The Volunteer Summer
志愿者的夏天
Two summers ago, I spent six weeks working as a volunteer in a small mountain town. I taught English to children who had never met a foreign teacher before.
两年前的夏天，我在一个小山城做了六个星期的志愿者。我教一些从没见过外教的孩子们学英语。
The first class was a disaster. I had prepared a long lesson, but nobody understood me. That evening I threw the lesson plan away and started again from simple games.
第一节课是一场灾难。我准备了一节很长的课，可是没有一个人听懂。那天晚上我把教案丢了，从简单的游戏重新开始。
Slowly, the children began to speak. They shouted new words with great joy. By the last week, they could introduce themselves in complete English sentences.
慢慢地，孩子们开始开口了。他们大声喊出新单词，兴奋极了。到最后一个星期，他们已经能用完整的英语句子自我介绍了。
I went there thinking I would teach them something. In the end, they taught me far more about patience, courage and hope.
我去的时候以为自己要教他们一些东西。最后，是他们在耐心、勇气和希望上教给我的更多。