Guangdong

This is the high school in Guangdong.

Below are photos and updates of the girls we have sponsored in this school.



GD 102 ~ Feng

Feng means phoenix in Chinese. Feng’s favorite thing in her village is the beautiful river there. In her letter, she said that she likes to daydream. She says that she dreams about going to the most prestigious college and having a good life. She also dreams of giving her family a good life as well. When she graduates, she wants to work in an office but dreams of traveling all over the world. She would begin by visiting Vienna and going to a concert because she heard that they make beautiful music there.


GD 0104 ~ Jiamin

Jiamin told us that she wants to be a physics teacher. After school, Jiamin wants to stay in touch with her classmates even though she lives an hour away from the school. She loves school but misses the mountains in her village. She said that she enjoys hiking alone in the mountains. Jiamin seems very athletic and when we asked her if that was true, she laughed and said that she loves sports, especially basketball and badminton.


GD 0105 ~ Huifang

Huifang seems very confident and has an easy smile but, at the same time, she is very soft spoken. She answered some of the questions in her sponsor's letter. Yes, she does know about amusement parks. She said that the weather in Guangdong is nice. This is the best time of the year (November) because it is not too hot and not too cold. Even in the winter, it never snows there.
She lives more than an hour away from school but did have a chance to go home on the bus this weekend. She loves her village because the people in her neighborhood are so nice.

In her letter, she asked her sponsors if they could help her with her English. We thought her English was very good but she giggled and shook her head when we told her that. She said that she wants to be a teacher when she graduates. We asked if she wanted to be an English teacher and she giggled again and said, “Maybe.” Her dream is to have adventures especially under the sea. She said that she would love to scuba dive some day.


GD 0106 ~ Jianyu

Jianyu is very sweet and a little bashful. She said that her name means “healthy and wealthy”. Her father gave her that name because he wanted her to have a good life. She said that she loves to be near the water. She doesn’t live very far away from school but she misses her mother very much.

Jianyu wants to be a novelist who writes nonfiction novels. She wants the messages in her books to inspire people around the world to help poor people. She wants her sponsors to know that she also loves basketball and loves to watch the MBA. (Jianyu’s sponsors had a basketball tournament to raise money for her scholarship.)



GD 0107 Mintao

"Min" means agile and "Tao" means peach. Mintao’s mother died and her father works as a security guard. She has five brothers and sisters but Mintao says with a big laugh, “They are not as smart as I am.” Her dream is to someday see the cherry blossoms in Japan. Mintao is very sweet and extremely outgoing. She loves to do origami and is very good at it.





GD 108 ~ Ruihua

Ruihua is a shy and quiet girl. She said that she hasn’t decided what she wants to do for work yet but she loves to study English. She finally smiled when we asked her about her dreams. Ruihua said that her biggest dream would be to come to the United States to visit her sponsor Izzy! Izzy has truly changed her life.

GD 0109 ~ Lishan

Lishan smiled the whole time we spoke to her. She was wearing a beautiful jade necklace that her mother gave to her. Lishan wants to be a brain surgeon but her parents want her to be a teacher. We told her that she should always respect her parents but in this case, she should follow her dreams. She just giggled and said she doesn’t know what she will do.

She said her village isn’t special but it is surrounded by beautiful mountains. This summer she went to work in a factory about four hours from her home. She made Chinese medicine there. She joked that that is probably why she wants to be a doctor.

GD 0110 ~ Xiazhi

This is a photo of Xiazhi and her sponsor Allison. Allison raised the tuition money herself by selling lemonade and brownies in front of her house.

Xiazhi has one younger brother and one younger sister. Her father works in factories and moves from place to place looking for work. Her mother stays home and tends to the tangerine bushes. The bushes are young so the tangerines are small this year. Xiazhi says that once the bushes are mature, her family will be able to get a better price for their harvest.

Xiazhi wants to be a translator someday but she was a little self conscious and didn’t want to practice her English with us. We told her that her English had to be better than our Chinese. She just giggled.

GD 0111 ~ Xiaolin

Xiaolin was very excited to receive a picture and a letter from her sponsors. She says that she loves school but misses her hometown. Her favorite subject is English. She hopes that someday her sponsors can come visit her and help her improve it. She wrote to her sponsors saying, “I really thank you for you giving me the chance to go back to school. You gave me this life changing opportunity! Thanks! I am proud to know you!”

GD 0112 ~ Yanfeng

Yanfeng seems to be a very sweet girl. She was thrilled to have a photo of her sponsors. In her letter she wrote, “My goal is to become a successful person and to contribute to society. In the future, if I have the resources, I will help those in need just like you helped me. The world is a better place because of your loving hearts. Let me thank you again from the bottom of my heart! Thank you for letting me realize my dream to go to high school.” Her sponsors wrote back to us and said, “Please let Yanfeng know that we think of her often. We have her letter posted on our family bulletin board and the kids talk about her like she lives with us ~ very cute.”

GD 113 ~ Zhaomei

Zhaomei says that her hometown is very beautiful. Her family grows tangerines and rice. Her hometown is far from school so she only goes home once a month. She is doing well in school and hopes to become a teacher in the future. In her letter Zhaomei wrote, “This summer, I went out to the city to work in a factory so I could help my family. Working in the factory made me realize that if I don’t go to school now, I will end up miserable working in the factory. So I am really eager to have the opportunity to continue my education. I really appreciate your help.”

GD 114 ~ Miaoqing

Miaoqing hopes to become a lawyer someday. In her letter to her sponsor, she wrote, "After taking the high school entrance exam, I went to Zhongshan to work in a factory. On Aug 15th, I received a call from my father and he told me that I was admitted to the best school in the county. I was very happy about that but my mother said that they could not send me to school because they didn’t have enough money. I was so sad. I knew what it was like working in a factory. Now, I am really grateful for your help. I will cherish this opportunity."

GD 115 ~ Jinni

Jinni loves to play sports especially basketball. She says that she is among the best athletes in her school maybe even in the whole country.
When she first came to this school, Jinni wanted to become a coach. Now, she wants a job in environmental protection. She seems very confident that she will reach her goals.

GD 0116 ~ Haimei

Haimei said that “Hai” means sea and “Mei” means flower. Haimei doesn’t know for sure what she wants to do for work yet but will probably be a social worker. Her dream is to travel around the world someday beginning in Venice. For now, she enjoys working in the fields and growing tangerines.

GD 0117 ~ Zhiling

Zhiling looks very different now. She cut her hair very short “because it is more convenient.” After she graduates, she wants to be an English teacher but she also wants to teach her students to be socially conscious. Zhiling’s father died when she was little. Her mother is a farmer and this summer she plans to help her mother on the farm.

Zhiling wrote, “Living in a poor household, I understood the importance of education at a young age. I wanted to go to school. I loved studying and I didn’t want to give up my dreams of a bright future because of family difficulties. Though there was little chance that I could continue my education, I believe it is very important to at least have a dream. To me, opportunities are so important that I cannot let even a single chance pass me by. Education can change our lives and a bright future is waiting for me.”

GD 0118 ~ Min

Min was not available the day we visited. She was competing at a sporting event.

GD 119 ~ Shuixia

She is exceptionally tall and seemed very sweet. Her English was very good. Shuixia said that she hopes to become a lawyer. She watches a TV show about a public defender and she said that that is the type of lawyer she would like to become.

Shuixia said that, " The holidays were splendid. When they first started, we had one month of hard labor on the farm but afterwards, I was able go some places to play with my friends and with my little sisters. You could say that it was my happy piece of heaven."

GD 0120 ~ Xiongping

Her name “Xiong” means “hero.” Xiongping wants to be a brain and heart doctor in Guangdong. She is very confident with her English and consistently wins awards for academic excellence. She is usually ranked first in her class. Of all the girls that we met, Xiongping has our vote for most likely to succeed!

Xiongping has four family members ~ a mother, father and one brother who is a year older. He wants to be in the army but he’s at home right now. Her family members are farmers that grow oranges. Xiongping’s dream is that she will be able to do the same thing that Moving Mountains does and be able to help people who need it.

GD 121 ~ Qianshan

Qianshan was not available on the day we visited.

GD 122 ~ Xiongxiang

Xiongxiang likes to sing out loud when no one is around. Her favorite classes are math, chemistry and physics. Her father wanted her to go to the city to work but when she was accepted into the best high school in her county, her father changed his mind. He let her register for school while he tried to find a way to borrow the money. Xiongxiang said that she was very surprised and deeply moved when she heard that she was sponsored by a woman from the United States.

GD 123 ~ Yantao

Yantao is one of the four girls sponsored by Rye Elementary School. (The other three follow.) Her favorite class is English and she loves listening to music. In her letter to the students at Rye Elementary School, she wrote, “During my summer vacation, I left my hometown to work in a factory. I learned a lot from that experience. Working in a factory is not an easy way to make money and earn a decent living. I will try my best in school and will make you proud.”

GD 124 ~ Meilu

Meilu was also sponsored by Rye Elementary School. She wrote, “I aim high in my life. I want to go to the top university and after that, I want to travel around the world. That’s my dream. If I accomplish my dream some day, you are the first ones I’d like to visit. Then, I can thank you in person.”

GD 125 ~ Qihong

Qihong was also sponsored by Rye Elementary School. Her favorite classes are Chinese, English and music. In her letter to the kids of Rye, Qihong wrote, “You can lose power and you can lose money but knowledge always remains as the most valuable treasure that we can ever possess.”

GD 126 ~ Liuchang

Liuchang hopes to become a doctor in the future. In her letter to the students at Rye Elementary School, Liuchang wrote, “Pursuing education is so important to me that I was overjoyed when I received my admission letter for this high school. Now, I can continue to learn. Without your help, things would be very different.”

GD 127 ~ Jieping

Jieping received a scholarship from a Brownie Troup in New Hampshire. Now, she dreams of going to a top university. She doesn’t know what she wants to do for work but her favorite class is physics. Jieping says that she is “determined to help children in poverty to continue their education.”

GD 128 ~ Haiyan

This is Haiyan. She is a very shy first year student. We were able to visit her home where they served us a delicious stuffed tofu soup. She lives with four siblings, her parents and her grandparents. She wrote, “When I learned that I was accepted into this high school, I was thrilled. I thought, ‘If you work hard, you will achieve your dreams. I didn't let my parents down...’ When I heard that I received this scholarship, I felt so lucky. I won't let you down. I know that you worked hard for this money.”

GD 129 ~ Jiemei

This past summer, Jiemei went to work in a factory in a town far from her home. By August, she learned that she was accepted into the best high school in her county. In September, she learned that a girl scout troop had provided a scholarship and made it possible for her to return to school. During our trip this Fall, we let Jiemei know that one of the girls in that troop was actually born in the city where Jiemei worked. Both girls were stunned by the coincidence!

More Yunnan Girls (2)

Yn 19 ~ Qingjian

When we asked Qingjian what her name means, she said that her family is very poor and she was very fat when she was born. Qingjian said that her name means “less” because they hoped she eat less food.

Qingjian wants to be a lawyer or a teacher. She loves studying politics and English. Because her family was involved in a lawsuit with the Chinese government, she wants to be lawyer to protect people.


YN 20 ~ Kailei

Kailei’s name means “the flowers have blossomed.” She wanted us to thank her sponsor again and let her know that she will help others in the future just as she has done. She wants to become a social worker so that she can help the elderly. Her dream is to take her parents to Beijing and Shanghai some day.

She said that she is very sincere to her friends. Alma, the Yunnan Education Coordinator, says that Kailei smiles a lot. Kailei says that she is obedient to her parents because there are five children in her family and it’s not easy for her parents. She is very grateful for everything they have done for her and for everything her sponsor has done for her.


Yn 21 ~ Shuanglan

The teachers in high school love Shuanglan and her grades are very good. She loves to write and has had an article published in her school newspaper.

Shuanlan’s name means “double flower.” Her parents “wanted her to have good morals.” Shuanglan wants to be a manager some day and wants to be able to help others.

Her favorite thing about her village is “the fairy cave.” This is what another girl wrote about the fairy cave…“There is a fairy cave, too. The entrance is so small that you have to crawl inside. Just 10 meters from the entrance, there’s a deep hole and someone could fall into it if they weren’t being careful. So you would need to pay extra attention. After crossing the hole, it becomes very wide but it’s also very dark. If you want to see the inside, you have to bring a lamp. Can you imagine how wide the cave is? It’s wider than my village. It would definitely take more than one day to visit it. Sometimes I am afraid to go too far, for I am afraid I will lose my way. There are stone chairs and beds in the cave. They are said to be used by the fairy ladies living there. There are many stone columns in the cave, too. They look like stone babies, monkeys and cats, etc. Inside the cave, there are many small caves. So you’d better remember your way!”

She wants us to thank her sponsors again. She said, “Without your help, I couldn't study here.”


YN 22 ~ Huamei

Huamei’s name means “beautiful China.” She wants to teach history at her high school someday. Huamei seems very quiet and a little shy. Her village is near a beautiful mountain and has lots of trees. She is very grateful for her scholarship but she is also very excited to have the opportunity to write to her sponsor.




YN 23 ~ Yan

In Chinese, Yan is a type of bird. Yan’s parents gave her that name because they wanted her to fly freely in the sky and realize her dream.

Yan’s English is very good. She wants to teach English in the city some day. She loves the apple trees in her hometown. Her parents are farmers who grow apples, potatoes and corn.


Yn 24 ~ Xingyun

When we asked her what her name means Xingyun said that xing means "happy and glad" and yun means "cloud". Xingyun loves to draw and wants to be an artist some day. She said that there are beautiful mountains near her home. Farmers there plant trees and crops at the foot of the mountain. Her family grows apples, corn and potatoes. Xingyun wishes her sponsor a happy life.


Yn 25 ~ Dedan

Dedan giggles a lot and smiles often. Her name means “harvest”. She was given this name because she was born on Oct 7th during harvest time. She wants to be a translator or doctor so that she can keep her family healthy. Her parents are both farmers who grow apples, potatoes and corn. Dedan loves to climb in the mountains and look for mushrooms after the rain.

She lives close to school ~ about ten minutes by bus. When we asked her about her dreams for the future, she said, “I want my mother to be happy.” When we asked her if she wanted us to give her sponsors a message, she said, “I want them to be to be happy forever too.”


YN 26 ~ Jinfeng

Jinfeng is taller than most of the girls we met. She seems very sweet and smiled the whole time. Jin means "moving forward" and Feng means "harvest." She said she was given this name because she was born on October 18th, right in the middle of harvest time. On the high school entrance exam, her Chinese score was the highest score in her grade (150 students).

She hopes to become a tour guide in a place with lots of history like India, China or Egypt because she loves history. We were surprised to hear that she wants to go to a university that teaches English (as opposed to history.)
She likes school but misses her village because the people are so “warm hearted” there.

Yn 27 ~ Jiacui

We asked Jiacui what her name means and she said that Jia means “home and family” and Cui means “green and fresh.” She hopes to become a Chinese teacher in her village because she wants to stay with her family so that she can take care of them. Her village is in the mountains and it is very beautiful. She loves to climb in the mountains there.



Yn 28 ~ Jiao

We asked Jiao what her name means and she said that it means “shy and beautiful.” True to her name, Jiao’s voice was very soft and sweet and she seems to be very shy. She wants to work hard and one day, she hopes to meet her sponsors. We explained that her tuition was donated in memory of her sponsor's mother-in-law and she seemed to be touched. This photo was taken as she looked through her sponsor's family pictures.

Jiao’s dream is to travel all over world. She wants to begin at The Great Wall of China. She likes school but misses her village. She said that all the people there are hard working.

Yn 29 ~ Xuanmei

Xuanmei was unusually confident and very well spoken. Xuan is the name of all of the children in her generation. Mei is a type of flower that blossoms in winter. She loves her name.

Xuanmei wants to be a tour guide on the Great Wall of China and she loves Beijing even though she has never been there. She is a little homesick. Her family lives so far away that she can only go home once a semester. She told us that her village is on a mountain with a very beautiful waterfall. Her parents are both farmers and they grow corn and a special spice that is so spicy, "it makes your mouth numb."

Yn 30 ~ Hongling
Hong is the name given to each of the children in her generation and Ling means "tomorrow." She said her parents gave her that name because they wanted to her to have a very bright tomorrow.

We asked Hongling for more details about the story she wrote in her letter to her sponsors. She said she hid her high school acceptance letter in a box but her father found it. Her parents still wanted her to go to school. Her father said, “No matter how poor we are, we will help you go to school.” Hongling’s family was able to raise enough money to pay for the first semester of school but they used all of the money they had saved. Hongling felt guilty because she wanted her brother to have a chance to go to school too. Because she is the older sister, she believed that she should take more responsibly for her family.

Her biggest goal for the future: She wants to earn a lot of money to take care of her family. Her favorite thing about her village is “the fairy cave.”

YN 31 ~ Daoli

After she graduates, Daoli wants to help “provide justice in society and to protect people who need it.”

Her math teacher helped her study for the high school entrance exam. She studied for two years and the teacher worked with her after school on his own time because he believed in her. Daoli wishes her sponsors have a happy life and she hopes to meet them someday.

YN 32 ~ Yongcui

When we asked Yongcui what her name means, she said that the two characters together mean “forever green” but her parents say that it means “outstanding.” She says that they gave her that name because they want her to have a successful life.

Yongcui wants to go to Kunming Medical College and work in Kunming as a doctor. She likes the big city even though she has never been there.
Her favorite thing about her village is the rice that they grow there. Her mother died two years ago when she "fell out of bed and hurt her back." Her older sister moved away when she got married, her little brother is in middle school and her father works in the city. When she goes home she stays with her aunt and helps with the farm work.

She is very close to her father. He gives her lots of emotional support and always encourages her. Her father lets her know that she is as good as other children even though they are poor. She wants us to tell her sponsors that she wishes them a happy life.

YN 33 ~ Dongmei

Dongmei has an older brother in Kunming University. She wants to go to Yunnan Normal Teachers’ College so that some day she can teach English at her high school in Yunnan.

Dongmei is very quiet and soft spoken. She said that her name has a special meaning, Dong means “winter” and Mei is a flower that is very strong and blooms in the winter. Her parents wanted her to be strong and blossom like these flowers through all kinds of difficulties. She said they wanted her to have a wonderful life.

Dongmei’s chores include cooking and washing the family’s cloths but she says she likes housework. Her favorite thing about her village is the fruit that they grow there ~ including several types of apples, grapes and peaches.

Yn 34 ~ Taizhou

Taizhou wants to be a tour guide in the United States. She would like to show Chinese tourists the Mississippi river because her geography teacher in middle school told her that the Mississippi River is beautiful and the water is clean and clear. She laughed when we told her that the Mississippi River is called “The Muddy River.”

Taizhou’s village is in the mountains but is not very high. Her parents are farmers who grow corn. We saw lots of corn drying on the rooftops in the village we visited. When we asked what it is used for she said it was drying for the winter and will be used to feed both the families and their pigs.

When we asked her the meaning of her name, she told us that Tai is the name of all the children in her village and zhou means "boat." She was given that name because a boat represents “freedom to search for her dream.”

Yn 35 ~ Zejian

Zejian was very sweet. She told us how she was named. Ze is a generational name and Jian means to see with her eyes. Zejian wants to see the whole world someday. Her first stop would be at the Great Wall of China.

She said that her dream is to become a doctor so that she will be able to help other people. She misses her hometown, especially the beautiful river in her village.

Yn 36~ Zeling

When she graduates, Zeling wants to be a teacher and wants to return to her hometown to teach English.

Tomatoes are her favorite food but they have a special buckwheat pie in her village that she also likes. Her favorite thing about her school is the classroom because “it is a place where she can make her dreams come true.”

YN 37~Huifang

Huifang said that the name Fang means “beautiful flower.” She said that her mother gave her that name because she hoped that she would be beautiful when she grew up. Her parents are farmers that grow rice and potatoes. Her favorite foods are apples and oranges and her favorite thing about her village is a flower pole in the center of her village. She wants to be a doctor in Dalian because it is beautiful there and it is near the ocean.

Yn 38 ~ Mei

The word Mei in Chinese is a strong and beautiful flower that blossoms in winter. Mei dreams of becoming a doctor someday. She loves school but misses her village. She said that she lives near a mountain that is covered with flowers in the spring. She said it is very beautiful there.

Mei’s parents are hardworking farmers who grow apples and rice. She says that her parents have been very important to her success. They give her strength. When asked what she likes to do with her spare time, she said that she loves to play basketball and she’s pretty good at it.

YN 39 ~ Wenju

Wenju wants to be a social worker when she graduates. As a social worker, she hopes to be able to help children go to school. She said that her name means “gentle flower.” This special flower blooms in the fall, so it is a strong flower. Wenju is soft spoken and very sweet. She says her school is full of love and harmony.

Her favorite foods are apples, hamburgers and meat. When we asked if they ever made apple pie, Wenju was surprised that we actually cook apples here. She says that she loves the pears in her village too because they grow very big there.

YN 040 ~ Yanhong

Yanhong was very quiet and sweet. Yan can mean “flower or pretty” and Hong means “red.” Yanhong said that she has decided what she wants to be but she is keeping it a secret. Her dream is to travel the world starting at the Great Wall. She said she was homesick when she first came to school and that she loves her family. She said her family is full of love and harmony. Her favorite place in her village is under a big tree where people rest and gather. She asked us to thank her sponsors again.

YN 018 ~ Zhiqi.

Zhi is the name of all the children born in her generation. In Chinese, Qi has the same sound as seven and ZhiQi is the seventh child in her family. She hopes to become a writer or a poet some day. Her favorite thing about her village is the marsh nearby. She loves to watch the black necked cranes there. Unfortunately she doesn’t get to go home often because her village is 5 hours away from the school.

YN 013 ~ Taicai

Taicai means “too colorful.” Taicai says that she loves to sing. She didn’t sing for us but she does have a beautiful speaking voice. Taicai is very outgoing and laughs often. She also loves to play all kinds of sports.

Taicai wants to be an accountant after she finishes school so that she can take care of her hard working parents.

YN 015 ~ Guoqin

In her letter to her sponsor, Guoqin wrote that she wanted to make a special dish for her. We asked her what was in the dish. I think the recipe is a village secret because she would only tell us that it was made with soy beans.

Guoqin told us that Guo means “country” and qin is a type of instrument. She said that her parents gave her that name because they hoped that her life would be full of sunshine.

Guoqin’s dream is to travel the world. She would like to visit the US first. She said she would love to have more freedom. She wanted us to thank her sponsor again. Because of her help, Guoqin has “less burden.”


YN 012 ~ Dahong

We asked Dahong what her name means and she told us that it means big and significant. She said that her parents “wanted her to be successful on the road of life. Even if there are difficulties, they hope she can get through.” Dahong wants to become a tour guide in Dalli and then she wants to travel abroad. Dalli is in Yunnan and is an old city with a famous tower. Dahong loves the mountains in her village. Her home is at the foot of a mountain and her family grows corn and potatoes.

YN 014 ~ Wang Mei

Wang Mei said that her name Mei is a flower that blooms in the winter. She hasn’t decided what she wants to do for work when she graduates but her dream is to be able to travel. Her parents are farmers who grow apples, potatoes and corn. Her favorite food is the apples that her family grows. She says that they are the best.

She wants her sponsors to know that she is very moved by their help. They have given her a happy life.

More Yunnan Girls (1)

YN 008 ~ DaYan

This is DaYan. She seems very confident and relaxed. She hopes her sponsors are happy every day and she wants them to know that she would like to help others some day ~ just as they have helped her.

DaYan is named after a bird that flies very far away. This is fitting because she dreams of touring the world but wants to start right here in Yunnan.

YN 009 ~ Wen Renxuan

This is Wen Renxuan (pronounced Jen-Shoe-an). Wen is her family name, Ren means "kind" and Xuan means "to make a choice". She wants to thank her two sponsoring families who have made a "kind choice" in helping her change her life.

Renxuan wants to go to college and then come back to this school to teach English. She wants to be friends with her sponsors for a long time.

YN 011 ~ Hongyan

Hongyan lives very far away from school, so she only goes home once a semester. She misses her village especially the beautiful mountains. She wants to be a Chinese teacher in her village some day but would also like to tour the world. The first place that she would like to see is the ocean.



YN 007 ~ Hongqiong

This is Hongqiong. Hong means "great" and Qiong is a precious jade. She said that her parents gave her that name because they wanted her life to be very beautiful. Hongqiong wants to become a social worker in the mountains of Yunnan.



YN 006 ~ Weng Jiao

This is Weng Jiao. She drew the picture on the MovingMountains-Kids blog. Her name means "gentle, shy and pretty." She made us laugh when she told us that she was named by her grandmother because when she was born, she cried all of the time. Clearly, her name was a wish for the future!

Weng Jiao's mother died of cancer nine years ago, so she hopes to become a doctor who works with cancer patients. In the mean time, she loves to visit the lotus pool near her school and watch the boys play basketball.

Five girls from Yunnan

Happy Election Day! This photo was taken in the Kunming airport. The world is watching us today.

We have arrived in Zhoutong and we met five of the girls this evening! We had just a short amount of time with each girl because they had to get back to school. We talked with each one separately and took photos and video. Many of the girls were nervous because they were unsure of their English but we assured them that their English was much better than our Chinese!

School is six days a week in China. In the morning, classes begin at 7:40 and end at 12:00 for lunch. School begins again at 2:30 and breaks at 5:45 for dinner. Five of the girls came to our hotel room during this dinner break and had hamburgers. This was a special treat for them because meat is very expensive here. We would have liked to have more time but by 8:00 the girls were already late for evening classes which begin at 7:30 and finish up at 10:20 in the evening. Total daily class time ~ just about 10 and a half hours a day, six days a week!

Because school takes up so much of the day, we asked how the girls got their homework done. One girl giggled and said, “Oh, we don’t go home at night.” (The high schools here are all boarding schools.) We explained that homework, as opposed to housework, is school work that you do after classes are over. “Oh, yes,” one girl replied, “we have holiday homework that we do over the summer.” We eventually learned that the girls have “study time” after evening classes are over from 10:20 until midnight.


YN 001 ~ Taiting

This is Taiting pronounced Tie-Ting. Tie means “too much” Ting means “good and beautiful.” Taiting is very confident and her English was impressive. We didn’t need much help from the translator at all. It was also clear that she is very patient, as she waited for us to figure out what was wrong with our camera.

In the letter to her sponsor, Taiting wrote a story about harvesting pine nuts with her friends when she was a child. She told us that the children would climb pine trees to get pinecones. In the center of each pinecone, is one pine nut. The children would break them open one at a time and fill their pockets with pine nuts.

When she finishes school, Taiting wants to be a teacher in her village elementary school.

YN 002 ~ Leili

This is Leili. She giggles all the time ~ very sweet! Her name means Jasmine. Her family grows rice, corn and potatoes.

Leili wants to build a new road to her village some day. She says that this has been her dream since childhood. The road between her village and the market is very muddy and needs lots of work.

Leili is concentrating on math in high school. Her dream is to become a doctor in Shanghai.


YN 003 ~ Xinghui

This is Song XingHui (pronounced Song Sing Whey). Song is her family name. Xing means means "happy and excited" and Hui means "you can do it". Her name fits her well because when she took the high school entrance exam, XingHui got the highest score in the history of her township.

She says that her hometown is high on a mountain. It is very cold but very beautiful there.

YN 004 ~ Wei

This is Wei. Her name means "great and famous". When she wrote to her sponsors this year, Wei said, "Though we are separated by thousands of miles, fate has found a way to bring us together."

The translator says that Wei loves to laugh and is always happy. We could see that right away. Wei wants to be a doctor in America some day.


YN 016~ Run

This is Run. She wrote to her sponsor, "I had a happy vacation this summer. I helped my parents working in the feilds in the daytime and did my school work in the evenings. Though I was tired, I still felt happy."

Run wants to be an English teacher in her high school some day. Based on her English when she was speaking to us, she will be a great English teacher!