Chinese Cultural Exchange Offers Lessons For All Involved

Amelie Tseng and her two sons, Dylan and Brandon Lewis, have been hosting Luo Yang, a 16-year-old boy from Fuling, China, since last Thursday at their Montclair home.

Tseng was among several host family members who attended a celebration of the Chinese cultural exchange Monday afternoon at the Union Congregational Church.

Montclair families are currently hosting some two dozen Chinese students and teachers as a part of the cultural exchange recently organized by Mayor Jerry Fried.

"Not only have we, as hosts, learned about the many differences  between the two cultures – 'kids in China don't like drinking milk!' and 'swimming for recreation is a rarity' – but more importantly, we have found the similarities between our teens and that our visiting Chinese students enjoy their cell phones and chatting online with their friends just as much as ours do," Tseng said.
 
In speaking with the other host families, Tseng said she's discovered that the hosts' personal experiences with their Chinese students have been extremely diverse.

"While my student is quiet and shy, and speaks almost no English, other families are hosting students who are quite gregarious and inquisitive and are quite comfortable speaking English," she said. "While my kids wish that they could communicate more easily with Luo Yang, half the adventure is figuring it out.

"It's been a great experience swapping our own personal stories with the other host families," she said. "It will certainly be interesting next year when the tables are turned and our teens visit China!"

At Monday's church gathering, Fried welcomed the students and invited them to stand up individually and talk about their experiences in the United States. They spoke in English, some better than others, but all with an impressive command of the language. Many spoke about the kindness of Americans and, in particular, of their host families.

One of the event's highlights was when the students gathered together to perform the song "Edelweiss" for their host families. A large banner was unfurled, a gift from the students to the Township of Montclair. Roughly translated, it says "Fortune, Sincerity, and Good Luck."

Certificates commemorating the visit were handed out to each visiting student and then they assembled for a group photo.

The cultural exchange involves students from Fuling and DeYang, two cities visited by Fried during his 15-day visit to the world's most populous nation in May.

Since arriving last week, the Chinese students have attended classes in English and American culture. They've visited New York City, the Montclair Art Museum, and even attended a pool party at Fried's home on Saturday evening. On Wednesday morning they will attend a New Jersey Jackals baseball game.

"Montclair will be the first stop on their visit to America and will be their 'first impression' of the United States," Fried said.

Fried said that this cultural exchange could open the door to Montclair students participating in a similar program in China next year. "It doesn't cost the Township or our schools a dime," he said.

In addition, Fried said that: "We are working out the details of a visiting student program at Montclair High School in which two groups of 10 kids would attend as students for half the year, each accompanied by teachers who would extend our Mandarin program. The goal would be for this to happen during the 2011-2012 school year."