A Visit to Xiamen Foreign Languages School
On July 9th, the UDNSLI-Y participants had the opportunity to meet with students and administrators from the Xiamen Foreign Language School (XFLS) for a friendship Get-Together. They were warmly welcomed by the principle and the student representatives of this prestigious school. The Xiamen student hosts graciously welcomed the NSLI-Y students with a guided tour of the campus so that students could see what a traditional classroom looks like. A rich variety of cross-cultural activities were held including discussions on the importance of studying foreign languages, similarities and differences between US-China high school educational systems, and interactive buddy activities.
The UDNSLI-Y participants also took part in a school semester closing ceremony on the school campus. While the participants enjoyed seeing the Chinese students’ performances, some of them also joined in to show off their vocal talents.
Student Micah See reflects on the visit: “It’s perhaps the best of all my experiences. I am truly impressed by the talented XFLS students and their friendship.” The UDNSLIY participants agreed that this visit, together with other cross-cultural activities of the program underscored the NSLI-Y mission of engaging in people-to-people diplomacy.
