China - Day 11

From Ms. Hardwick:

Today was our last day in Chengdu and China. Since the students were enjoying the hospitality of their host families, I managed to sleep in a bit and go to a local cafe (okay, Starbucks) to get some grading done. Some things the students did this morning included making dumplings, taking a kung fu class, and going to a local museum. Then this afternoon we all gathered to experience KTV - karaoke TV - and it was certainly an experience, but one the students all seemed to enjoy. Then we walked over to nearby hot pot restaurant for our farewell dinner with our host families and teachers from the Chengdu Foreign Language School. The restaurant - named “The Hero’s Journey” (advanced translation provided by Leo and Mr. Lowinger) - gave us an entire back room for to fit our group. The room was set up like an outdoor garden and was beautiful and the food was delicious! All in all it was a great last day in China. We are incredibly grateful for the hospitality of the our host families and the faculty and staff that made our visit to Chengdu so memorable. We also want to thank Leo - our guide from Alpha Exchange - for getting us through China safely and making our experience here truly exceptional. Tomorrow we head to the airport bright and early for a full day of travel home!

China - Day 10

From Jane Siwek ‘19:

Today we didn’t have school and could sleep in after a long week! Evelyn and I are staying with the Zhang’s right outside of Chengdu (technically in the suburbs but it looks like a major city). We woke up to an amazing breakfast of dumplings and fresh fruit, while listening to Lucy’s adorable two year old brother sing and chant about cars. After breakfast, we drove to the center of Chengdu and ate a nice “western” lunch of pizza at the mall with Alice, Nicole, and two other friends from the school. In the afternoon, we escaped a abandoned prison (an Escape room)! We also got to see the Chinese Opera and some amazing performances. We ended our day by walking around a busy street market for dinner!

China - Day 9

China day 9:

From Irvine Madenga ‘21:
Today we spent the whole day at the school and got a little taste of daily life at the foreign languages school. First we got a lesson about Confucius then I went to an English class where we were welcomed by a fun remix of the song welcome to New York except it was welcome to chengdu. Afterwards we joined the students in their morning PE and ran 1 kilometer with them. After that we listened to a lecture from Leo about Sino-US relations then attended a biology class that taught us about cancerous cells. We were then treated to a huge and delicious lunch which was followed by nap time, but we jus had fun on the playground instead. We then watched a debate about whether or not age limits should be included in the olympics. It was fun and intense and both sides became heated at points. Then we joined them in PE again but this time I played soccer and we had a Chinese vs America team. Although we lost it was very close. Then we went to an art class and made tie dye. After that we watched students dance and perform song with traditional Chinese instrument that we got to try afterwards. This concluded the school day. I went to my partner, Henry’s, fathers restaurant for dinner. It was delicious. As soon as I got home I was so full that I just went straight to sleep.

From Sophia Silis ‘19:
Started my day today with a steaming bowl of dumplings. My family laid another extensive spread of pastries, fruit and leftovers for breakfast- more food than any four people could eat, but nonetheless delicious. We were into their champagne colored Bentley by 7 and jamming out to 80s rock music. I honestly can’t tell if they genuinely enjoy it or are playing it to make me feel more comfortable. This was our first full day of school with the students. Though the sky was an ominous grey, this didn’t dampen the students excitement. Whenever the SSSAS students walk into the campus, we are treated like celebrities. It’s utterly crazy. We learned about Confucius in the morning, went to an English class, ran in gym to “All About that Base”, saw Leo give a lecture, ate some fun cafeteria food, participated in a debate that got rather heated, had some free time, went to a biology class focused on oncology, Chinese tie dye class, and music/dance class. It was a lot of fun. I can now say I’ve spoken in front of 200 people (which is the most I’ve ever done). After our busy day, my exchange student (Kazan) and I rode in one of those motorcycle carriage things to a street filled with food. We had fluffy cream and chocolate filled pastry wraps, a fried spiced potato dish and some green milk tea with a sweet cheese foam on top. After we ate, we hopped onto the subway to meet Kasan’s uncles, little brother, and parents in a restaurant off of Kuanzai alley. This restaurant was a haven from the chaos of the street. All of the food served to us had an element of drama: chicken was served to us in a pirate ship with a hidden message on the flag, a huge white chocolate sphere was placed on the table and melted away to reveal shrimp. Dry ice was everywhere. But what struck me more than the food was the continuous toasts the adults made during dinner over and over again. We even played a game where you would role dice and it would determine who at the table would toast who. Kasan, her little brother (AJ) and I took to the streets to explore after dinner. We ate sticky toffee, took some pictures, and wandered into a restaurant with live music. On the ride home, AJ sang to American pop hits in a screechy prepubescent voice that brought a smile to my face. I can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow and see what the weekend holds.

China - Day 8

China day 8:

From Celine Koko ‘20:
Pandas! Today is our second day at Chengdu. I woke up really excited this morning as I would be meeting some cute cuddly pandas today. To start the day off I had a delicious traditional homemade Chinese breakfast. I was certainly full after eating! My host and I then made our way to school, from there I met up with the rest of the students and off we went to a panda breeding base. At the base, I encountered many pandas lounging about or eating an entire stack of bamboo (a panda eats an average of 30 kg of bamboo a day). The pandas were absolutely adorable! I even saw a panda fall from a tall tree and roll around on the ground! After trekking about the large panda base, we went out for a much needed lunch and headed back to the Chengdu Foreign Language School. We received a warm welcome when we arrived and were soon whisked away on a full campus tour. We got to see the ins and out of what a typical Chinese High school student’s life is like. After a reception officially welcoming us in front of the entire school, we were given the opportunity to participate in after school activities with the students. I had a great time playing Bad Minton (even though I wasn’t very good at it) and made some new friends.

From Elinor West ‘21:
Today we were given the opportunity to explore the Panda Base. We were able to see red pandas and of course the infamous giant panda. If you know me, this was basically the reason I chose to come on this trip, so it was pretty important. They were 100% worth it. After that we went to lunch and had some amazing Sichuan food. To be completely honest, I’m terrible with spicy food. But I think I’ve adjusted. Afterwards, we came back to the school and was given a tour and an over the top welcome. I mean we were placed on a stage in front of the entire school and given pins, while the students stood on the soccer field. It’s so strange because when we came here, everyone was so excited— I felt like Obama. But after that assembly, we were given the chance to play some sports with them. Since I suck at everything, I chose what seemed to be the easiest sport: volleyball. That was not true. This one student was so intense— I thought he was going to yell at us because we were making them lose the match. But once we went our separate ways, my  took me to this amazing local area with the best food ever. I wish I had the chance to host my buddy; she is so sweet. But all in all, it was a great day:)

China - Day 7

China Day 7:

From Kemal Ozdemirli ‘21:

Today, we first went to Qingcheng Mountain to visit two different Taoist temples. We went up the mountain by using a cable car. Once we reached the top of the mountain, we hiked for 20 minutes to visit the temples. During the hike, there were a lot of street vendors that were trying to sell us food. Once we reached to the temple, we were astonished by not only the beauty of the temple, but also how well the architecture was maintained and clean. After visiting the Qingcheng mountain, we then went to a local restaurant, where they served us authentic Chengdu cuisine. After lunch, we went to the Dujiang Weir National Park to see the Min River and the man made island. The man-made island was constructed during the Qin dynasty in order to manage the water flow from the Min Mountains. After visiting the dam, we went to the Chengdu Foreign Language School to meet up with the host families. It was an amazing experience to see a lot of children rushing from their classrooms in order to catch a glimpse of us. The head master of the school gave us a brilliant speech about how he was happy to host us into their school. After meeting the head master, we spent the rest of the day with the host families.

From Emma Hughes ‘21:
Today we went bright and early to explore Daoist temples. We had to first walk up part of the mountain, take a short boat ride, a cable car  higher up the mountain, and finally another quick walk to get to the temples. They had many venders each step of the way and we were able to get candied coconut and mango. After a lunch filled with spice, we went to Dujiang Weir National Park. We explored the rickety bridge, dumplings, and ice cream! We then went to the school and got an extremely excited welcoming from all the students and our hosts.