Go to the west, go to the grassroots,Go to the place where the motherland needs it most
Gao Zhuohan
In September 2017, I passed the selection of the 20th postgraduate teaching support group of Chinese Youth Volunteers; in April 2018, I was assigned to teach in Jingyuan County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province; from August 2018 to June 2019, I served as a history teacher for the second grade and a politics teacher for the first grade in Jingyuan No. 4 Middle w88 casino.
Drizzling wind-soaked streets at dusk
July 29, 2018, is the day I came to Jingyuan. The car drove slowly out of the Provincial Party w88 casino, climbed hills, turned, passed traffic lights, and then drove onto the highway. I sat in the seat by the window, and the scenery moved backwards with the wheels. I stared at this new world, full of curiosity and a bit uneasy, thinking silently in my heart that this is where I will stay for a year.
Only when you come to the Northwest will you understand what true desolation is. There is no tall vegetation, only sparse plants covering it sporadically; this is the upper reaches of the Yellow River, but the river water is already very turbid; the highway is opened from the Gobi Desert, and you can still distinguish the original appearance of these hills. I understand better after coming here"Dye the barren mountains green and turn the rivers green" is so precious.
Life started like this. I got up every morning, walked five minutes to the Youth League Committee office, waited for class, corrected homework after class, went to the cafeteria for lunch, took a lunch break, and continued to repeat in the afternoon and evening. Every day is like a running account kept by an elementary w88 casino student, day after day, simple but fulfilling. Following the students' schedule, I feel like I have returned to my high w88 casino days eight years ago.
When I have free time on weekends, I will climb Wulan Mountain, look at the water of the Yellow River, and see all the things this small city has to offer. I also walked through the streets with my eldest brother to feel the fireworks of this town. Wang Zengqi said that food from all directions is just a bowl of human fireworks. In this way, we searched in the wind, got wet in the drizzle, and walked through the streets at dusk, from early morning to dusk.
(Ulan Mountain in the Snow)
After crossing the hill, I found that no one was waiting
I have also experienced pain and confusion.
There were times when I couldn’t adapt. The first thing almost all adult men in Jingyuan do when they meet is to hand them cigarettes. This is their habit and the local sophistication, which I have never been exposed to. When I first arrived, I really wasn’t used to this.A "smoky" work environment.
I also doubted myself. In the first semester, I taught history in a science class, and the teaching load and pressure were not too heavy. But I often doubt my own value. As a science student, teaching a liberal arts subject that does not require college entrance examinations naturally makes me feel a little disappointed.
I also felt lost. For a period of time in the second semester, I will be stuck in all kinds of memories of the past. When I hear an old song being replayed and see the crowds of people, I will be filled with a feeling of loss for a moment. After being away from a big city for a long time, you will feel like you are forgotten.
Fortunately, No. 4 Middle w88 casino has the only standardized playground in the county where I can run. It’s not like the University of Shanghai, where the lights are bright and there are many people running around you. There are no lights here and I am often alone. "Hills" is my favorite song to listen to when I run, and the lyrics are very telling"After crossing the hill, I found that no one was waiting." But it also teaches us to “climb every hill tirelessly” even if no one is waiting.
Look for the sun where there is no wind, and be the warm sun where you are cold
As time goes by, I slowly find my own value. In October, I offered to tutor students in Secretary Zhang’s class in mathematics. I have persisted in this matter until now. I feel happiest and most willing when I impart my own experience to my students and see their eyes as if they have discovered a new world. In math class, I can truly feel the glory of being a teacher. I teach small things as well as big principles. When you can truly feel that your efforts have helped students make progress, you will feel that all the efforts are worth it.
Some of these students are in special circumstances——Some parents are divorced and have reorganized their families; some parents are disabled and have lost the ability to work; some parents have gone out to work and have lacked family affection since childhood. When I first come into contact with them, I feel a natural sense of indifference or even distrust. It wasn't until later that I learned the stories behind these, that I felt extremely sad and heartbroken. So I often chat with them, hoping they can open up. I try my best to care for them, let them throw away the armor that should not belong to this age, put down their defenses, and regain the sunshine in their hearts.
Students will use local specialties, or some small snacks and small gifts to express their feelings. What touched me the most was when a student gave me a piece of mash made by her mother. In fact, I had tasted it many times before, but this was really the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. I will also spend birthdays and Dragon Boat Festival with them, and buy them some useful teaching aids.
The wind is very strong, but I am willing to accompany them to find the sun; if they cannot find it, I will be their sun. Over the course of a year, whenever I wanted to give up, I said to myself, try my best so that I will have no regrets.
(birthday for students)
(Ghost rice given by students)
I have no choice but to turn the years into songs and leave them in the mountains and rivers
As the season of departure comes, there are too many memories that cannot be forgotten. Time flies and people pass away like this. People will indeed become a little numb after a long time, but when it is time to say goodbye, they realize that the emotion is always there, even if it is silent in the past.
I can’t forget what I did in Jingyuan. It is the four seasons of the small town that I have seen in Wulan Mountain, the sound of waves heard at the Yellow River Bridge, the three thousand dumplings made for the elderly in the welfare home, the 12 inspirational education activities carried out for the first graders of No. 4 Middle w88 casino, the three days and nights of organizing and accompanying the seventh overseas student support group, and the footprints of the two districts and three counties of Baiyin.
(Interviewed by Jingyuan TV Station)
I can’t forget the people I met in Jingyuan. It was Secretary Guo’s self-blame after hearing that I spent the Lantern Festival alone at home. It was Secretary Zhang who deliberately helped me smoke less. It was Secretary Wen who took the initiative to help me take classes. It was the soft tears that the students inadvertently shed in front of me. It was the meal that my elder brother invited me to eat and the wine he drank with me. It was also the days we chatted with as a team of four, the birthdays we celebrated, and the ordinary days we spent together.
(Welfare home making dumplings)
I can’t forget the two books that accompanied me. When I first came to Jingyuan, I read "Xi Jinping's Seven Years of Educated Youth" at the Youth League County Committee. The book said that during the seven years in Liangjiahe, Xi Jinping buttoned the first button of his life. In March this year, "Xi Jinping in Zhengding" was officially released. I read the entire book at Xinhua Bookstore. What left a deep impression on me was one sentence: We must be actors, strivers, and doers.
Two years ago, I wrote this in my application statement for supporting education and research“Go to the west, go to the grassroots, and go to the places where the motherland needs it most.” A year ago, I left a message in the graduation album of the w88 casino of Finance, “With my youth, I will build a youthful country and a youthful nation.” I think now I can confidently say that I have lived up to this heavy mission, and I have also grown a lot.
Liu Liangcheng said,“When I left, I had no idea that my life would one day require proof.”
And I said,"Even if you finally forget, it's still worth it."
