Not Your Usual Spring Break: SHS Students Travel to China

When the SHS spring break came to a close, some students gushed about tans from the Bahamas, family adventures in Europe, and a lot of Netflix at home. But a few select students were able to share their memories of a far more exotic excursion to China with the Chinese Exchange Program. For about two weeks, from March 27 to April 11, 14 SHS students traveled to China, and had the experience of a lifetime. On this fourth ever Chinese Exchange Program at SHS, students ventured through Beijing's historical sights, while staying with host families and attending a local school--Ping He Bilingual. ESL teacher Barbara Reef and Social Studies Department Chair John Harrison accompanied the students in China.

Students who applied to participate in the exchange were selected through a lottery. According to Mandarin teacher Wenhui Gu, "The American students and the Chinese students were matched according to their interest. The China exchange program is important is because it is a cultural and language exchange, instead of just a language exchange. Therefore, students who are not enrolled in the Mandarin program can still apply for it, to explore and enjoy the authentic Chinese food, the historical and modern buildings, and the lifestyle and education system of the Chinese people."

Though ,at first, the trip may have been a bit intimidating to many students, it was comforting that the SHS students had already been acquainted with their Chinese exchange students. In the fall, the same Chinese students visited Scarsdale and stayed for two weeks, alternating between sightseeing in New York City and attending SHS. Going to China was the second half of the exchange program, so SHS students knew their Chinese exchange students fairly well and this alleviated some of the anxiety. "I wasn't really nervous about going on the trip because I knew I was going to have so many amazing experiences and I was really excited to become closer with my exchange student and make a lot of new friends," shared Scarsdale senior Julia van Zwieten.

Students came back from the trip with very positive reactions. James Baker, a senior who spent his sophomore year in China, was still in awe of the memorable trip. "I'm never going to forget all the connections I made with the Chinese students--it was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said. Scarsdale High School sophomore, Jessica Waldman added, "a really special part of the trip was that we were staying with people who stayed with us in the fall so we got to bond even more with them while learning and experiencing their culture."

Maybe equally as memorable as living with Chinese host families was all the sightseeing in China. Students spent the first four days in Beijing, where each day they traveled to see some of China's most spectacular historical sights, including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Palace of Heaven. "I think that the Great Wall was the coolest part of the trip because you always hear about it and you think of this big wall but when you actually get there its way bigger than anything you could have ever imagined," shared Scarsdale sophomore Corey Waldman.

Though everyone seemed to have gotten along with their host families, there were bound to be some cultural differences. "I thought the biggest cultural difference were the eating habits," commented Corey Waldman. "But what we learned was that their eating habits were not weird or wrong, just different," added Jessica Waldman. Some students also noted that another difference was the Chinese student's intense work ethic. "My exchange student would come home every single day and just do work all afternoon, and all night, and then go to sleep super late," said Baker. "Her parents were pretty strict too, but it paid off because she is one of the smartest in her class."

Not only did eating manners and work habits differ from those in Scarsdale, but the teaching style was different in some ways as well. "At Ping He all the students stayed in the same classroom the whole school day, which started at around 7:50 A.M. and ended at 4:30 P.M.," noted Baker. "Unlike Scarsdale, the teachers were the ones who would switch classrooms and come to the students."

However, despite the differences in the education system, there were also many similarities. "All the classes were taught in English because Ping He is a bilingual school, and in many of the classes they were using similar learning materials to what we use in Scarsdale," shared Baker. "In fact, I noticed that in World History they were using the same exact textbook that Scarsdale uses!"

Because Ping He is a bilingual school and all the classes are taught in English, SHS students did not find it difficult to communicate even though most who came on the trip did not speak a word of English. "I know about three words in Chinese but I was totally fine at school and with my family," said Corey Waldman. "There was really only one kid on the trip who spoke Chinese well so whenever it was necessary he translated for all of us."

Beijing is infamous for it's air pollution, something that worried some of the students.. "In Beijing the pollution was pretty bad," admitted Baker. "You couldn't really see the sun and a lot of people were wearing masks." Van Zwieten agreed, and said that she "could literally feel it [the pollution] in [her] hair and on [her] skin and it just made me feel dirty." Although Beijing's air may not have been the best, both Baker and Van Zwieten agreed that the air in Shanghai, where they spent the majority of the two weeks, was much better.

Though the complete exchange program has now come to an end, many hope to keep in touch with their exchange student. "I'm definitely staying in touch with my student," asserted Baker. "If I go back to China, which I really hope to do, I want to meet up with her again and we have already been chatting through the app WeChat." Likewise, van Zwieten also believes she will stay in touch with her exchange student. "I think we will definitely stay in touch, especially now that we have more ways of communicating!"

Overall, everyone on the trip gained some kind of new insight from China, and came back with exciting stories, whether it was about sliding down the Great Wall of China, showing the Chinese students Häagen Daz for the first time, or bragging about strange foods they ate. Even though the students may have missed out on a classic spring break in the Bahamas, "going to China was definitely worth it and I don't regret it at all," exclaimed Baker.