From tall buildings to tall trees: Darien and China exchange cultures

Written by Bailey Swiggett, Teen Times Reporter
Thursday, 29 October 2009 05:00

All the way from Shanghai, 10 Chinese students came to Darien High School this fall as part of an exchange program between China and the United States.

As soon as they began to settle here in America, they started to realize the cultural differences, several of the Chinese students said, and it made them realize how our lifestyle is different from theirs. It was not just the cultural differences that surprised them; it was a change coming from a big city in China to a small town like Darien.

“In Shanghai there are so many tall buildings, in Darien they’re so many tall trees,” said Chen-Chen, one of the visiting students. Chen-Chen said that the way Darien looks was one of the biggest differences for her coming to a new place.

Wang Li is the teacher who accompanied Chen-Chen and nine other girls to the United States. She said that she has very strong feelings about our way of life. Li was impressed with our school and said that she thought the education, culture, and personalities of the students at DHS are incredible. In China their school system also functions differently; they do not change classes instead they stay in one class room and the teachers change from class to class depending on the subject.

“It was a big difference seeing the students moving from class to class,” Li said. The favorite place she has been to in the U.S. is Darien, she said. She loves how the kids have responsibilities to help others and can do social work to help their town; she was especially impressed with Darien EMS-Post 53.

“This exchange program allows us to get to know each other,” Li said. Not only did her students get to experience the culture, they are able to interact with the kids at DHS and learn a little bit about them.

Each of the girls stays with a host family while they were here in America, and they were able to spend time with a family. Among other things, they learned the different kinds of food that are eaten in America and how they differ from China. “I do not like the water, because in Shanghai we only drink hot water, not cold water,” Chen-Chen said.

This was one of the bigger differences that that she found here in America. However, she gradually got used to it.

Annie Hekker, 15, is a sophomore at DHS and her family was one of the families hosting some of the students. Annie is going to China in April, and will be able to stay there with a family. “It is so much fun having the exchange students stay with me, there are so many new and interesting things to learn every day,” she said.

The Chinese students are fluent in English, which makes it easy to communicate with them, Annie added. The Hekker family hosted Yang-Fan, 16, and Chen-Chen, 16. They did not enjoy the American food as much as Chinese food but they loved to try new things. “It is a very fun experience and I am looking forward to being able to go to China in April and go through the same experience that they are having now,” Annie said.

Almost all the students at DHS have loved having the exchange students come to the high school. “I think that it’s beneficial to both the students here at DHS and the Chinese students to learn about each other’s culture,” Caroline Weihs, a freshman, said. She said that DHS student enjoyed seeing the Chinese students around school and having them come to their classrooms.

Dan Haron, the principal at DHS, thinks that having the exchange students is a wonderful intercultural experience both for the exchange students and DHS students. “The Chinese students are very outgoing, and love to share their experiences,” he said.

Applications for the program are taken in the spring. If you would like to consider being part of this program next year you contact Ann Armiger, Lynda Sorensen or Jean Shortliffe.