We left the boat early to board a bus to the Viking Elementary School near Jingzhou. This is an old city on the banks of the river. It is an industrial city with the industry primarily based on chemical manufacturing. Historically, it was a center for salt trade. Now its output seems to be detergents and related products (shampoo). The city looked older and more run down than any city we had seen previously. We had seen people cleaning streets with mops and brooms everywhere we had been, but that didn't seem to be the case here. There were piles of trash scattered about; there was litter all around; the streets and sidewalks were dusty; and the stores we drove by were just sheds. There were only a few new high-rise apartment buildings.
This school is partially supported by Viking River Cruises and its passengers. This is summer break for the school, so I don't know how they managed it, but there were lots of students present. First a small band played for us as we walked from the bus to the school. On an outdoor stage, several groups of girls performed dance numbers for us, and invited members of our group onto the stage during the last number to dance with them. Then we went into a classroom and sat with the children. As we came in, the children (first graders) rushed toward us and each took the hand of one of our group and led us to his or her desk. As we sat with them, they sang several songs to us, the last of which was the ABC song. They asked us to sing a song to them, so one of our group led us in "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." I saw several of the children singing with us, so they were familiar with the song. We had been told to visit with the children in English so they could practice their English. We found that the children in our classroom didn't know English well enough to visit with us. The boy that I sat with was eager for me to take his picture, and he broke out laughing each time I showed him his picture on the camera's viewer. The little girl that Judy sat with was so shy, she hardly would interact at all.
By the time we left, all of us were dripping with sweat from the heat in the classroom, but it was an interesting experience. The school building seemed old and in need of repair. They were building an addition onto the building, but the school yard and rooms were sparsely furnished. The children looked healthy and happy, and they were well-dressed. The event was well-rehearsed and staged just for us, so we suspected that the children were all on their best behavior and in their finest dress.
Pictures: Jingzhou, Viking School
This school is partially supported by Viking River Cruises and its passengers. This is summer break for the school, so I don't know how they managed it, but there were lots of students present. First a small band played for us as we walked from the bus to the school. On an outdoor stage, several groups of girls performed dance numbers for us, and invited members of our group onto the stage during the last number to dance with them. Then we went into a classroom and sat with the children. As we came in, the children (first graders) rushed toward us and each took the hand of one of our group and led us to his or her desk. As we sat with them, they sang several songs to us, the last of which was the ABC song. They asked us to sing a song to them, so one of our group led us in "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." I saw several of the children singing with us, so they were familiar with the song. We had been told to visit with the children in English so they could practice their English. We found that the children in our classroom didn't know English well enough to visit with us. The boy that I sat with was eager for me to take his picture, and he broke out laughing each time I showed him his picture on the camera's viewer. The little girl that Judy sat with was so shy, she hardly would interact at all.
By the time we left, all of us were dripping with sweat from the heat in the classroom, but it was an interesting experience. The school building seemed old and in need of repair. They were building an addition onto the building, but the school yard and rooms were sparsely furnished. The children looked healthy and happy, and they were well-dressed. The event was well-rehearsed and staged just for us, so we suspected that the children were all on their best behavior and in their finest dress.
Pictures: Jingzhou, Viking School
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