Lessons from the Countryside

An extended weekend trip to the Hunan countryside with over 450 Chinese seventh grade students and more than 20 teachers, nurses, and “leaders” can provide one with a wealth of new information. I’m not sure if I would have ever learned many of these fascinating facts had I not done just that. As most of you will likely never have a similar experience, I though I would share all that I learned with you. I wouldn’t want to keep this information to myself, as in some cases, it could save your life.

1. When traveling with so many young people, it is likely that on average, one student per bus will suffer from motion sickness. In my case, that means about 12 students were puking their guts out in the bushes upon our arrival in Yanling.

2. The student who is car sick on your bus will be sitting right next to you. He will barf all over the floor of the bus and the Chinese teachers will do nothing about.

3. When Chinese teachers tell you that the food at the camp will be “not delicious,” they mean it will be nearly inedible.

4. It is perfectly acceptable for the teachers and “leaders” to drink beer for breakfast when on a school trip.

5. If you eat sweet potatoes you cannot get cancer. It’s not that you can lower your risk of getting cancer by eating a sweet potato every now and then. Or that eating sweet potatoes on a regular basis is evidence of a healthy life, which, combined with other factors, can help lower your chances of getting certain types of cancer. No. If you eat sweet potatoes you cannot get cancer. Period. This is according to the psychology and health teacher at the school. A pretty reliable source. As this information could save thousands of lives, I encourage you to share it with everyone you know and love.

6. One way to entertain to seventh graders is to put loaches in a fountain and have the students catch them with their hands. Sure most of the fish will die, but the kids will have fun.

7. Another way to keep the students out of trouble is to walk them a mile to the riverside, give them a few cooking supplies, raw food, and a few matches and tell them to go at it. No really, we did this. The students carried the food supplies, which consisted of pork, bean sprouts, spam, two eggs, peppers, and rice, to the riverside. Once there, each group got a pot, a wok, a huge knife, a cutting board, a spoon, a pot stand, and a bundle of wood. They collected river rocks to build a fire circle and then started a fire to cook the food.

8. It is possible for 450 pre-teens to cook their own meals with fire and sharp knives and not kill themselves or each other. Granted the cooking might have gone a little smoother had someone taught them how to build a fire, but that’s splitting hairs.

9. Rinsing dirty pots in the same river that humans use for a bathroom makes them clean.

10. Mahjong is a fun and super confusing game. It is acceptable to gamble while playing Mahjong on a school sponsored trip, as long as the Assistant Headmaster is invited to play. If you want to play for spicy dried mini-fish in a vacuum-sealed package instead, find the young, poor teachers.

11. Teaching Chinese students the Chicken Dance and the Macarena is considered a performance. The students will love it and you’ll see them doing these dances during their breaks back at school.

12. Traveling with almost 500 of your students and collogues, though frustrating at times, should not be missed and I encourage you grab the opportunity whenever possible. I know I will.

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Photos of the trip can be viewed here. Thanks again to Kelly.