Notes on Cycling 360km around Qinghai Lake | What I have to say

After putting the children in the taxi to the airport, everyone happily said goodbye with their medals and certificates.

Since Rongwen was the last one to leave, he stood at the door of the hotel with me, carrying a suitcase and saying goodbye to everyone in the car, waving his hands over and over again, for fear that the people in the car wouldn't see or hear. arrive.

This scene is very similar to the farewell my parents said when they were about to leave home.

Probably because after being together for a long time, there will be a lot of reluctance. As soon as the children were gone, the chirping sounds, laughter, playing and complaining suddenly disappeared from their ears. This kind of silence made people feel a little empty, which was very unpleasant.

Living with these 12 or 13-year-old children for seven days and completing this challenging and fulfilling 360km ride together was truly an unforgettable experience in our lives. But when I carefully thought about all the joys the children had during the camp and the heavy medals hanging around their necks wherever they went at the end, I suddenly became enlightened. As Mr. Shu said, a teacher-student friendship developed with the children. This is also a meaningful part of education.

If you have not participated in the seven-day experience, it is difficult to understand all the growth of the child through only some written records. But I still want to use these far from enough words to record some of the children’s stories during this period.

Feng Yirui is the child who surprised me the most this time. Taiyang’s teachers all know that when she participates in these challenging projects, she will break down and even cry because of some great difficulties. Just like when I was climbing a snow mountain in 2018, I cried loudly because of lack of physical strength.

But this time she became a responsible big sister who can take care of others in the eyes of the children. Every day she always follows the leader Da Xiong and never lags behind in the first echelon. It can be seen that she is becoming more and more confident as she rides.

During one evening sharing session, she said that my biggest achievement was that I broke through my comfort zone this time. This is the second time I heard a child mention this word in the camp, and I was quite excited.

She said, I no longer ask others to help me. I can also help others while taking care of myself. Just like what the card says, I dare to seek support when encountering things beyond my ability. and resources. This is really a big breakthrough.

Yinuo's injury incident made every partner in the team unite more closely. On the afternoon of Gangcha, we arrived at our destination early. We all had a sumptuous dinner together and looked at the photos of us over the past few days. and video, prepare to relax tonight and share some of the culture, ethnicity and geography of Qinghai with the children.

But before they finished eating, the children came to me and said that we wanted to ride part of the way with Yinuo tonight. Because we were injured and got into the insurance car, we couldn't get the medals according to our previous agreement.

The children thought of making up for this mileage with her earlier than I did. They would make up a little today and some tomorrow, so that she could also get a medal.

The children's discussion made me put aside the original meeting in the evening. I would never take the initiative to ask my children to accompany others to make up for the mileage. Everyone will feel very tired after riding. If he doesn't want to go, I will accept it calmly, because this is the measurement of the children as individuals and the result of his evaluation of his body and the remaining mileage. If they want to go, that would of course be the best outcome because I see the camaraderie of the team and the kids and their desire for this medal.

So that night, from 7:30 to 9 o'clock, we completed an additional 20km in the light rain on the edge of Gangcha County with the help of the lights of the bridge. On the last day, after everyone spontaneously rode an extra 13 kilometers, Jiao Jiao and Yi Nuo both successfully received medals and completed the challenge.

The moment they get the medals, they will definitely feel that their medals are more precious and weighty than others, because they are collective and the crystallization of the friendship between partners.

Everyone is well aware of the risks of cycling. As long as this kind of risky project is involved, there will inevitably be bumps and bumps. As Bofan said when chatting with his father, for children, as long as they are within the safe range that we can control, let them grow freely. With correct guidance, maybe he will grow better.

Regarding adventure, I saw an article a few days ago. There is a "dangerous" game park in Japan. His entrance reads:

Dear child:

This is Yugenmu Playground, a place where you can have fun. We thought you could have a great time here by lighting a bonfire, digging a pit, building a fort, splashing around, looking up into space, playing or just watching others play.

Let's try to make what we want to try!

"It looks like fun!"

"It looks so scary!"

"I'm not sure I can do this"

"I thought about it again and decided to forget it."

It's all up to you. If there's something you're good at, that's great. If you don't know how to do it yet, you can learn something new.

Here you may encounter problems, confusion or even injury. But don’t worry, the person next to you will help you. Men and women, fathers and mothers, boys and girls, everyone is here, and of course the staff is here too.

This is a playground created by everyone. You are not alone, come and say hello! Have fun!

A very vital and thought-worthy passage. Yes, childhood requires a certain amount of adventure, and although we know the risks it brings, confident children are the safest children. The same goes for cycling, you come and participate and you will have fun because this is your experience. Growth cannot be achieved overnight or immediately, but it must remain in the child's body.

Zi Qian is a boy in the team who has good physical fitness and is also very responsible. When encountering problems, he always stands up and solves them for everyone. This sense of justice appeals to everyone.

From home to Xining, and then from Xining to home, the different environmental transformations are just like the Hero’s Journey model based on the philosophy at the beginning of the design of the Mountain and River Warriors project:

"They went from their comfort zone, where they felt safe and familiar - his home - into an unfamiliar environment."

The unfamiliar environment gave him a lot of experience and experience, allowing him to feel his own boundaries, the limits of his abilities and how to develop these boundaries. Finally, he returned from the experienced environment to a familiar environment. When he brought this experience with him You will feel confident when you return to life.

This kind of confidence is the greatest charm and value of the Mountain and River Warriors project.

Come on Jiaojiao!

Ride on the right!

Watch out for a car behind you!

I don't want to go back!

Are you okay?

I'll go with you!

I'll do this!

When these words come out of the children's mouth, it feels like they have suddenly grown up and the ride has been worth it.

To borrow a sentence from Kurt Hahn: "If we force children to accept it, it is a kind of violence. If we find a child's problem and don't care about it, it is also a kind of depravity."

What is an open and correct attitude for children to understand the world? I believe everyone has their own opinions. You are also welcome to leave a message at the end of the article for exchange.