Earlier this year I applied for a grant to participate in an educational journey to China sponsored by The College Board and the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban).   Approximately 400 educators from across the U.S. joined this trip to learn about schools in China, understand the cultural context, build relationships with schools that might lead to the exchange of students and teachers, and explore adding Chinese language instruction in our American schools.  

The trip started on November 3rd with a 2.5 hour flight to JFK followed by a fifteenhour flight that brought us to Beijing.  Large charter buses were waiting for us at the terminal and became our source of transportation throughout the trip.  The trip was flawlessly planned and implemented by Hanban.  It was common to have escorts to each event and to have photographers waiting for us at each stop.

The first three days in Beijing included visits to elementary and secondary schools, a lecture on Chinese culture, and a symposium on how to organize a Chinese language program. School administrators and students greeted us as we entered the school grounds. Students provided programs that included recitations in English, art and music demonstrations, and athletic displays.  As you might expect, all presentations were outstanding examples of student achievements.  We also were allotted time for sight-seeing at the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and other important historical locations.  

Many people have asked about the food—it was excellent with a wide variety.  We were served multi-course meals for lunch and dinner each day that included a wide assortment of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit.  Many of the meat and fish dishes included interesting presentations of the heads of whatever we were eating. Beverages were limited to Coca Cola, Sprite, Chinese beer, or water.  We were honored guests at several banquets, and each meal was hosted by government officials who presented topics on China and their strong desire to partner with American educators.

On the fourth day, we were flown to Zhengzhou City which is located in the Henan Province.  This province is a two hour flight south of Beijing. The town is considered a premier agricultural area known for its produce and as the birthplace of China.  The area is surrounded by mountains. Nearly half of the land here is covered by trees, with beautiful lakes and winding rivers throughout the region. During this part of our visit, I connected with a few different schools to explore how Pisgah might partner with them.  We will continue this dialogue over the next several months.

At Pisgah we are committed to preparing our students for college and for life.  Our educational process must include active international learning experiences that bridge language and cultural differences in an effort to promote mutual respect, international understanding, and Christian leadership.  In this effort, we must continue building curricular and programming opportunities for our students that support informed and intelligent global awareness from a Christ-centered perspective.