[ back ]
Chinese students' visit is to 'typical America'
(by Sue Hoffman - September 02, 2010)
Chinese students' visit is to 'typical America'
By SUE HOFFMAN
Blair Jin, 16, of Linhai, Zhejiang Province in China, smiled when discussing his whirlwind visit to Chagrin Falls last week.
"I love Chagrin Falls," he said. He loved "breakfast cereal with milk," Spanish class at the high school, the Backstreet Boys concert he went to in Pittsburgh and much more.
"I will come back," he said.
Blair was one of 13 teens who traveled with two teachers to the United States as part of the Chagrin Falls School District's "Bridge to the World" initiative. During their 10-day visit to the district, the Chinese teens stayed at the homes of the Chagrin Falls students they had hosted in their country from July 1 to 15. Prior to arriving in Chagrin Falls on Aug. 19, the Chinese travelers spent four days touring New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
The visit was "perfect, beyond our expectations," said Ren Meiqin, vice principal at Huipu High School in Linhai. "I didn't think we'd have such opportunities.
"Before we came, we thought they (American students) live in heaven," Ms. Ren said. "We realize we were wrong. The students work hard.
"Linhai is like Chagrin Falls," she said. They are both small cities, she said. "Chagrin Falls has a long history and Linhai has a long history."
She said Chagrin Falls was the perfect place to visit because it is "typical America."
Ms. Ren said she and her students marveled at the many activities at the high school, including teams and clubs. "This is what we should learn from. Maybe we can organize more clubs and teams. They're good for children."
Differences in the cultures were also apparent to Chagrin Falls High School senior Kelsey Butler, one of 14 students on this summer's China trip.
"The food is extremely different," she said. Kelsey had stayed at the home of Alow Luo, whom she hosted at her house last week.
"I had chicken feet and turtle soup," Kelsey said, as well as different types of shellfish with eyes intact. "I loved the food."
Kelsey, who spent the first three years of her life in Hong Kong and always wanted to return to the Far East, said the trip helped her understand her own aspirations. "I'm more interested in world travel and in reaching out to others." An aspiring engineer, she said she looks forward to "helping a country like China advance."
While the differences were striking, "we're more similar than different," Kelsey said. The connections were strong, she said. "It's going to be hard to say good-bye to them."
Bill Kline, a special-education teacher at the high school who coordinated activities for the visitors, agreed that the similarities are strong. "It's the most important thing we can learn from this experience."
The Bridge to the World initiative is intended "to help students and staff gain understanding, acquire knowledge and develop 21st-century skills necessary for living in a global interdependent and culturally diverse world," School Superintendent Stephen Thompson said.
As one of 20 schools in the United States to be selected as a member of the Hanban-Asia Society Confucius Classroom network, the district received start-up funds of $10,000.
The Chinese visitors experienced much of American culture, with tours of Cleveland, Niagara Falls and time with their host families. They also shadowed their host students in class, were treated to a pep rally at the high school and learned about family life.
Last Friday, Kelsey and the other Chagrin students who had traveled to China, accompanied their Chinese counterparts to third-grade classrooms at Gurney Elementary School in South Russell.
Kelsey went with Alow and Justin Wang to Sheri Halagan's classroom, where each student had prepared a question. They sat around in a circle and talked.
"Do you take the bus to school?" they were asked. "What's school like in China?" "What kinds of games do you play?"
Alow and Justin said that they do not take a bus. Alow, like most students, lives at school and Justin rides his bicycle.
"We all like to play basketball," Justin said. Students also enjoy playing cards and computer games.
The visitors said that unlike American high school students, who walk from classroom to classroom, they stay in the same room all day and the teachers rotate through.
Mrs. Halagan said it was an interesting experience for her students. "I think they enjoyed learning about a new culture. It might encourage them to feel comfortable and explore a different culture."
[ back ]
