Easy Rewards
Before coming to China I worked in Spain as an au pair and found out how rewarding being with children was. How much joy then can bring from the smallest of things. Even before au pairing I had done some activities with younger children such as mentoring and enjoyed it.
Since being in China I have been involved in a lot of volunteer activities. Most of them were walking English classes and similar things. All of them have been so fun to be a part of and it's made me realise how lucky I am to have grown up in England, and other things like this that are taken for granted on a day to day basis.
All of the children I have met are always happy and so energetic. In some cases I may be one of the only foreign person that they have met before, so they are so happy to meet me, and learn English.. it's rather humbling.
These are the children of the future and we need them to have more experiences like this that expose them to international thought so that as they grow they can be well-grounded and open-minded young citizens of the world.
Every day now I am reminded to feel blessed for the things I have and opportunities I have. Even this year, the chance to be studying abroad is such a great one that I hope I have embraced and made the most of my time. I hope not to leave China with regrets but to be proud of my accomplishments and with many new international friends. I think that in this modern world it has become increasingly easier to ignore things that we should consider as important and things that we are lucky to have.
For example, to my readers, you are all so so lucky to be reading this blog and this is not me being big headed but I mean that you are lucky because: -You have internet access -You have access to a computer -I'm guessing you also probably have a home and education And the most important of this all is that you are lucky to be able to read and to read in English...
I don't mean to ramble but I think that's what this post has become (sorry!), I just wanted to write this as a way of reflecting. China has changed me and I'm happy for everything I have experienced here, I hope it makes me a more aware and open-minded person. I also hope that by reading this you can think about what you take for granted yourself and what you are lucky to have now. I think that this list could go on forever but if you become more self-aware you can be a better person for it.
