This week brought the end of English and extracurricular classes. It is pretty crazy how we are already done with classes even though we are really only around halfway done with the program. I admit that in previous weeks, I was looking forward to the end of classes. I was getting really exhausted, lesson plans were getting repetitive, and some students were getting on my nerve. But looking back, I really actually miss several aspects of teaching at No. 9. For one, I will miss seeing all of the students together. Of course, I am close to a handful of students and will continue to hang out with them outside of school once we return from our trip and they finish their exams, but there are a couple of students whom I would like to get to know more but do not have their contact information. I will most likely never see these students again. I will also miss walking through the gates of school and greeting the security guards and nearby students with bright faces early in the morning. And what I will miss the most is seeing students, who previously were rascals in my class but became friends with me outside of class, get excited to see me in class, run to sit in the front of class, and help me keep order in the classroom. This situation has made me realize that even though some activities might seem tiring and monotonous, I should cherish the moments I have here, as I will probably end up missing these times.
This week, Shelsea and I also finished putting together our journalism portfolio. We spent most of weekend working on it at cafes and each other’s host homes. It was very exciting and relieving when we finished it, as we fulfilled one of our duties to the best of our abilities. I felt really proud of Shelsea and myself for putting it together. At first, I was a little uncertain if we would be able to pull off such a feat, since I did not know if our students would be willing to write enough content for us. However, we were able to create activities and writing prompts interesting enough for the students’ engagement. It was really nice to see how our students actually cared about what they were writing, asking us how to spell different words and proofread their work. I am really glad that Shelsea and I now will have something physical to have as proof that we did something in Zhuhai and contributed to our group. At times, I felt as if I was slacking or not putting enough effort into my extracurricular class compared to others, as they would be practicing dances or formations during breaks and share their experiences with me. However, now I feel that I also put in the work and deserve to say I also taught an extracurricular class.
Lastly, my homesickness has only gotten worse this week. It is strange because I feel that I am growing closer to my fellow Dukies here and students at school and am genuinely having a good time hanging out with the people here. However, I find myself talking about Hawaii, listening to music of home, and calling family more and more. I feel that the last few weeks of the program will go by really quick. I am looking forward to visiting Beijing again and LuoYang and Xi’an, although I am afraid that I might try too hard to prove I know some things about Chinese history and culture. Sometimes, I am too eager to prove that I know some things about China, but hopefully, I can keep my cool and let others enjoy these cities for the first time too. I will try to reflect more when I have free time, as several experiences are coming to an end while others are just starting, and I want to remember my thoughts before I forget them.
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