• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • e-Catalog
  • Gift Catalog
  • Donate
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Aguadilla – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Española – New Mexico
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Projects
    • Community Work Projects
      • Delivering Essential Services
      • Teaching Conversational English
      • Supporting Community Development
      • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
      • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
      • All Service Program Dates
  • Give
    • Giving Options:
      • Donate Now
      • Changemakers Club
      • Gift Catalog
      • Ways to Give
      • Philanthropy
  • Impact
  • News
  • Request Information
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Volunteer Voices China

Working at La La Shou (Xi’an China)

 

Journal by: Katrina Beattie

We met at my school for autistic children, La La Shou. There was a room full of teachers, speaking in Chinese all at once. I could feel the panic rising up from my feet and sweat dripping down my back! How is this going to work? The room was very humid and everyone was looking at Peace and myself. Baoli, my team leader, began translating in English. I began to relax and a sense of well-being came over me. I knew this is where I was meant to be, here and now, at this moment.

After walking to school, I thought I had seen everything! People were dressed with suits, dresses, ankle length pantyhose, beautiful black haired girls with outfits that would have passed for American dressed girls with the latest attire. People dressed in rags. People with their wares on a towel to sell on the sidewalk, people eating porridge with chopsticks on the sidewalks, reading news, washing their cars, cooking, sitting, and staring at me! The smells were very different. Some were horrible, some were pleasant!

La La Shou means hand in hand in Chinese, One of the parents started the school, as she didn’t know how to educate her autistic son. There is not a special needs program in the schools of China. It operates on donations only. The school is incredible in that the teachers are caring and patient with these children who have short attention spans, can not tolerate loud noises, are obsessive compulsive, cannot stand to have anything wet on their skin and clothes. Most of all, the general population has difficulty accepting them, let alone trying to teach them. With very little money, the teachers and parents have found a way. The students seem very happy, they smile and love to be touched. There are approximately sixty students at La La Shou. They have various difficulties, just like the autistic children in the USA. They can have very atypical social behavior. They are in their own little world and want to stay there.

After meeting with the translators and the head teacher, Global Volunteers, team leader and myself, we decided that I would join the sixth grade. They were all boys and had become oppositional and somewhat aggressive. When I met them, I knew this was the spot for me! One of the students was rubbing his forehead and rocking back and forth. He was not a happy camper! I found out later they were not playing his choice in music.

 

After one week, when the teachers and I felt they would be comfortable with me. I taught them the English alphabet. They progressed quite well and seemed to be attentive to this strange English teacher from America.

 

I read them stories. One was “The Three Little Pigs”. THEY LOVED THE STORY AND WANTED TO HAVE IT READ TO THEM SEVERAL TIMES. We said the alphabet and numbers in English and sang songs. They also loved my scrapbook, showing pictures of my family and the museum where I worked, “AbrahamLincolnMuseum.”

 

The boys at the school were a unique and tight little group with their own way of communicating with one another.

 

They all wanted English names, that was a really big deal. They loved the cartoon, “Tom and Jerry”, so I named them accordingly. Tie Jiawei (Shea Swek), was given the English name, Jerry. He was nonverbal, was in the top spectrum of autism, and would become very agitated if he could not listen to his favorite songs.

 

Mickey was very intelligent and learned English phrases quicker than I could learn the Chinese language. Periodically, he would want me to sing “Mickey Mouse” or “Chinese Opera.” He would say English sentences that would come up out of nowhere.

 

Donald was a crooner that would sing beautiful sad songs with a pretend microphone. I wanted to name him Frank Sinatra, but he liked Donald. His voice had perfect pitch.

One of the student’s was quite low functioning, but understood social behavior well, and was a joy to be around with his continual smile. We named him Shrek. He was a hero in his own sweet way. He also was nonverbal, but somehow was able to communicate with us by pointing and making disjointed sounds.

The last young man was Islo. He was the “assistant principal” of the group. He was constantly making sure his classmates were not wandering off and that they were paying attention in class. Islo was the always smiling as if he were watching a funny play that he was not a part of. He was a tremendous help. He would make sounds and pull us to attract our attention whenever the routine was off schedule or when the other students were doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing.

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
May 14, 2011/by Michele Gran
https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png 0 0 Michele Gran https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Michele Gran2011-05-14 15:56:002016-11-08 14:42:30Working at La La Shou (Xi’an China)
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Partner Communities

  • China (62)
  • Cook Islands (44)
  • Cuba (112)
  • Ecuador (89)
  • Greece (70)
  • Italy (52)
  • Montana (50)
  • Nepal (20)
  • New Mexico (2)
  • Peru (110)
  • Poland (97)
  • Portugal (44)
  • Puerto Rico (2)
  • South Dakota (8)
  • St Lucia (56)
  • Tanzania (230)
  • Texas (5)
  • Vietnam (33)

Categories

  • Classroom Assistance (8)
  • Conversational English (94)
  • Cultures and Traditions (136)
  • Development Impact (121)
  • Family Volunteering (61)
  • Free Time Options (79)
  • Group Volunteering (19)
  • News and Updates (146)
  • Partners' Stories (16)
  • Projects for Professionals (23)
  • Reaching Children's Potential (237)
  • Ripple Effect (7)
  • Service-Learning (49)
  • Staff Worldwide (26)
  • Volunteer Voices (683)
  • Why I Give (18)

Tags

American Indian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cuba people-to-people development impact Earthbox gardens Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee gender equality Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects retiree volunteers Spring break student volunteer summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact volunteer time off work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

Get Global Volunteers News Here!

Enter your email address to receive fresh new posts in your inbox.

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Covid-19 Policy
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

Subscribe to receive updates, new blog posts, and inspiring stories from our work around the world.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is 36-3352680. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Full Team Currently Serving in Beja!The time spent in St. Elena will be a welcome change of culture
Scroll to top