Explore a China many have not seen
Dirt road leading to the village
Anyue Holds a special place in my journey with Seeds of Hope
- 1. The first seed planted as a result of the devastating earthquake that rocked Sichuan in 2008 and destroyed many school and lives.
- 2. My very first SoH school visit
- 3. My first time to experience genuine rural life in China
- 4. It was the first SoH school my wife and I donated essential items
- 5. It was the first time most (if not all) of the villagers had met a foreigner
Seeing the student's countenance change from apprehension on our first trip to joy when they saw our bus drive to the school made these trips a success. As we helped more schools in various location, YCIS plan as part of the rebuilding of these schools was for them to become sister schools of one of the nearby YCIS campus. Anyue Primary school became the sister school of our Chongqing YCIS school. Please browse through the galleries below and get to see the work we did there.
Photos of students and school
Since this was our first, we had to be careful not to ask about the earthquake. Also we could not freely walk about without having supervision. After we gained their trust, the authorities allowed us to walk about the village and explore freely.
Lunch and Recess
One of the things that impacted me greatly was their lunch. Our donation helped built a small cafeteria but it was only for the staff. Student had to bring a certain amount of rice to add to the pot. Any side dishes the students had to bring from home. You can tell whose family were a bit better off by what they brought for lunch. It made me realize how grateful I should be for the food I have been provided.
Village Life
Spring time in this county is beautiful beyond description. In this beauty, you also see the labor that the villagers must do to survive. Some carry their children on their backs as they work the land. The elderly carry their basket to the market. It made me appreciate the farmers when I eat the fruit of their labor.
When I saw the lady carrying such a heavy load, I went over to see if I could help. To my utter humiliation, I could barely lift the load of the ground. My knees were buckling under the weight and I could not take five steps. We chatted for a minute. She then proceeded to carry the load and take off as if in a race. She was moving fast.
Anyue: “Lemon Capitol of China”
Our Service and Donation
We did not know what to expect, so we asked what we could do before we arrived. The principal said we could paint the railings of the school. It was a project we all got involved in. In our first trip, Melissa put together together a zip lock bag with snacks and candies.
After our first visit, we knew that they needed some items to help them. So Melissa and I purchased for them a new set of basketball stands and table tennis. So, on our second trip, we helped assemble the basketball stands and table tennis. We also upped our goodies bag. We bought some canvas bags and put some stationary as well as some candies. On our third trip, our school purchased new desks and chairs for the students.
Music Opportunities to students
