by Ying Zhang
On July 17, 2017, at the Nashville International Airport, four students from Montgomery Bell Academy were welcomed by their excited parents and grandparents who had anxiously been waiting for them to come back from their trip to China. These students were Matthew Bulow (‘18), John Curry (‘19), Colin Snell (‘18), and Caleb Tolbert (‘19). Not unlike all of the previous trips, their trip to China was filled with curiosity, excitement, and unforgettable memories.
First-Times
On July 3rd, after 24 hours of flight across the continents, the four students and I arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport where our new journey began. In the following three weeks, these students experienced countless interesting and unforgettable firsts, some of the most memorable ones being eating Beijing roast duck, drinking hot tea on an even hotter summer day, and eating soup dumplings with a straw.
In addition to these food-centered firsts, there were countless cultural immersions that most people only dream of experiencing. They walked on the Great Wall, listened to the stories of the emperors at the Forbidden City, and appreciated contemporary sculptures at 798 Art Zone. Each day brought so many interesting foods and intriguing places for their taste buds and curious eyes to devour. The most unforgettable experience, though, was the day the students volunteered at a local migrant school in suburban Shanghai.
A Day at Jiading
Jiading Juyuan Liuli Elementary School is a school for the children of migrant workers. The majority of these workers are farmers who had moved to Shanghai for job opportunities. Even though the parents may work at the center of one of the most developed cities in the world, their children do not have access to first-rate schools that many Shanghai children attend. Instead, they have to attend school at a small, suburban area outside the city. As an effort to bring the outside world closer to them, our MBA students partnered with World Leading School Association volunteers and spent a day with these migrant boys and girls.
In the un-air-conditioned classroom on a 101-degree day, the MBA students began to break the ice with the Shanghai children through a handicraft activity. They first learned how to weave a coaster with a special grass and then teamed up with the Chinese students to make more. Working with the thin, soft grass was quite challenging for the boys who were used less delicate endeavors such as football and tennis. However, after countless rounds of practice and sweating, they were divided into groups to teach the students how to work with the grass. The shy students’ quick glances and giggles slowly evolved into questions for the volunteers. Their now ever-flowing stream of questions covered topics from the size of the houses in Nashville, to pets, and even the hobbies of their new American big brothers. Taking out their cellphones, the MBA students began to share pictures of their families, their school, and life in Nashville and United States. After the activities in classroom began to die down, the MBA students brought the Chinese kids outside to teach them the elusive and exotic game of “Duck, Duck, Goose.” After an exhausting and rewarding day, we traveled back into the city, and Colin Snell told me that it was the most unforgettable day of his trip to China, and it strengthened his desire to come back to in the future.
Meeting with an MBA Alumnus
As the 2017 China trip came to a close, I got the opportunity to see some of the influence of the MBA Chinese program at work. The last night before we left China, we met with one of my former students, Miles Curry '14. At the time, Miles was a junior at Columbia University majoring in international economics. He had been to China five years ago, and that summer, he was doing an internship in Shanghai. Miles told the MBA students how his journey began in the MBA Chinese classroom before making its way through the Columbia lecture halls and landing him in Shanghai with one of the most incredible internships he could have imagined doing. Miles is certain that his journey is not even close to being over, and he assured his young MBA brothers they will continue their journey to China too.
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Learn about our other exchange locations here.
The 2017 trip wasn't the first, and it won't be the last. Here are some pictures from other China trips:
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| Steve Wood '15, Jackson McCaskill '15, James Throckmorton '15, and Penn Murfee '13 |
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| John Mark Bellet '12 |
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| Penn Murfee '13 |