Highlight of Day 1 Finally! Finally! Finally! We have finally arrived to Palm Island in China. What a wonderful place to be at. By the time we arrived to the resort, it was already noon. Everyone was tired and starving after a long bus ride, lunch was awesome for all of us. Right after lunch, we divided into 2 groups. Group B get to check-in to their rooms first and at the same time, group A went to learn the fun and interesting Kung Fu dance 功夫舞. “I LOVE Pizza!! Wow! What a great choice to design and create our own pizza for dinner!” We also had some delicious pasta and fries. Moveover, we also had some fantastic brownies and tiny little cup cakes. By the way, a great HAPYY BIRTHDAY to Ashton Iu for his 11th birthday! YEAAAAH! By: Antin & Noxx 23 January, 2014
Highlights of Day 2 What a tremendous day we have had! Day 2 went off without a hitch. After a great night's rest in our amazing apartments and deluxe suites, we rolled out of bed for a hearty buffet breakfast (the food here is truly tasty!) before a full day's work. We had the opportunity to teach students on the EF Winter English Camp at the Palm Island School. We started off the day with half of us going to the school to teach an English lesson that we prepared. Teaching these students who came from all over China to improve their English skills was both fun and challenging. We did not really know just how little or how much English they knew before we arrived to the classroom - so we had to be prepared for anything. Students learned everything from the 12 Chinese zodiacs, to Chinese New Year foods and festivals to how to play "Simon Says". Once each group finished their English lessons, we moved outside and into other classrooms to play some games such as the "number ball game" and "monkey-in-the-middle". These kids, make no mistake, are FULL of energy! The largest group we had playing at once was 48 kids! That's a lot of running around and playing! The other half of VSA students put their skills to work to help out keep the war games area clean and tidy. They had to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty by helping out to polish tables and chairs and then go around the grounds to collect recyclable paint ball shells - after all, we will be the ones getting to make a lovely, paint-filled mess on Sunday when we get to play paint ball ourselves! Our reward for all this hard work - painting some graffiti (Is it art? It sure is!) and giving the tables and chairs a fresh lick of paint. Group A then had their delicious Chinese meal where as Group B got their turn at making pizza! Yum! Tomorrow - West Lake, here we come! Ms. Yeung, Ms. Cheung, Ms. Shek, Mr. Chan, & Ms. Walls 24 January, 2014
Highlight of Day 3 Today, we went to the majestic West Lake. There were so many tourists (beside us) enjoying the wonderful scenery. We had the chance to visit many lookouts – views of the lake itself and the pagoda. Once we finished our walk through the park, we then ate a lovely traditional lunch and bought some famous souvenirs. West Lake is a very peaceful body of water. The waves of the lake are very light. When you look at the lake, it is an emerald green-like the green surroundings. The trees and flowers cover the park, making it lush. We enjoyed the day- a bit too much walking, however. By: Amy Li [6Peace] & Sammy Yeung [6Care]25 January, 2014
Highlight of Day 4 Today, the students learnt many new skills, from firing a gun to making cookies. We started off the day with war-game. At the site, students learnt the importance of safety, the importance of teamwork and how to fire a gun. We played with a lot of enthusiasm, as well as cooperation. After a good workout, we returned to the resort for a delicious Chinese lunch. Next up was 'lucky bag' painting. Each student designed a lucky bag, which will be presented to the elderly tomorrow. We then moved on to DIY cookies, which were also for the elderly. It was so nice to see all the students work hard as a team, and even better, to contribute to the community. Our final activity before dinner was learning the basics of golf. Although everyone was tired we all still enjoyed golf. Everyone then wolfed down a specially made BBQ buffet! (Thank you Palm Island!) We finished off the day by rehearsing the Kung Fu dance which will be performed to the elderly tomorrow. Thank you for reading, see you all tomorrow! :) By: Emma Wong [6 Hope] 26 January, 2014
Highlight of Day 5 Today is a big day for all of us. We checked out early in the morning, ate our breakfast quickly and prepared the lucky bags for the elderly before we said "BYE" to the Palm Island and headed towards our last but not the least service centre "Shenzhen Yee Hong Heights". The preparation time was very tight, but we made it. The show was very successful. The centre was filled with laughters and happiness. The elderly admired our students' talents and enthusiasm. Well done all VSA students and teachers of PW19. You create the history, a very special and unique, unforgettable and memorable trip for me and VSA. Thank you. By: Ms Rosanna Yeung 27 January, 2014