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Factoid

In August 2009, 18 children invited by the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Association (ECBEA) visited Edmonton. The kids were from Chengdu, and had been orphaned by the 2008 earthquake in China's Sichuan province. Trip fundraisers (local Chinese community and the ECBEA) wanted the kids to have 8 days of hope and happiness. 

By Catherine Zhou

Catherine is from Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province. Her friends call her Rabbit. The story below is a collection from Catherine’s diary during her visit to Edmonton. It was originally written in simplified Chinese and was translated into English by Mr. Ken Lam, the principal at Meadowlark School.

Day 1
I was very tired, even a little shaky. We stayed in the Sutton Place Hotel, a 4 star hotel in Edmonton.
The room was clean and comfortable. I took a shower, but was still feeling dizzy.
After a long period of travelling in silence, I was extremely surprised by the passionate welcome we received when we got off the plane. There was a beautifully decorated ETS bus, an exquisitely created banner. There were many people with familiar skin and eye colours welcoming us with cameras in their hands.
There was a warm feeling. I could almost forget the weariness of travelling.
I can spend the next 7 days speaking as much English as I would like to.
I like this surrounding.

Day 2
Got up at nine this morning and visited many places in Edmonton. We went to the Valley Zoo in the afternoon. It was a really beautiful place.
At last I have some first-hand knowledge about this city.
In keeping with Rabbit’s personality, I could live in this city. It suits me well. The city is not too big, highly civilized, and extremely green. Especially for someone like me who loves plants. Looking at the different species of trees and colourful flowers, it is easy to love this place.
I saw something today that increased my longing for my family….A young girl named Carol came to volunteer with her mom and dad. I also saw her younger sister and brother. I envied the joy overflowing from this family.

Day 3
I was feeling great today. I found a new buddy – her name was Heather. Since her Mandarin was limited, we spent a lot of time talking in English (actually, it was a mix of Mandarin and English most of the time). Anyhow, I was encouraged. At last I was brave enough to chat with others today. I took a lot of pictures.
We went to the Farmers’ Market. It was much different from the ones in China. They had everything there. There were fruits and vegetables, crafts, bathing products, even bakeries and coffee shops.
Then we went to the Devonian Botanic Garden in the afternoon – a place that I loved! In the beginning, we visited the greenhouse. There were different tropical plants and butterflies also. Oh, so beautiful. Inside the greenhouse, I felt that I will have to get used to this sticky and humid weather when I move to Singapore later.
In the evening, we went to a concert at the Royal Alberta Museum. The first number was an overwhelming selection, “Dance of the Golden Snake.” It is often heard during the Spring Festival. All of a sudden I miss China, even my eyes grow teary. For a moment, I could understand those who lived in a foreign land, and their sadness towards their homelands, families, and friends.
All of these are things that I must face in the future.

Day 8
The wonderful journey in Edmonton is coming to the end.
There are no ways around it. Life is full of happy gatherings and sad separations. I grew up slowly this way. I was able to control my feelings and shed only a few tears. I was able to take Heather far away from the crowd and joke with her. I was able to shake John’s hand, and listen to him saying “good night.” I was able to hug Ken, take more pictures with Maggie, exchange presents with Megan, and skilfully bid farewell.
Maybe I was the only one who knew that deep down in my heart, I was reluctant to leave.
I pondered much about the meaning of this trip. It was never because of the chance to “go abroad.”
Canadian culture, characteristics of Western people, and their progressive ways of thinking…all of these impressions eventually might no longer be as vivid as I first encountered them, but they will never be erased from my memory.
This was the last day in Edmonton.

Day 9
The morning sun was especially bright and beautiful today. When I walked out of the hotel, I saw the rosy morning clouds. Sadly, this was the day of departure.
In the airport I told John, “I am not as sad as I thought to be.” He smiled.
“Leaving gives us an opportunity to get together again,” I continued. I smiled back.
I remember hugging Jessica and saying goodbye; I couldn’t control my tears.
“It’s okay. You are always strong,” she said.
Rabbit, “you are always strong”….This shall be my steadfast belief forever.
But as I was looking at them, looking so closely, no matter what, it was difficult to accept that, once I stepped on the plane, the distance between us would increase with time. We will be half a world apart.

It doesn’t matter. We will meet again.
What a lovely group of people. I love you all.
I’ll never say goodbye. I know I will come back. Most definitely, I will.

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