Tae Kwon Do Club

The verification

My log

All of the members of Tae Kwon Do Club.

During last two years, I took part in a Tae kwon do club in my hometown. This term, I still wanted to learn more about it, so I joined the Tae kwon do club in GCA. I was attracted by Tae kwon do because of a novel I ever read. The girl in the novel does really well in this sport and I thought she very cool. Also, I wanted to protect myself when in danger. That’s why I started Tae kwon do. Tae kwon do is similar with Chinese kung fu, but it mainly uses legs and feet and sometimes uses hands. Most of the time, we practiced kicking targets to train the muscle and power of our legs. When we were kicking, we were asked to shout out to let ourselves seem more powerful. Tae kwon do trains not only our body, but also our minds.
During the lessons, I learnt a lot of skills about Tae kwon do. The coaches corrected the mistakes that I made in each action to make sure to be perfect. I worked really hard in each lesson to be better and better. I was also taught some of the taijiquan, a kind of traditional Chinese shadow boxing. I learnt to be peaceful, patient and to calm down from it. When kicking the targets, it was a training of bodies. When practicing taijiquan, it trained our minds. Also, I learnt that Tae kwon do was not just fighting, or only strengthen our bodies, but making our minds much stronger. From this, I learnt to focus on one thing and never give it up! After this, I thought I gained a truly brave heart with confidence and strength.
It was a really meaningful experience. This term, I got a lot of work to do. However, when a day was almost over, I could find another attitude of living in Tae kwon do. Every Wednesday and Friday, after nine classes, I always said to myself, “let me call it a day”. And then, I could put all my effort in this sport. Though training time was tiring, I always could find something fun and interesting with the other members. One of the coach here was from the hometown, Xuzhou, as me. We could talk about our hometown and ourselves. Also, this coach gave me strength as a fellow-townsman. In some ways, we were the same. We left hometown for another place to work and study. I could feel that I was not alone. I was not the only stranger here. I guessed that there should be a number of people like me, working hard in an unfamiliar city, so I got the strength to fight for a better life!
Before we start a lesson, preparing exercise was very necessary, or we would be hurt easily. Usually, we ran for several minutes. And then, we stretched ligament to make our body more flexible. It was painful at the very beginning, but now I had been used to it, it was good for my body in some ways, and I really enjoy this activity. Some people might think it strange for a girl to learn Tae kwon do, something like fighting. However, I think I more like a guy, and I learn it to keep fit, not to fight. I am looking forward to getting the next level in Tae kwon do!

Basketball Club

Our lovely members

My log

After the final championship, we took a photo with the HIS girls~

This term, I joined the basketball club. Our coach, Mr. Saxby, taught us a lot about basketball and also working as a team. I really enjoyed the time we players worked together. In this club, I learnt a lot of basketball skills, such as dribbling the ball, pivoting, passing the ball, shooting and so on. Also, I was asked to play in four matches. I knew that playing in the center of the court was different from watching as one of the audience. I learnt to think about what to do as a defense and as an offence. It is not only used in basketball, but also many other sports. When I was in the match, I forgot all about nervousness and put all my effort in the match.
Most things I gained in the club are team spirit. We are an entirety at any time. When the one with the ball is surrounded with defenses, there is always someone outside the crowd trying to help. When we get points, everyone cheers for it. When someone fail to get points, no one will blame her but encourage. Every time before we start the game, we always put hands together and say the name of the team loudly—GCA!! I think that is the power which is given to the players and the confidence to win shown by the players. These things are the best explanation of team spirit.
After this basketball experience, I was able to work together with other GCA students, and learnt what to do when facing different situations. The members of this basketball club are good at having new tries. The often try to do something different to do a good job. However, the sometimes need to keep themselves together as a team. That is so called “team work”. Though they have done pretty well, they still need more practice. Also I think this club should offer more practicing times in a week. One or two times may be not enough.
At the very beginning, Mr. Saxby usually asked us to run. It was extremely tiring, for each time 3.6 km was required. Later, we got some sprints to practice. Though it was exhausting, I knew that was good for later training. After this, we had training with the real basketball, during Nov. 21st to 23rd, GCA held the “Keen Beaver Championship” and Mr. Saxby required everyone to attend, even someone like me—new players! We had 1 match with the Jiaxing GCA and two with Hangzhou International School. We won the one with Jiaxing GCA. Sometime later, we had a match with girls from the main school, and we won with the score 27:22.
This sport trains myself to keep in a good health and makes me flexible in these physical exercise. Though I am not tall enough to play so well like the other people, I really enjoy myself during this experience. Actually, I am not exactly like a girl. Instead, I love sports like a guy. Basketball has been a part of my life.

Volunteer work at blind school

My log

All of us

play game with the little boy

playing time~

During this term, I join the volunteer club and went to the blind school to help the children who were blind there. What we were going to do was to help them learn English and play with the small children.
I remembered that my first time there, I played with a little boy that is about 7 years old, with Giselle and Amy. The boy nearly drove us mad, for he always play the same game from 9 am to lunchtime. However, I understood him. He was only a little boy, and he was too lonely. He played the game that as if we were taking a bus, a train or a subway with us. These things for us were very common to see, but for a blind boy they were extravagant hopes. The other times I helped a girl whose age was 12 of grade 2 to learn about English. This girl knew only a little easy words and she wanted me to teach her more, such as colors and numbers. She is clever, but she didn’t like to speak out. I felt pitiful for her that she was blind. If she could see, she would probably graduate from elementary school.
From this volunteer work, I know that blind people really need help. They are very lonely at all times. They can't see things around them and they can't know what happening with their eyes. Their world is all dark. They don’t know how bright the sky is or how beautiful the flowers are. They can't see people’s feeling on their faces, happy, sad or angry. Some of them even don’t know how themselves look like. Such a pity! They really need love.
Though volunteer work is paid nothing, I still gain something in my heart. After this experience, I get a lesson to know that it is very important to give out love to needy people. Every citizen should have a heart which is full of love and do something for the society.
During my work, I successfully taught that girl to pronounce some basic colors and to count from one to one hundred. She told me that she was taking English the next year and at that time she would be learning more. I suggested her should speak out loudly so that her English could be better.
The benefits I gave to this community was to give some courage to the lonely children who were away from their parents, and stay with them for a few hours every week to make them happy and optimistic to life. To let them understand that they are never alone and people who care about them are never too far away. Children like people out of school to see them. Volunteer club go to this blind once a week that make them think that every Sunday they can have fun.
Next year I still want to join this club, not only to finish the portfolio, but also do something for the society.