Volunteer Stories  |  Frida

At the moment of writing this we, me and my friend Camilla, have two, well, one and a half, days left in China. It is now Saturday and we are leaving early Monday morning. ‘Normal life’ still seems pretty far away, it is hard to imagine going back. Both of us agree that taking the step and going to China to teach has truly been one of the best experiences of our lives.

We taught English at Bi Bo Primary School in Su Zhou; a ‘small’ city an hour or so outside of Shanghai. Su Zhou is a colourful city, with great people and plenty of interesting places to visit. The city is famous for its old gardens, which you simply have to see. The main shopping street is called Guen Xin Jie. We spent lots of time there in the evenings, mostly sipping coffee and watching people at Starbucks. The best shops, though, are found at another street near Guen Xin Jie that I cannot quite remember the name of. The street is great for eating as well as shopping as there were probably as many restaurants as shops. We went there both for Korean and Cantonese food.

The staff at the school could not possibly have taken care of us any better. They organized for us to stay in the most wonderful apartment by the river, with a basketball court squat right outside the building and a ‘kick-ass’ view. On weekends they took us on various outings and if ever we happened to mention we missed something, such as western foods for example, they would immediately help us get it.

It is funny, sitting here and trying to give a decent account of our experiences, because it seems that the things that have left the strongest impression are the seemingly unimportant. Like the old limping school janitor who always smiled and presented us with small presents, such as bottles of water on hot days... Creating your own daily routines, like going down after school and ‘shooting some hoops’ with whoever happened to be at the court at that time... Taking early morning walks while Camilla was still gently snoozing along in her bed and buying grapes from that sweet lady at the corner...

But most wonderful of all, perhaps, and what we both are definitely going to miss the most, were the kids. They truly were the most amazing kids ever. We had so much fun together. They were hard workers and always listened carefully when you explained things. They were very eager to learn and always tried their best at everything. Sometimes (very rarely, though) they would be a bit naughty, but it was impossible to get angry with them. As soon as you tried to tell them off they would just give you one of those big sunny smiles, and, well...

Both me and Camilla shed a couple tears when we had to say goodbye to the children. Our last class we simply had snacks and played games. I tried to teach them the Swedish National Anthem (with mixed results) and the children showered me with small thoughtful gifts I will cherish a long time. I gave the students my e-mail address before leaving and I am glad to say that I already have a few new messages in my inbox.