We met Saturday morning at the Nanchong north station and with our program assistant Wang Ying continued north on the high speed train to Langzhong, a continuously-preserved ancient city of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.). Within 90 minutes we were in the gates of the old city and…
Keeping up with the pace of life in the bustling and vibrant city of Nanchong brings regular reminders that time for rest is important. The class schedule is demanding and there is so much to see and experience outside of class. On Monday afternoon we learned about changes in…
After the first full week of the study portion we have a weekend of rest. An optional Saturday activity to climb West Mountain was postponed due to today’s rain, but we may try again tomorrow. A highlight this week was welcoming Amy who was on campus by Wednesday…
Our two days of orientation took place within a small radius of the city, but students still did a lot of walking. Staying upright and active may have helped with jet lag – though if this group was struggling, they didn’t show it with their good spirits and readiness…
The group arrived 35 minutes early to the Chengdu airport. Abe sent a WeChat message as they went through customs saying, “We landed and we look fresh.” They do look pretty good for the length of journey they have been on. Now we are resting and snacking on the…
When the students arrive in Chengdu Thursday evening (Thursday morning Goshen time) we’ll be at the airport with our local coordinator, Wang Ying. We’ll travel by bus to Nanchong where the students will have a couple nights at Beihu Hotel, close to our apartment and to Wang Ying’s…
Today at 4 p.m. in Nanchong we held a host family orientation meeting at the university. Concurrently in Goshen, SSTers were beginning their pre-dawn journey to China. Here are the family members waving to students at my request for a photo, and the students as they prepare to depart…
The May term before fall China SST is spent in a four-credit hour intensive Chinese language course and several afternoon orientation sessions. Our Chinese teacher, Jin Tao, joined us for the month during her year as a visiting professor at Bluffton University in Ohio. Jin Tao completed her Master’s degree…
Welcome to the first blog post for the Fall 2017 China Study Service Term! My name is Beverly Lapp. I’m a music prof at GC and just completed a four-year term as Core Curriculum director. My spouse Dale Klassen led SST with me previously in Dominican Republic and Peru and…
The Great Wall wrapped up our group’s time in China – students are scheduled to fly home to the U.S. on Tuesday, November 25. It’s been a good semester with a great group of students. It’s been delightful to see their leadership skills refined, their compassion and empathy grow, and their perspectives expanded.
