Community service and development

One project I wanted to continue after moving to China is working with children on neighborhood community service and development.

One of my strategies for learning Chinese is to read children's books in Chinese, and look up words that I don't know in a dictionary while I'm reading. One day I sat on a bench outside near our apartment and started reading. Some women came by and watched me for a while and tried to talk to me. I couldn't understand anything they were saying and they couldn't understand anything I was saying. I pointed to the preschool writing exercise book I was working on, then I pointed to me.

One woman had a toddler with her, and I tried reading to him some of the words I had learned. He started picking up leaves and stones off the ground to give to me. His mother seemed to be enjoying the show, and brought him back several times to play with me some more.