A different ball game

It was a sight I had never seen before, at least not here. Parents waiting along the corridors, chatterings that reached unbelievable decibels, children in yellow t-shirts pouring out from the ten thousand pagoda hall. The liveliness was a stark contrast to the serenity and tranquillity that the place holds on weekdays.

The prayers had begun when I reached the hall. The kids were seated on the cushions according to their classes. Some were chanting in tandem with the teachers. It was amazing that they knew where they were heading and what they were supposed to be doing. Today was a special day because it was the first lesson after the long chinese new year break. It was also the biennal photo-taking day.

If I had found taking one shot of Miss OYX tough, it was nothing compared to taking photos of these 300 children who couldn't wait to put rabbit years behind their friends' heads.

The class that I was assigned to was one of the smallest. I guess I can understand why. I already knew the names of four boys and I hardly said more than forty words throughout the afternoon. One of them was obviously suffering from ADHS, and the others haD their own issues at home.

Teaching in a sunday school is really a different ball game altogether. The teachers, for one, are not force into this. Conversely, the children do not have to attend this course. With nothing to support the teachers, it is the final test of the teachers' patience and faith, to win the kids over.