English teacher Jan Raymond attended yesterday's opening ceremony for the torch relay in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, with dozens of her students who cheered and clapped as the event got under way.
The Canadian, who teaches at Hunan University, said she was delighted to see the relay first hand, but said her joy was overshadowed by the delight of her pupils.
"They have been excited about it for a month," she said.
Understanding just how special an event the torch relay is for Chinese people would have been impossible had she not been in the country, she said.
"There are Chinese people in Canada, but you can't really get to know China through them, as they are not really themselves; they are trying to adjust to living in another culture, in a foreign land, which I understand as a foreigner here," she said.
Raymond said she first visited China three years ago as a tourist.
"I was impressed to see people in China making history at such a fast pace," she said.
Such a "fascinating experience" was the reason she wanted to return, she said.
After four months in Hunan, she said she has got to know a little about the people here.
"They are so friendly and so proud of their country," she said.
Source: China Daily
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