Author: dmitry_manakhov

by Halstel L.

We woke up and ate breakfast in the Beijing Nostalgia Hotel for the last time in our trip.

We enjoyed our final Chinese meal of the trip. The array included noodles, eggs, fried rice, bao zi, and watermelon. Then we packed up all our things and loaded the bus to the airport.

At the airport we weighed in our luggage and checked it. When weighing in, a mistake was made somewhere that made it so our luggage was only checked to Los Angeles instead of all the way to RDU. So, we will have to get our bags in LA and check them again. We also only received 2 boarding passes, so we will have to get the other 2 in LA as well.

For lunch we scattered throughout the airport and bought various fast foods. I got a bacon and potato pizza from Pizza Hut. It was super good, especially the sauce. We boarded our flight and landed in Tokyo with no problems. Once we landed in Tokyo and went through security, we hurried to the next gate because we thought we only had a little time to get there.

But, we got to the gate relatively fast with loads of time to spare. We boarded the plane for the longest leg of our flight, leaving Asia for the trip. Thanks for a great time everyone!

by Grant L.

Our last day in China started off with an early rise at 6 in the morning. We headed downstairs to the first floor to enjoy a delicious breakfast of meat dumplings and other foods. The tender and warm taste of the dumplings salivating in our mouth gave us the energy to embark sadly on our final adventure.

After one and a half hours we arrived at the towering mountains that we had to hike up. We climbed up thousands of steps to reach our stopping point where we acquired tools to help out the community. We went farther up the mountain to pick weeds and get rid of trash. Along our adventure we saw beautiful views of the landscape below us. Everyone then split into groups to create signs for fellow hikers either encouraging them or giving them warnings. We finished our adventure by eating a delicious lunch on the mountain.

We drove back to the city to enjoy a tea ceremony where we tried four different teas. We learned how the tea was made, how to taste it, and how to pour it. The tea was extremely flavorful especially with the techniques our teachers gave us on how to drink it. The tea was accompanied by an arrange of different juicy fruits that complimented the teas taste.

Next we went to a mall to enjoy some time shopping. Certain members (the boys) of the group went crazy for certain stores such as Nike, the NBA store, and Adidas. Other stores such as a the Jelly Cat store was a hotspot for many. Everyone enjoyed shopping with their friends for their last time in China. Afterwards we listened to our amazing tour leader say her goodbyes. Were going to miss you so much Suzy and thank you for such an amazing time in China!

Next up was our final dinner in China. Our final diner was a roller coaster of emotions. It started off with being told how spicy the hotpot dinner would be. A few individuals took on the challenge of the spicy hot pot. Some people handled it well while other people though not so well…. Tears were flowing from some due to the spiciness of the food but continued to eat it because of the delicious taste. Then at the end of the dinner we celebrated Halstead’s birthday! Happy 16 Halstead! We said our goodbyes and gave gifts to our tour guide, tour leader, and bus driver that had helped us all long the way. Finally to conclude the dinner we had a closing speech to conclude our final day in China. Tomorrow we embark on a very grueling and long journey back to North   Carolina. Everyone is sad the trip is ending but also somewhat grateful they will see home sweet home again. Goodbye China🇨🇳👋!

by Noelle M.

After an eventful couple of days to the beautiful city of Xi’an filled with wonderful visits to several well known sites including the Terracotta Warriors （兵马俑）, the Muslim Quarter （回民街）, and the Xi’an city wall, we now face a full day of traveling back to Beijing. We hit the ground running at 6am (or more so sleepily dragging my feet in my case) as the bus for the train station was to leave at 7am. Many of us went to the hotel breakfast first where we could choose from a variety of delectable savory and sweet options. My favorites were the many different buns with fillings such as red bean, walnut, and custard. We said goodbye to our tour guides, Jasmine and Amy, before spending just a brief 20 minutes of free time in the train station. The approximately four hours spent on the train itself were filled with naps, snacks, listening to music, and whatever else we could do to entertain ourselves. We were given Subway sandwiches for the train ride. My vegetarian one was a thrilling culinary composition of lettuce and cucumbers, with the sporadic punctuation of some mayo spared by Maya.

We de-boarded the train at around 1:30 pm, and took the bus to the same lodging as our prior Beijing stay: Nostalgia Hotel. We then had about 2 hours of free time where we were allowed to explore the surrounding area and learn even more about the daily way of life in Beijing. My friends and I went to the recommended grocery store where we were dazzled by the many unknown snacks, of which we quickly purchased many including speciality flavored Oreos, vegetable crackers, pastries, and much more. Afterwards, we also went to McDonald’s for another quick afternoon snack of fries. I’m not a regular McDonald’s patron in the United States, but it became clear that the Chinese counterpart was an upgrade! We then went to dinner which included many tasty dishes such as tofu, candied sweet potatoes, and snow peas. We finished the night with a birthday celebration for Halsted! We ate some small chocolate cakes and ice cream. Overall, we had a low-key penultimate day of travel filled with lots of snacks, naps, and laughter. See you tomorrow for our last day!

by Bella Chen,

Welcome to Xi’An! With our only full day in Xi’An ahead of us our class woke up early ready to tackle the day, but first breakfast!

As each student descended down the elevators to Floor 4, our excitement grew as the doors opened to reveal a huge variety of food. From filled steam buns, made to order noodles, fruit, heart shaped eggs, fried rice, and even chicken nuggets this hotel had it all. My favorite were the filled steam buns and eggs.

With our bellies full, our class embarked towards our next stop. The early morning rain threw a curveball at our schedule so first we stopped at a DIY Terracotta Warrior Shop. There we were given a tutorial on how to sculpt our very own terracotta warriors, and shortly after the clay and tools were in our hands. Our class split into two groups and raced against the clock and each other to create the winning sculpture.

After one short hour, our two sculptures were complete! Each group created a back story for their soldiers and the instructor selected a winner. The winning title went to Ping Guo or Group 1 (Congrats to Adrian, Ashley, Bella (Me), Grant, Nathan, Lorelai, and Sophia)!

Next we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. Along with many dishes we got to try to the famous 𰻝𰻝面 (Biang Biang Noodles) and Rou Jia Mo which were both equally delicious.

Afterwards, filled with anticipation and through the full and bustling crowds our class finally made it to the jaw dropping Terra-cotta Warriors – 兵马俑 (bīng mǎ yǒng).

From looking at the mini terra-cotta warrior statue in our Chinese classroom for two years to finally seeing hundreds of the real life soldiers was surreal. We finished the visit by shopping at the local shop and then we were off to…the bikes!

We went to bike on the beautiful Ancient Wall. A great trip down the wall and down memory lane. Personally, my bike ride was filled with much trial and error but eventually so much fun!

Finally, the day finished with dinner at a small but well known local restaurant which had many dishes, including the chinese version of potato chips.

And with that, a seemingly endless and exciting trip only had two days remaining.

by Sophia Curtis

Today was our rest day. We had a much later start than our other days, allowing us to sleep in and have a nice, slow breakfast.

We stayed in Foping for the morning, taking two short hikes in the mountains. On the first one we were able to enjoy the beauty of the woods and saw small yellow flowers that reminded me of daffodils. Noelle, as always, found a four-leaf clover. During our second hike; however, it started to rain, forcing us to return back to the bus. I was fortunate enough to have an umbrella to make the walk down more bearable, but many of my classmates were not so lucky.

To make up for the hiking experience, we went to the Foping Museum and learned about the history of Foping from the founding of China to the present. It even included a special exhibit on Foping’s high level of biodiversity including the Qinling Panda and the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey.

Then, we were bused over to the train station where our tour guides gave us an assortment of snacks to prepare for the ride. Foping Station even had a cute panda themed reading corner. The train ride from Foping to Xi’an was only about 45 minutes. Some people slept, while others waited with anticipation for the afternoon ahead.

After our short train ride, we arrived in Xi’an to our hottest day yet. We went to lunch where many of us appreciated the increased spice of Xi’an cuisine.

The rest of our afternoon was spent visiting the GEELY’s electric vehicle manufacturing plant. We learned about the different parts of the car building process, tested emergency features, and even created our own mini solar powered car.

We ended our day at Xi’an’s famous Muslim Quarter. We tried local snacks and shopped a bunch. I tried strawberry frozen yogurt that came in a cute collectible cup. We finished up the night with a delicious dinner complete with lamp skewers and potato noodles. Dessert was an amazing small mung bean cake. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel to turn in for an early night. All in all, it was the perfect rest day!

by Maiya Taylor

My day began at 6:45, I had our last family breakfast consisting of egg, yogurt, mangos, and a Pan-Fried meet pie called (XIAN BING, 馅儿饼).

After breakfast we headed over to the school to make our way to the train station. after tearful goodbyes and everlasting hugs, we got on the bus to go to the station.

After a 2 hour wait, we went on the train to Foping after the 3-hour drive and many card games later we finally arrived. We were greeted by Suzy and Jasmine who are our wonderful tour guides.

We went to the “Three Treasures National Park” where we saw two very cute pandas. After looking at the pandas we were able to shop around in the shopping area where many people bought yummy ice cream.

We then headed on the the bus to go to our lunch which is described as a traditional countryside meal. After breakfast we then went to the Foping Yunxi Hotel where we put our bags down and relaxed for a couple of minutes before going to the BBQ.

At this BBQ we tried many diverse types of meat skewers, lettuce wraps and ripe cherries. Everything was very delicious. After the dinner we went on a trampoline that was shaped as a panda, which was very fun!

We then took part in an interesting talent show where we saw a range of talents from handstands to Chinese poetry. This was a very fun day, and the talent show was a great way to learn more about our classmates outside of the classroom.

by Rohan Sakhrani,

Although it feels like months since we all met at RDU last week, I have trouble believing I’ve spent almost half the time in Zhengzhou. It’s hard to think about the fact that communication with all the friends I’ve made throughout this trip may always be limited to text messaging, but I see that as another reason to come back to this beautiful city. With all that said, my time here is full of lasting memories, and the last full day was definitely a good time.

For breakfast, I tried 胡辣汤, (hu la soup)- a very famous spicy soup in Zhengzhou. It took a second for me to decide whether it was good or not, but before I knew it, my cup was empty.

Our activities began as soon as we arrived to school, with the first being a visit to the Henan Museum. I considered buying one of the earpieces that explains different parts of the exhibits for you, but our exchange students quickly elected to be our tour guides instead. I really appreciated our time there, as it was a great visual representation of familiar topics in school. The museum gave a history of the Henan province from as far as the neolithic period up until modern times. The exhibits included simple passages, stunning models, ancient artifacts, videos and more. I thought the models were a nice touch, especially the ones about architecture in the early dynasties.

Following our time in the museum, I attended one more class before our lunch break. It was sad to see more and more people starting to feel under the weather, but fortunately we had a lot of time to rest and recover. I was really glad to see similar material in their curriculum, because I enjoyed being able to do some work together with my student.

Because our exchange students aren’t too fond of the school’s canteen, I spent lunch nearby but off campus. Over there, I was really happy to meet my student’s friends from the grade above who also came to NC in January. We had some more familiar barbecue with a small flavor twist that made this meal unique. I got barbecue chicken with a citrus-filled salad including pomelo and oranges.

After a really nice walk with Rayan around the city for almost an hour, we hurried back into the classroom for math. Because there wasn’t too much to go over in that class, when I got a call from my friends asking to help them with chemistry in the classroom next to us, I went there instead. We got a chunk of the work done in the short time I was there, and we celebrated with a picture that we sent to our teacher back home since we’re all in the same class.

The most memorable part of the day for me was taking a break from all the learning and letting off some steam by hitting some golf balls on a nearby driving range. My exchange student and two of his classmates that I’d grown somewhat close to took me to one of the 3 only golf courses in Zhengzhou. While there, I enjoyed a beautiful sunset and some beef noodles for my dinner. After our time ran out, we walked around the streets surrounded by the course in the dark, and it was really nice to see parts of the course illuminated by the city lights a mile away.

I’m very excited for what we have in store for us next, however taking a moment to appreciate the city on the ride home felt necessary.

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!

by Marlie Armstrong

Today is our first full day with our exchange students! After exciting activities on Day 5, there is more to come! I first started the day with eating breakfast, which was a traditional breakfast spread. Unfortunately I wasn’t too hungry, so I couldn’t try it. So instead, I just had toast with jam. Next, we headed out the door on our way to an amusement park with Evelyn, Sophia, Maiya, and their exchange students!

This amusement park we went to was called Zhengzhou Fantawild Dreamland. It’s similar to Disney in terms of atmosphere, design, and family oriented attractions. Something cool we noticed while waiting in line, was that they had benches. This is insane coming from someone who likes rollercoasters, but hates standing in line! Not only did we go on roller coasters, but we also went to “shows”, which were 3D showings of different stories. The first one was of Ne Zha, who is a deity in Chinese mythology. Next we watched a show of the history of China, showing different timelines and civilizations. Lastly, we saw a 4D show about wizards. But all in all, it is a family oriented amusement park with lots of fun attractions for people of all ages. After this, we headed home to relax before dinner!

Later that evening, we were back out and headed to dinner for hot pot with my exchange student and her extended family. I’ve had hot pot before in NC and Beijing, but this is different. It’s different because we had Henan Traditional Hotpot 🫕🫕! We had meat like beef, tripe, and chicken. We also had different soups like chicken mushroom and tomato soup. One thing I noticed was that when someone wants soup, a waiter has to come by and do it for them. This is a lot different from American hotpot, where you have to do everything yourself. We had a lot of good food and I really enjoyed it.

We ended the night by boating along with Evelyn, and Dolla(her exchange student). It’s really fun to see my friends on this exchange trip, especially times like these when we’re apart. Overall, it was a fun first day!

Not only did my friends and I do fun things, but other students did as well. For example, Noelle and Maya went berry picking! Also, the guys in our class had a fun basketball game against their exchange students and other students at our sister school (CA won of course)!  Even thought everyone was apart, we still found a way to enjoy the exchange and have a great time!

by Nathan Chow

Today was our first day in Zhengzhou, where we finally reunited with our exchange students. This was our first opportunity to embark on our own separate adventures with each of our exchange students, so everyone had different experiences.

We started off the day early in the morning where we used our meal coupons to pay for a hotel breakfast we have not tried yet. There was lots of variety, ranging from steamed beef baozi to hot and sour soup, and much more!

After this, we took an exciting high speed rail through the countryside, eventually arriving in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province. Here, we greeted our exchange students once again, and then took off on our own journeys.

I started my afternoon with Grant and Rayan, where we ate hotpot for the second consecutive day. It was a great experience meeting all of their friends while eating delicious meats and veggies.

After this, me, Grant, and our exchange students went to do watch Mission Impossible 8 in 4d, which is where the seats shake with the actions in the movie. It was very chaotic, and it felt like you were about to fall out of your seat.

We then drove to an archery place, finally ending off the day at a huge 9 story mall, where we ate delicious Chinese food and went shopping.

Overall, it was an incredible day for everyone no matter where they went. Whether you spent the day playing basketball, riding camels, or stuffing your mouth with food, it was truly an unforgettable day!

By Evelyn Wu

by Maya Rysin

by Rayan Almony

Our third day started much earlier than most of us wanted as many of us woke up early due to the 12-hour time difference. After waking up we headed to breakfast at the Nostalgia Hotel, which included fruit, noodles, eggs, dumplings, and more. Then at 8:30 we got on the bus excited for what our first full day in China would bring.

We first went to Tiananmen Square where we learned about some of the major events that took place there such as the proclamation of the people’s Republic of China by Chairman Mao in 1949.

From Tiananmen Square we crossed the moat to enter the Forbidden City. There we learned about the expert craftsmanship required to build the Forbidden City as it was built entirely of wood with no nails or adhesives used.

After walking through the Forbidden City we got back on our bus to go on a tour of the Hutongs, which are narrow alleys, and lunch. Lunch included beef, pork, tofu, dumplings, and an assortment of vegetables. During lunch we were also introduced to an upcoming scavenger hunt, where we would be split into two groups and then have to complete different tasks.
After lunch we started our tour of the Hutongs where teams began strategizing for the scavenger hunt. As the scavenger hunt started teams set off eager to beat the other team. The tasks included things such as finding local candy, food, and restaurants, learning about local temples as well as taking pictures with certain things.
Once everyone finished the scavenger hunt, we got back on the bus to go to dinner. This was the highlight of the day for me as we got to enjoy Peking Duck, one of my favorite Chinese Foods. At dinner we also celebrated Sophia’s birthday with Cake and singing.
Once Dinner was over, we quickly got back on the bus where almost everyone fell asleep, exhausted from the day’s activities. After a 40-minute bus ride we arrived back at the hotel where we all went to our separate rooms to get ready for bed.

by Ashley Hu

Our second day technically started around 10 hours into our flight from DC to Tokyo. For breakfast, we could have either pasta or meatballs. I chose the pasta, but since I was really tired, I didn’t eat much. After we landed, we found our gate at the Tokyo airport, and everyone started walking around and exploring; some people got food, and others went shopping at the Japanese gift shops. When it was time to board our plane, we had to take a bus on the tarmac first, and then we walked up a set of stairs to get on the plane. A lot of us slept through the meal on the plane, which was beef and rice. After we landed, we went through immigration, got our bags, then went through customs, which was very quick. Then we met our tour guide Jack, who took us to the bus, where we met our tour leader Suzy. We took the bus to our welcome dinner, which had all kinds of food such as tofu, rice, pork, fruit, lotus root, vegetables, etc. After dinner, we drove back to our hotel. Everyone got a cup of tea, we took a very quick group photo and then we went to our separate rooms where we got ready for bed.

by Lorelai Tsang.

Rise and shine! At no later than 4:00 in the morning, the Class of 2027 Mandarin learners were already rolling suitcases down the airport aisles to prepare for departure. Our adrenaline and excitement fueled us through the check-in lines, into security, and finally to our gate for the first leg of our trip: a quick 1-hour flight from Raleigh to Washington D.C. The time flew by with some TV, music, Popeyes, and much-needed sleep; before we knew it, we had landed. That wasn’t so bad, right? Unfortunately, we soon realized that the next five hours would be spent as a layover in the far less exciting airport terminal.

Groups split off to wander the shops and restaurants, all determined to make the most of this waitingclass bonding time. The dining options included Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and Five Guys, which were all conveniently open for breakfast. My friend group gathered at a central table to enjoy our diverse food choices, then play some card games (congratulations on winning, Bella!) and collaboratively draw some… unique figures.

By the time we had exhausted our potential for eating, shopping, and even more sleeping, it was time to board our second, much longer part of the journey. We took the Japanese airline ANA, which provided free blankets, on-plane bidets, and an adorable Pokémon-themed safety video, for the fourteen-hour flight to Tokyo. It was time to binge watch movies, find a new show on the seatback TV, play no-WiFi mobile games, attempt to sleep (with varying success rates), or actually have social interaction with people in neighboring seats.

Of course, being on a Japanese airline, we were very well fed throughout the flight. About an hour after takeoff, we were first gifted a snack mix of flavorful, crispy rice crackers that I found much more exciting than the usual airplane pretzels or cookies. But this was just an appetizer for the real meal: our lunch (or dinner, depending on the time zone you choose) featured either shrimp tempura or chicken and potatoes.

The tempura and vegetable pieces were soggy, but still warm and flavorful. They sat atop a bed of rice that was surprisingly not completely mushy – it still had the chewy, sticky, qualities of good sushi rice. While I didn’t have the chicken, I’m sure it was equally tasty given the circumstances.

Both meal options were accompanied by a spread of cold side dishes. The basic lettuce-corn salad, and the creamy pasta salad with smoked salmon and a singular very juicy cherry tomato had simple Western flavors – nothing special, except for the fact that an airline actually served salad as part of a meal. The other two sides, the greens with fried tofu pieces and the noodles with grated egg, green onion, and a special sauce packet, were light and refreshing with a more Japanese flavor profile. Overall, the variety of dishes all complemented each other nicely, especially with the included seaweed, wasabi, and dressings to truly elevate the meal. To finish off our lunch, we got not just any dessert, but premium vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice cream; it was just as creamy, cold and sweet as always. And with that, only eleven hours to go!

Somehow, we made it past the next few long hours to a snack of an egg, mayo, and lettuce sandwich. Just a couple hours later, we were served our final in-flight meal of either cheese tortellini with roasted vegetables, or meatballs with tater tots and vegetables.

While the creamy pasta didn’t sit too well with my slightly nauseous stomach, I savored each bite as I realized it would likely be my last time eating pasta – or any Western food for that matter – for the next two weeks.

Once the meal was complete, we just had to hang on for a little while longer… and at last, we landed at Tokyo Haneda International Airport! Going to our next gate felt like having to relearn to walk all over again, but we were mostly relieved to no longer be stuck in a cramped seat. We are so excited for our final, and thankfully much shorter, flight to Beijing soon!

Stay tuned. The adventures in China are coming up…