Reflection

Shirley Nah

I first heard about the AID program through my mother who was bent on finding something productive for me to do over the summer.  Convinced that only zealous “nerds” would be applying, I was extremely weary about the company I would be keeping for the duration of the program.  Moreover, I was aware that my grasp on Chinese was elementary at best and that it was worsening the older I grew.  However, once I found out that I had been accepted as a volunteer, I couldn’t help but be a little excited at the new experience this opportunity afforded me.

          When I first arrived at Tao Yuan for training I was a little overwhelmed.  The other eleven studnets in my training team were not only extremely outgoing and engaging people, they were also extremely qualified.  Every volunteer had something to offer to the team and we all quickly bonded by the second day; even our chaperones became part of our cohesive unit.  The week of training flew by quickly; the quality of the speakers was impressive and my team seemed to be getting along even more as the days went by.

          Once training had ended, the twelve students in my team split up into their two schools. Five other teachers and I went to Hai Duan Middle School.  When we finally arrrived at the school we were frightened, missing the other half of our training team, and exhausted.  It took us awhile to get situated to our living arrangements but the surrounding scenery was beyond breathtaking and we had a lot of preparing to do which kept us busy.  I am very fortunate to have had a group who worked extremely well together.  We discussed every detail and explored every possibility of a situation before finally reaching the best plan for our program.

          The hardest part of planning however was gauging the level of the students.  We were unsure of their level and it seemed that all our training was geared toward teaching simple ABC’s and not enough on higher level students.  Teaching turned out to be a much harder task than I could have ever imagined.  However, the students we receieved were not only highly eager to learn, but they were also extremely vibrant and upbeat.  Our program felt less like a classroom and more of a summer camp.  By the middle of the first week we became extremely close to the students and we ended up being more of a mentor than a teacher figure.

          All in all this expeirience was unforgettable.  The last day with the students was an extremely tearful one as much as a cliché that is. Even though our teaching has ended, we still have students who come visit us at the school just simply because they miss us.  This experience so rewarding and it seems odd to to me that I will never see many of my students again.  The month has been hands down the most rewarding month of my year thus far and I hope I will never forget the impact it has had on me.  I have learned so much from my fellow teachers but most of all from my studnets.