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Home , Chengdu, Qingdao

Mandarin students visit , , and during 11- day trip

Qingdao is a city located the province of eastern . PHS students stayed with host families in Qingdao for 4 nights. Photo: Christian Chiang At 6:30 in the morning of October 29, 23 PHS Mandarin students gathered at the flagpole to begin their 12-day trip to China. This year, the students traveled to Qingdao, Chengdu, and Shanghai. While Mandarin students first visited China in 2013, other Princeton students had been there before for different purposes. “The orchestra had been [in China] in 2010. They performed in Qingdao. Our former superintendent, [Judy] Wilson, attended that trip. So, Princeton and Qingdao began to build our great relationship. Two years later, they invited us to their school,” said Mandarin teacher Shwu-Fen Lin. Students were attracted to the trip for both educational and recreational reasons. “I [was] really excited—it [was] a good way to see Chinese culture, improve my language skills, and also just to have fun,” said Zachary Bowen ’18. One of the main objectives of the trip was to put into practice what students had been learning in the classroom within the real world. “It’s a great opportunity to apply the language … the students learn [about] authentic Chinese culture [by] staying with the host ,” Lin said. “They know … what kind of food they eat, and what relationship the parents and kids [have]. We also visit famous sites.” The students visited attractions such as the , the Giant Buddha, the Yu Gardens, the Chengdu Breeding Center, and went on a cruise on the Huangpu River. “All of these experiences [gave] the students an opportunity to open their minds to see [the language] outside the US,” Lin said. Mandarin students visit Qingdao, Chengdu, and Shanghai during 11- day trip

The students spent their time in Qingdao living with host families, who also provided a unique learning experience. “Most hosts [were] not [families of Qingdao students]. The school [provided] us with them … each student [stayed] a couple of days with their host family. It’s a wonderful experience because then they can speak Chinese,” Lin said. Many students enjoyed staying with their host families, despite a language barrier. “Communication [with the family] was hard, but it was a good experience to see how the families lived,” said Eli Meisel ’17. A class favorite was interacting with vendors in the marketplaces. “[Many] students also enjoyed bargaining in the market. They got very good practice [with their Mandarin]. It was very impressive,” Lin said. Students from Qingdao No. 2 Middle School also came to PHS for the first time last spring. “They were here this year in May because their students attended the Model UN competition in . Their principal, [Liang] Sun, was here … [as well as] a couple teachers, and some of their students,” Lin said. The Qingdao Model UN students will be coming to Princeton again this May. Changes were made between this year and the trip two years ago. “The [stops] are different. Two years ago, we went to , Qingdao, and Xi’an. Those were all in the north of China. So this time, we [visited] the south of China with Shanghai, Chengdu, and Qingdao,” Lin said. “We [wanted] to provide students with an opportunity to see all of China’s culture. It is not only the north. Different provinces have different cultures, different foods, and different activities.” Priscilla Russel, World Language and ESL supervisor, also attended this year’s China trip as well as the trip two years ago. One of the main objectives of Russel’s attendance is to help strengthen the bond between Qingdao and Princeton. “[When we go to China I] have a meeting with [Liang] Sun, and Lin translates. We talk about school, and exchange gifts, and we have lots of pictures taken and are invited to dinner,” Russel said. She also has hosted faculty of Qingdao No.2 Middle School in the past. “Five years ago, [Sun] came to Princeton and stayed with my husband and me”, she said. ““We’ve [also] had long term relationships with several of the teachers. Whenever they come over, they always stay with me.” Russel hopes to add more structure to the 2017 trip. “In the future, when we go to a museum, I will expect there to be a scavenger hunt or some sort of task that students need to do, rather than just let them loose. It is more interesting for everybody if there is a focus for the visit,” she said. Mandarin students visit Qingdao, Chengdu, and Shanghai during 11- day trip

In the future, Lin and Russel also plan on establishing a pen pal connection between the two groups of students online before they meet. “We would like for the kids to know each other better before they come here or we go there. That is not as well-developed for China as it is for our Italian and French programs, where the kids will have written back and forth for a couple of months, and will recognize each other, ” Russel said. Lin hopes that going to China will help encourage the students to continue studying Mandarin when they leave PHS. “Many students who went to Qingdao [in 2013] are now studying Mandarin in college,” Lin said. According to Rachna Ammanamanchi ’17, the trip does provide students with an experience unattainable in the classroom. “Learning about the culture from the textbook is completely different from experiencing it in real life,” she said. “It’s a really cool thing to be able to go to a different country … with people that you’ve never met before, and then be able to make friends with them and experience new things together.”