Sally Cai

This is the very first blog from me ever since coming home from Mongolia, and the main reason is….I’m scared…yes, scared to blog. It just seems like so much has happened in the past month. My perspectives for things are constantly changing. When I first came back and expressed how much more content I am with life after the trip, someone I respect for a great deal told me that it’s great that I am much more positive than before, but the excitement will soon wear off, and reality is going to hit me in no time. She was definitely right; the excitement did wear off within the first week, with all the studying for the IB exams, dance practices and teaching, and being around people who never had the global experience. Speaking of which, just like many others, it was very difficult for me to get back to the real life and to interact with those who didn’t go on the trip. The sole reason for that I think, is with the 2 weeks being around people who are supper supportive and positive, it is weird for us to just re-enter our lives and care for ourselves. I’m certainly not trying to state that people back home are selfish or what-so-ever, but it’s just a different environment. In Mongolia, in such a foreign country, we experienced a life style that’s a great deal less materialistic than that we have back here. Also, facing all the adversities, all we had was 29 other students and the teachers. Despite all our differences, we were there with a common goal, and with the finishing of that, we as a group, felt accomplished. All these reasons are what we shared in common, and they are why after the trip all of us were still able to connect and have that ‘sparkle in the eye’ with each other. But back home, shaped by the norm of the society, everyone is so caught up with their busy lives that they never have time to appreciate. Everything kept on going, the complaints, the worries, the dissatisfactions…everything kept on going that people never bothered to stop for a second and digest the beauty within their everyday lives. The ‘me’ prior to the trip was a typical example of that. I used to complain quite often, about every little thing I face, and would always think life is unfair to me, for that I’m put at disadvantage for many things regarding my family’s situation. As you may have read from my previous blog, I also only thought of things from my own perspective and was horrible at putting others’ thinking into consideration.

 For that second week, I was scared that I was going to go back to the old self, I was scared the valuable lessons I learnt from global is going to wear off. But fortunately this worry of mine didn’t become true and I and many people around me were able to notice the change in me. I definitely noticed the changes in my ways of thinking. I now know how to ‘think in others shoes’ and by doing so I find myself happier than ever. Things that used to easily bother me, discourage me, or upset me can no longer control my mood anymore. It may sound cliché but I now definitely find myself having more control over my feelings and thinking. Of course, from time to time I still get upset from things that don’t go my way, but I now am able to get myself out of that situation very quickly. It’s amazing how simply changing your view could affect your life so greatly. It’s almost been a month since coming back from the trip, and thus far I am confident to say this trip has changed my way of thinking more positively than ever.

Coming back from the trip, we also had to face the reality of handing the torch to a whole new group of people. We’ve done presentations for the grade 11s and it was definitely a weird feeling. Now I am able to understand why the groups before us were so passionate about this program while we sat in the audience feeling bewildered. Their interviews have already taken place, and yesterday afterschool they had their first meeting notifying them of the method to knowing whether they are selected into the group or not. It felt just like yesterday that I was in the room, being in their position. Everything was so familiar, yet it felt more distant than ever. Hearing the same speech from Mr. M I had a completely different set of feelings than I had a year ago. I remember last year being in that room I was so nervous that I did not dare to make an extra move being afraid I would do something wrong. The e-mails have already gone out as I type, and people are figuring out if they are part of the group or not. To those that made it into the group, I would first like to congratulate you, you are about to go onto a journey that you will remember for a lifetime. With the final destination ‘seemingly far away’ from you, you may get discouraged or tired at times, but please remember to give it all in whenever it is possible. The major fundraisers will pass by with a split of a second, and the next thing you know you are back from the trip. So don’t waste any time complaining or thinking negatively no matter how time consuming this program can be at times. For those that didn’t make the cut, please don’t be discouraged. Like what Mr. M said, just because you didn’t make it into the program it doesn’t mean you should stop to try to help people. Simply one interview isn’t enough to evaluate an individual, but it is the most realistic way for the selection of next year’s group to be proceeded. Thus, if you feel strongly about this type of humanitarian works, there are many other ways to approach it in the society. There are so many possibilities out there that if you hold on to your beliefs and put it into action, you will be able to make positive changes in the world. As upset as I am being replaced by the 2011 group, I am happy at the same time. Another group of 30 students’ lives are yet to be changed =)….

PS. us Mongols definitely did a great job representing global perspectives and Richmond High, you guys shall not disappoint!!

Today is the day of our closing ceremony. In the morning we finished all the work left to be done, including landscaping and making benches. I’m really proud of myself that Dominique and I made a bench by ourselves. Knowing from this point on, there will be tons of children sitting on that bench, receiving education, my heart just suddenly warms up. It didn’t hit me until the afternoon, when we went to the school site to decorate for the closing ceremony. When the school bags and Canadian flags were put up, and when the fireplace has been lit, it felt like a whole. Teens who’ve been helping us for the past days were there, school aged children were there, and some of their parents were also there. Then, Mr. Matheny hammered on the plaque to the outside of the school, bold letters of ‘global perspectives’ immediately stood out. It was then that it just seemed so real, we really did build a school, all by ourselves, that’s going to make a difference in those kid’s lives. There were so much love and appreciation during the closing ceremony, and I really love the gifts I received. Due to language barriers, and being the kind of person that is extremely scared of rejections, I didn’t make much of an effort to interact with the kids. All I did was stand by the side and watch others playing with the kids. I felt joy by watching them just like that and felt even more grateful and appreciated at the discussion we had after the closing ceremony. Speaking of the discussion, I would like to say that was probably one of the best discussions I’ve ever had in my life. The closing ceremony and everything itself was amazing, there was no doubt about that, but on my way walking back to our dorm from the closing ceremony I was still asking myself ‘ what did I learn from this trip? Did this trip really change me?’

The discussion was certainly a joyful surprise. Listening to others talking about their interaction with the children at the closing ceremony I was very happy for them. The kids really do understand, they really do know we are changing their lives. If I was just a bit braver, I would have been able to experience that myself. I guess from that point on, I should not be so self conscious, and to open myself more. At the discussion, Kevin Milica and many others brought up the point that their parents immigrated to Canada despite all the obstacles they had to face, just to give her a chance. Kevin also mentioned about how his parents used to be really educated and well off in China until they decided to immigrant to Canada. That just made me think so much about my parents. My parents immigrated to Canada in 2004, before this my mom was a doctor and my dad was an aero craft engineer. They attended the best schools in China and received higher degrees than most people their age. It can be said that if they stayed in China they wouldn’t have any worries about everyday expenses and would have been living a more than comfortable life. But in 2004 they made the decision to immigrate to Canada, partially because my mom has always wanted to live in a foreign country, and the other reason is that they believe I would be able to receive a better education in Canada. Once they arrived in Canada, they can no longer work in the same positions as before due to language barriers and license issues. Initially, my mom worked in a labor job while she attended school to advance her English level while my dad sold hair accessory at the Richmond Night Market. Then, my mom slowed worked her way up and is now a technician. Far from the position she used to be in – renal specialist, but good enough to support everyday expenses. I now live with my dad and unlike my mom he decided to simply work on a labour job because he doesn’t want to learn English anymore. So everyday he would be extremely tired when he comes home and we wouldn’t have time to communicate like we used to. Being in the society I lived in, and being spoiled when I was little, I became rather materialistic. I constantly questioned my parents ‘why can’t you guys buy a nice car, or a house like others? Why can’t you drive me to dance like other parents? Why can’t you pay for my university tuition like others? Why can’t I take as many dance lessons as I’d like to like others?’ But then I realized my parents had to give up such comfort lives to give me a better chance at life, isn’t that already enough? What more can I ask for? They are already doing their best and they are already doing better than what other parents would have done in this situation. I also constantly blamed them for not caring for me as much as other parents do. But then I realized it was me who’s been constantly isolating myself from my parents and my friends. Ever since IB I used ‘i need as much time as possible to focus on school work’ as an excuse to hang out with friends, to communicate with my parents and what did I get after all? I felt lonelier than ever. So what if I did well in school? I wasn’t happy. From looking at the Mongolians, just like Mr. Matheny said previous to the trip, people in LEDCs have nothing compared to us, yet they are always so content, so full of joy and hope, and isn’t that what I’ve always been searching for? From this point on, I would get myself out there and try to get to know everyone. From this trip, I realized people who I thought were really different from me had lots of common qualities with me after all. I would also spend as much time with my parents as possible, not take what they are doing for me for granted, and always show appreciations to everything they are doing for me. Happiness can be so simple after all.

This discussion has also given me a better understanding of the importance of education. IB is difficult; there is no doubt about that. But it was my choice to enter it initially, and I’m definitely fortunate that I have that opportunity. I believe this experience is going to help me during the IB examination times, since from this point on, whenever I ever feel like I’m tired to studying and just want to give up, I can tell myself ‘suck it up, princess (Ms.Kippan I <3 you), you have the opportunity, and don’t take it for granted, make the best use of it’. Speaking of Ms. Kippan, I would like to mention something about the teachers. Ever since the global perspectives dinner, I’ve had such great respect for them as you may read from my previous blog. Today, after the discussion when I hugged Ms. Kippan she asked me if it reminded me the time she gave me a hug after the global dinner. I’m really surprised yet extremely happy that she still remembers it. From the first day of the program, Ms. Kippan, Ms. Thomsing, Mr. Matheny and Mr. Hammer has been such motherly/fatherly models to me just like Jessica has mentioned today; it just I’d always kept it within myself instead of expressing it to others. On this trip, Mr. Hammer wasn’t able to come and that was a great disappointment, but Mr. Mc Callum has been more than awesome on this trip. I just want to say, Mr. Hammer I miss you LOTS, but Mr. Mc Callum, you are superb, despite your spilling of water on me on the bus =P. Ms. Kippan, Ms. Thomsing, and Mr. Matheny, I have so much more respect for you guys on this trip, I would never forget you guys’ care for your students, and would implement that spirit into my teaching of dance. Speaking of dance and motherly role model, I can’t help but to think about my dance teacher. I’ve been learning dance from her for more than five years now, and within this period of time she’s taught me so much. The relationship between Jessica and Ms. Kippan reminded me of the relationship between my dance teacher and I. She’s not only taught me Chinese dance, but has also given me lots of golden advices in terms of life lessons. For the Taolicup Competition that happened last August, she’s left her daughter and husband for 20 days. It was the first time she’s been separated from her daughter for more than 2 days, just like this time for Ms. Kippan. I now appreciate all she’s done for us more than ever, and understand more of her feelings. I now value my relationship with my dance teacher more than ever too. Before this trip, anytime I’d leave her for anything longer than 2 weeks I’d cry on the last lesson. But this time she forced me not to cry, because she said it was time for me to control my emotions and to ‘grow up’.  Surprisingly, I did not cry, I think all those talks I’ve had with her during private lessons really changed me as a person. Here, I just want to say THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH YANGYANG LAOSHI. I love you forever and ever…much respect to you!!

ALSO, MOM, DAD, I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOOOO MUCH!!! FROM NOW ON, I WILL BE A BETTER DAUGHTER AND MAKE YOUGUYS PROUD!! <3

This is the third day of working on the site and we’ve certainly made lots of progress. The walls of the school are getting put up just as I’m typing. Also, piles and piles of rocks are getting moved shovel by shovel. I’ve been shoveling for most of the time and it’s certainly rewarding to see the result of our hard work by the end of the day. Even though it seems strenuous at the time, and feels like its almost an impossible task, with motivation from each other we were able to get the job done. Time certainly passes by really fast, we’ve already been on this trip for 6 days, but as of now, everyone still has their spirits up and so far I don’t sense any negative feelings within this group. We are all motivating, encouraging, and understanding each other. It is this positive spirit that kept us going.
Last blog was really brief, so I’d like to write down some of my thoughts in this one. The plane delay in Korea was the first official challenge we faced as a group since the trip, and I feel like we’ve dealt with that quit well. I wasn’t really scared the first time we were notified of the cancellation, because changes like that are within my expectation. But on the second day, when we were told the plane might have been canceled again due to weather conditions, I started to get nervous inside. This is because we are only limited to 14 days, and the weather is one thing that human can’t control. Luckily we made it onto the plane and safely arrived in Ulaanbaatar. The one thing that struck me first at the airport is Ulaanbaatar being the capital of Mongolia, and the airport being an international one, we didn’t have to walk much at all from the point where we got off the plane to our us that’s waiting outside. This small size of the airport represents the limited amounts of people coming in the going out of Mongolia internationally, and I was thinking maybe this lack of connection with the rest of the world is one of the reasons why Mongolia is currently a Less Economically Developed country. This just reminds me of how crucial globalization is, and how much our project might mean to them.
We were taken to a hotel upon our arrival in Mongolia, and the next day we got onto the train to the village we are doing our project in. As soon as we got off the train we were greeted by locals and right after we went to a local school to participate in the opening ceremony. I really enjoyed the part where we learn to do traditional Mongolian dance and songs. I now also know how to write my name in Mongolian. The traditional Mongolian game we played was very fun and I was lucky enough to win the game and received the bone that’s used in the game as a prize. The ceremony contained lost of traditional Mongolian dancing, which was something that I was really looking forward to. I enjoyed all the dances performed at the opening ceremony and the cultural events, and even participated in learning two of the dances. The style of the dance are somewhat expected by me, but at the same time unexpected. I initially thought it was going to be really similar to Chinese Mongolian ethnic dance, but I found out their dance are more original and close to life. The children and all the adults hosting the events are super friendly. They all greeted us and introduced themselves to us. Some that knew English were translators for us and we’ve built up such a good relationship that we even exchanged e-mails. They were so helpful and enthusiastic that I felt like all those hard works we put into this project in the past year is well worth it.
After the opening ceremony, we drove back to the Ger to sleep. The weather was extremely cold and the firewood wouldn’t work. The temperature inside the Ger was not much better than the outside, and while we felt the temperature was excruciatingly low,the teachers had to stay up all night to refill the firewood for us. The next day we moved into a dorm in a local school since it was just impossible for us to get a good rest sleeping inside the Ger. As hard as it was, I’m glad I had this experience of sleeping in the Ger and freezing at night. It was such an adventure and I learnt that I can survive in extreme conditions as long as I don’t give up in my mind. Upon moving into the dorm we were able to get good rests at night and have energy to work the next day. Even though we had to share bathrooms and have 30+ people sleeping in the same room, I felt privileged. Before this trip, I would have never been satisfied with living in such condition. I think Ms. Kippan’s motto ‘suck it up, princess’ is really true, and I tired to follow it every step of the way.
Time sure flies and I’m looking forward to the next few days. I really wish time would stop at this second, but knowing it wouldn’t happen, I’d just have to make the fullest of every momment.

Due to various reasons we weren’t able to blog for the last couple of days, from day 1 of the trip to this point, there are so many memorable moments. First, I managed to finish two of my design labs on the plane and a plane ride never felt so short. On the plane we were notified that the plane to Ulaanbaatar was canceled due to weather conditions. To be honest, I didn’t panic much because I knew it would work out and we would be able to get onto the plane the next day. Everyone stayed so together and in the end our wishes came true, we safely arrived at the Ulaanbaatar airport. The Ger, the coldness, and the teachers having a non sleep night were so memorable.

Friday’s was somewhat a surprise to me…as usual (Mr.M loves surprises =P). In some sense it was also within my expectations since I’ve read about this exercise in the blogs done by the Paraguay group. As soon as we entered the classroom Mr.M told us to settle down quickly since we don’t any class time to waste. He called out a list of names and told the rest of us to wait outside. Everyone had a confused look on their face (as usual =D) and of course I was one of the people who had no idea as to what’s about to happen. There are just way too many surprises in global, and that’s why I absolutely love it. But I’m really bad with controlling my emotions and curiosity, so it was such a pain for me waiting outside. Finally, after what seemed to be FOREVER, the teachers came out and put us into groups of 3 with a shopping list and 3 dollars change. Once again, this caused more confusion but all we could do was to wait for further instruction. When I was notified that I’m in a group with Kevin and Andrew and that we only had 3 dollars to buy to bunch of school supplies on the list my initial reaction was ‘how in the world is this amount of money enough to purchase all the items list!!’ yes, I thought we were actually going to go to the mall or like superstore or something to buy everything on the list….I’m THAT SLOW. When Mr.M opened the classroom door to let us in I was thinking to myself ‘shouldn’t we be buying the school supplies? Why are we going back into the classroom instead of to the mall? Sooooooooo stupid of me..I know I know..=P As soon as I entered the classroom it suddenly hit me that we are doing the same activity that the Paraguay group did last year, so unexpected, yet expected. I was actually scared initially since everyone was yelling in different languages trying to sell us their products. Prior to this I’ve had many experiences bargaining with people, both from a seller and a buyer’s perspective (I’ve helped my dad to work in the Richmond Night Market since I was 12). Also I’ve bargained a bunch when I was in China. But for all those experiences I was able to speak the language, I was never put in such a situation that I had to bargain in a different language that I have absolute no knowledge of. Being suddenly thrown into such a situation, I immediately froze down, and it was mostly Kevin who went up and attempted to make the purchase. It was soooooooooooo difficult to communicate. I think I’m going to bring a small calculator to Mongolia to type out prices. That’s what they do in malls in Beijing, where there are a lot of foreigners making purchases. Afterwards, we had a discussion and summarized best ways to bargain and we also talked about safety issues. Even though I’ve bargained all my life (being born in China and selling stuff in Richmond Night Market), I’m still scared to call out a price. I’m always afraid of it being too high when I was the buyer, and of it being too low when I was the seller. The tips Mr.M gave us were pretty helpful, now I have a better idea of what price I’m going to offer when I’m in Mongolia. Then we had the safety talk, I think safety is the most important thing, even if I don’t get the price I prefer. Because after all the prices aren’t all that high for us, but for people whose earning that extra dollar or two their family would live a much better life. And that’s what we all want right? To make the world a better and happier place for everyone!!! We’ll be leaving soon…sooooooooooooooo fast and scary. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!! GO MONGOLS!

Today during the last block, Nicole, Dominique and I were sitting together in mandarin class….Then, the announcement came on unexpectedly, and it immediately caught my attention since i heard the words GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES … Soon after all three of us yelled out…oh, its about our 500 dollars donation towards the Haiti earthquake! At that moment, we all felt soooo proud. The $500 all came from our UBC basketball game. It was our last big fundraiser event of the year. I think this time everyone has developed some sort of commonality that its much easier and effective to work together as a group now. It’s such  a great feeling to help and to be helped by others without words. Ya, this is what global perspectives is all about..helping each other, helping those in need, helping without being asked. As great as i felt during the game and knowing we did a great job that night considering the audience we were offered i couldnt help but to feel bad the day after. Mr.Matheny really could have used some help getting things into and out of his car before and after the game and no one offered that help. Also, there were lots of planning that had to be done previously that no one cared to ask. Even after he had said it in class that he wanted some help getting things out of his car the next morning, no one showed up. I’ve mentioned in the global dinner blog about how much i appriciate his work behind scene and his selflessness for not asking for recognition, this time i felt exactly the same way. Even though i had a cold and didnt even go to the school for the entire next day i still felt really bad. However, i’m glad that through discussion we managed to sort everything out. I’m also very glad that he still has faith in us, though we  really need to step it up to prove to him once again that we are the group of students he’s looking for, and that he didnt make a mistake for choosing us to be in this group. The past remains in the past, and we really cant do anything about it anymore. Now we can only look forward and use every opportunity possible to bring back the confidence the teachers had in us in the beginning of this journey. Speaking of which, it feels like this journey is coming to an end soon, time passed by too fast and i’m definitely not ready to pass it down to the next grade yet. Even though all the big fundraiser events are over, we still have the grand trip to look forward to. We only get this one chance, a chance that many other dreams of, so we should really make the best out of it. This is also the reason why i felt like the ‘discomfort’ we felt as a group in the past week came up at a good time. At least we are still here in Canada, and can easily sort things out, and hope for a trip flled with understandings of each other. Cant wait…go Mongols…!!!!! Anyways, i really hope everything in Haiti is going well, and wish to make a difference with our help. I still remember two years ago when China experienced the disastrous earthquake. That time I with a few others also organized a fundraiser in school and raised nearly $1000. I’m so glad i offered my share of help for both earthquakes! HELP HELP HELP..thats what global is all about! lets keep that in mind and make the best out of the rest of our journey…GO TEAM

The Christmas Luncheon was a lot less of a hustle in comparison to our dinner early on. Some reasons may be we don’t have as much items to worry about; this dinner is after all more about the culinary arts program than it is about us; we have experience from the past and know what we should do and shouldn’t do. However, I think the most importance factor is we are now able to apply what we learnt in global class discussions into real life. For example, there’ll have to be leaders and followers (different people playing different roles with in a group). If everyone were leaders, no one would be willing to do the job and there would just be random commands everywhere resulting in nothing being done, and if everyone were followers, no one would do anything since they were not told what they should do; this ends at the same place as 100% leaders…having nothing being done. I realized the majority of the people who are in global are leaders, in previous events this was the problem. However, this time everyone just stepped down a step when they were needed to do the actual job, and as a result, everything worked out smoothly. Good job everyone for being such a great team!

With numerous homework and busy extracurricular activities, we didn’t have enough time to prepare ourselves well for this second bottle drive. However, on the actual day there are actually more bottles than I’d expected. One thing I learnt from this very bottle drive is to NEVER WEAR FLIP-FLOPS to bottle drives in the WINTER. Initially my reasoning for me to wear flip-flops is that it’s easier to wash my own skin than to clean shoes, so I wanted there to be as little material for the footwear as possible. But this experience has taught me that wearing flip-flops in the winter is a horrible idea. I didn’t know why I didn’t just wear the rain boots I wore to Bamfield just a few weeks ago. Even with my improper footwear I was able to stay focused on our main task. This time it took us a lot less time to sort everything out in comparison to our first bottle drive. The amount of bottles is a factor, but I think what’s more important is we now know each other much better than we did initially, and learnt to work with each other. Through this bottle drive it can really be seen that we are now working as a team. GO MONGOS!!!

When Mr. Matheny told all of us to remain silent once we got into the classroom, some were scared, some were worried, but most of us were confused. After a long time of dead silence, when everyone finally arrived, Mr. Matheny randomly picked a person (Sudah) and gave her a piece of paper with a bunch of instructions. She wasn’t allowed to use words, but was only allowed to express the instructions on the paper through drawing. She’s a great artist and everything she drew made perfect sense, but it still took her much longer to get the instructions to us through drawing in comparison to using words. What we were supposed to do wasn’t difficult; it was only difficult trying to understand what’s asked of us. When we were finally allowed to speak, Mr. Matheny revealed that the exercise was for us to understand the importance of communication through language. When we go to Mongolia, they are going to be speaking an entire language that we will have no knowledge of, and we’d be in a similar situation to what we were just put into. Thus, body language and communication through drawing would be extremely important. (It’d be handy to bring a little notebook to draw on, since we won’t have the white board with us in Mongolia =P) I have a personal experience of being in a totally foreign environment where everyone around speaks another language and it just makes you feel completely lost. When I first came to Canada in grade 6, I only knew the very basics of English, like ‘big’ ‘small’ ‘elephant’. And instead of being put in an elementary school in Richmond where there are many kids that can speak both Mandarin and English and may be able to act as a translator, I was put into a school in Surrey and was 1 of the only 3 students in the entire school that speaks Mandarin. The other two students weren’t even in the same class as me so of course I felt extremely lost in my new class. I wasn’t able to understand what’s for homework and what the teachers wants us to do in class. Then I realized the need to use my body language and drawing skills to communicate mine and their ideas across. As hard as I try, there are still lots of misunderstandings at times. Many times I’d make a fool out of myself just because I comprehended the others’ idea the wrong way. During arts, we were told to make candles, and apparently the teacher said each student is only allowed to make 2 due to the limited supplies. However, I wasn’t able to understand that and only got the idea of we are making candles by examining others making theirs. When I saw one person happily went to her second one right after she completed the first one, I thought we were allowed to make as many candles as we want so in total I made 5. Just as I was happily examining my work, one of the students told the teacher and got me in trouble. I didn’t know what I did wrong but only knew I was in trouble, I didn’t know how to express myself and because I was so worried I began to cry. The teacher then had to get one of the Mandarin speaking girls to come over to my class to translate for me, and the problem got solved through this translating process. Luckily I had her to help me translate; I can’t imagine what kind of a day I’d have to go through without this translation. Similar misunderstanding moments occurred countless times until I learnt enough English to get my thoughts across to others. The moral of my story is no matter how hard you try and how careful you are, with such language barrier there are bound to be misunderstandings. All we can do is to prepare for it as best as we can, and to not be afraid. With my elementary experiences I definitely have a clear understanding of what a situation I’d be in.

The impro-ving Mongolia show was extremely successful, the outcome was much better than what many of us expected it to be. I never thought my passion and commitment for Chinese dance would one day be used to help children to go to school, but it was made true by this show. This entire show is composed of two parts of the tickle me pickle show, and in between there are performances from our own school (or from former students of RHS). There are two band performances, and there are also performances from our very own global perspectives program- Sasha and I. Everyone did a great job at the show and we received numerous positive feedbacks. Who knew that before the show, both Sasha and I were scared to death! (Ok, many of the global people knew, because I was expressing my nervousness to them =P) Here, I would like to say THANK YOU to those who were there to support me and encourage me before the show. On that day I was so nervous even though I’d done this solo for a national dance competition in China just two months ago. I think it’s because I’ve only done this dance three times ever since the competition and my leg was also injured at that time. My leg was hurt during a dance practice three weeks previous; I thought I’d get better  by the time of this performance, but on the day of the performance I still had a hard time getting up once I bend my leg to squat or to do similar moves. Just my luck, my solo composed of lots of moves on the ground, and involved lots of bending down and getting up. When I was practicing those moves before the show, I wasn’t able to do some of them because they were so painful to my knees. However, once I got onto the stage and felt the light shining on me, all of those worries disappeared. I was into my music and barely felt the pain and finished the dance before I had the chance to fear. Great job everyone who planned and worked through the show. This event made me feel more strongly that Global perspectives is just one big family. THANK YOU EVERYONE