Chengdu exchange students welcomed

By Anita Stackhouse-Hite, The Porterville Recorder

The cultural divide between China and the United States narrowed Sunday as a cadre of students from Chengdu Meishi International School arrived in Porterville for a two-week stay.

Host families picked up those assigned to them from the Porterville Unified School District office, and on Monday morning teacher Xiong Yan and the 11 students were greeted by an official welcoming committee at Monache High School.

One of the students visiting from China documents his tour of Monache High School on Monday morning. (Recorder photo by John Tipton)

Anyone expecting the city's young guests to look different than resident students was in for a surprise: With the exception of the abundance of digital and video cameras, all were dressed like Americans and could have been lost in a crowd of students wearing jeans and T-shirts.

Anticipation for exposure to new things ran high among the students, including 15-year-old Li Shuai.

His bright smile broadened as he spoke in English about the joy of being in Porterville.

“The best part of the trip is living with the host family,” he said. “I think that is very meaningful. I think so because you can make new friends, play together, I can improve my English and learn about the American culture.”

After a few days in Los Angeles and a morning in Porterville, impressions about America were already formed. More impressions will come because the fast-paced two week tour includes classroom time learning English, visits to the lumber mill, Holy Cross Church, dairy centers and a cheese factory, shopping, an Oaks baseball game, horseback riding in the mountains, a visit to the giant redwood trees, SCICON and the Cystal caves.

For now, the heat and the number of cars on the road are high on the list of first impressions for Li.

“It's hotter here,” Li said, “and there are many more cars than there are pedestrians on the street. We have a lot more pedestrians on the streets.”

Assembled in the student cafeteria, the eight boys and three girls from China listened patiently to the welcomes and proclamations by local dignitaries Supervisor Jim Maples, Mayor Cam Hamilton, Mayor Pro-tem Felipe Martinez and Porterville Unified School District board President Richard Morris.

District Superintendent John Snavely hosted the welcome; about 200 Monache civics and economic students gathered to greet them. A small group of Monache students served as tour guides for their sister students.

Encouraged by Snavely, Porterville students asked questions of their counterparts, including:

Do you like American movies, and if so what is the favorite? - Yes, “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

How were students chosen to come? - Students decided for themselves.

What is the time difference between China and America? Fifteen hours.

Had they tried American Chinese food? Yes. It was OK.

Do they like sports? Yes. Baseball and gymnastics are among them.

Maples was among those who said they are “very happy” to have the exchange students in Porterville.

“I think it's a tremendous thing that the school system allows for international student exchange at this age,” Maples said. “My daughter Vickie went to South Africa at age 16. She went as a girl and came back as a woman. As a former educator, I think this is just a tremendous experience for students to be able to share their thoughts and their cultures.”

A host family

Johnny and Kay Barber are among those who volunteered to become a host family for a visiting student.

“It was something we should have done a long time ago when I had kids at home,” Kay Barber said. “Now it was good thing because it gave my granddaughter a chance to learn about a person from another country. Our expectations were to have a student that was as eager to be here as were are to have her.”

Vivian Xing, meet Brittany Starr Mendoza. The 14-year-olds were born a month apart.

Mendoza is a student at Porterville High School.

“I'm really excited,” Mendoza said.

“It's a new experience to meet someone from a another country and learn about their culture. The language barrier is a challenge, but we're finding ways to communicate. I'm more interested in what the average day is like there, how different or similar it is to our average days.”

The Barbers plan to take Xing to the coast this weekend.

“We want her, and all of the students, to have an experience that's memorable and different so they can enjoy our culture,” Kay Barber said. “With us, we have two cultures because of our Hispanic background. We will share that with our family closeness and with our cooking.”