Six students from Kempsey Adventist School have recently returned from a week-long, overseas trip to Guangdong, China, where they represented NSW schools in an international gala event.
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‘The Youth Exchange Week’ program was initiated by the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangdong Province in conjunction with the Australian Government, in an attempt to provide young people from across the globe with an opportunity to learn from each other and to participate in educational activities that require innovation and collaboration, which the city of Guangdong is well known for.
On arrival they were welcomed by their personal host for the week and given a Guangzhou City Welcome Luncheon. From that moment on, the students were always on the move – enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of the city of Guangzhou.
The students were accommodated in a number of five-star hotels and spent time getting to know other international delegates. Many countries were represented in the exchange week, with students and teachers travelling from Germany, the USA, Czech Republic, Japan and Canada.
Holly, a KAS student who attended the trip, described her experience in China as ‘phenomenal’. Being able to delve into ‘deep and thoughtful conversation’ about many different aspects of social and political life relevant in China with her German roommate really opened Holly’s eyes to issues far away from her Macleay Valley life.
Teachers from KAS, Maddie Castro and John Minett, accompanied the students on the trip and highlighted the significant impact that the one night homestay had on the KAS students and the bonds that were made between students from many far away countries.
The homestay families took the students on boats, shopping in local haunts and treated them to meals in western-style restaurants to make the KAS students feel at home.
When it was time to leave their homestay families, the students were clearly impacted as they had formed strong connections in that short time.
Social media sites are banned across China, so the students were able to experience the city without the distraction of their devices.
The days were full of activities: lion dancing, cultural dancing, kung fu, pottery throwing and ancient kiln workshops, paper cutting, temples and educational hikes and visiting both historic and religious sites.
The closing ceremony had all students involved in performing a song, dance or poetry that represented their home country.
KAS students represented the Macleay Valley well by performing an aboriginal dance and offering taste testing for such foods as Vegemite and Milo.
The students were treated afterwards to a buffet dinner, where home-stay families were involved in cooking the meal for them.
Such an opportunity is once in a lifetime for anyone and the KAS students who attended the exchange week were profoundly impacted by the diversity of cultures they experienced in China and by the many opportunities that the world holds for them in the future.
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