This trip to the No.2 High School of Zhuzhou, Hunan, with the Thousand Mile Initiative was a valuable opportunity and an unforgettable experience for me. My first impression of this program was that during the trip, we American students were meant to act as teachers. However, in the end, I realized I was also taught a great deal about Chinese culture, far exceeding the portion of American life I was able to bring to China through conversation, a couple of lessons, and a PPT, since after all, we did have to spend 2 weeks on their campus, in their dorms.

Before I arrived, I was scared and nervous to spend such a long time in an unfamiliar environment. But as those 2 weeks passed in a blur, I quickly realized there was no reason for my unease at all. The students and teachers in Zhuzhou were warm and welcoming, especially the students, who were so eager to learn from us that they would find me in the dorms almost every night, despite their heavy schoolwork load and their approaching final exams. They bombarded our group with greeting cards, gifts, snacks, and WeChat friend requests. I spend nights staying up on my phone to chat with the new Chinese friends I just made, and I even was invited to visit one of the girls’ dorms a couple of times. Our Chinese friends shared the same enthusiasm in our classes, most of which were meant to be serious but ended up filled with laughter and excitement. Take, for example, the Q&A session – the 5 minutes we planned for it were far from enough, and the Chinese students would crowd around us to ask more questions or for our contact information as we tried to hurry to our next class.

When we weren’t teaching, we were enjoying meals in the No.2 High School’s 3-story-tall cafeteria, buying drinks at the school boba shop, or checking out the school bookstore. Much of our group took great advantage of the school’s gym and spent almost every evening there. When not, we went on trips to nearby restaurants, malls, or tourist attractions like museums showcasing the city’s development and traditional trades, including their ceramics industry. We even visited Changsha one day. On days we didn’t teach, No.2 High School of Zhuzhou thoughtfully organized classes for us. These were usually on traditional Chinese arts, including but not limited to paper cutting, calligraphy, tea culture, Chinese chess, and cooking a traditional food called “zongzi.” Of course, not all classes focused on the traditional side. We had the honor of visiting the school’s computer lab, where we experienced flight simulation and made 3D printings that we got to bring home. From this trip, we learned that nationality is a minor obstacle when it comes to cultural connection.

Despite the differences in our lifestyles, Americans shared so much more than expected with the Chinese: from games to music to even viral internet memes. Thanks to the Thousand Mile Initiative and the No.2 High School of Zhuzhou, we were able to both bring something new to and gain something new from another nation, an opportunity rare to have.