Into the mountain

CHEN YaPing

Quick up into the mountain

Airplane form Taipei to hang Kong, bus line of A43, train from Guangzhou to Lanzhou, the quick disappeared beautiful scenery on the road is just like the pace to catch up with time flow. Quickly after 2 and half a days, we successfully arrived at Xidatan in Tianzhu. My 14-kilogram heavy bag was laid down for several times thanks to the help of partners, though the bag was heavy I felt warm inside. 2.5 days is enough to circle Taiwan once, but I felt short on the way to Xidatan for time limited to prepare the teaching plan perfect and carefully know every partner. Insider

In <travelers’ eyes>, author rang Zhang writes: “the ideal travel of mine is slow, is feeling not just visiting.” I also don’t like just nice travel only satisfied my eyes, that kind of traveling may be can dissolve mood or replenish life energy but it can’t add soul power at all.

This time we stayed in Xidatan middle school for 8 days, we can’t say we fully integrated into local life after all we still eat different with students. We can’t say fully experienced because the clothes and shoes we wear is quit different from theirs. We always only heard they talk about they had to spent 2 to 3 hours and climbed several mountains to go home, but unable to image how far the distance is, how hard and difficult to go this way. however, after the 8 days in Xidatan middle school, after they took us up the mountains hands to hands with them, at least we are not examining a thing hurriedly, we are more understandable when hear and see.

The eight days in Xidatan middle school what left is not only the beautiful scenery in front of our eyes but also the unforgettable experience. How dark the classroom is, how cold it is at morning, how “smelling good” the simple toilet is. May be we will forget it quickly if only stay for two or three days. But for eight consistent days, except remembering we also raise many treasure spirit for example, value life with water and electricity in Taiwan. We gain much courage from their strong and be brave to accept more challenges.  

The eight days’ stay let all fantasy and guess become actual experience, so that we can stay away from the title of an outsider to break the boundaries towards internal part and made each other’s heart become closer as time passing by.

Raining is good

Staying in Taichung for more than ten years where will have little rain occasionally. After entering the university in Taipei, I sometimes will complain rainy days that made my shoes wet out, but sometimes I will also like it. Carrying an umbrella, it prevents the rain but also prevent the fragile that no wiling to be discovered by others. Though come from different sources, rainwater and tear drop have the same landing stance.

We don’t like rainy days in Xidatan. The cold weather to us who came from subtropical climate is a little colder. The muddy road made people like us who used to walk on asphalt path move carefully every step on the way. Children in Xidatan like rainy days and not afraid of cold at all. On the contrary, they hope the home crops can grow up so as to maintain their life. When hearing this, I realized that they are more mature than children in cities in Taiwan are. Their mature made me feel sad. The rainy afternoon will no longer dust outside, children would play ducks and drakes by standing water. Watching their happy playing face, I gradually like rainy days as well. Raining is good.    

Giving more fortunate than gaining

I spent some time in preparing the 16 class of three subjects. The night before leaving, I hope that in the service-learning team can bring some different messages and some different stimulation to local students. With this idea in mind, we got to Xidatan after two and half a day.

After teaching for 5 days, significantly, under conditions that not clearly about their level in study, what we can brought to them was quite little but they helped us much to grow up. They actively participated in class and when teacher on stage raised a question, they respond warmly. After one week, no conditions appear to make teacher feel embarrassed such as self-ask and self-answer. The children may not understand all, sometimes may try to guess, but they always tried to answer bravely. Not afraid of be rebuffed and not hesitate to give a wrong answer, this is the different place compared to most Taiwan children. The courage from children gave us more power and the additional class became another kind of sweet burden.

Except the impact the children brought to us, we also felt about the intentions of teachers in school to students. In order not to affect our teaching schedule, they had additional math class at night specially. Moreover, uncle Wang who took in charge of our meals in a day always urged us to eat tirelessly.

Our capability is limited and output is quite little. Having a sincere heart, gain is much more than that can image.

14 days’ journey

On August 14, I came back to Taiwan, family, friends, motor boss and barber hall’s sister before leaving and all people knew that I went to Gan Su all asked me the same sentence: “is it fun to have the trip?” I would like to answer with “it is a very rewarding experience.” Having fun is not enough to express the 14 days, it also lower the value of the 14 days in my heart.

The 14 days’ experience is enough for me to get through the hard junior year in senior students’ mouth and I believe I can last longer. During the 14 days, partners of the same class and people of all ages stay together from morning till night. Most of them met the first time and they had less understanding of each other. Therefore, there were many topics to talk about and heard of many life stories. For people not like to hear stories like me, it is really an enjoying thing. Listening to others’ stories about happiness and sadness, my mood also went ups and downs and my vision became wide at the same time.

Fortunately, in the last summer vacation in university with strangers in the same world, we entered into another world with our love together. During the short 14 days, strangers started to knowing and understanding each other gradually. The parting at last is not that sentimental because we all know that we will meet again. After having been to Gan Su, even form Taipei to Pingdong is not distant at all.

In the journey, except the cherished partners, there also have a group of important people---children in Xidatan. In the low light classroom, always can see back shadows of whom always have their nose in books and their full up diligence smile. In another world, a group of children is living hard like them. Backing to Taiwan, every time thinking about them will make me value what I have in front of my eyes and how fortunately we can live life like this. 14 days later, the pray habit before meal in Xidatan also came back to Taiwan with me. Except praying, the most important thing is appreciate, be thankful, and no longer regard people around as naturally, moreover, it also makes me more feel about my existence.

It has already been 7days since I coming back to Taiwan, there always have some contact with partners, and it seems that our heart are all not back with us, they were left in the mountain thousand of kilometers away together. Thanks to the science and technology, the pictures in Xidatan had been completely reserved, and I believe that our heart of sincere service will also exist forever.