After staying in Beijing's city center for two weeks, I came to the Dandelion School. In the city, you can find convenient and modern facilities everywhere. We enjoy expensive delicacies, have our own apartments (which include Western bathrooms), and can carelessly stroll down major avenues. But my interest and excitement quickly faded, and the city became a little distant: When I wanted to chat or communicate with people, those on the streets or in restaurants were all very busy. They go to work and come home every day; they only stop sometimes when they are waiting for the bus. Beijing is a city that will not stop for anyone.

　　 The Dandelion School is different. It doesn't have private bathrooms, and even the public ones are very old-fashioned. The rooms don't have air-conditioners, there are no high-class restaurants nearby，and there is no subway station; sometimes it felt like I was far away from modern human society. But the Dandelion School helped me again find the human warmth that was long gone from city life. Every one live together, eat together, and even shower together. The most valuable thing the Dandelion School has is people: people who love to learn, people who love to teach; people who put all their hearts into what they do. Some teachers ride an eight-hour train to come to school and go back home. I often see students and teachers joking and playing like friends, their faces always lit with smiles. Students love their teachers very much, and the teachers love their students back.

　　 Looking back on my time at the Dandelion School, even though there weren't modern facilities or convenience, what I experienced wasn't just a trip to China: it's heart to heart communication within a close community.

(Arun 2006.08.09)