Going To School In Rural China
Qu Lisha was a typical 8 year-old Chinese elementary school student in the city of Shenzhen when she suddenly found herself in a rural school. Her parents, who are teachers, volunteered to work in schools devastated by the earthquakes and Qu wound up at Longnan Experimental School in a rural area. Qu was raised in a city and her first day at the new school was surprising. “I could not bear the toilet at the school, so dirty and smelly, but luckily they soon built a new one for us.” She was also surprised to encounter animals in her daily coming and going from school.
She noted other differences between city and rural schools. “First, the morning reading in Shenzhen is very short whereas it is very long here. Second, we don’t have snack break in the morning so I am starving every noon when I get back home. Moreover, we have much more homework here than in Shenzhen. Apart from the unbearable toilet, I also found that keys and furniture here were like from ancient times, quite different from the modern styles back in Shenzhen.”
Qu has been fortunate to encounter friendly children who play with her but, “it is impossible for them to play with me after school, so I feel lonely and just play with my barbie alone.” Her new friends live very far from school and have to make the long trip back to their homes as soon as school concludes.
Qu’s mother believes the rural experience has been beneficial for her daughter because “she has started to think from the perspective of others, which I think is a big step for her.”
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