Games in the twilight

突然觉得很低落，当然有很多因素。低落时便会想家，打开邮箱，果然有父亲的来信，得知他们趁五一长假把外公外婆接到苏州来玩了。我都20多岁了，这才是外公外婆第一次来苏州，父母为此一直很愧疚。给家里打了电话，母亲接的，无一例外的，每次和她打电话都会红眼睛。妈妈虽然受的教育程度不高，但是她是我最佩服的人。她仿佛有第六感一样觉出我的低落，和往常一样，她用自己的经历教育我要坚强，虽然重复着一样的故事，一样的话，可是每次都管用。农村出生的她，善良，纯朴，虽然成长在男尊女卑的社会环境中，她却有着钢铁般坚韧的性格。她小时候，外公长年在外打工，11岁那年，外婆精神受了刺激，身为长女的她毅然退了学，担起了照顾外婆和家里5个弟妹的重任。她娇小的身影就在农田，牲圈和厨房间徘徊。邻居的冷嘲热讽已成家常便饭..."你们看，那是疯子的女儿！" 妈妈哭过，无助过，可是她学会了坚强，学会了保护自己，她可以抬起头来对着邻居们喊:"疯子的女儿怎么啦？疯子的女儿比你们都强！" 就这样，妈妈用自己的行动向世人证明了自己，她也从“疯子的女儿"被改叫成了“早当家的孩子". 每次想到妈妈的故事，就觉得我的那一点困难很本就不能算什么。上了大学后，感觉自己的好胜心和自尊心都减少了不少，不知道这是对残酷竞争的适应，还是自己的性格不再坚强。对人生总感觉很迷茫，机会很多但也很难把握，更不知道哪个属于自己，目标不明确的生活很难激发斗志。挂了电话，痛快地哭一场，为低落，为迷茫，为亲情。泪干舒畅了，发现自己一直都很幸福。因为不管遇到什么，我都有世间最真的爱陪伴。

----------------------------------------- www.dreamcorps.org ------------------------------------------------------------------

2007 Summer Volunteer Program in Rural China

May 26 - June 25

Dream Corps
Founded and run by Chinese students and professionals in the U.S., Dream Corps International is an innovative non-profit organization aiming at serving the underprivileged in China by promoting education equity. We provide a sustained inflow of quality resources to disadvantaged schools and communities in China and help them to develop educational programs such as the effective use of libraries. Every year, we recruit, train, and send volunteers from China and around the world to help establish, develop, and evaluate educational programs with the local people at our volunteer sites. We also engage past volunteers to help raise the awareness of education equity, social justice, and academic activism among youth.
Summer Volunteer Program
This year, Dream Corps is recruiting 30 to 35 highly motivated young people to participate in the 2007 Summer Volunteer Program. Depending on the particular condition of each of our volunteer sites and the work that has been done in the past, volunteer will assist the local schools and/or communities to complete projects such as:

·         build basic library infrastructures

·         develop library management system

·         develop reading programs to promote motivated learning

·         conduct extracurricular and English teaching

·         help with community initiatives and projects

·         provide scholarships to talented students The program consists of 3 days of training in Beijing, 3 weeks of volunteer work on assigned volunteer sites, and 3 days of concluding forum in Beijing.
This program is an exciting opportunity for students, researchers, and young professionals interested in international development, rural education, and the non-profit sector in China. Although spoken Chinese is not strictly required, it is highly preferred.
Cost
There is no application fee. Volunteers are responsible for airfares and the cost occurred during the program. The total cost of accommodation and other basic living expanses during the program is around 250 USD. Volunteers from mainland China and team leaders are eligible for financial assistance.
Application Process

1.     Complete application at http://www.dreamcorps.org/apply/ . Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
(Application deadline is March 19, 2007. Because we have a rolling application process and the volunteer positions fill up quickly, we encourage you to apply as early as possible.)

2.     After the application is reviewed (within a week or so), you will receive further notice about phone or in-person interviews.

3.     Final decision will be sent to you no later than April 2.

Additional information about our programs can be found at http://www.dreamcorps.org. Please contact info07@dreamcorps.org if you have any questions regarding the application process.   

Comments from past volunteers         

Liu Da, Duke University, 2004 volunteer
"I've always wanted to devote myself to improving the education standard in rural China. In the past summer, Dream Project offered me this invaluable opportunity to participate in their pilot program in Yun Nan province of China. I spent three most memorable weeks of my life with the children there learning what I could not have learned elsewhere. It was a truly exciting experience – being with the children from sunrise to sunset and seeing how they live their lives. It was also inspiring to work with other volunteers who share the same beliefs, it made me think that we together can make a change."

Caryn Lai, U.C. Berkeley, 2005 volunteer
"I think our home visits to impoverished households left the biggest impression on me.  It is one thing to read about poverty or see poverty in the 1st world but an entirely different situation to see poverty in the rural 3rd world.  Seeing the students outside of school and instead in their familial context was a humbling experience.  In many of these families, education is the trade-off between food, medicine, and other living expenses.  Many of these children have parents away and live with their grandparents.  Some students cried during the interviews and you could see how much the guilt or feelings of loss affected them.  Coming from a country where education is free through high school, it is amazing that these students struggle to finish elementary school.

Julian Xue, McGill University, 2006 volunteer
"H aving had some experience with NGO's, the more I worked with Dream Corps the more I realized that as a budding grass-root organization it was exceptional in the independence and power it granted its volunteer teams, in the vision and dedication of its leaders, in the idealism and sophistication of its members. Here I have met a group of people who understands in the one core way necessary to change the world – we are in pain. Together we will strive to make the vision of equality of education come about, because if it does not happen, then it hurts – hurts us emotionally, hurts the world materialistically. " ----------------------------------------------------------------------- www.dreamcorps.org --------------------------------------

请加入“梦想行动”, 助贫困儿童梦想成真

“梦想行动国际”招募2007暑期回中国志愿者

5月26日 － 6月25 日       海 外的留学生，以各种方式关注着国内的发展。我们都知道，虽然中国的经济增长速度让人骄傲，但贫穷、失业、教育机会的缺乏仍然困扰着很多地区。我们除了忧心 忡忡，除了高谈阔论，我们还有一个选择，就是将我们的关注付诸行动。我们的知识、见解、人生经历，是我们自己梦想的铺路石，也可以成为另一个人的激励源 泉。我们除了是教授的助手和未来的研究者，我们还可以做一个传递梦想的人。加入我们的志愿者团体，和其它杰出热诚的志愿者一起，将书籍、资源和对知识的热 爱带到需要的地方。社会的改变起源于我们自己。
组织简介
      “梦想行动国际” 是享有免税资格的非营利组织，由留美华人学者发起，组织的总部目前设在杜克大学, 在美国各主要大学都有联系人。从2004年开始，每年的暑假我们发动留美大学生，美籍华人学生和国内高校志愿者于暑期到中国贫困地区支援当地教育，以图书馆建设和读书活动为核心，在学校和社区开展3周的教育活动。我们的目标是，通过读书活动和其他教育活动，将学习转化为一个内在的动力，使得他们可以和其他在优越条件下成长的孩子一样，拥有自己的梦想，并拥有为梦想而努力的信心和勇气。
      这三年来，我们的活动地区包括湖南，河南，江西，山东，云南，四川等省贫困地区的中小学和社区，以及北京的打工子弟学校。活动在当地和美国本土引起了非常积极的反响（详情请按这里）。
    目 前，组织资金主要依赖于美国各大学学生活动基金和私人捐款。该组织与美国和中国国内的一些相关慈善组织正逐步加强合作与 联系，在图书捐献、贫困学生奖学金发放上都将会有更多的专门组织提供资金和物质方面的支持。“梦想行动国际”已经获得中国驻美国大使馆的认可和支持。中国驻美大使杨洁篪先生于2004年11月为梦想行动题辞  

“希望梦想行动帮助每个中国儿童梦想成真”。我们坚信, “梦想行动国际”必将成为关注弱势群体的海外华人为他(她)们 “做点什么”的桥梁和大本营。
2007暑期活动
    “梦想行动国际”计划于2007年5月底到6月期间, 继续组织海外志愿者与国内志愿者，以小组的形式在乡级以下的中小学和社区进行图书馆建设和支教活动。停留时间为一个月. 具体活动包括：

• 建立或更新当地社区和学校图书室
• 建立图书馆管理系统
• 设计和实施读书活动
• 开展其它教学辅导活动
• 帮助社区建设和发展
• 访问贫困学生家庭并提供适当奖学金
  

    在志愿者分组下乡前，“梦想行动国际”将集中对所有志愿者提供培训(时间和地点将另行通知)。下乡结束之后，志愿者将在国内集中，召开志愿者论坛，并邀请国内外相关专家学者共同探讨、总结经验和教训。
    志 愿者将负担自己的旅行费用以及在国内的生活费用。“梦想行动国际”负责购买图书，提供图书馆建设以及开展其他教育活动的资金，并负责在中国的项目联络与协 调。鉴于很多美国大学有针对学生暑期社会实践的资助项目，建议志愿者尽快以本次中国贫困地区社会实践之行向所在大学申请2007暑期活动或研究资助。
如何参与？
    成为志愿者 “梦想行动国际”现面向全美的中国留学生招募2007年回国下乡支教的志愿者。我们计划招募35名志愿者。报名时间截止日期为2007年3月19日。考虑到研究生相对成熟的人生经验以及丰富的知识，我们鼓励研究生申请做志愿者小组的领队。如果你有兴趣参加，请与我们的联系人联络或参观我们的网站以获取更多的信息。你将会发现，参加我们的志愿者活动将会是你人生中难忘的一次心灵之旅。  
 

    捐款资助志愿活动 如果你感兴趣却因为各种原因不能成行，你同样可以为这一事业贡献你的力量：请通过papal 或开支票的方式向我们捐款，数额不限。你的捐款将主要被用于购买图书和开展教学活动的用具。你的捐款将会得到确认并且在美国得到税务豁免。并希望你一直关注我们的活动进展。
    请加入到我们的行列中来!
    一己之力是微薄的，很多人合在一起的行动的力量却是强大的。 我们可以改变曾经以为不能被改变的现实。
如果你有任何问题，请电邮: info07@dreamcorps.org
也可以访问网站：http://www.dreamcorps.org 获得最新消息 
fo07@dreamcorps.org

Oh well, a new semester started again. Within a blink of time, two weeks have passed. What I have found so far is that I am getting increasingly bored at classes and disgusted by American food. I know i need some change in my life now. So my next semester will probably be spent in Italy, although I wish I could even stay there a whole year. 

I went on a brief trip to California over the winter. San diego is a beautiful place. I should have stayed in Los Anglese longer to explore more of the Hollywood. Anyway, I think California would be my first choice if I were to choose a place to live in the States.  

Posted some pics to share with everyone.