I was really excited this morning because I knew today we would be going to the children’s village and I absolutely love children. This morning we left the hotel at around 8am to travel to Sun village. It was a long bus ride away from the hotel but when we got there I was ready to go. When we walked in it was way more crowded than I expect for a village for kids, but it was not crowded with children. There were a lot of adults there, and even families. It turns out that Saturdays are their open house days and because we were there on a Saturday, there were other people there volunteering and making donations with toys or supplies. Firstly, we were given a tour of the compound. First, we saw where the younger children stayed and played. We were also given a lot of background about the organization. We learned that the organization was founded to help take care of children whose parents are in prison. Next on the tour we visited where the slightly older girls stayed and then we saw where the older boys stayed. In each of these rooms, there were about 8 people sharing the room. I noticed that the rooms were also well kept, and all the beds were made, and the rooms were very neat. We were told that the kids were responsible for cleaning their own rooms. Next, we were taken to the cafeteria where we were told the kids had meals. It looked like any regular school cafeteria you might find in a middle or high school.

Up until this point we still hadn’t been introduced to any children but when the tour ended we went into their auditorium where we were seated. In this auditorium some of the donors and volunteers also came in the room and were seated. They then played a video that described the start of the foundation and the mission of the foundation. In this video we were shown how the woman who started this organization used to work as a prison guard and she saw how these parents in prison were concerned for the well-being of their kids without them around. Because of this need, the former prison guard started this organization and established a few villages around China. Shortly after the video, some of the little girls of the village got up on the stage and they put on a performance. They did a little choreographed dance to some music. It was so adorable. At the end of the show they wanted some of us to perform as well. At first all I could think was, “Yikes!” We finally decided to all go up on stage and embarrass ourselves (perform). We performed “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” I think that went well.

After the performance we split into boys and girls. The boys went to play basketball with the boys of the village and the girls went into the library to make paper crafts with the girls of the village. This was the first time getting to interact with the children, and I was surprised to see that they didn’t know that much English. I was told that usually the people in China that know the most English are the youth because they learn it in school, but they only knew a few key words like how to say “Hello” or “Bye.” I then realized that because they were young they haven’t been learning it as long as some of the young adults I’ve met who speak English very well. Communicating was a bit hard to do but it was still fun getting to make origami crafts with them and learn some Chinese words and letterings from them. I really enjoyed this service learning visit the most because I got to meet with children of China and help to make their day feel special.

After we ate lunch with the kids and left we headed for the Great Wild Goose Pagoda. While we were there, we went to the art museum they have there where we learned about ancient Chinese lettering and art. A lady who worked at the art museum showed us numerous paintings. They were so beautiful, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures. This one painting of peonies (China’s national flower) was way too tempting to leave behind. I ended up purchasing that painting. I also ended up buying a silk scarf. Today was a day of service and purchase.