I chose Su-Ao as my first choice because of the principal. He was so kind and genuine on the tour of the school and I felt he really cared about his students. He seemed to be so involved and invested in every aspect of school life. I did not see this passion at any other school. When I got placed here, I was SO happy!! But, I was also a little nervous that I picked the school because of the principal who I would probably never see. Thinking back to student teaching, I knew nothing more about the principal than his name. I didn’t see him around much. So, I was nervous it would be the same here. But, boy was I wrong. The principal has taken me under his wing like I never expected. He talks to me every day and wants to improve his English while I work on my Chinese. Last week he went above and beyond.
First, he took me in his car for a ride around Su-Ao. He took me to the pool (see below…its so pretty! And HUGE! And has a cold spring inside!). Then, he took me to Nanfang-Ao. It is the best view I have ever seen. The pictures do nothing to show how cool it was. You can see the Su-Ao fishing port, the beach, the mountains and Turtle Island in the distance. It was amazing. And he took time out of his busy day to show me because he wanted me to see how beautiful Su-Ao is. He is so kind and selfless!
I already knew he was wonderful and so kind…but last week he gave me a surprise that was more than I ever expected. He gave me a bike!!!!!!! The principal decided walking 18 minutes to school from the train station was too long…especially when it will start to rain. I told him it was okay and I liked walking…especially when I was coming here…but he went ahead and got me a bike without me knowing! He called me into his office one day and introduced me to the important members of Su-Ao’s parents association. Then, together, they gave me a bike! I was so surprised and happy! I drank tea with them before the principal took me to get a lock for my bike. He drove his car and I practiced using my bike and followed him. He got me a lock and then took me to the train station. He talked to a local landlord to see if I could park my bike in front of their building. It’s a great spot because it is covered! They told Principal Lu it would be okay for me to leave my bike there every day!! So, I now have my own bike and my own spot, all thanks to the principal!! He then took me to get local fruit and bubble tea! He wants to give me the best possible experience and he is definitely succeeding. This was more than I ever thought it would be. I love this school and the principal so much! I am so lucky to spend my year here.
So, now I have a bike to ride from my apartment to the train station. This now takes 10 minutes instead of 35 minutes walking. And, I have another bike to ride from the train station to my school. This now takes 5 minutes instead of 18. So these gifts cut my commute from an hour and twenty minutes down to 40 minutes!! SO AWESOME!!!!!! (: