May 9, 2025 – Happy Global Village: A Cultural Talk with Friends from Sierra Leone

Since November last year, the students of Class 303 have been connecting with friends from Sierra Leone in West Africa through cultural exchange. Over the months, we saw their learning space improve—from sitting on the ground outdoors to studying in a safe place with a roof, thanks to new resources. Our friends also learned about our school and library in Yungning, and they even learned to say "Thank you" in Chinese!

The children of Class 303 were very excited to meet their learning partners online. After many preparations and overcoming an 8-hour time difference, we finally met on Friday, May 9, during the last class period—at 7:15 a.m. in Sierra Leone.

One of the Sierra Leone teachers shared that he woke up very early and went to each student’s home to call them for the video meeting. This touched our hearts deeply.

Our principal, Ms. Peng, started the meeting by warmly greeting everyone in English. She talked about the weather in both countries and wished the meeting would go smoothly and be meaningful for both sides.

Then, the girls from Class 303 performed a fun and energetic dance. Our friends watched happily and smiled a lot!

After the dance, students from both countries took turns introducing themselves in English. This was a great way to use what we’ve learned in real life.

Next came the highlight of the event: the cultural sharing session. A few weeks before the meeting, our students had already prepared many interesting questions. Some even asked teachers to help them write the questions in English. If a student’s question was chosen, they would go in front of the camera and ask it in Chinese or English. The students and teachers in Sierra Leone would then answer.

The questions were very creative! We saw each other's backpacks and classroom decorations. Our students were surprised to see purple classroom walls and said, “So beautiful!” We also learned that their bedtime is 8:00 p.m., and they only have one big test each year—our students were amazed! One student asked to see Sierra Leone's money, so the teacher showed us many kinds of banknotes. We even learned they have badminton players too!

At the end, everyone took a big group photo together to remember this special meeting across 13,760 kilometers.

It was a heartwarming and unforgettable exchange where we learned and smiled together.