’t see, I think that in the end, it wasn’t one-way, the children had taught us so much more in a different way, in return.

Teaching the school kids was also really enjoyable, seeing their eager faces motivated in return. I remember once after we finished a game, I went and stood at the blackboard just to get out of the way of cleaning up after the game, the children saw me and immediately took their chairs and sat facing me and the blackboard, anticipating the new things we were going to teach. The fact that they did that without us asking really surprised us and almost made us feel guilty about our attitude to learning and soon, for me, the highlight of the day was to go teach and meet new kids and even more it was the free time we had that we used to play with the village kids.

Life-changing would be the best description for the trip because it truly was. We felt ourselves dreading more and more the day of departure and surprisingly, I didn’t want to go back to Hong Kong, to the busy, stressed lifestyle as opposed to the relaxed, calm life in Baiwan where the kids would wait for us around the hostel or at the store everyday after school.

As the bus left Baiwan and the smiling faces of the kids expecting us to come back in a while, became further and further away, I knew that the kids had changed me and hopefully, I have helped them in return by giving them something to be happy about in small packages everyday we were there. As opposed to the ideas that the kids were lucky to have us students go teach them new things, I think we should be the ones to feel lucky to have met them and learnt from them. Baiwan was unforgettable and I hope to go back in the near future.

Jocelyn Chan (11E)