Leader blog, April 16 Cheyenne, Debby, Gabe, and our in-country partner, Roy

As we approach the end of our three weeks in our village, we would like to share our perspective as leaders of GSL China.  First, we have witnessed tremendous growth in our students’ confidence and ability with speaking Chinese. Individual students have celebrated and shared with us how happy they have felt realizing that they are able to communicate with locals and their host families in Chinese. There were many baby steps at the beginning – being able to understand what a host parent was asking at the breakfast table, learning how to ask for less food please!, shopping entirely in Chinese and figuring out how to ask if a store has a certain shoe size, etc.  As the trip progressed, we heard about more in-depth conversations that were happening on a daily basis.  For example, students learned from their host siblings about the pressures of the high school exam and entering the competitive job market. We have also seen more laughter and joy from the kids as they recount stories from the night before with their families during our morning meetings, indicating a high level of comfort and mutual understanding.  From our point of view, each student is far more capable with their language skills and now has real life experience to put their Chinese skills to use.  All that hard work in Chinese 4/5 has paid off!

Additionally, we have noticed the tightening bonds and friendship among the individual students.  We admire how the students have supported each other on a daily basis; the students with stronger language skills have encouraged and helped the weaker ones without taking over, the group has noticed if someone needs a little boost of energy or attention on a particular day, and all of the students have learned the importance and power of teamwork over individual concerns.  The leaders have seen this group persevere through some challenging moments and come out stronger.  We are so proud of the GSL China group!