Now it has come to the end of 2022. It is a significant year for everyone. We believe you will have diverse feelings about this year and have a lot of things to share.

In the family of YWIES, our principals, teachers and children can't wait to share with you what they regret about 2022, and what surprises they have taken the action and earned instead.

Students

Jason：Go with the flow, the surprise is always around the corner.

This is what parents taught me in the summer of 2022. This summer, I was looking forward to participating in a camp activity with my parents in Sichuan Province. Due to the epidemic happened in many places, we decided to drive there instead of taking public transportation. However, another epidemic case has been found at where we were located. My friends left Sichuan straight away and flew back to Beijing, and we also received an extension from the activity party with.

This is when our summer vacation trip completely deviated from the plan, which my mother said was to cultivate our ability to go with the flow and accept the unknown. We decided to change our way to Dali and go to the legendary and beautiful Shangri-La via the Yunnan-Tibet Route. We were fortunate to have booked the Songtsam Hotel with Tibetan stone watchtowers and exquisite style everywhere. Visit the owner's private museum and see time-honored Tibetan bronzes and even 18th-century thangka paintings.

It really takes luck to see the Kawagarbo, which is one of the most sacred peaks in the Tibetan world.  Although a continuous rainfall is forecasted, we stayed overnight at Feilai Temple and waited for a total of six hours in the morning to pay tribute to the giant of the snowy plateau. I prayed before going to bed to get the luck in the sea of clouds, and wrote a little poem to commemorate it.

Diamond：Kitchen is full of surprises.

There are two plans that I have not been able to complete in 2022. The first is to have my own (X-lab) laboratory, with 3D printers, and ultra-low temperature quick-freezing and other equipment, and I can replicate some interesting experiments. I've wanted to do it for a long time, but it's a little dangerous, and the equipment are expensive. The second is that I can eat all the delicious food around the world, I want to learn 20 dishes, so that I can cook to greet the classmates who come to my place.

It turns out the X-lab become a "food laboratory". I began to study molecular cuisine combining experimentation with cooking, from entry-level microwave ovens, blenders, air fryers, to advanced low-temperature slow cookers, liquid nitrogen tanks, ultrasonic instruments; I tried from following the recipe to finishing, to self-improvement, and finally the pursuit of perfection.

Faith：I played less, but I became a little Go player

The virus is so annoying that in addition to doing nucleic acid every day, I can rarely go outside and play. In addition to online classes and homework, it was boring. I happened to talk about missing the CCA at school, and told my parents that I wanted to choose Go and chess at CCA next semester, so my father decided to use the chance to teach me at home. I thought I could play at the beginning, but Dad said there are a lot of rules to get familiar with in order to start.

Dad took me to learn some professional terms first, such as " Centroid " and " Star Point ", which is hard to remember；or "Corner, Edge, and Center." They sound fun and easy to remember. Moreover, I can teach my younger brother along with what I learn. This makes me feel very accomplished, and I am also a little teacher. Now, I find time every day to learn the skills of Go, and my brother and I can play simple battles. I believe that I can be more senior of Go, when I go back to school.

More students share their thoughts, such as Andy: The biggest regret this year is that I did not go out and play, nor pick up shells at the beach. But I took basketball lessons and piano lessons. I learned to shoot, three-step layups. I also obtained a certificate in piano.

Cherry shared: In 2022, I wanted to travel a lot of interesting places in my motherland. Unfortunately, because of the epidemic, I did not go anywhere. So, what did I do? I tried modelling, horseback riding. Through these things, I feel stronger and braver. Let’s all look forward to our amazing 2023.

Elsa said: 2022, the world does not seem to be ready, so let's find happiness for ourselves. My friends and I pitched our tents in the park. I went to Universal Studios. I also learned dance and tennis.

Teachers

Mathew: I have always wanted to become better at drawing and art in general.

 “I have been using the holiday time to practice my drawing using my iPad. I have learnt about shading and different styles of pencil strokes to create some real-life drawings of pieces of fruit I had in the house. I also have been wanting to develop my musical skills for a long time, I used to play the piano as a child and I have been steadily practicing more since the summer on a keyboard I bought, I have set a target of trying to learn at least one new song during the holidays.”

DeWet: I spent more time to work on the design I like which could also help my family.

 “As Covid-19 forced us into online learning, we had to adapt to new ways of doing things, from time management to interaction. As a creature of habit, I had to keep myself and my mind busy as my schedule became more flexible. I always enjoyed playing around with Canva, a graphic design tool that simplifies the digital design process, from creating a poster for a friend’s birthday party to designing Science Week’s poster. However, with Canva, you can only do so much, so I revisited an old friend, Adobe Photoshop. One of my family members is currently working on an e-commerce business venture, so it gave me an opportunity to help design some templates she could use to advertise her products.”

Kristin: Energetic life, energetic learning journey

During the online learning period, I finished reading three novels by Mr. Liu Zhenyun, participated in our organization's reading committee organized by Mr. Yao, and read three books. I also read two books and several academic papers on Chinese teaching and applied what I learned in the classroom. These haphazard arrangements represent my mind. 2023, I hope I can keep moving forward and organize my work and life well! Live up to my worth!

You may have planned a trip abroad, but you didn't make it. This might be one of the things that cause you to feel regret. Probably you also registered activities for your children in other cities, or a summer camp, or even a musical. Eventually it didn’t work out as it was planned.

In the current circumstance, your child may have learned to bake at home, try a podcast, or start a vlog series. Your child may have gained new possibilities through his/her own initiative.

Chinese Co-Principal Ms Ye: To feel the heroism in my ordinary life.

My 2022 has many difficulties and challenges, but there wasn’t many regrets and pains in my memory. I live the best of every day. I try to gain a trivial understanding of life from every little thing I do. I try to feel a heroism in my ordinary life, - to experience, appreciate, and understand every part of my life as a meaningful journey, to be grateful to the people I meet, to stay calm about loss and gain, and to look forward to the next destination and still hold my faith!

At YWIES, our children are more than learners; They also have the same initiative as teachers and parents.

We believe that our children are capable and trustworthy. They have countless possibilities.

Just like 2023, we have all the possibilities.