On Monday, Feb. 7, the Mandarin Chinese 3/4 class hosted a group of six foreign exchange students and three teachers from Beijing, China. The Chinese class spent lunch with the exchange students and their chaperones in the cafeteria to allow them to experience a typical American school day lunch. After spending the lunch period conversing in both Mandarin Chinese and English to learn more about both the American and the Chinese cultures, the Chinese class invited the exchange students to its classroom.
During class, both the San Ramon students and the exchange students were given the chance to ask each other questions about the different cultures. The San Ramon students learned that a typical school day in China lasts from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., with seven classes a day. Although their school day might seem to be too long, they do have a two-hour long lunch break. While on the topic of lunch,13 year-old exchange student Mary stated that she “like[s] American food, but I like Chinese food best!”
The six students were given the opportunity to visit the Bay Area through the cultural exchange program Encounters after winning a drama competition a few months ago. While programs run by Encounters do not usually visit local schools, this small group was able to visit San Ramon because two of the students were being hosted by Chinese 3 student Ryan Pearce (12) and his family for two nights. In addition, because this group won the grand prize to visit, their trip was only ten days, rather than the usual three-week program. While their trip was shorter, they were still able to visit local colleges, such as UC Berkeley and Stanford, and go on tours to historical landmarks.
Alex: hi, Nick! How are you? Will you participate in cycling competition tomorrow?
Nick: Hi, Alex! I`m fine and I won`t participate in the competition. I am not good at cycling.
Alex: Ok. Now I`m going to play tennis? Would you like to join me?
Nick: No, thank you. Truly speaking, I have no interest in any sport.
Alex: Why? Sport can help to be healthy and fit. It is very important.
Nick: Sport can be dangerous. I think sports injuries are the worst.
Alex: Yes, of course. You should take care of yourself and avoid extreme kinds of sports.
Nick: Besides, practices, matches, competitions and tournaments can be stressful for a man. People suffer from anxiety and insomnia.
Alex: Nevertheless, there are a lot of advantages of doing sport. Sport provides many benefits for people.
Nick: Could you give any arguments?
Alex: Of course! Sport brings the self-confidence. Sport improves your mood and attention concentration. In general, a healthy lifestyle is fashionable nowadays.
Nick: You are right! I will play tennis with you.
