Together, we have come a long way.

    - Zeng Xiu Ping （Volunteer of the Mentoring Program while studying at the China Institute of Industrial Relations）

March 8 was a day filled with expectations and surprises, as it was the very first day when us mentors met our mentees. The supervisor had mentioned beforehand, that my mentee and I were a special pair. Mentors and mentees were usually paired in the same gender, but due to the gender distribution of the short-listed candidates, I have a boy as my mentee instead. I did not put too much thought in it, figuring that gender does not really matter. However by the eve of the actual rendezvous, I could not sleep. My concern was that if the mentee might object to a female mentor, or if his friends would mock him for it.

I first met my mentee in Dandelion Life Education Base. He was completely different from what I imagined; he was surprisingly tall, in fact he was the biggest "kid" in the program. But he was also very reserved, he would hesitate when I tried to hold his hand; His self-introduction was short but concise, which greatly contrasted with mine. Through the ice-breaking games, he gradually learnt the importance of team spirit and mutual trust. The games were exciting and challenging, and helped mentors and mentees gain rapport with their partners. This program aimed to build a solid basis for the relationship between mentors and mentees, and allow them to begin knowing each other.

After we have built up a solid basis of trust, he finally invited me to his home in May. Home visits were actually very critical in this program, because throughout a child''s development, his family is a very important factor. I have met his father before, a very friendly man who keenly supported my work, and his father had invited me to their home. Kaiqiang, however, was rather passive on this matter, and I would prefer Kaiqiang to extend the invitation himself. We met at school that day, and I was surprised by how happy he was when I accepted his invitation (He had offered previously, but I was unable to due to various reasons). The house visit mainly concerned his post-middle school education. Would he study at a vocational high school in Beijing, or return to his home village for high school? This problem greatly troubled his father for some time, due to lack of information, they knew very little about education opportunities in Beijing. As a result of this home visit, I found the main focus of my work with Kaiqiang for the rest of the program. Something else about this first visit excited me greatly too - the family prepared me a great dinner, and as far as I know, that was a "record breaking" feast among our mentors team!

June was a busy month, in which Kaiqiang''s middle school life approached an end, while I prepared for my examinations. Due to our increasingly busy schedules, our meetings were less frequent, and we were only able to greet each other online once in a while.

Suddenly one day, one of the classmates informed me that something happened at Kaiqiang''s school, but it was uncertain if he were involved. I was startled, as Kaiqiang seemed an honest, shy, yet sensible child. The classmate quickly calmed my frayed nerves, saying that Kaiqiang may not be part of it. In the evening, Kaiqiang''s father told me on the phone, that Kaiqiang had not returned home yet, and his cell phone was switched off, something that never happened before; he also wondered if Kaiqiang were with me after all. At that time, I was shocked and regretted for not investigating the matter, then I called all the friends of Kaiqiang I know, but was unable to reach any. I was really scared, what if something happened to him?

When I was worried to the extreme, his father called me, saying that Kaiqiang had returned home, it turned out that his cell phone was out of power and nothing happened to him, and he told me not to worry. According to my understanding of Kaiqiang from the last few months, I suspected things may not be as simple as his father imagined. Later on, I talked with Kaiqiang, and gained an understanding of him that was completely new to me; I reprimanded him with some criticisms, which he accepted. After this, Kaiqiang trusted me even more, and our friendship has also evolved even more deeply!

From our first meeting to the end of the program this month, Kaiqiang and I have known each other for half a year. I am happy that we are partners; starting from awkwardness in the beginning to establishing this great friendship, we have both gained a lot.

Now, Kaiqiang is studying at a vocational high school in Beijing, when I met him at the beginning of the new term, he has grown taller, and has become a lot more lively. Now he is no longer that little boy with little words, he actually greeted me "HELLO" in English when we talked on the phone; when we played basketball, he was even able to use odd tricks and noises for defense. He is very satisfied with his current school and very interested in his major field. From this, I have gained a sense of achievement, I hope that from now on, we could continue to grow and mentor each other!