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In the summer of 2004, I traveled to Changzhi, Shanxi, China as a part of Volunteers for China’s Cultural Exchange Program.  Volunteers for China is an organization that seeks to place native English speakers in China to serve in various roles, including teaching and medical care.  Their Cultural Exchange Program takes teachers and college students to China for a two-week program that introduces American culture to Chinese college students while helping to advance their English-speaking skills.

            The basis of this intense two-week program is the interaction of two different cultures. As such, American students are taught Chinese culture in addition to presenting their own culture to the students in China.  Morning class provided both groups with an introduction to the other’s background.  In the afternoon, planned activities offered the Chinese students a hands-on demonstration of what they were learning in class, while free time spent with the students immersed us Americans in a completely new lifestyle.

In morning classes, the other American students and I attended lectures from the University’s professors on subjects such as language, religion, literature, music and even cooking.  During this same time, the American teachers who traveled with us presented lessons to the students at the Chinese University.  These lessons furthered their skills in speaking English (i.e. lessons on English language idioms and homonyms) and American food and music). 

In the afternoons, daily planned activities gave the Chinese students a practical understanding of American culture.  For example, the Chinese students had a lesson in their morning classes on American wedding ceremonies (which are very different from matrimonial traditions in China).  That afternoon, we staged a “mock wedding” to demonstrate exactly what an “American” wedding was like.  Chinese students played a central role in the wedding:  a “bride” and “groom” were chosen, a “proposal” was made, and a full re-creation of the wedding ceremony took place, including a reception with a wedding cake.

Sometimes I think we learned more from the Chinese students than they learned from us!  Our evenings consisted of free time spent with the Chinese students and forming friendships.  These relationships gave me a first-hand look into Chinese culture.  I spent one Friday night “out on the town” with several of my new friends.  I sampled a variety of Chinese foods at area restaurants and roadside stands, played on the exercise equipment that is placed on the city sidewalks to encourage health among China’s aging population, and attended a concert in the town square.  I also experienced a different culture while attempting to shop and communicate with people in another language, and visited the mosques, temples, and churches that served the Chinese population.

Through my experience as a “cultural exchange student” in China, I was immersed firsthand into an important aspect of being an educator – multiculturalism.  I brought home not only souvenirs and Chinese coins, but also an interest in learning about the culture of others by experiencing it with them.  I hope to take my newfound appreciation of different ways of life with me into the classroom by both relaying my experiences in another country to my students, and learning about life from my students here in America’s great Melting Pot.

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