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Hsu, Tiffany (徐靖婷)
I can honestly say that AIDSummer has drastically changed my life. Up until this summer, I have never spent a day without my family. My mother is a firm believer in allowing us to study and relax and leaving her to the chores, so I have never washed any dishes, or cooked food. I have never used a washing machine, nor wash clothes by hand, nor use a dryer, or hang clothes on a line. I always slept with my mother in the same room because our house only has 2 rooms. But when I flew to Taiwan and came to Chien Tan, everything changed--even though I didn't have to cook my own food, I had to learn how to use the washing machine and dryer. I had to learn how to sleep in a room full of strangers(who would then become some of my closest and most precious friends) and I had to learn how to cope without my family that I was so dependent on. When I went to my Long Yuan Elementary School, I had to learn how to separate trash from the food we feed to pigs, to recyclable items. I had to sweep the floor, and take out the trash, and separate the different types of plastics. That was just the lifestyle here in Taiwan--when it came to the actual teaching, that greatly impacted me as well. I never really liked interacting with kids. I thought that talking to kids was too awkward and fake. However, after spending 2 weeks teaching these kids, I realized something extremely important. Children are the most blunt people in this world. Therefore, they are honest, and true to themselves. If they love you, they're not afraid to show their affection. And they truly want to learn English, and treasure the lessons we teach them. Watching these children expand their knowledge because of us is the most satisfying reward. All of the people that I have met through AidSummer, and the experience altered my life and mentality, and I honestly would never trade this summer for anything else.
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Kou, Jerry (郭永晟)
I'm very glad I participated in this program. I thought that I wouldn't like it very much because I would be older than most of the other volunteers and they would irritate me with their immaturity. Truthfully, I got lucky. The 7 others in my group are amazing people and I wouldn't have traded any of them for anyone else. We went to 關廟國小 and the staff and teachers there were extremely kind and open to us all.
I decided to apply for AID because I intend to become a teacher in the future. I didn't have any teaching experience so I thought this would be a good start for me; I wanted to see if this would be the right decision for me. After two weeks teaching 5th and 6th graders, I've come to the realization that becoming a teacher is the right decision for me.
I love working with kids. Sometimes, they can be annoying, irritating and impatient. But they're also a joy to teach. They were all bright and good students but some of them had trouble paying attention in class. It's only been a few days since I saw them last but I admit I miss them. Some of the kids made us gifts or bought us gifts. A few of the boys were joking around with me and asked me to bring them back with me to the U.S.
One of my favorite students is named T.O.P. According to one of the teachers, he comes from a poor family and his family more than likely has gang ties. He dresses in all-black clothing and is the class clown and likes the attention. But his pronunciation is one of the best of all the students and he's a very bright student; unfortunately, he just doesn't apply himself very much. It makes me sad to think that his future might not be the best for him because of his family and its relationships. I wish the best for him and hope he makes a bright future for himself.
Everything fell into place with AID. I worked with 7 other amazing people and taught at an amazing school. This has been such a rewarding experience for me that I will never forget. I hope to visit the school again in the next few years and catch up with the teachers and maybe I'll even see some of my students once again.
Something I want to mention to improve upon is the ice breakers during the first day of the training. I felt it was VERY inappropriate for various reasons. One of the ice breakers required people to touch my face and body. I don't like people touching my face and body without my permission so I felt it was very inappropriate, especially as strangers, they invaded my personal space. Another ice breaker required people to dance around another person, acting as a pole. This was very similar to pole dancing and is very inappropriate for teenagers to see and act on. These ice breakers need to be removed; I don't understand how ANYONE thought these ice breakers would be okay for high schoolers.
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Fong, Stephanie (方翔寧)
During the volunteer service, I learned most importantly how to serve selflessly. Previous to this experience, I was always caught up in partaking in activities that benefited me only. Upon being taken outside of my comfort zone, I was faced with the issue of either having a miserable time or having a rewarding experience. Luckily, faced with the enthusiasm of the students, a fire ignited within me and I found a passion in teaching. While I previously believed I would just go through with the motions, I ended up thoroughly reviewing the challenges faced each day and editing my lesson plan to reflect the ability levels of the students. Overall, I think this experience helped me to think outside the box and strive towards higher levels.
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Ding, Chloe (丁巧馨)
The children were all amazing. Even though they had a lot of energy and sometimes caused great frustration, they never failed to make me smile. Each lesson took longer than I had anticipated because I was teaching a younger class, so I was unable to do some activities I had originally planned. Repetition is key to helping the kids remember vocabulary and sounds, but it can become a bit dry and the kids get antsy if they are unable to move around for very long. Many games focused towards the vocabulary of the day (such as four corners) were great in letting the kids unleash some energy while also enforcing the lesson of the day. We were continually editing our lesson plan to accommodate new obstacles and nearly always went to bed after midnight in order to prepare for the next day's lesson. A point system with rewards at every 10 point mark worked very well to encourage participation. I also found that just dance videos on youtube were great resources for letting the kids enjoy themselves during break and could even act as a guide for the closing ceremony performance.
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Lin, Charles (林家生)
I learned a lot. About interacting with children, about working with partners in an extremely close environment, about teaching, about myself. This is by far the most rewarding and enriching summer activity I have ever undertaken, and I am so very thankful for this opportunity that AID has given me. Some lessons I learned were to be open and positive with children, the importance of punctuality and memory, how to create lesson plans, how I operate under time constraints, and that meetings should be run as efficiently as possible. The tour has also been plenty amazing, and I've utilized it fully to interact with other groups and meet new people.. not to mention the photo opportunities that the tour provided and group bonding moments.
Thank you AID!
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Lim, Perry (林岳澤)
I would like to thank all the counselors, sponsors of this program, my parents, teachers, and students who have allowed me to have such a wonderful experience in Taiwan. This was really a new experience that I never had before in my life because it was teaching kids English and motivating them to continue striving to learn English. Coming to Taiwan I saw that all the kids were different and different teaching materials would help benefit the kids. There was no set teaching plan that can be used over and over again on the same kids because all the kids were different and how they learned best from varied in so many different ways. Making a teaching plan prior to this place was almost completely ignored because of the conditions of the students. A lot of the students depending on where they lived had different standards and English which isn't bad because that's why so many different people came over to teach them. When I first came to Chien Tan I didn't really know how to teach kids because back in America I would usually just volunteer at a library with some interaction with kids. But to survive a whole day with little kids and have good class management and allow the kids the strive was really a challenge. I would like to thank our teacher Lucy lao shi for providing us with great advice and encouragement when this was our groups first time teaching English to the little kids. Everyday it was tiring because in order for the kids to be energetic and have fun the teachers, us, also have to be very energetic. And then at the end of everyday there was a meeting on what we could have done better and also the next day teaching plan had to be written. Almost none of it could be done in advance because of the different standards and condition of the students. Staying up til 1am-2am writing teach plan was tiring and on top of that on that very next day you had to give it you're all. Although it was tiring and exhausting it was definitely worth seeing the kids learn from us and will probably continue to strive to learn English even after we're done.
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Fu, Angela (傅世婷)
This program has been life changing to say the least. I was not a huge fan of training week but everything after that was amazing. I enjoyed working with peers to make a teaching plan and interacting with students to educate them and change their lives. If given the chance to do this program again, I would definitely do it, especially if it means I get to go to the school I was assigned to again.
Training week was my least favorite week but that doesn’t mean it was horrible. I enjoyed meeting my group members, coach, and counselor. I was also grateful for most of the lectures. The activities/card game lecture was the most helpful because most of my teaching plan included activities. My teaching partner and I didn’t want too much of the class to be dedicated to lecture. The meals during this week were delicious. I was never worried about getting hungry. The biggest problem we faced during training week was not having stable Wi-Fi because it made uploading necessary files onto the website very hard. I also didn’t like having an official ceremony at the start and end of the training week but I understand that is probably required. I could tell the speeches that the VIP people were improvised and I didn’t like the icebreakers on the first day. I don’t think the icebreakers are necessary. Other than these few things, I’m pretty satisfied with training week.
The two weeks of teaching are debatably the best weeks of my life. I loved teaching, knowing I was making a difference in these children’s lives. It was fun to get to know each of the student’s personalities. They were all very caring individuals and they were all good people. At times, teaching got difficult because I think we planned too many games for the students. They mostly seemed to not enjoy games as much towards the end of the teaching period. However, that is a very minor problem compared to amount of fun I had. Because the age difference was so little, my students were almost more like friends to me. It was so hard to leave the school at the end of the teaching period.
Tour has been fun, I appreciate everything the counselors have done for us so far. They’re so hardworking. The places we’ve visited are beautiful and the things we’ve done are fun too. My only concern would be the one time we had to be moved out by 7:30. It was too early and we didn’t have a long enough time to sleep on the bus.
My best moment picture is taken on the last day of class. They don’t look very happy but it was the best day because my partner and I had a longer period of time to talk to them as friends, rather than students. A lot of them were sad to leave when school ended and we took a lot of pictures together.
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Wai, Brianne (霍明仙)
I personally thought this program was a really great experience. In general, I have always enjoyed working with children and volunteering, but I definitely got a lot more out of this trip than I expected. It really made me feel like I was making an impact on the world, even if it was just through the lives of 17 1st and 2nd grade children. They showed so much love and care for us and became immediately attached to us. Even though we only spent 2 weeks with these children, I very quickly grew to love them. They had an excitement for learning that was contagious, and spread happiness through the classroom. They loved to play with us as well and were extremely friendly. Their living conditions weren't exactly the nicest, but they were always so happy and grateful for everything, and it really made me realize the power of attitude. I learned a lot from this experience and I am really appreciative that I had the chance to participate in this program.
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Liau, David (廖達偉)
It's really been one of the best experiences in all these years. I feel like these children have really taught me what it means to be prepared; all of the training, the working journals, the reflections, and most of all the attention and time spent on the kids. It's almost as if I have a whole bunch of little siblings that I have to take care of. There are the ones who love learning English, the rowdy ones, the quiet but studious ones, and those who love nothing more than have fun. I love spending time with every single one of them. It also gave me an idea of just how much our teachers need to prepare to teach us each and every week. But the happiness from the kids and the experience that we got out of it is definitely one of the best things that has happened all year. The living conditions were much better than I had expected, too- it was really nice for them to give us the teachers' dorms. We didn't see many bugs at all, and the rooms were extremely clean. Thank you for everything!
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Chao, Angela (趙芩)
I loved this program so much! To me, being able to meet all these new people with common interests is a blessing. Not only did we make friends and unforgettable memories, we got to know the real taiwan outside of a hotel. At first, I was terrified of teaching. How should i teach? Would the kids like me? Worries clouded my head like no tomorrow. But now, i say teaching at Long Yuan elementary was the best thing that ever happened. The children made it fun for us, and were so friendly every day. Our teacher was wonderful as well, to us not only was she a great mentor, but a fantastic friend. Thank you AID Summer!
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Lee, Kevin (李佾昇)
Participating in AID this summer has strengthened my passion for teaching. It was a wonderful feeling to help these kids in need and giving to a less fortunate community. Seeing all those students eager to learn gave me strength to work harder on their behalf. Furthermore, being able to see a new side of the Taiwan has deepened my love for Taiwan. Although not as fast pace as the city, the rural communities are also full of people who share the same ambitions as us. Over these two short weeks, I have developed strong connections with all my students, kids that I will never forget for the rest of my life. I will miss them a lot.
The counselors were all very helpful, helping us every step of the way. They were always waking up before us and sleeping after to make sure we are all taken care of. It would have been impossible to do anything without them. Furthermore the administrative staff at our elementary school also helped us tremendously. Everything from daily living and teaching kids, we could always count on them to be there to help us. It was such an amazing group of people who I had the honor of working with.
Becoming an AID volunteer also made me realize how fortunate I was, growing up in America. Having teaching assistants who were older than me made me realize how unfair this world was. Just because they lived in a certain place in the world, they did not have the opportunity to experience the teaching experience I had. Even though they probably could have done a much better job than I could, they were only responsible for repetitive menial tasks like cutting paper and stapling homework. Regardless, they came to school everyday eager to help us in anyway possible. It was truly a humbling experience.
Seeing the kids at the school made me feel even more guilty about my laziness and arrogance. Seeing the kids getting to school early and always eager to learn made me seem like a terrible person when I was their age. Everyday I would see hard working kids with complete homework, all neatly organized, sitting in class eager to learn. Even though sometimes they would be noisy and playful, when it came to learning English, everyone had the best work ethic I’ve ever seen with kids their age. Every student showed noticeable improvement over the two week program, being able to read longer sentences and writing more words. It was heartbreaking to leave them behind.
Their performance during the closing ceremony made me so proud of their progress. Being able to put on a show with four different programs goes to show you the immense learning capacity all these students have. I am sure all of these kids can go on to do great things, as long as we provide them with the resources to do so. I hope that in the future, I can continue to visit these students and helping them in any way I can.
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Yen, Joseph (顏凱偉)
During these past two weeks at Da Guan Elementary, I have created some of the most memorable moments of my life. Teaching, being together with our students through AID really was the experience of a lifetime.
Helping a quiet, isolated child become a smiling, integral part of our class. Seeing an autistic kid evolve into a inquisitive child always asking what certain English words mean. Smiling and laughing with our students while learning English through sports, trips, and games. Crying together with them as we sadly separated. Being reunited with them at Tamsui as they visited us during tour week. These are only a few of the countless memories I will remember forever.
Throughout these two weeks, I also found myself growing and learning. My students became my teachers, renewing some of the things that have been fading away as the years have passed: how to be curious, how to hope, how to find happiness in everything they do. Seeing my students work together and helping each other out on their own will motivated me to do even more, work even harder to inspire them.
To my students (Jack, Allen, Willy, Tim, Lily, Vicky, Eric, Nina, Howard, Rebecca, Maggie, Jay, Max), my fellow teachers (Melody, Linda, Daphne), our helper (Gary), Amy Teacher, and Da Guan Elementary, thank you for this amazing, unforgettable experience. I will miss you all so, so much.
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Ng, Tiffany (黃儒慧)
The AID program exceeded my expectations. At first coming into this program I thought I was not going to like it at all but it turns out that it was a very special experience that I will never forget. In the beginning I thought that I was not going to like the children or teaching in the countryside, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. I miss the children so much and the view at the school. The school is serene and calm compared to the fast paced life in the city. Also, the kind of culture in the countryside is very different from the city, for people in the countryside have more hospitality in my opinion. I'm very glad to have experienced living in the countryside and bringing my knowledge of English to people who are willing to learn it. It was also really nice to have played a small role I'm other peoples' lives as well. I was sad yet happy to see the children cry during the last day of school because it was a sign that we meant something to the children and they liked having us teachers there. The tour was also a really nice treat at the end of the two week teaching period. It served as an award for all the volunteer teachers who spent a lot of time and energy teaching students English. Also, the rooms provided at my host school, 栗林國小, was nicer than I expected for the countryside and the hotels on the tour were great as well. This summer program is one that I will never forget.
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Hsia, Vanessa (夏凡舜)
This has been one of the most unforgettable two weeks of my life. At first I was unsure how I would adapt to being a teacher and more importantly, how I would be around kids. I was afraid that the kids wouldn't like me or that they wouldn't be able to learn anything from me. I was afraid of failing. But two weeks flew by and here I am. At first it was very difficult transitioning from a student to a teacher. It was difficult to find the balance between teacher and "older sister." It was difficult to get the kids interested in English. But like everything else, once things took its toll, everything just flowed naturally. The kids started warming up. We started to get a hang of things. The kids started not to fear speaking English. And after two weeks I am proud to say that our kids have learned a lot and their language skills did improve drastically. Not only so, we got them to start thinking critically and realizing that everything they're learning in school is not that irrelevant to them, that everything is connected. We got them to start asking questions about their identity, their future, and their world. In these two weeks we were able to bring out the creativity in these kids that traditional teachings have suppressed and we have developed strong and meaningful friendships with these kids as well. The kids at Wu Feng are very special. They are intelligent, creative, curious, and most importantly, their minds are like canvases waiting to be splashed with colors of new knowledge. Being able to meet and interact with these students is an invaluable experience I would not trade for the world. I think these kids really brought us back down to earth. They might have been there to learn from us but I believe that we learned so much more from them. Like I said, this was an experience unlike any other and if I was given the chance, I would return to Wu Feng in a heartbeat.
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Schmidt, Andrew (俞蘭渚)
This program has exceeded my expectations on all accounts. Before coming, I was expecting a month away from home and friends that would be absolutely awful. Upon arriving however, I made friends quickly and realized that this trip wouldn't be so bad. The days go by slowly, but the weeks fly by. The first week of training was interesting to say the least. The real fun begins when you step off the bus and step into your school. At first it was daunting, but the first weekend was a great time to get familiar with the school. First meeting the kids was... trying... They were reluctant to speak, much less learn English. They didn't see how it would be useful. A few days in I learned the names of some very important people to me. Some students really stand out and make going to school something worth waking up to. I really connected with the students after this, which made saying goodbye even harder on the last day. I never truly realized how much the students would eventually mean to me until I saw them crying the last day and bringing us gifts and taking countless photos. The closing ceremony was a very bittersweet experience in and of itself. During the two weeks teaching, I learned to teach, to speak, and to dance. (My students loved dancing.) The next morning a student even came to say goodbye to us. It really speaks to not only how much these students meant to me, but also how much we meant to them. The last week of touring, I got closer to all the friends I had met earlier in the trip. On top of that, I met all the counselors, who were amazing. Not only did they always strive to make our lives easier, they also did their best to educate us on Taiwan.
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Hsu, Joshua (徐清皓)
Coming to AID was one of the best decisions I made. In the beginning, I didn’t think I would be accepted because I missed the deadline and I was a little late. But, for some reason, it all worked out and I met some amazing people here and gained a new perspective on teaching that I never had before.
There are a few moments in life where you take a step back and reflect on the experience you have had. Afterwards, you will revisit those memories and the experiences you shared during that time.
Towards the beginning of AID, I had a culture shock. I had never seen so many Asians my age in my life. Most of the time, I would be the only Asian in any given friend group. Now, I am surrounded by Asians and it’s safe to say we’ve bonded over the same diasporic culture clash. After talking to the people around me and slowly got to know them. However, by the time we were warming up, we got shipped off to our respective schools.
Teaching was a whole new beast by itself. I gained a definite amount of respect for the teachers who are able to teach children year round. The two weeks were a constant guess work of what the mosts effective method to teach the kids. Most of the time, we just winged it. We definitely made several mistakes when teaching as well. We would then learn from those mistakes and apply it the next day we teach.
AID was filled with memories I will revisit for years to come.
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Chiang, Timothy (蔣岳廷)
Before this program, I was frightened of the prospect of instructing students in the art of English. I knew I didn’t possess the ability to express myself in front of others and I knew I had no way of communicating with little kids. In fact, I found little Junior High Kids annoying (when I signed up for this event, I expected to be teaching elementary kids). Upon entering the school, one of my worst fears came into fruition, no air conditioning. I did not know how I would live life at school without A.C. much less plan teaching lessons for students. A few moments later, my horror reached a new point, my homestay had no air conditioning to provide; we would have to sleep everyday without the comfort of cold temperature. In addition, we were living in the middle of a forest in the center of a mountain. This meant showering with the scariest of bugs and sleeping with large sized spiders. This was not the life I had been expecting to live at.
For the first two days, life was hell. We would be practicing in the heat of 32 degrees Celsius and everyday we’d beg the principal to take us to 7-11 just for a small moment of air conditioning. The guys would ask to stay at school since going back was even worse than the hell that was school. After those first two days though we gradually began to give into the nature life-style. Sleep began to come easier to us at night and adjusting to the new life became much simpler. Once we had fully adjusted to the new lifestyle, our time here in bei-pu middle school began to go by swiftly.
Teaching for four hours wasn’t as difficult as it sounded. In fact, 4 hours of teaching was not enough to cover what we had hoped to cover. The students knew less English than we hoped and their skill level in English was all over the place. There were some students who were exceptional in English and there were others that completely didn’t understand English. Teaching English was difficult and we didn’t know what to do at first but as each day passed, we’d learn from our mistakes of the previous days and improve on them until the final few days where our lessons were smooth and eloquent.
This teaching experience has shown me the concept of trying new things. At first it may seem difficult and tedious, but after a while, it becomes more enjoyable and different than what it was in the beginning. I have come to see teaching as an acquired tasted. Only after experiencing it can you truly enjoy it. All in all, this experience has changed me mentally, emotionally, and physically.
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Lee, Samantha (李文碩)
From green shirt people lecturing us for getting water after bed, to little kids bawling their eyes out why you’re about to leave, this experience is one you will never forget. Patience is truly a virtue and confidence is key. Don’t despair, the gratification you receive from not only the students, but also the teacher and staff is something you will never ever let go of. The cherished memories of classrooms filled with chaotic children and their tearful eyes as they hold on to you you and beg you to never leave are precious. Coming into this experience, I never thought in a million years that I would ever shed any tears, much less over anyone that I had just met. Turns out, this was not true. During these few weeks, I have cried more than I did while watching “The Fault in Our Stars” (which is a lot). I have created numerous bonds with not only the people in my group, but others as well. These newly created friends will remain in my heart forever, as will the counselors and teachers. AID, thank you for this opportunity. AID COUNT ON ME!
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Ko, Barbara (柯慶恩)
"Long live, the walls that crashed through.."
Count on Me. Ay-Eye-Dee. Attention! Attention! they screamed at us. July 5th, dinner at Chientan, meeting my new partners for the first time. Little did we know this would be our routine, that first and last weeks.
At first, I did not like the way the "green shirts" treated us. We were college-aged adults, not middle school youngsters. We could be trusted to sleep and be responsible - or so I thought. I resented the uniform, the required bed check, the demerit system, the laundry list of rules, some unwritten, and more. Classes at Chientan were boring at times, and my coach "Laoshi" noted on an evaluation that I seemed to be distracted in class. Rather, my mind was half writing out whatever was on my mind in a notebook so that the other half could pay attention - lest my entire brain cease to pay attention completely. Still, when they spoke about creative teaching, I know I learned a lot. As I grew closer with my group's own "green shirt" counselor Kerensa, my dislike of "the green shirts" delegated to my dislike of the rules that they were required to enforce - a separate entity completely. As a program, the closing ceremony parodied the uniforms we wore and the ubiquitous sightings of the counselors we loved and resented so much. We hugged them and said goodbye.
Flash forward and I'm getting off the bus at Nanhua Junior High School. "You're the one who's so worried about air conditioning," my partners told me. It actually wasn't that hot, though, and a few days later, I was accustomed to it. Fans on high, windows open, we made do. At one point, I actually felt cold at night, my thin blanket pulled up high, on the verge of shivers. I even became used to the bugs. Screaming at the top of my lungs when a cockroach approached me the first night, Laoshi ran out of his neighboring dorm to ask us what was the problem. "Sorry, it's just a c-c-cockroach," I said. He walked away. Ten days later, I was making my way down to the main school. A cockroach scurried away from me. I didn't even bother to yawn. When I saw one in the shower, I let it go on its merry way. I know my adjustment is temporary though - although we cohabited with lizards, 5-inch spiders, and other critters, I'm sure that in the city, in my apartment, when I see another cockroach that I'm not expecting, I'll scream louder than that first day.
Teacher, teacher, teacher! It was hard to be one at first, and I think I delegated too much work to my teaching partner at first in fear of failure, but my students were such a joy and delight. I didn't always know what was doing, and they didn't always like the games we played, but it all really did work out in the end. "How much breakfast can you buy with NT 30?" I asked one day. "NT 30 can buy you lots of breakfasts!" they exclaimed. I laughed and shook my head. "In America, NT 30 - or one USD - can barely get you a water bottle from the vending machine." Shocked murmurs echoed throughout the room. "So expensive," they said. But then, when I said, "Minimum wage is $10.50," they would say, "You're so rich!" But I'm not rich - far from it, actually. You see, lovely children, when the cost of living is so high, you have to make a lot of money to survive. So, everything in Taiwan is cheap from an American wage view, but not necessarily from a Taiwanese wage view.
So many connections were made in those two weeks - with Laoshi, with his assistant and army guy "Catfish" Sheng-Yuan Chou diligently translating every little Chinese word that we didn't know into what English he did know. "The Little Engine that Could" took us into the next district - more populated - to eat dinner. It chugged up the mountaintop, where we played games and talked about which ones we could teach the kids. Of course, the students we'll remember too - they're just as important. Keeping in touch with them, even when I'm not so good at doing so, is important.
I did not like the rules. I did not like bed checks, wearing a uniform, or having to get up very early in the morning. I did not like being treated like an underage child, even when above the age of majority. I did not like the head counselor referring to us, over the loudspeaker, as "the kids" at breakfast. But what I did like was my counselor. What I did like were the students. What I did like were the experiences I helped to create. What I did like was figuring out, day by day, what the students wanted to learn.
I wish I could have known that beforehand. I wish I could have known that they would not like human knot, but that they would like charades until half the class decided it was too hard to guess. I wish I could have known that it's okay to make mistakes, even as a teacher in front of all your students. I wish I could have known that my students wanted to learn more than just vocabulary, and also taught more sentence structures. I wish I could have known the pretest and opening ceremony wouldn't have taken the entire first day. I wish I'd opened up and talked to my students more. Keeping to myself is safe, but it doesn't make you personable. I wish I'd eaten more mangoes from Nanhua's specialty land.
I wish we hadn't said goodbye.
I wish I could have cried when we said goodbye, instead of alone later. I wish I could have told them I will miss you. I wish I could have been able to promise them I'd be back next year, or any time ever.
I wish the two weeks hadn't been over.
Even though tomorrow I will be in Taipei proper, instead of lingering near the coastline, I will think of my school. My tour is not so bad, but it's no Nanhua. Here, there are rules, there are counselors, and there will be real life coming soon again.
And as someone once said - "I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you."
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