Day 16: June 20, 2017

Today felt like a traveling day. We went on a long bus ride down to St. Paul's Co-educational School that was interesting. We took a tour and their dorm rooms were very modern and nice. We later met up with the prefect students who told us more about their school and answered any questions we had about the educational system. It was really interesting to hear how different their values and system was from PA's. Multiple girls told me that usually during 11th and 12th grade, everyone only focuses on academics and stops their sports and arts hobbies in order put their time towards academics. It was surprising to see students from a very different environment and how they acted towards it. I remember reemphasizing my question about if there are any that continue their sports and arts after 11th and 12th grade, and one of the girls answered not really and said that everyone focused solely on academics, but it was more surprising to hear her say it like it was normal, and how other students are the same. After visiting the school, we went to Crossroad, a foundation that brings together people in need and people who can help by global distribution, hand, experience, and handicrafts. We started out with a moving speech by the head of the organization. We then went into a room where we folded clothes and packed them by category. However, in the middle, I started to get a pounding headache, so I wish I could've done more.

We later did two simulations, one for HIV/AIDS, and one for blindness. My group chose Atim's story. She was sold into prostitution, was abused, and later was told there was a possibility of her having HIV/AIDS. It was a very emotional story, and it was the first time I really connected child prostitution and STD's together. The second simulation was one on blindness. A group of 10 and I went into a completely pitch black room and had to maneuver our way through the environment using bamboo sticks with the help of our guide. To be honest, it was pretty scary. I was shocked because after all these years, I finally understood or got a small glimpse of a life of a blind person. This simulation was definitely eye opening. 

After the simulations, we hopped on the bus and went to a night market. We had a lot of free time to walk around, and I ended up getting a funny shirt and a wooden happy buddha statue for my brother. We later got ice cream waffles, but I felt really bad for making the group wait for a couple of us because the waffles took such a long time to make. 

It's the second last of the day, and if I had to reflect on the trip so far, I would definitely say that I've learned so much about myself on this trip. It was a memorable trip, and different from any other I've been a part of. It was a very eye opening experience. Being in different parts of China and learning more about the culture, it has allowed me to better understand what kind of environment my parents grew up in and that a lot of my culture originates from China. Furthermore, I also learned that there's a lot more to a country than just it's history. I think history of a country is one thing, but how the culture of that country has been able to develop from the events through is the most interesting part. 

High: night market
Low: getting a headache & making the group wait 
Shoutout: 1. Dr. K for always being there and always eager/concerned to help 2. Emily for dying her hair