Opening ceremonies is always exciting for me. I love it because it is the first time to get to see all of the students together. We arrived at the school on Friday night, and the students arrived at different times throughout the weekend. Camp China kicks off on Monday morning with opening ceremonies followed by an all-camp picture and testing (to put the students in the appropriate class according to their English level).
Here is a brief rundown of opening ceremonies activities....There are many speeches given by various school officials and students at opening ceremonies. We listen intently to 3 or 4 speeches that are completely in Chinese as if we understand every word that is being spoken. Then, although completely clueless about what was just said, we clap and smile. One of the top English students in Camp China will usually give a speech telling the foreign teachers how excited they are for us to be there. All of those speeches are followed by a speech from the team leader that talks about "building bridges of friendship and cooperation". The favorite part, however, is the performances. This summer the students performed a song for us (see the video at the end of this entry). We "foreign teachers" performed a wonderful rendition of Aladdin's "I Can Show You the World". The kids love to hear you sing....anything...anywhere...at any time. It's always makes me feel good to hear them say, "Miss Katie, you have a beautiful voice!" especially when I know that I don't sing very well at all.
I love opening ceremonies because it is the start of something new....something amazing...something life-changing. It is the start of new friendships that will last a lifetime. It's the start of 4 (or in my case 2) of the most challenging weeks of teaching of your life. It's the start of many interesting stories and memories. But most importantly, it's the start of being "ruined for the ordinary" and making an eternal impact on Chinese middle school and high school students. I love it....
