This week started off rough to say the least. On Monday, I woke up with cold-like symptoms, but typical me, I resorted to Advil because Advil solves all problems. I thought to myself, “I’ll be just fine; it’s not a big deal.” Honestly, I haven’t had such a weak immune system until coming to China. I usually keep my health concerns to myself because I never take anything seriously; it’s who I am. Even at home, I barely go to the doctor or hospital, because I’m used to little things that go away on their own. But this time, I wasn’t “fine.” Just earlier in the day, we were cheering for the ninth-grade students who were going to take the gaokao. During our time at No.9, we haven’t had much opportunities to interact with the ninth-graders due to their busy schedules and intense preparation for this test, so it was great to see all of the students crowding in the hallways to look outside and hear our bit of encouraging words. My peers and I were running through the halls and yelling at the top of our lungs. I felt fine. We performed our dances, threw some frisbees and footballs, and hopefully brightened the days of these students who are under a lot of pressure and stress about their future.
Later in the day, my joints were ACHING. I turned left, and it hurt. I sat down, and it hurt. I laid on the office floor, and it hurt. Hsiaomei had to send me home early on Monday, which was quite saddening because on the last two days of my Journalism class, I was absent. I couldn’t even say goodbye to my students or give them the praise they deserved for the wonderful work and progress I’ve seen in the past weeks. I couldn’t even take pictures of them to include in our final book. I couldn’t even take our “Last day of Class” selfie, a must-have of our Zhuhai No.9 experience. There are so many kids who I’ll probably never see or talk to again, especially because some don’t even have WeChat. Unfortunately, my time with my Journalism class was cut shorter than I had anticipated.
The following day, I stayed at home alone to recover, but all I wanted to do was go to No. 9 or maybe New York LOL. I was SO bored…bored out of my mind. For starters, BOTH of my phone chargers decided to not work, so I couldn’t even rely on social media for entertainment. I noticed this when my phone battery was at 1%. I was stressed because I was anticipating calls from Hsiaomei, Hong Kong SOS, my parents, but I basically was phoneless. I didn’t know how to find English shows/movies on the TV. I was a bit upset at my circumstances but took this time to really reflect on my experiences in China, and more specifically Zhuhai. Classes are over, but for me, it was an abrupt end. I feel like I have unfinished business because I wasn’t able to say goodbye to five of my classes and that hurts a bit. Although parts of the experience have been frustrating, such as being sick or tired nonstop, I will dearly miss all of the relationships I’ve formed with the students, and even those that only started to bud. There was one student who initially would not participate in English class at all. He would put his head down in the corner and not even look my way. However, the past two weeks, he started to be more engaged and we became friends. I’ll forever remember another student in Journalism who despised me at first because I turned his computer off after I repeatedly told him to stop playing games in class. This kid later wrote a heartfelt note to me about his experience in both my Journalism and English class and how much he’s learned. Seeing how we all began as strangers, and along the way built trust and connection with one another, is what I’ll treasure most about Zhuhai.
Suddenly, I got a knock on the door and it was our queen, Yanan. SHE REALLY CAME ALL THE WAY TO MY HOUSE TO GET ME A CHARGER. @Yanan, you do so much for our DukeEngage team to make sure everything runs smoothly and that everyone feels good and welcome <3 @Hsiaomei, thank you so much for your incessant check-ups and unconditional care, even when you’re not feeling your best either, from telling me to shut up and get some rest when you notice I’m on WeChat to your calls asking me how I’m doing and reminding me to stay hydrated. We love you both! Later that night, Yanan came to my house to bring me peanut butter biscuits, cheese biscuits, and gatorades. I told Yanan this, but it felt different seeing her outside of the office. We talked about a wide range of things, and ultimately, she helped uplift my spirits. Our conversations are always bomb and insightful. But it doesn’t stop there. After an intensive search of symptoms, I came to the conclusion that I had tonsillitis, and salt-water gargles were not going to do the job. I was scared of not being able to go on next week’s excursions, so Yanan also took me to the hospital on Thursday night and made sure I was taken care of. tear emoji I was going to Beijing no matter what. Thankfully, I feel much better now J.
On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we went to the Zhuhai Vocational School and The Center for Children with Special Needs. I particularly really enjoyed my time at The Center for Children with Special Needs. For once, I felt like no one had more of an advantage in forging connections with the students because the students had hearing/speech impairments, so our ability to speak Chinese didn’t matter. We helped the students draw and color, and it was the most wholesome activity ever. I felt connected with my student and seeing the smile on his face when we came again on Friday was priceless.
Although this week started off rough, it has progressively (and exponentially) gotten better. I am very excited to visit new parts of China and learn more about Chinese history this week!