Unit 12 Western China
Lesson 46
1.2
Go West Volunteers Continue Working
For a longtime,I dreamed for doing something
in Western China
and last year I finally became
a volunteer teacher.
It has changed my life completely!
I traveled a long way to a small village school
in Long zhou,Guang Xi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
On my way there,I thought about the village,
the school,the first day,and the children there
However,my heart sank when I arrived there,
it wasn't what I expected.
It didn't look like a school at all!
The school had only three rooms,
one for Grade 1,2,and 3.
And the other for Grade 4,5,and 6.
There was a third classroom for me.
The children welcomed me warmly
on my first day.
They asked me a lot of questions,
and I told them stories about myself
and my life in Shanghai.
The next day,I gave them a test
to find out their level.
To my surprise,over half of the students
failed the test,
but they all wanted to learn new things.
I knew they needed me.
I spent many nights preparing lessons,
reading test papers,and marking homework.
I enjoyed teaching these lovely
and hardworking children,
and I could see that they were making progress
with my help.
I have also learned a lot from them.
I understand their lives better,
and we are now good friends.
I have worked in Long Zhou for a year now.
I'm very happy and the experience
has been very useful for me.
Now I'm more responsible,
and I know how to look after myself.
I love the small village and the children.
In fact,I would like to continue working here.
2.1
Welcome back to the program.
Wang Kai is with me in the studio.
He has just retruned home
after woking for two years
with the Go West program.
Welcome.
Thank you.I'm very happy to be here.
So,tell us a little about yourself.
Well,I am a graduate form Xiamen University
in the southeast of China
I studied law in Xiamen.
I heard that you had a chance
to do a mater's degree.
Isn't that right?
Yes,but I decided to work as a volunteer
with the Go West program first.
Where did you go?
I went to bazhong in Sichuan Province.
And what work did you do?
I worked as a teacher there for two years.
Did you enjoy your experience?
I had a wonderful experience.
I learned at lot.
2.4
Li Nan was born in Hangzhou,Zhejiang Province.
Two years ago,he graduated from Medical School
at Zhejiang University.
Then he volunteered to work
with the Go West program.
He went to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
and worked as a doctor.
At first,he worked very hard.
But he felt lonely because he was a long way
from home.
Sometimes he felt like giving up.
But after a short time,
he was able to make many new friends.
People there were kind and warm-hearted.
He began to like the place.
Li Nan has just completed his two years
of volunteer service and returned home.
He said,"I learned a lot.
It was a useful experience for me."