Reflections (It's Raining-.-*)

To me, this trip to Yunnan is really fun and meaningful.

Since young, I was fascinated by the sceneries and culture of Yunnan. I always dreamed of myself going “西双版纳” and dressing up like a girl from the minority group. When I heard about the overseas outreach program to Yunnan, I jumped at the chance and signed up. Luckily I got in, but the joy of being able to go to my dream place was soon replaced by the dreariness of having to go for an OCIP meeting every Thursday afternoon. I have to stay in school for a few extra hours every Thursday to discuss some issues again and again. This is something very different from what I expected and just like a few others: I thought the meetings were really boring and time-wasting. This feeling goes on until a Saturday meeting where we learned so much more about “Service Learning” and where we started to discuss about our projects. I never know that there are so many things behind the word “service” and we can actually maximize our learning experience simply by that. It is kind of amazing to me. Later that day, we went out to take photos on different topics. Through the photos taken, I understand more about other OCIP members’ perspectives on things and it was very meaningful. Discussing about our projects in some meetings later, I made friends with my group members and I started to like this whole thing. I did not regard it as time-wasting anymore.

The journey in Yunnan is the most exciting part to me. The conversations with the villagers and the school kids are invaluable. The life journeys are super cool! The road-building is tiring but fruitful somehow. Even eating the food we cooked is a pleasure. At the same, I’m sure my Bridge skills has improved a lot =_=#. The three days in Yunnan is fun too. “Stone Forest” is cool, with all those stones with different shapes and stories. 冰糖葫芦 are nice and the “我们是韩国人” joke is unforgettable. I really like my buddy, my teammates and the three teachers. During my November holidays in China, I wrote Chinese“日志” about my trip on my blog, all my friends read it and… They want to go there too! =v=

Now as I think back about the whole OCIP thing, I think it is fruitful and enriching. I learned a lot from the meetings and made friends with my fellow members. Through this trip, I fulfilled my dreams and achieved something I can never achieve if I go to Yunnan on a family trip. I felt that I have touched lives and I was touched too. In future, I would jump at other opportunities like this one without hesitation.




Xiayu