As the end of the program approaches, we received a wonderful opportunity to volunteer at a migrant school located somewhere along the outskirts of Shanghai. When we arrived at the school, the kids were incredibly ecstatic to see foreigners coming. We started off by playing duck, duck, goose then split up into different groups doing various activities such as “go” (I think the boy was too young to know the rules so we played a game like connect 4 rather than go itself), “badminton “, “soccer”, jenga, arts and crafts, and more. One child drew a picture of me. Although it was less than flattering, it’s the thought that counts! I also tried to use a jump rope for the first time with them. One of the girls seemed quite interested in English and even brought a book out for another volunteer to help her read. However, when we asked if she liked English, her immediate response was, “我不喜欢!” (I don’t like). Surprised, we asked her why and she said, “因为英语太难了。” (because English is extremely difficult). Nevertheless, they still appeared eager to learn. The kids were so full of energy and joy. I hope we made their day; I know it made ours. It was a bit nostalgic for me as I had similar experiences when I was in Japan the first time and Thailand the first time.
