China!

So for Peak Week this year, our class 11A went on a missions trip to Guillin, China. It was an unforgettable experience for all of us, and a great opportunity to take it the rich, ancient culture of China. During our trip, we visited senior homes, an orphanage, a high school, and the homes of several students. Even though a lot of us got sick on the trip, it only brought us closer together. Everyone learned something different from this trip, and I will share my experience from China. The senior homes each brought something unique, and each one had a different impact on each person. The first home was especially an eye opener. It was very surprising to see the living conditions and mental states of some of the seniors. It felt kind of strange to be treated so well at the second home, being treated to tons of fruit and performances by some of the healthier seniors. The third home was interesting too, and the paintings that one senior made stunned all of us. The orphanage was a lot of fun. Despite the language barrier, we were just able to interact and play with the kids, and show them God's love through playing games, singing songs, and doing crafts. The children were so excited to see us and we were excited to see them too. It was very sad when we finally had to leave. The high school was the best experience for me because we were able to relate and compare their lives to ours. We could see the differences between them and us. The students there work so much harder and value their education so much more. They also value their family a lot more. It really taught me personally a lot about the kind of opportunities we have here in Canada and that we shouldn't throw them away. The home visits also taught me to be grateful. Many of the homes were small and quite unclean, and the families didn't have very much, but they were still happy with what they had and they treated us very well. Our class also got to go sightseeing and visit places in China, like Elephant Trunk Hill and the limestone caves. We also got some insight into the religious history of China at the Confucius temple. I enjoyed going to these places because it helped us learn more about the country itself. Since coming back from the missions trip, spring break has been really boring because compared to everything we did in China, anything we can do here is almost irrelevant. I think after this trip, our class really grew together as a class and even as family, and this trip will not be easily forgotten by any of us in 11A. :)