My name is Yang Wu and I am 14 years old. I'm from Minhe Middle School in Minhe, Tongren, Guizhou Province. My hometown is a remote village which is rather small and underdeveloped. There are mostly old people living in the village right now since most people who can work have left the village, regardless of whether they are educated or uneducated. Since we know there is no future to stay and work as a farmer here. It is very inconvenient to go to school and come back home from school every time.

But I also like my hometown a lot, since my family and good friends live here as well. I was staying with different relatives when my dad was working in another city. Fortunately my dad came back to my hometown and started to work as a farmer since last year. This means I get to see my dad on the weekends, but not during the week since I go to a boarding school from Sunday to Friday. Although he doesn't make much money with farming, I am happy that I get to see him more often now. We don't communicate very often with each other, but I know he cares about me and loves me.

I would like to grow up as soon as possible and then become a scientist. Because as a scientist, I will be able to solve people's problems, such as working on new treatments for cancers. My biggest feeling after these English classes in ICARE Guizhou is that my spoken English has been improved a lot. I have learned a lot of interesting knowledge about English, and I have met many teachers and students who also like English. I am lucky to be able to take part in this study. Of course, I will study English harder in the future.

I am from Bahuang Yifu Middle school and I am 13 years old. I live in a remote village in Guizhou which depends heavily on agricultural income. However, my parents knew that farming cannot generate enough money to support me, my little brother, my big sister, as well as my grandparents. Therefore, my parents have been working in different cities which are far away from my hometown since my first memory. My dad has been mainly working on the construction sites which is rather exhausting and low paying. They only come home shortly during the Chinese New Year. I am currently staying with my grandparents, my younger brother and big sister at home. I hope that I can grow up soon and can start working, so that my parents can stop working. Hopefully then, we will be able to spend more time with each other. I would also like to become a volunteer for charity organizations so that I can start helping people who don’t have much opportunities to follow and pursue their dreams.

I have been following the “Free Online English Courses” from ICARE Guizhou for 3 months now, this has given me a unique opportunity to learn about the life on the other side of the world. And this whole thing happens in English, which is really cool! I realized that the world is really big and exciting. I want to study hard so that I can have the kind of life which I want and thank all the people who have helped me.

My parents are both working in Guangzhou, which takes 24 hours to travel to by train. I grew up with my grandma and could only see my parents once a year for about two weeks. Growing up, I wished that I could live with my parents, but I understood that it was necessary for making a living. I dream about being able to take care of my parents and grandma, and exploring another country. But I know this would be too expensive.

I hope to be able to improve my english skills and meet new people with an international background through ICARE Guizhou, so that one day I might have the opportunity to study abroad and discover the world.