Hoi Ha

I met a beautiful teenger named Hoi Ha (literally meaning "sea shrimp") while visiting a rural village in Guiyang, China. Hoi Ha is 16 years old. She lives in the village and goes to school in the city, Guiyang. I talked to her one afternoon about schooling. This is what she told me.

She likes going to school because it gives her knowledge. Her favorite subject is Maths and she likes learning the equations. English is her worst subject. She says because the condition in China is not good and it isn't easy for them to learn a foreign language. She also says she can't put it in practise and she doesn't see the point of learning it.

Hoi Ha made me think of myself. When I was in school in HK, to the opposite of her, Maths was my worst subject and English my best. I didn't understand any of the equations nor the meaning of learning them but I liked the sound of English words and knowing about all the grammatical rules. I also had a lot of chance to use the language in my school.

What she says does make sense. If there's not much use of a language, how can you learn it well? And what's the point of learning it anyway? She lives in this remote village where it's rare to have visitors like us, let alone a foreigner. So why does she need to learn English? Perhaps it would only be for one's interest and curiosity.

Talking to Hoi Ha made me wonder the meaning of education. For a teenager like her who was born in a farm and will probably marry in just a few years and live in a village all her life, she still finds school interesting because as she says, she can learn new things and meet new friends. She appreciates knowledge. I think learning itself is elating: It gives us pleasure. It makes us confident. It makes us feel good when we learn something - when we have the freedom to learn.

I'm happy for Hoi Ha that she has the chance to go to school and that she enjoys it. (In the village, children often have no extra money to go to school unless they have sponsors.)

Meeting her was the highlight of my trip.

Life is hard

My Poon is 78 years old. He belongs to the Sui people, one of 56 recognised minority groups in China. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shui). He has lived in the village all his life and has never gone outside. I visited his home in a rural village in Guizhou, China and listened to what he has to say about life.

The following is my translation of his story.

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Life is hard.

When I was seven years old, my father died. After seven years, my mother also died.

I worried about what my life would become.

I got married at 17. My wife and I have 5 sons and one daughter.

They've all left the village to work in the city (Guiyang). They visit us once or twice a year and when we are sick.

I never thought about leaving the village. Where can I go outside? What can I do? Now China's culture is the culture of Hans Chinese.

I hope to stay here with other old people and talk with them.

I hope our roads are flatter that it'd be easier for us to walk around.

{Mabel: What was the happiest moment in your life?}

I haven't felt very happy in my life.

I mean I was happy to see my children growing up. But that's just a normal feeling, not happiness.

When I was small, I worried about my parents.

When my parents died, I worried about life.

When I got married and had children, I worried about my children.

Now I am old, I worry about my wife who is sick in bed. And I worry about my own health.

Life was hard when I was a child. It's even harder when I am old.

Life is full of worries.