by Adrian Soldevila
After adjusting to life in Beijing, today we embarked on our second full day at Zhengzhou by preparing for school! Returning to the motions of waking up early and rushing through our morning routine proved to be less than ideal; however we did not let our trivial peeves deter us from our mission: arrive at school before 8. Breakfast consisted of refreshing fruits like kiwi and watermelon, delicious dumplings that melted in my mouth, and fried eggs with bread that energized me for the rigorous day ahead.
As we arrived day the school, its unique, infrastructure exemplified the school’s proud technological and educational values. We were then welcomed with open arms by the delegates of the Henan experience experimental school, who gave us endearing speeches and gifts that set the tone for the rest of the day. Our first class was PE, where we enjoyed playing basketball with the exchange students on one of the many outdoor courts that resided on the campus. We followed up PE with math, which felt surprisingly similar despite our distinct cultures and learning styles.
Geography chaotically proved to be much more interesting than at first glance, with students scrambling to turn in their assigned notes. Mr. Riccardo kindly introduced himself to us, making a lasting first impression. Lunch exceeded expectations, as both the noodles and the pork tasted freshly cooked. After eating, my friends and I challenged the exchange students to a game of soccer that spanned about 30 min. Despite the grueling heat, both teams resiliently battled as we enjoyed a competitive and exhilarating game.
Next came paper cutting, an intense activity that required salient qualities like precision, focus, and most important of all, grit. Even though I had grit, my lack of precision and focus became evident as I failed my first two attempts at cutting the fish. Thankfully, the paper cutting teacher helped me finish in time, a surprising accomplishment that brought me an even more surprising sense of pride. With my finished masterpiece safe and secure, I quickly moved to the highly anticipated Kung fu lessons. Immediately we were greeted by a martial artist and a teacher, both of whom taught us separate king fu techniques that shows the beauty and refinement involved in the draft of Chinese martial arts.
Then, we swiftly traversed the pulchritudinous buildings of the high school to attend physics, a disliked class that left students playing games in n their ipad and taking a well-deserved power nap. The crowd of students flooding the halls signaled the end of the school day. Soon after we ate dinner at a restaurant to celebrate Alexander ‘s birthday (my exchange student).
The restaurant provided a large variety of delicious dishes, ranging from the peaking duck, yams, beef, and other delicacies. The food was 很好吃—very tasty. We ended the night by singing karaoke and enjoying each other company, a fitting end to such an action-packed day!
