Visit a local high school

We went to visit a local high school called Chi Ping High School in Shandong province, which is about 4 hours by train from Beijing. We received an exceedingly welcome from the students, the teachers and the parents there. Please take a look at our group members' journals about this fantastic experience below.

马立晗：
你们好！我叫马立晗。前天我们去了茌平，我的同学都住在当地家庭里，可是我生病了，我不能去，可是我第二天早上见到了我的妈妈，我和我的哥哥杨泽坤也相处得非常愉快。我很喜欢你们！现在我回到了北京，今天我们要去长城。

韩海墨：
我很喜欢茌平。我的新朋友们非常友好。他们给了我们一个最好的欢迎活动。每个人都太好了，让我觉得很高兴，也很开心！我住的家庭太好客了。他们的英语很好。他们让我觉得非常舒服。认识你们很高兴！
In Chi Ping, I met a lot of new friends. All of the students and teachers were so kind to us. I learned lots of new words and got to practice my Chinese with my peers. This was a great experience. My host family was extremely generous and accommodating. My host sister helped me in our activities and we had a lot of fun together. I really hope that we can see each other again! I had a great time and enjoyed meeting everyone!

戴爱思：
Thank you so much for letting us stay at your school. It is a beautiful school and I wish we could stay longer. I feel I got a very warm welcome from everyone. The food was very good and very delicious. The basketball game was very fun. Your school is very good at basketball. We had an amazing experience. My host brother was very nice and cheerful, and he welcomed greatly into his home. I would like to thank you for this great experience. 我爱你们！谢谢！

崔墨丘：
我们周末两天去了茌平一中。这个学校非常好，我们很高兴。
When we were first going to the school, I was apprehensive about what would happen and how the homestay would go. Once we got there, however, all of those worries vanished. Upon getting off the bus, everyone was smiling and friendly. Things only improved from there. We went into a large classroom and introduced ourselves. I quickly made many friends. After making and eating jiaozi, we went to the gym to talk and play basketball. It was very fun. At my homestay house, the entire family was very kind. Even though we have almost nothing in common we still managed to talk and get along. The entire family was friendly and hospitable. Although it is sad to say goodbye, I am glad I came to make all these new friends. I look forward to receiving their emails!

高可欣：
Dear Chi Ping Sr. High School:
I am so glad we were able to visit your school! You were all so welcoming, I couldn’t stop smiling. We all had a lot of fun getting to know you, and making dumplings was especially enjoyable. Of course, I would like to thank my new friend and host sister, 孙梦爽，and her lovely family. I will miss then all terribly. I cannot express my thanks enough for everything you all did for us. We all felt quite at home in your school and at your homes. Thank you so much!
认识你们很高兴！你们都是热心肠的人！你们学校很漂亮！谢谢你们的好意！我绝对不会忘记你们的！

陈家玉：
Dear Chi Ping Sr. High School:
I had a wonderful time at your school. It is so beautiful, complex and different from Catlin Gabel School. In fact, for me, it was live a breath of fresh air. Contrary to what most think, it is possible to get a little tired of green grass and trees! Don’t get me wrong, I still love Catlin very much but I would also love to spend more time at your school.
I must thank my host family, 慈晓聪一家，for treating me so kindly. I was very grateful for their hospitality, seeing as it was very nerve-racking to be at a school so full of people I was slightly scared to speak to in Chinese. I felt very frightened that I would say something wrong but they encouraged me to just keep moving despite pronunciation errors. I hope I can stay in touch with you. 多谢，多谢！
I am especially grateful to 慈晓聪 and 韩冬奇for guiding me through the first day. It was great getting to know you and I hope we can stay in touch via email. 晓聪，my friends and I have debated your English name and so far we have found two names: “Shay” or “Sophia”. We are still in the process of finding more names and we will email you as soon as possible!
真谢谢你们。欢迎你们来波特兰！
祝身体健康！
艾若莎：
Dear Chi Ping School:
When we first heard we would be living with host families, everyone in our group was a little worried. However, once we arrived there, most people were calmed by our incredibly welcoming atmosphere. My host family was very kind and friendly, and I felt like I was with my own family. Hopefully someday these students can visit us in the U.S.! I think staying with my host family will be one of my most treasured memories from this trip, and I hope the Chinese students will someday experience the same thing. Thank you for everything you have done for us—the jiao zi competition, talent show, and allowing us to come to your home for a night, but most of all, thank you for your friendship.
再见！
艾若莎

高迪娜：
This trip to China is an eye-opening experience. The most eye-opening experience by far is the home stay. I truly got to see how a normal middle class family, like me, lived in China. Li Zhe was so kind. Both she and her family were wonderful hosts. They even set bamboo on the bed to sleep on. The bamboo kept me cool at night. The breakfast was my favorite part of all. All the food on the table was foreign to me. I tried all of it, and it was all delicious. My favorite food is now the sweet sticky rice wrapped in green leaves and string. I will remember all the new faces, experiences, food and the school. It has truly opened my eyes. If I ever go back to 中国，I will visit the school and those I have met because of this great experience. Hopefully, I have not only made a long lasting memory, but long lasting friendship.
古亦轩：
今天我们去了茌平学校。老师和学生们给了我们热情的欢迎。我很喜欢跟茌平中学的学生见面！他们非常友好。跟你们一起包饺子，非常有意思！你们非常好客，谢谢你们！
Dear Chi Ping Students,
Thank you very much for the opportunity to meet with and get to know you. You were all so welcoming, kind, and fun to be with. I had a great time visiting your school. I also really liked being a taste of your cultural arts. The paper cuttings I saw were all beautiful! Thank you all for giving me such a wonderful experience in my life.
夏慕天：
Thank you all so much for welcoming us to your beautiful school. I had an experience I will never forget. All of the kids and teachers were very kind and extremely welcoming. I had so much fun playing basketball and making jiaozi with the students.
My host brother was very welcoming and helpful. I couldn’t believe how good his English was. His parents were also very courteous and though we struggled with the language barrier, I feel like I became close to this family.
Thank you all for being so kind. I hope someday you will come to Portland.
谢谢你们欢迎我们来到茌平中学。我们很高兴，我们非常喜欢跟你们打篮球！
谢谢！
P.S. 你们的英语说得特别好！
罗佳茗：
The Chi Ping School was magnificent and I had a lot of fun. All the students were very nice and my host family was exceedingly gracious hosts. The teachers and the headmaster were very nice. I had a great experience and I hope to come back soon. Thank you all so much for giving us such a warm welcome. I had a lot of fun and I hope to see you all again.

付一来：
I had a really great time. I was really nervous at first because in America when you meet someone in the U.S. at first it is usually awkward. However, all of the kids were so nice and so friendly that I and my friends felt extremely comfortable. The night really gave me a sense of Chinese hospitality. I made friends I won’t forget for a long time. My homestay was a lot of fun. My family was incredibly nice and made me feel very comfortable. I really wish I could have spent more time with them. It was an amazing experience and I am glad I went and got to meet such great people.
Sincerely,
付一来