MARCO CHENG | 鄭展朝
20. UK/HK. Foodie, pianist and teacher.
英國/香港. 食物和鋼琴愛好者, 英文教師.
ETTP 2012 @ Beichuan, Sichuan
From left: Jin Ling, Angela Or, Carissa Li, Cecilia Wong, Marco Cheng, Susanne Ng, Benedict Ng (team leader)
Group A (senior secondary): Benedict Ng, Susanne Ng
Group B (junior secondary): Angela Or, Carissa Li
Group C (primary): Cecilia Wong, Marco Cheng
Apologies, I can't remember much of this since it was already 3 years ago!
Beichuan is one of the poorest places in Sichuan after the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake (it reached a magnitude of 8.8), which destroyed the whole of Beichuan town, killing nearly half of the population. Beichuan High School was also ravaged by the earthquake but luckily, in 2010 it was rebuilt quickly and currently it holds at least 1000 students and 100 teachers. The photo you see is the quad of new Beichuan High School - the school itself has outstanding facilities and a huge garden.
When I first visited Beichuan in 2012 (note that was also the first time working with ETTP), there was literally nothing apart from a few shops and hawkers selling food. There weren't many lights; it was pretty dark outside during night time. However the hotel where we stayed in was amazing; the rooms were clean, huge and the beds were extremely comfortable. I wonder how they managed to rebuild the hotel within 2 years time.
There weren't many trainees who joined the ETTP, mainly because it was (1) in December and students/teachers still had to attend school and (2) it was cold in Beichuan and presumably teachers didn't want to come all the way to attend lessons. True - there wasn't a central heating in the classrooms so we were literally freezing our tits off. The loos were damp and cold but we were used to it anyway.
We arrived Beichuan on the 23rd of December, 2012, and lessons started on the next day (a day before Christmas Day). Many of the trainees actually hadn't a clue about Christmas, which was a total shocker. Perhaps it's because they just don't celebrate it. Some of the trainers were Catholic and they were eager to find a church nearby. No luck mate, when you're in the middle of nowhere there's no chance finding one.
First day of training, there were approximately 50 trainees altogether in the ETTP Beichuan 2012,
I also had the opportunity to teach a bunch of senior secondary (Gaokao) students - funny enough they were more eager in learning English than the trainees. We played a few games, such as hangman and tongue twisters (in English, of course), and I asked them to describe an event that they will never forget in school. I must say, at least more than half othe students in my class recalled their fears and near-death experiences during the Sichuan Earthquake; their loved ones and friends taken away by the falling debris, suffocated to death under the piles of rubble. It was very sad indeed, to hear that their good memories have been swept away by the horrifying earthquake in 2008.
There were 3 students who impressed me a lot - they were the ones who came up to me and asked if I could stay behind every day to teach them English. It wasn't possible, unfortunately, because of the tight schedule and it wasn't part of the ETTP. I did promise them though, that I would do a bit of tutoring during lunch. This meant sacrificing my own lunch time (and theirs too) just to help them with English, but it was worth every single second. Why though? Well it's because they were good learners; they constantly asked questions about how to learn English efficiently. Never have I met a student who is keen to learn more; that actually made my day.
Teaching Senior secondary (Gaokao) students English after the afternoon session
We still had to teach on Christmas/Boxing Day, as if Christmas never happened at all in 2012. In order to remain the festive spirit, our team leader Ben decided to play a Christmas song during the singing session in the afternoon. The good ol' 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' and 'Jingle Bells' were a massive hit amongst the trainers, but to the trainees they felt like it was only an ordinary piece of music. Can't blame them - they don't celebrate Christmas at all anyway! Christmas is all about gifts, so our sponsor CTF (a jewelery/gold franchise in HK) gave every trainee a handmade plant made out of gold. If you were thinking whether the trainers had one, no we don't. We were given a USB stick instead, but I wouldn't start complaining about it.
Trainees receiving gold plants from the sponsor - they look thrilled no?
I'll have to skip the next few days because I really can't remember what happened exactly. Definitely teaching, no doubt. I wasn't required to teach (that is, all the teaching materials were prepared by Cecilia), apart from assisting the trainees in answering their questions during lessons.
So what about life after lessons? Well we had lunch in the school canteen and dinner in nearby restaurants. Sichuan cuisine is pretty hot; you ask for less chili and you still get a handful of them. You ask for no chili and the chefs will think you're absolute bonkers. Food in the school canteen was actually pretty good; loads of veg and meat and soup only for the price of 3 RMB. Bargain at its finest!
 Food in the school canteen |  Afternoon session with Ben |
|---|---|
 Cecilia and the trainees |  IMG_0554 |
 IMG_0561Trainers' Group Photo in the centre of Beichuan |  New marketplace in Beichuan |
There wasn't much to see during the night - however the wooden houses and lanterns were kind of beautiful and traditional. There weren't any cars; it was heckie quiet, apart from one night where a group of Miao tribes were dancing in the town centre of Beichuan.
Anyway, back to teaching for the next few days... (I'm ending it with an ellipsisfor the sake of cutting down my words)
29th was the last day of teaching - the competitions took place in the MMLC and if I remember correctly, most of the trainees did particpate in both events. Everyone had a good time and we hoped to see them again in Beichuan. The days might've been short - 6 days in total, but it was worth every single minute and second.
As of 2015, I haven't been back to Beichuan nor have I kept in contact with any of the trainees. A pity, however, till we meet again. I still wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
For more photos, click here,
