It’s all very selfish, really. A day comprised of deliriously happy “moments” is what I demanded and that is exactly what was delivered in this double section workshop with Teacher Mei and basketball session with Coach Mohan. The joyous smiles, laughter, and overall atmosphere was terrific. Thanks to SALADAY and Pure Yoga for their fundraiser so that everyone was able to have such a fantastic day!
In our first “double workshop,” both Teacher Mei and Coach Mohan were nothing short of amazing. They brought an onslaught of relentless fun and excitement in the 4-hour class sessions.
Teacher Mei incorporated many innovative ideas and generously included few things off my “workshop wishlist.” The result was scores of creativity and laughter, many claiming it was the one of the best workshops they’ve attended! Hardworking volunteers swept and mopped the floors of the community center so we began the day at TaoShan Elementary School. Kids and big kids paired up for a few stretching exercises. Volunteers Jeff and Josh morphed into human trees while kids morphed into tree-climbing monkeys. The two undertook their tree task extremely well, even when it meant their hair became fair game as climbing support!
Notified that the floors were dry and just as the rain began to splatter down, we headed back to the community center. We mastered basic yoga moves utilizing every part of our body and also on how to work with each other to perform even more tricks. Starry, one of our head photographers, then led us onto the game part of the workshop. She began to tell the tale of movie “Night at the Museum” and how the displays would begin moving at night but freeze in position when the lights came on. Kids took on roles and we started to play a rendition of this game. However, we first integrated a bit of art to bring more magic and fun into the day. Blank masks were passed around along with a few sets of face paint crayons. Kids and Big Kids painted on each others faces, some dolled up to unrecognizable fantastic creatures!
The jingle jangle and clanging of instruments accompanied this cinematic version of the “Red Light Green Light Game.” When music stopped, kids froze in position while we brushed and dusted (tickled) them with mini dusters. The kids were amazing, holding back their giggles. We had so much fun that we ran out of time to create huge chalk drawings of each person’s animal/yoga pose so ended the day with a light stretch, massage, and down time.
Before dinner faces were cleaned up. The cleanser? Thanks to Lyreley Lee! Kids from basketball session joined us for the fantastic group dinner. Saladay prepared a savory vegetable pasta slash stunning pumpkin soup combination for our dinner. Jeff brought lychee – a rarity to the mountains – and a huge box of mangos, making this time’s fruit salad offerings one of the most popular in the past two years. I had to guard the mango bowl with my life! With the creamy vegan chocolate cupcakes supplied by Fresh Bakery and Café, we ended a perfect day in ChingChuan. Workshops, meals, and teachers continue to exceed my expectations.
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- Vegan chocolate cupcakes
I hope to see everyone again soon! Thanks to Mohan and Golden who, despite the rain, continued to coach the kids on the other side of the bridge. James and JiaChi braved the drizzle to take some really excellent shots.
We also bid Sarah Milne farewell, after a year and half of being with us through thick and thin. We miss her but the children will miss her even more. Come back to Taiwan and visit us soon!
*****
Date/Time: June 15th (Sunday) 12:30 – 4:30 pm
日期 / 時間：6月15日（日）中午12：30 －下午 4：30
Location: Taushan Youth Cultural Center
地點： 新竹縣五峰鄉桃山村 桃山青年文化中心老師
Lead Teacher 老師: Mei Wang
Coach: Mohan Huang
Assistant Coach: Golden Tsui
Kitchen Table Lunch: SALADAY and their team, Kaye Yuan, Josh Kuo, Tomato Hsieh
Lead Photographers: Starry Cheng, JiaChi Su, Jonathan Burke
Volunteers: Sarah Milne, Jeff Yang, Vivian Lee, Julie Shih, James Teng, Rufen Cheng, 蔡幸芳
Purpose: Games and music combined with Our bodies as the and dance through games and music
Volunteer Tasks: Dance and move with kids, assist with games. Kitchen duties, set up, clean up, etc.
Children will learn: expressing themselves through dance and yoga, explore music.
Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/289515124541749/
Event Callout here: https://wp.me/p326jt-Ho
