Canada's Easter spirit travels to Hebei school

As a Canadian, I love holidays, as they allow us to socialize with family and friends. The memories of celebrations in Canada have helped me to combat the loneliness of living in China. At the school in Xingtai, Hebei province, where I teach English, I try to share the joys of festivities with my students, who will complete their studies in Canada. I hope that the experience will prepare them for Canada's social life.

As Easter approached, I discussed the event with my students, and we all agreed that there wasn't a better way to enjoy Easter than with a picnic at a park near our school. Since Easter fell on Sunday, we decided to have the picnic on Good Friday.

The hard part was convincing the school administration to let me take my students out of the classroom. Seeing my enthusiasm and determination, they agreed, emphasizing that I must take precautions to guarantee their safety.

I divided the students into groups of five and selected a leader for each group to be responsible for the safety of their classmates. A few teachers accompanied us for supervision duties.

Easter wouldn't be fun without a treasure hunt. I hid some RMB notes in the classroom and let the students find them. I will never forget the enthusiasm of my students as they searched for the hidden prizes or the excitement of those who found a 10-yuan note. Their laughter and smiling faces shall remain vivid in my memory forever.

Like most Canadians, I wanted to have a barbecue but that was impossible considering the hazards of lighting a fire in a park. Therefore, we asked the students to bring their lunches. When we arrived at the park, we put all the food items on a blanket to share with each other.

One of the major events of Easter is the fun of coloring boiled eggs. We held a contest to allow the students to show their artistic talents. Four winners got a symbolic prize of 10 yuan each. Many came up with exceptional designs.

A picnic without games would be boring. We held races such as running on one leg and then walking on the hands while a partner held the feet up.

We also had a tug of war: The students pulled on my poor scarf and tore it to pieces. We played football and other silly games. For certain, the experience was unforgettable.

The students also expressed gratitude to their teachers for their hard work by bringing Easter baskets for the principal and small chocolate bunnies for the teachers. I can't describe their feelings of pride and joy upon receiving the gifts.

Fortunately for us, the weather was magnificent and the park was crowded. Soon a crowd had gathered around, watching us have the time of our lives.

At the end of the picnic, both teachers and students said that they had a memorable time outside the restrictive atmosphere of classes adding they hoped to make the Easter picnic a yearly event. I went home feeling wonderful that I had helped to resurrect the Canadian Easter Spirit in Xingtai, Hebei.