Upper School Welcomes Visiting Chinese Students
It’s a long way from Guangxi Province, China, to St. Louis, Missouri—geographically, culturally, and linguistically. So, before their departure, the nine Chinese students from Liuzhou High School who are visiting Principia Upper School for two weeks were both excited and a little nervous about what to expect and how they might fit in.
But having settled in with their Principia host families over the past weekend, the students are now eagerly attending Upper School classes with day student hosts, most of whom are studying Mandarin Chinese with teacher Kathie CalkinsKeyes. The four girls and five boys (accompanied by two math teachers) attend one of the top schools in China, a public school with about 4,000 students. Accustomed to class sizes of 50+ students that feature more listening than participating, they are still getting used to the discussion-based nature of classes here.
“You have to be outgoing and courageous enough to talk to strangers,” says Wen Zhian, an outgoing junior himself, who goes by the name Breus. “But the friends I have made so far are so kind, willing to help, and friendly. Some of them have the same hobbies, so we’re having a lot of fun!” Breus (pronounced Bruce) is even enjoying household chores: “It is good for me to learn to do housework with my host family because we don’t do that at home. It’s a new thing for me and actually interesting because we don’t have some of the things—like the baker [oven] and dishwasher.”
CalkinsKeyes is delighted with the warm reception being given to the Chinese students. “Nothing helps to overcome stereotypes and promote global understanding more than making friends with someone from another country who is your own age,” she says, noting that upper schoolers are already introducing their visiting friends to the local Starbucks, having Ping-Pong “tournaments,” and talking more about China over lunch and in other social settings.
The aim of the student visit program, which has been operating for about eight years, is to enable Chinese students to experience life in America, meet Americans their own age, practice their English, and build bridges across languages and cultures. This is the first year that part of the visiting group is being hosted by Principia families and attending classes at the Upper School. About 20 other students from the same school in Guangxi are being hosted at Barat Academy, Whitfield, and Priory; another 50 students from other schools in China and Taiwan are also currently in the St. Louis area.
“I want to get to know more about America, learn and practice English, and show the friendly face of China,” says Pan Zhaocheng, a junior. Upper School senior Liam, who has been taking Chinese for three years, is just as delighted as Zhaocheng to be able to practice his language skills. “On the first day, it was amazing to hear [the visitors] speaking Chinese to each other and realize that I could understand a lot of what they were talking about,” Liam says.
The visiting Chinese students will host interactive sessions at next week’s Big World Festival and are also participating in an afterschool Chinese class for lower schoolers that meets on Thursdays.
The group is looking forward to several field trips during their two weeks in St. Louis—to the Monsanto facility in Chesterfield; to Washington University; and Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain’s hometown. And of course, coming from the warm, humid south of China, one of the things all the students would love to experience is snow—although we’re not sure whether winter will cooperate!