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Wen and Tan pose for a photo in front of a messy hall of newspapers and yellow paint at the Hong Li school for migrant children. Screaming children and the sound of ripping newspapers could be heard from almost any corner of the Hong Li school during break. The Hong Li students ran up and down the corridors with wonder and mischievous glee; something wonderful was happening. Junior year students from the international school, Dulwich college, had taken over their worn-out and blackened halls and had started cleaning their walls and floors. The peeling color of sea green and once-white walls were being scrapped of its dust and grime to be prepped for the week-long intensive treatment of a fresh coat of paint.
Team captains, William Wen and Beatrice Tan gave directions to their fellow team members of around 20 junior year students. Tan asked the Hong Li students to be courteous by watching out where they stepped and if they could kindly not destroy their hard work. And with surprising obedience, the students listened. While Wen commanded his team members, there were moments seemed more chaotic than the team could handle. However, he managed to keep his team on track and their enthusiasm high. Some students brought in McDonald's because they could not stomach the school lunches of cold rice, a white bun, soggy vegetables with little to no meat. When Wen's team members asked if they could bring in their own lunches, Wen asked his group to remember that this is what the migrant children of Hong Li were eating every school day. He asked them to bear with it for a little longer and to be aware of their situation. "...to us, it’s really different stuff to eat. If we could, it would be great to be able to give some financial support in terms of food improvement,” said Wen.
Wen also recounts how his classmates would ask how it was possible to have a school in that kind of area and in that kind of condition. "We had to compare it to our own lives,” said Wen. "I think coming here gives great contrast from our own lives. It teaches us to appreciate our educational environment and also our families."
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