The thin line between work and play

Trip Start Sep 17, 2006
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Trip End Aug 2007


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Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Friday 1st December was World AIDS Day, and the day my past 2 weeks have been building up to. I have been teaching my Grade 1 students HIV/AIDS awareness all week and even ran a workshop for the teachers to encourage them to teach a lesson on AIDS also (4 of which have, reaching 160 additional students)Me and the volunteers have spent each evening making and selling red ribbons, which has raised almost 1000 yuan! We also organised a Performance party, which involved me taking part in a play (can't order a meal fluently but can perform in a chinese play!)The audience expected me to speak in English and there was a gasp when I said my lines which really threw me but it went ok. We then gathered on Friday to sign a STOP AIDS banner and those wearing red made the shape of the red ribbon (see photos included). So I was really proud of everyone and on the 5th it was International Volunteers Day. I put up a Photography Exhibition of all the activities they've done this year and posters saying why it is they volunteer, to show the rest of the college how incredible they are
at the island
at the island
. They work so hard and make my job so easy - sometimes I think I dont even have a job, their great.
This weekend I took some of my students to the park, it was Ebony's birthday so we went boating on the huge lake and had races to the island and back (of course my boat won!). Afterwards we also spotted the bizarr past-time of putting children into giant inflatable balls and throwing them into the water to bob around and wear themselves out. (See video clip from Xian for a better idea). So of course I had a go! It was like being on some crazy Chinese game show, and quite a work out I can tell you!
We met one of the teachers on her way to her wedding on Friday and Ive learnt all about Chinese Weddings! The groom comes to the mother-in-law's house where the bride is and has to post money through the door until the brides family thinks its enough! Then her friends and family hide her shoes so she can't leave the house! Once she has her shoes and the groom forces his way in he carrys her to the car to his house and then the brides family have to put money through his door to get her back, then they all go for a banquet! What Fun!
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