The last day

Nearly 40 children accompanied by a parent or relative came on a day trip to the Natural History Museum of Beijing. I was intrigued that the accompanying adult was compulsory, and thought that it might put children off, but there was nearly 100% attendance. The museum had plenty to keep them interested, and as they had been given their English Camp T-shirts that morning, it was charming to be greeted almost wherever we went by smiling blue-shirted children. They all had a great time.

That evening was a parents' evening, designed to capitalise on the raised profile the camp has given to the migrant centre, and again there was a really good turnout. They sang a couple of the songs we have used all week, played some games with their parents, and were given information about the programmes being run by the centre. Joshua and Joann seemed thrilled with how it went. Then there were emotional goodbyes to the volunteers and the kids, and wondering whether we will ever see them again, when they have become such a big part of our lives for a few short days. Finally the difficult decision to abandon the attempts to get to the west and see the schools we have been supporting, and the start of the process whereby we plan for an extended stay in Beijing.

So, the English camp was simply wonderful: a lot of readjustment as we went, and adaptation, but wonderful kids and helpers, and helping out in a centre that is doing such vital work. There is talk of tearing down the village in a year or two, so we don't know if or where the work will continue, but the lives of these children are so impoverished that the work must go on.

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