Qing ai de peng you men, xie xie ni men! Xi wang neng zai ci jian dao nin!
(Our dear friends, thank you all! We hope to see you again!)

May your life be filled with joy and good luck in the year of rat!
We all miss you here!

The volunteers this year have enjoyed wonderful service programs while also experiencing the drama of China’s national life. As the nation stepped into the year of 2008, we realized the lucky number "eight" (ba) could bring us more than what we want just for good luck. While our attention was focused on the upcoming Olympics, the entire nation was shocked when the devastating earthquake struck Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi Provinces on May 12th. It was inspiring as the whole nation seemed to rise up spontaneously to volunteer help in an enormous outpouring of national compassion.

This was the worst natural disaster in China in more than five decades. The death toll stood at 69,225 as of August 11, with 17,939 still missing. The Chinese people are grateful to the thousands around the world who donated money to the victims of this disaster. Baoli and I want to thank all of you who shared your concern with us, and offered your prayers and support.

As I am beginning this newsletter, the Beijing Olympics has just drawn its curtains. More than just a sporting event, the Olympics truly mirrors the feeling that national boundaries can be transcended for a dream shared by citizens of the world. This is reflected in the words of the Olympic theme song:

"You and Me"
You and me
From one world
We are family
Travel dream
A thousand miles

The Olympic Torch is going to be stored until 2012. But an invisible torch of service and friendship, and the spirit of volunteerism, is still being carried on by all Global Volunteers in China among Xi’an, Kunming and Hainan Island. It is you and all the other volunteers who ignite this torch with love and enthusiasm and who embrace the people you meet in this touch relay with open arms and open minds. Thank you, for all you do for the people of China. In this newsletter, I would like to update you on some of the things we have done in our Kunming Program this year, as well as sharing with you some exciting news from Hainan Island.

KUNMING: In 2005, when Global Volunteers after 10 years accepted the first invitation outside of Shaanxi Province, we did so with our fingers crossed. We imagined all the obstacles and possible solutions. For the past three years, Kunming Education Bureau showed us their excellent sense of responsibility and achieved a healthy and promising partnership with Global Volunteers. Kunming appealed to us with comfortable 65-75 F cool summers, but moved us with the warmth in their hearts.

This summer, Team 161 and 162 taught 110 local English teachers at Kunming Teachers College. Most of them have never spoken to a native English speaker in person. Some owned a fair mastery of English grammar, English reading skills and writing skills, but they felt nervous and intimidated to speak to a native English speaker. Some of them speak English with such a heavy accent that it is not intelligible to our volunteers. The need for volunteers is great with many of the teachers having poor pronunciation and Chinglish (Chinese English) sentence order as a result of being self-taught in English from tapes and books.

The volunteers devoted three hours/day in the morning to work with a group of 10 teachers on their pronunciations, vocabulary, and conversation skills as well as helping them to understand western culture better. Afternoons were always interesting and great fun, thanks to the wonderful talents of individual volunteers. Mini talks on various western culture-related topics not only practiced the teachers’ listening skills, but fed them what they were anxious to learn. English songs and games composed a session which could last forever. There were also afternoons when volunteers and teachers went field trips together. Teachers opened up and left aside their shyness to introduce the volunteers to their city. For many volunteers, the highlight of the program was the Speech Festival when they enjoyed hearing the teachers speaking on China in front of a big group; while for others, a dumpling-making party at a local home was memorable.

But none of us could ever forget the day we visited Sichuan earthquake victims in a local hospital. When Team 161 were learned that in Tian Qi Hospital in Stone Forest County, 60 Sichuan people were receiving treatment for the injuries from the earthquake, we made our way to offer heartfelt sympathy and cheer. The oldest patient was seventy-two years old, while the youngest was only four. We brought 60 red roses to pass them our love and care from the other side of the world. Through translation by our host and some doctors, the volunteers were able to sit down to have a brief conversation with some of the patients. It is touching to eventually meet these people and experience their bravery from their smiles.

With the service from twelve teams since 2005, Global Volunteers has taught approximately 970 local English teachers. We know there is still a long way to go, because many of them want to come back and many others look forward to their turn to attend this already well-known training. We are still the only training of this kind taught by native English speakers in this province and our service is appreciated throughout the city. One of teachers said at the final celebration, "I enjoyed this so much. When I signed up, I thought a program for three weeks was far too long. But now I wish it was six weeks or even longer."

In 2009, there will be three summer programs scheduled in Kunming. The first two will be devoted to teaching the English teachers, while the third one has been invited to work with middle school students in their summer camp. Here, work means friendship and fun in a cool summer.

HAINAN ISLAND: I would like to start the story of this new program with expressing my appreciation to our two frontier teams to the island, Team 156 and Team 157. "A good beginning is half done," is easily said when we don’t get reminded of how much effort is needed to achieve a good beginning. The first two teams of more than 30 volunteers, being incredibly committed, supportive and flexible, contributed great efforts to the successful start of Hainan program.

Haikou Municipality Bureau of Education, our official host in Hainan Island, designated this program to Haikou Educational Research and Training Academy, which functions to provide training courses in various subjects to all the teachers in Haikou City. For a long time, the Academy has dreamed of a program to have native English speakers to help the local English teachers. However, most government overseas programs seem to favor big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, while Hainan is often skipped as a somewhat remote island province.

Global Volunteers helped their dream to come true. The first two teams worked with approximately 150 English teachers on their conversational English skills. Almost all of the teachers are from Haikou city. The teachers felt thrilled and honored to be selected by their school to join this program. As Chinese people always present their best dishes to the guests, Haikou schools sent their best teachers to work with our first two teams of volunteers. Even though, their poor pronunciation and English spoken skills was a huge drag in their English proficiency. The volunteers worked hard with the teachers on typical difficult sounds for Chinese English learners, such as "th", "r"and "v" sounds and answered a long list of questions about western culture from the teachers.

Of course, our teams never missed an opportunity to cultivate a fun learning atmosphere. In the middle of the first team, the Christmas day started with Santa Claus, acted by Jim Wallace, visiting from one class to another class. The teachers were surprised, excited and amused about this "real" Santa and lined up anxiously to be judged "naughty or nice." Then, all the teachers met in the lecture hall to hear about the tradition of this holiday and sang Christmas Carols with all the volunteers wearing bright red Christmas hats. This is a superb culture lesson for the teachers, who came to understand better about this most important holiday in western culture.

In addition, the volunteers spent some afternoons to visit at four local schools to reciprocate the hospitality from Haikou people. In Haikou No. 1 Vocational School and Haikou Tourism Vocational School, we felt honored to teach students who were selected as Beijing Olympics helpers. In Haikou No.1 High School, several volunteers held lectures on American education, ethnic diversities in US, and Chinese immigrants to US, natural beauty and national parks in US, difference between urban and rural in US, while the others joined in the English corners to have "free talk" with the students.

The warmest thrill of welcome, however, came when we met with students and teachers in Haixiu District Central Elementary School. When we were leaving, the crowds stayed on around volunteers by the school gate and created a big traffic jam in the neighborhood. In my hands, I am still holding a long list of schools who wanted to invite us.

PLEASE COME BACK! In response to the world’s main development challenges, United Nations launched Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), composed of eight major goals to be achieved by 2015. Please click here to learn more about MDGs.

As one of the partners obtaining Consultative Status with UN, Global Volunteers’ efforts are also recognized and measured in our path to the fulfillment of MDGs. For the past year, in Kunming and Hainan Island, towards conversational English teaching, Global Volunteers have contributed respectively 2305 hours to 265 English teachers and 264 hours to 1432 children in achieving universal primary education. In addition, we have also contributed monetarily towards musical instruments for La La Shou Special Education Center.

A first timer with Global Volunteers, Shirley Langley shared this in her journal entry: "For more than a month I’ve been apprehensive about what this experience would be like and worried that it was not something I’m prepared to do. This group of young teachers changed all that. They have put me at ease and made me feel welcome and useful. With only one day’s experience, I’m beginning to feel almost qualified to help. I can hardly wait to have a long talk with my daughter and best friend about this amazing experience."

This is a true depiction of China Program in all three sites. No matter how old you are, what education level you have reached and whether or not you have taught before, you bring yourself here and you will find your mother tongue is an invaluable and much desired resource of help to the local people. Through lending a hand to them, in return you will find yourself immersed in real China, learning this country’s fascinating history, culture as well as her future.

We also promote China Program as a family program, especially as it unfolds great opportunity to introduce your children or grandchildren to this big country, her warm people and rich culture.

Children are the future of the world. Bringing them together is one step closer to global peace and justice. Please consider coming back to volunteer with a family member, a friend, a coworker or just yourself!

The full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on September 14th this year, reflects unity and peace. On this special festival, Baoli and I are sending our warm regards to you and your loved ones and hope the world will progress in unity and peace.

Warmest Regards,
Hu Di

China Country Manager
Global Volunteers - Partners in Development™