English Interview Practice at LMC Primary School

Interviewing LMC Students

After school on Thursday, December 5th, I went with 10 other students to Lui Ming Choi Primary School. We walked to the Shek Mun MTR station and took a bus to the school. We had a little trouble at first figuring out which room we should go into. But after a few minutes, we sorted it out. We split up and went into three rooms, with about four people in each room. I was in a room with Rachel Mok, Jenny Cheung, and Benedict Leung. Because it was our first time, Benedict explained to us what we should do. He told us not to follow the script exactly, but to ask questions that relate to their answer. I settled down in a corner of a room, waiting for students. 

Interviewing the "cute" student

In about a minute, the students started to enter the rooms. I interviewed around five to six students. Some questions/statements I asked them included: tell me about yourself, what would you do if you were the president of China, what do you want to be when you grow up, who is your role model, what is your favorite festival, tell me about a recent news report, what books do you read, and what are your hobbies. I wanted to laugh at some of their responses because sometimes their responses were really off topic. The Lui Ming Choi students gave me a  checklist to grade them when they arrived. I graded each student on their politeness, eye contact, posture, sentence fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, relevance to my question, and confidence when answering. There was this really cute student that said twice, "I am talented in science." His English was pretty good. Another student I interviewed seemed to have memorized everything by heart. She said something like this, "I am (name). I go to Lui Ming Choi Primary School. I am 11 years old...." She was like reciting facts she has memorized. Three of the students gave a little bow and would not take a seat until I told them to. All of them were so polite. A lot of them seemed pretty nervous. 

In a classroom

When we finished interviewing the students, we split into two groups and went into the students' classrooms to inform them of how they did overall. We each spoke about what they did well and how they could improve. When we finished speaking, the teacher commanded the students to say "thank you" and "goodbye" to us. Yes, commanded. She said, "Stand up!" like an army commander. I think she could have have been a little more gentle. Out of all the services I have done, this is my favorite so far. I really liked interviewing the students. Time flew by as I was interviewing them. I had a lot of fun.

Teaching English

Discussing our skit

On the Saturday of November 30, 2013, I participated in a teaching service. There were seven students, including me, that taught mothers English. We met at the number 1 platform at Hang On station at 2:00. When everyone arrived, we walked to this community service building. We helped carry cups to the meeting room for the "tea time" that would occur later in the day. We went into a small side room and went over what we would teach to the mothers. I was expecting to teach kids, but mothers were good too. We split into two groups. The girls were in one group and they guys were in another group. Both groups had a little skit to perform to the mothers. The guys performed their skit first. Their skit was more like a brief conversation about their daughter's dance rehearsal. After presenting their skit, they taught them new vocabulary. 

Presenting our skit

After the guys, it was my group's turn to teach the mothers English. Our little skit was about eating at a restaurant. There are three roles: Amy (the daughter), mother, and the waitress. I was Amy. I started the skit off by saying, "Mom, I'm hungry." Then, the mother (Rachel Mok) called for the waiter. I told the waiter (Jenny Cheung) what I wanted to eat, then the mother told the waiter what she wanted to eat. The waiter asked the mother if she wanted dessert. The mother replied by saying what dessert she would like. After we presented our skit, we taught them vocabulary from the skit. Most of the vocabulary are related to food. It included these words: hungry, spaghetti bolognese, Russian vegetable soup, soup of the day, banana split, and soft-hearted chocolate pudding. Some of the mothers knew already knew a lot of the words we taught them, but most of the vocabulary was new. 

"Tea time"

After we taught them the vocabulary, we had "tea time". The seven of us split up each went to a table. We ate cheese buns, some kind of pudding, and glutinous rice balls. I really liked the cheese buns. When I first saw the cheese buns, I thought they were cookies. Anyways, as we were eating, the mothers asked us questions about English. One of the mothers that I was in a table with asked Kevin and I about her son's homework and exam. She was confused when to use "st", "nd", and "rd" when writing dates. I told her that first is always 1st, second is always 2nd, and third and onward is "__rd". I think that cleared up for her. She also wondered whether or not you say "get on the bus" or "get in the bus". I have always thought that it was "get in the bus". But, I learned from another ICS student that it was actually "get on the bus". I hope we were able to clarify things for the mothers. At 4:30, we left the community service building and departed for home. This was a pretty fun service. I hope there is another opportunity for me to go again in the future.

Tai Po Organic Farm

A clean field

On the Saturday of November 23, 2013, I went to an organic farm in Tai Po to do service. In total, there were 11 students that signed up for this activity. Most of the students that signed up were in my grade. We met together at Tai Wo station at 9:00 in the morning. After meeting together , our group rode the 64K bus to an area near the organic farm. We had to walk a distance to reach the organic farm. This farm was located near a village. Three students helped out in the office, and the rest of us followed another farmer to a small field for instructions.

Picking up orange seeds

We set down our belongings on some chairs near the storage shed and started with some exercises. We stretched our arms, legs, and necks. Then, the farmer passed out some green trays to us and told us to pick up the orange seeds on the ground that a big tree drops down. She said that it would affect the growth of the plants. If a big tree starts to grow in the middle of the small field, it would take in all the nutrients and leave very little nutrients for the plants. For the next 45 minutes, we picked up the round, orange seeds. I managed to fill up 2-3 trays of these seeds. 

Guys sweeping up orange seeds

Some guys used a very interesting method to collect the orange seeds. Using their trays, they would scrape the ground and gather the orange seeds into one place. Then, another person would scoop the seeds into a tray. When our trays were full, we deposited our "waste" into this big pile to allow it to decompose. Anyways, after gathering the orange seeds, we pulled weeds from the ground. The weeds took the nutrients from the plants and were affecting the growth of them. The farmer told us to pull the vines and leaves that were in clumps. I didn't really know what I was supposed to pull. I'm pretty sure that I pulled out some good, useful plants. We also put these "waste" into the same big pile. Afterwards, we took a break and drank some water. We gathered up our belongings and headed to a greenhouse. The farmer told us about the purpose of the greenhouse and the plants. The plants are put in a controlled environment. When the plants mature, they have to be transplanted into a bigger pot. When the plants get too big for the green house, they are planted outside in the fields. She talked about other facts. It was rather educational. This concludes my service.

Pulling weeds

As I was picking up the orange seeds, I began to relate it to my faith. If left there for a longer period of time, the orange seeds will disrupt the growth of the plants. In my life, the orange seeds are like bad habits. The bad habits will affect the growth of my faith (the plants) in God. So, it is best to clear my life of these bad habits and focus on God. Furthermore, as I pulled weeds from the ground, I also thought of how I was spending my time. The "weeds" in my life take away my free time (the nutrients) and I spend it on unnecessary things. I should be spending more time with God and not with my computer.

A greenhouse

Overall, this was a fun and worthwhile trip. Perhaps, next time, I will come again.

Beach Cleanup

On Friday, October 18, I went to Tai Po to clean up a beach. We had to walk a distance to get to the beach. After taking a group photo, we split into groups of 8. Each group received 2 garbage bags, 8 pairs of gloves, and a clipboard with a sheet to record the amount of garbage we helped clean up. Our group decided to clean up an area that was not crowded with other students. There were many cockroaches in the piles of rubbish. I tried to avoid them the best I can. I picked up pieces of plastic, juice boxes, bottle caps, food wrappers, bottles, gloves, tofu containers, rope, glow sticks, and other random pieces of rubbish. Some of my group members found dead and decaying fish, a skeleton of a fish, and even a rotten chicken! The stench was not very pleasant. We worked on this beach for approximately 2 hours. I was a bit tired afterwards, but I knew that the villagers appreciated my effort. This beach cleanup experience was actually pretty fun. I was able to do service with my friends. Something as simple as cleaning a beach can make a difference in other people's lives. Villagers walked by when we were cleaning up the beach and asked what we were doing. Perhaps, through our actions, they were able to feel the love of God, and may be changed through it. They would know that we care about the environment and wish to make the world a better place.

Crossroads Visit - Paperbag Simulation

It has been over a month since I went to Crossroads. I should have updated this a bit earlier, but I forgot about it.

Anyways, on September 11, which was a Wednesday, the entire 9th grade went on a little field trip to Crossroads. I have been to Crossroads a couple times before. In our visit to crossroads, we did the paperbag simulation. In this simulation, we were able to experience what people around the world do everyday for a living. They make paper bags. They have to tiredly work numerous hours every day to support their family. Oftentimes, the money they earn from making paper bags is not enough. As a result, they may go deeper in debt or even have to sell their children. Sometimes, they sell their children in hope that their children would have a better life.

There are many different ways you can make paper bags. In the way I was taught, the only materials needed to make a paper bag were newspapers and glue (flour and water). First, I had to rip a big piece of newspaper into four even rectangles.Then, I folded both sides in, with one side slightly overlapping the other side. I used the glue to stick the overlapping area together. Afterwards, I folded the top of the bottom part up to form two triangles at the side. Then, folded the bottom of the bottom part up and glued it. These instructions I just gave you are not clear. If you are interested in learning how to make a paperbag, you can always search it up on Google.

Discussion before simulation

Before we actually started our simulation, we gathered together and sat on the ground. A simulation leader showed us how to make paper bags. Afterwards, we discussed ways we can stop the cycle of poverty. The simulation leaders talked about microfinancing. Microfinancing provides financial services such as loans, insurance, and savings to those living in poverty. For example, a villager in Uganda wants to borrow some money to buy a cow. However, regular banks do not allow that villager to borrow money from them because the villager is unable to guarantee that they can pay back. So, the villager can find people working with microfinancing and borrow money from them. When the villager is able to, they can pay them back.

Making paper bags

After our short discussion, a simulation leader split us into groups with both boys and girls. In my group, there was four girls and two guys. We were told to go to a corner and get ready. There were shopkeepers all over the place. Once we folded 10 paper bags, we would go up to a shop keeper and beg them to buy our paper bags. We had to earn, I think, $200-300 for rent, food, and water after every "day". If we wanted to buy medical insurance, a toilet, or an education for one of our "children", we had to pay extra. In the first day, there were people walking around telling me to hurry up. In my mind, I was saying, "I'm already doing the best I can!" In the end of the first day, we were unable to earn $200-300, so one of my group members had to give up her phone. When I begged shopkeepers to buy my groups' paper bags, oftentimes, they requested more from me. Once, I had to sell my wristwatch. Another time, I had to sell my shoes. Another time, I gave a shopkeeper a massage. When begging, I complimented the shopkeepers and made them "the center of the universe". Luckily, my group did not become slaves. We were even able to send one of our group members to school. This simulation was rather intense. All you could think about was surviving and making sure your family does not get separated. Through that experience, I understood what many people in this world feel every single day. A huge burden of stress is on their shoulders.

More paper bags

After the simulation, we had debriefing. The simulation leaders reminded us that we are never too young to take action. He told us of a young boy who helped construct a playground for a poor country. He believed that the children in poverty should still have fun. I can learn from that little boy. I am not too young to make a difference in the lives of other. As long as I have a strong desire in my heart and strive after it, I will make some sort of difference, big or small.

Lastly, we were prepared lunch. People from poor countries eat that kind of food. There were lentils, some sort of sauce, and rice. Honestly, it is not my favorite kind of food. However, at that time, I was so hungry and didn't really care. This simulation was a really eye-opening experience. I hope that I can try to make a difference in the lives of others.

Introduction

Hi! I will be posting updates on my services on this blog.

Essential Questions:
How can I make a difference?
- Everyone can make a difference in the lives of those around them. Every little thing can make a difference. I can make a difference in my society by doing beach cleanups, helping out different organizations, and donating money/food to the poor.

What is service learning?
- Service learning allows us to learn, to be responsible, and to strengthen our communities in the form of community service. Community service helps you to be a better citizen of our society.