Summer of Service

And we're home! Well, Hawkins is 'meeting the parents' in Taiwan, Mike is testing his Japanese in Tokyo, and Ashley is staying in Zhongguo for another semester, but other than that, everyone else is home safe and sound. The program is over, and it was a success.

On our way to Hong Kong, the other teachers and I were helped by three Chinese college students. They treated us to dinner, helped us through customs and immigration, and escorted us all the way to our hotel. Their generousity helped us reach one of our final realizations of the trip:

This summer, we worked hard during our summer of service and gave everything we had to our students. But China gave us more. (ok it's cheesy, but it's true)

Everywhere we went, there was a friendly face waiting to make our trip as easy and enjoyable as possible. In Beijing, Yamke, Evan, Clare, and Josh made sure we experienced China in a way most tourists never will. In Luoyang, Andy went out of his way to throw us a "beer party." In Jishou, Tony showed us the best bars and restaurants, helped us get settled in, and befriended every single member of the group. Logan translated the entire textbook, organized weekend trips, videotaped classes, and kept the program running behind the scenes. Our students showered us with gifts and thank yous, and their eagerness in the classroom gave us energy every morning. Everyone was on our side. Everyone was rooting for us. Everyone was helping us.

The same applies on the home front. It seems that everyone is rooting for this thing to succeed. The Class of '48, PIIRS, PACE, Andy Brown, Philo Elmer, members of the Class of '76, the Princeton Prospect Foundation, Quad, Colonial, Tower, T.I., Terrace, Bill McCarter- all of them were willing to support our program with their time and money. Without them, Summer of Service could not have happened, and their help has truly changed the lives of everyone involved. I'm not just saying that because it sounds good- if you had a chance to talk to any one of our students, they would tell you the same thing. We have had a ripple effect this summer, and it started at home.

Our parents, teachers, family, and friends have probably been the biggest fans. It's been great to read your blog responses and know that you are following our activities almost every day. We all feel like I've got 11 new moms. We should send a special thank you to the Turcos for treating us to the most delicious dinner in Hong Kong. We ate at the Peninsula restaurant, which is so nice that I accidentally washed my hands in the urinal because I thought it was a sink.

So thank you, thank you, thank you. Keep on reading, if only for a couple more weeks. All of the teachers will post one final reflection on the trip. We will also be having a banquet in the fall (probably October), and we hope all of our funders, parents, and friends will be able to attend and listen to our experiences this summer.

Best,

- Rory