The adventure began with quite the early wake-up time — 5:30 a.m.! It was alright though as I had been looking forward to this trip to the Dabie Mountain area for quite some time. I grabbed my bag, packed with things I was guessing were necessary. However in reality I didn’t really know what one brings to a village in the mountains of China. Upon arriving at WFLMS, the students were already gathered with their bags and boxes full of supplies for the Dabie Mountain students. There was a feeling of excitement and anticipation in the air for what the trip would be like. Everyone was eager to find out. We loaded the bus, grabbed our seats and the long-awaited Dabie Mountain trip began!

It would be a fair statement to say the bus ride was a bit long. Nine hours would be more accurate. However, frequent naps and the occasional movie viewing on the students’ laptops made it bearable. As well, while looking out the window and seeing the landscape becoming progressively greener and less city-like, I felt this was a sign of good things to come. The prospect of seeing a different side of China instead of the fast-pace life of Shanghai was something I was looking forward to very much!

The trip was such an undertaking that one day’s worth of driving was not enough. We had to make a stop at a town to rest the night in order to be ready for yet another day of driving!

Getting into the bus for another round of bus life wasn’t the greatest feeling, but it turned out this phase of the trip wouldn’t be full of never-ending Chinese highway. Instead we had to navigate winding side roads of the Dabie Mountain area. Not only were these roads quite narrow, but a steep cliff to the left or right was a common sight. However, our expert bus driver was able to traverse the sharp turns and successfully keep the bus upright during this portion of the trip. As well the fear of toppling down one of these cliffs was offset by the great scenery out the window. In due time, we finally arrived at our final destination!

A warm welcoming ceremony set the tone for the next few days after we exited bus. We all walked through the school entrance with the Dabie students lining both sides, singing a welcoming chant in Chinese. Coming from Toronto, Canada, I never would have guessed before that I would have experienced something like that!

The activities for the day began soon after. The first order of business was for my students to begin teaching the Dabie children. My students all went to their respective classes and began to teach a subject. The Dabie children all seemed to enjoy this very much whether it was arts & crafts, drama, music or gym class. But the highlight for me was seeing my students being thrown into the role of a teacher. It was pretty neat to see them handle the role so well and with so much maturity. I had gotten accustomed to seeing them sitting in their desks, taking down notes at WFLMS. However now, they were in the front of the class directing the class, giving instructions — being teachers.

After the day’s activities were complete, we had to settle in our quarters for the night. It became clear that the students were unaccustomed to insects flying around in their rooms. A mixture of screams – from girls and boys – and excessive use of bug spray filled the night air.

The plan for the second day in the village was to complete another round of classes and afterwards to make some visits to the locals’ houses. The goal of these visits was not only to get an idea of what it’s like living in Dabie Mountain, but to also collect survey results for the class’ group projects on economic development. Again, the students took it away and handled themselves very well while making these visits. We sat down in many different kinds of houses and the students quickly jotted down the answers and stories the locals told us. Not only were we sitting in rural homes totally different from what we were used to, but we were also given the opportunity to hear first-hand what life was like in Dabie Mountain. That kind of opportunity does not come about very often. Especially for a Canadian like me!

As the final day in the village came about, I was warned by Hector, the class head teacher, the “sad moment” will come soon. I thought I had an idea of what he meant by this, but I was soon to find out that I was wrong.

The morning consisted of a farewell ceremony where everyone gathered in the schoolyard. Speeches were made by both guests and hosts, showing appreciation for the hospitality and the efforts given by the WFLMS students. Even songs were sung and magic tricks performed! To finish off the ceremony, banners were created by the students with Chinese calligraphy written on them — extolling the virtues of hard work and the pursuit of knowledge. They were placed in the front of the school for everyone to see.

As we filed back into the bus with our bags and our experience fresh in our heads, the Dabie children all crowded around to see us off. At this moment, I realized what Hector had meant by the “sad moment”. The bus drove off slowly, and with a glance out the window it could be seen that they wanted us to stay. The children were either outright crying or fighting off the tears! Clearly, a connection had been m