In Their Words......

Yesterday was our last day at The Affiliated Elementary School of Hunan University. Mr. Sayfie came back from Shanghai and told us about his great experience, describing Shanghai as the city from "The Jetsons." While many from our group are back in Miami or in another city in China, here are some thoughts from the children that remained:

Aloni....."I'm going to miss my friends, my host family and their table manners. It's so cool that you don't have to put the bones on the side of the plate, you can just put them on the table. I am a little nervous about packing by myself but Coach Pablo is coming over to help me."

Janna....."I would like to visit other parts of China. I'm going to miss the store, I wish Cushman had a store on campus to buy candy like this school does."

David......"I'm going to miss my host family and how kind they were to me. I enjoyed how they celebrated their holidays with fireworks."

Macenna......"I made a fool of myself in the morning exercises! It was hard to keep up with the teacher! English class with Senora Becker and Coach Pablo was soooooooooo easy, but they would never call on me when I raised my hand."

Arianna......"I'm proud of myself for trying jellyfish! I'm going to miss my classmates because they were kind, helpful, and nice."

Darius....."I had to say goodbye to my classmates. We took a lot of pictures and I took video of class, the school and morning exercises. I gave my teacher a bear and my classmates hugs."

Andres....."I did Mrs. Cabrera's Math homework in class. Then I had lunch with my host Jerry and his friend Mike. I had rice, beef, and some kind of vegetable...it was pretty good."

Cierra....."I like my teacher. She asked me to teach class today. I taught them words and definitions. Then I played with the kids. I'm going to miss my host family, they were so nice to me."

Duncan......"For lunch I had fried rice and a weird vegetable called....something weird they don't have in America. After lunch I played football with Darius, Aloni, Andres, and Ricardo."

Ricardo....."I got lots of presents in class like a few stuffed animals and a bag full of toys. I also liked the pictures they drew for me." (Ricardo's group of friends followed the bus yelling GOOD BYE as we drove off!)

Roarke......"I hope my cat is alright and everyone is OK. I had a great time throughout the trip. I would definately come back to China because of the people and the culture."

Ivy......."Everyone was sad today because we were leaving....I could see it in their eyes. After morning classes we went to a really good shop that was cheap. In the afternoon, we made dumplings, and I broke them...so I had to eat them with my hands."

Danica...."I was happy that my class gave me a heart that unfolded and they all signed it. I'll miss The Great Wall and the slide and the store on campus."

Ava......"I wish we could go back to The Great Wall. I loved the gondola ride up the mountain, the view was beautiful. And the slide coming down was so much fun."

Today is our day off before we leave. Most of us our doing last-minute shopping and packing. We are being picked up to go the airport at 7:00 am.

It was an emotional day here yesterday, we have met some incredible people that have shown us the ultimate sign of respect by opening the doors to their homes and welcoming us with open arms.

The places we've seen, the people we've met and spent time with have made this trip an unforgettable experience for everyone. We cannot wait to come home to share our pictures, and videos and experiences.

The best part about all of this is that we have formed a strong bond with a great school. This is just the beginning of something special as we have laid the foundation for joint projects between the two schools, as well as future trips and exchanges. We are lucky to have leaders at both schools that see the value of Global Education.

We hope that this friendship between Affiliated School of Hunan University and The Cushman School lasts for a very long time. We know that this is just the first chapter of many blogs to come in the future.....