A home in the heart

LI YaTing

 When the plane landed in Taiwan, I knew my body went back to the noisy world again. Walking on the streets in Taipei, there was a feeling of unreality, because I left my heart in the mountains, worried about the home thousand of millions away---Xidatan.

Screen back to 14 days ago, with fear anxiety and a little excitement, we embarked on the journey with our love. It is the first time we took 30 hours of hard-berth. On the train, we got to know friends from different places: some from Xinjiang, Tianshui, some were Mongolians, we could not help but cried out: “china is so big!” we found that initiative is very necessary , a well-intentioned greeting is easy to narrow the distance between us, because we are all have a lot of curiosity to each other. 

It is the first time take minibus without air-condition, but open the window is much cooler than air-conditioning. Bumped on the stone road nodding the head and rolling the brain, more amazing is when case of a stream, the minibus forded it as if we were sitting on the galesaur minibus that can took us over the mountains. Few days of aircraft, train and minibus ran around finally brought us to the Xanadu.

 Just the moment we got off the bus, Tibetan’s welcomed us with their most precious“hada”, the beauty white shiny silk is their respect to guest of honor and their 42% highland barley wine warmed our throat up. After a simple dinner was the official welcome, Tibetan love to concentrating on drinking, for wines, they have persistence like“rather to upset the stomach, unwilling to rupture a friendship”, they will must let the guest get drunk.

The trip over 10 days brings us many discovery and change. Touch on our heart full of our mind.

From hard to swallow to treasure each meal

As we all know that baby bear is very particular about food, the first meal in xidatan is streamed bread which had dried out. Students some donated canned foods, some provide fried pork flakes, sharing is the most direct interaction between us. However, only gentle cough will let the streamed bread out of our mouth carelessly, we had to admit we were not accustomed to local diet.

Form now on each meal with a dish made us eat very fragrant, but to the streamed bread we stilled can’t accept. Until our partners participated in the visiting told me about that children bring hard out and rancid out streamed bread for food each week from home, which made me shamed a lot. Picking up the cold-streamed bread 2 days ago, I found it is so fragrant and sweet. Xidatan’s life taught us to enough is as good as feast, each meal next taught me to treasure food in dishes.

   When return to Taiwan, remember to have a thankful heart, get the amount needed and try not to waste, “value”is the best class the trip give us.

From shy and shirk to active approach

Still remember after the fist day of teaching, I had a little nap in my room. When hearing students’ laugh outside, I wanted to approach but did not know how to do. Co-workers started to play 123 wooden man with students, the simple play satisfied them a lot, watching their smile, my heart was fully moved.  

The second day I called up all my courage, took the seating plan to get to know students in instructor class. A little girl pulled up my hand suddenly and asked, “Who are you?” “I am your teacher, can I have a self introduction in your class?” two or three children pulled me run inside the classroom, each listened to me carefully, how happy it is!

Yongxiang said the children here are all very shy, because of our active approach that make them become enthusiastic. But I think it is their innocence influences me, they are the group that most enthusiastic and most directly express emotion. Each time passing by their classroom or dormitory, they always greeted us towards them with their hands and smile on their red cheeks. Or else, they will directly accompanied your hand, embrace actively. I love the feeling to be close with children. Until know, the face of each child in the class will appears in front of my eyes, as if they were my own child.

Caregiver becomes the one to take care of others—a lesson on the hill

Though holding the service goal to take care of children consistently in mind, numbers of days getting along let me deeply feel that: children also have ability to take care of others. One thing that made me think is correct in Xidatan service was bringing the children to go up the mountain. Failed to beat the ardent desire of the children, we went to climb the mountain excited after getting class instructor’s permit ion.

Moved by the co-workers’ help, we bring the class out together. The children supported me by arm on both side in the trip. I worried about whether other children can keep up with us safely, unexpectedly, the caregiver on the way become the one who had been cared of. As a person not used to be cared of, I gradually felt about the pure love of children to serve us.

Unable to run back to school for class, we had history class half the hill. Peeping the careful eyes of children by the side, suddenly I felt moved and happy a lot. This is really learning, they belong to the mountain, learning in mountains is the most natural, however this is also what Taiwan’s education can not do.

Love without hiding

May be the children have little, but they will share all they have with you enthusiastically. Picking up buns flowers on the mountain, weaved into a wreath, presented to co-workers as a beautiful laurel. Picking up roadside weeds, weaved into a grasshopper as surprise. Live frugally to buy present for teachers… their love to people are always very direct, devote all they have to you without hiding, sometimes I think their love to us is much more than ours.

Farewell party had ended, children was crying and crying. A child fainted then, students helped each other to bring her to hospital and knocking at the door of principal’s office. Looking at her struggling at the sickbed painfully, I doubt what we give to her, how deep the love is that made her so sad. We have given them the love, but now decide to get it back. Moreover, they will suffer the pain of separation week by week, I think we are so cruel at that moment.

A sickbed, a oxygen tank, there was nothing in the sickroom. Maybe education is important but to this village, medical care also needs to be improved. Teacher Tian said children changed during this week, it was the first time that the whole class helped hospital, what we had done in the week is more than that they done for a year, we changed the thing their can’t do for their life. In fact, the children also change us. More important, the group of teacher away from home is the ones who accompanied them in a long-term, and their love is the most valuable ones.

The trip in Xidatan, what left the most impression in my mind is life can be simple in fact, we always want much but need less, then cause unnecessary waste. In the silent mountain, life pace is slow, but everyday makes people has a feeling of real existence. However, the noisy city always let people feel a kind of empty…simple life make you contented while the prosperous city teach you greedy only.

    For me, the move under Qilian mountain has rooted in my heart, just like a home in heart, a Xanadu, but will that make people unable to trace the road back like fisherman in the Eastern Jin Dynasty? No, because Eden will take our work to serve consistently, I only hope that we will not bring the external turbulence here to disturb their peaceful life.