The Olympics (written on 6 August 2006)

The 29^th Olympic Games will start in a little less than two days and on the eve of this great event I would like to share my great excitement about this coming attraction.

I still remember clearly when, as a 15 year old boy, I watched an Olympic opening ceremony for the first time in 1992. I remember most of all how I was emotionally and intelectually stirred by not only the visual effects, but also the spirit that symbolizes the Olympic ideal – I have always been inspired by the ideals that are represented by the Olympic movement.

I became aware of the Games for the first time in 1988. I mostly remember images from the opening ceremony in Seoul, Ben Johnson beating Carl Lewis to the line in the mens 100 meters final (and then later being disqualified) and that beautiful Olympic song “Hand in hand”. Even as an eleven year old boy I could already sense and experience the great spirit that encompasses this worldwide event.

Without a doubt an almost intense love and interrest in sport, and most things associated with it, made me an instant fan of the Olympics.

From a sporting perspective I really enjoy the Games – in two weeks one gets to watch some of the best athletes from around the world compete in from the most popular to the most uncommonly watched sports.

Sport alone is enough to get me going and keep me going, but the Olympic Games symbolizes a lot more than the sporting events that it comprises of.

The Olympics symbolize an ideal that I firmly believe in: to aim to be the best we can be as individual human beings and as humanity as a whole; to compete in sport as spectators and athletes in peace and harmony and not at war; to hold forth high ideals and to strive to live by them.

In the Games we see all the drama and emotion that is often experienced by individuals in everyday life: happiness and dissapointment, success and failure, victory and defeat. Some will celebrate gold medals, but most will celebrate having experienced the Olympic spirit.

So it also is with life – some will experience great rewards, but the greatest reward is undoubtly having been around to be part of the experience that is called life.              

Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the modern Games) summed it (the purpose of the Games) up very well when he said that it wasn’t the victory that mattered, but having had the opportunity to participate. Participation is a victory in itself.

I would like to go further by adding that as long as victory is your aim and persuit, then it has already been achieved where it matters, in your heart and your mind.

The summer session at our English language training school is virtually over now – two months of intensive teaching and also heaps of fun with all my many students has finally come to an end.
Once again I experienced how the “dreaded” summer session is actually easy and fun work – especially when managed well.

During this summer I taught three different courses to young teenagers and I had also had adult learner courses to teach in the evenings.
All my students have shown a lot of enthusiasm during this period and getting to know all their different and lovely personalities has made teaching everyone a great honor for me. In my job teaching is not so much about teaching my subject as it is about getting to know my students and helping them to learn the subject matter (helping my students to practice and improve their English).

During last week I was fortunate to accompany some of our schools’ students on two outings. On Tuesday I spent the day with a group of young learners (5-12 years old) and on Sunday we went on a day trip with some of our adult learners.

On Tuesday we went to _ in the south east of Jiangsu province. We visitited a cave, did a trip on a cable car up a small mountain, visited the temple at the top and enjoyed a beautiful view of the surrounding area, slid down on a slideway and enjoyed lunch near the garden area. After that everyone got a chance to handle the local clay that is used here to make all kinds of earthen pottery-ware.

On Sunday we travelled to next door Anhiu province to a small town named Jingxian. After lunch we first visited a nearby ancient village that has a history of 600 years. It is set in the lovely fertilecountryside and surrounded by small green hills and tree covered mountainsides. The ancient building structres reminded me a lot of the ancient town of Yangmei in Guanxi province and and even a bit of the outskirts of Lijiang in Yunnan province.

Our Sunday outing ended with a cruise on a raft on a small part of the Qinghui river (Anhui’s main water source and a tributary af the mighty Changjiang river). The natural surroundings were peaceful and beatifull. Our raft trip ended with all of us (teachers and students) soaking wet from waterfights. We literally drenched eachother with water – we had a really fun time.

The bus trips were long, but it gave us a change to chat and joke with students and collegues. I trust everyubody had as much fun as I did.
All our students (and the parents that accompanied a lot of them) were all fun to travel with.

This summer session was great and I have learned just as much as anybody else. A Tang dynasty writer once wrote: “第子不必不如师, 师不必贤于弟子” or “dizi bubi buru shi, shi bubi xian yu dizi” - not only can a student learn from his teacher, but a teacher can also learn from his students.