Words: Minnie Gregorini

On February 2, 16 Students from Beijing #2 High School entered Centennial to experience the different culture.

Many of them had expectations and desires for the things they would do while in the United States such as seeing basketball games, going laser tagging, visiting specific colleges, eating a giant pizza, and playing football. The students hope to be able to take part in most of these activities as they travel to Orlando, Boston, and New York after their stay in Maryland.

A few students had been to the U.S. when they were younger, and expressed how different it seemed then from how it is now. The students also pointed out the biggest differences between their lives in Beijing and what they’ve seen from people their age in America.

Jiang Xue Ying said that the biggest difference to her is communication, “People [in America] are more open to communication than they are in China. They aren’t afraid to work together.” Another student, who goes by the English name Ted, said, “I liked seeing what the lives of American teenagers, who are the same age as us, are like.”

Next year, Centennial will be sending a group of students to Beijing for part of the Memorandum of Understanding.

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