Friday, June 8
Flowers were given and hugs were shared, as we parted ways with the teachers we've spent the last few weeks with. After our picture, we broke off to work on our many homework assignments, such as an oral history project we are writing on our host families as well as an independent research project we are conducting on a topic of our choice in Chengdu.
Our final activity for the day was then a party with our host families at 祖母的厨房(Grandma's Kitchen), where we shared a western-style meal with our host families. After the food, we hosted an informal panel where Northeastern students could share with our Chinese friends the experience of education in the United States. Since the education systems in the US and China are very different, especially in regards to parental involvement in children's extracurricular activities, we had a very interesting conversation! For example, over the course of the last week of host family time, many of us have gotten to see first-hand how much Chinese parents stress the importance of as much education as possible. My host brother, who hadn't started elementary school yet, already had multiple classes a day, such as Chinese culture, English, swimming, boxing, etc… So many students chose to share their experience growing up, and how they had more freedom to choose extracurricular activities and hobbies, and how they had much more free time to play as a child.
Additionally, many parents hope to send their children to American universities, so they had many questions about how to teach their kids to cope with American culture and lifestyle, as well as how to avoid distractions and become the best student they can be. Overall, it was a very productive cultural exchange!
- Josh B.
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