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Global friendship
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Li Dan
THE recent departure of a group of young foreign visitors was difficult for many students at Pinggang Middle School in Longgang District. "You would have been impressed by the hugs and tears as we parted with the Canadian kids on Saturday," one 14-year-old student said. "Though we had only met the day before, we felt like old friends."
Paying a return visit, 17 teenagers from the Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts and Londonderry Junior High in Alberta, Canada arrived on Friday with their principal Bob Maskell and several other teachers. Earlier this spring, Pinggang school had sent a boys' basketball team to participate in a tournament held in Victoria, where the international friendship was born.
Tom and Steven, two young men from the US presently teaching at Pinggang, joined their students at a party on Friday night. Chinese songs, English songs, dances, and games were held with laughter and applause; soon everyone forgot they had been strangers a few hours before.
"Then we sang Backstreet Boys and discoed in our classroom," a boy recalled the scene pleasantly. "We really enjoyed ourselves, because of the same bubbling energy and similar tastes for pop music."
On their visit to the Hakka museum in the town, the Canadian kids were fascinated by the well-preserved village buildings. Rosy cheeks shone with excitement as the kids tried the traditional Hakka waterwheel and were pleasantly surprised to see a portrait of Canada's current governor-general, who is of Hakka descent.
"The Canadian kids are lovely," Qin Hua, teacher of Pinggang school told me. "They ran barefoot to and fro on our playground. They also appreciated the kungfu tea performance given by our students."
The Chinese kids were mostly impressed by a love of nature and concern for the environment in their Canadian peers. "They would drink every drop of water from their bottles before throwing it away and never littered," one boy noted.
Toys and souvenirs changed hands along with email addresses when it came time to part. "It's hard to say goodbye," Qin Hua told me. "But we will reunite this summer in Canada again, as the school is arranging for a 3-week summer camp there."
According to Principal Zen Lutian, Pinggang Middle School and Victoria School have established a formal twinning relationship that involves sending exchange teachers and students regularly in the future, so the friendships will hopefully continue to blossom and grow.
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