On the first weekend back after the holiday, our school held a walkathon from City One to Sha Tin to raise money to the school. It was a beautifully warm day, just like summer! It was nice to see the children outside of the school week, who came with their parents and were really excited by the event. Some of the staff brought their children as well which was really nice to see! One of the teacher's children, Jophil, was 2 was able to tell me his name and his age in English which was amazing, as, in fact, were all of the childrens English, even those whose parents did not even teach English. It really is amazing at the pre school level and shows the focus right from the beginning of thier education on English - my teacher in charge joked that it begins, even earlier, with the mothers singing and telling thier children English stories in the womb...although knowing what I do about Hong Kong parents, I take this in all seriousness, as I think, do the mothers! However, whatever their tactics, I think it is something to be both admired and emulated, especially considering my struggle to grasp even the basics of their or indeed any language by the end of my education.
Anyway, as usual, I digress. The walkathon, in true Hong Kong style lasted the best part of an hour! with multiple breaks for traffic lights etc in the beginning part as we crossed rather a lot of roads to reach the river where we walked along to Sha Tin. However, what it lacked in length and scenery, it made up for in lovely conversation with students, parents and teachers, having the opportunuity to chat with people and learn more about the children and the staff away from the rush of the school day. This is a photo of me with one such student, who is a member of a P4 class, and is so shy and quiet you would never know he is there however this photo arrived in my email inbox this week from him with the accompanying note, - 'This is my first picture with a foreigner and I am very happy.'
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