Further exploring Shanghai, today, the group visited The Bund, a waterfront Shanghai landmark in a protected historic district. The students have been taking turns serving as interpreters each day to put their Mandarin skills to the test. Even our non-Mandarin-speaking chaperones are starting to pick up Mandarin expressions! After visiting Nanjing Road, which is the main shopping district in Shanghai, a student shared the following reflection:
“China is more than I thought it would be. At first, I was nervous, heading to a country where I knew very little, and just barely starting to get a grasp on the language. Immediately after landing, however, I was starstruck, from the infrastructure to the scenery, to even just the smell of the city. Everything was amazing. Even though we’ve only been here for about two days, so much has caught my eye. One of the highlights of the trip for me so far has been going to shops where they sell cool figurines and being able to work on my Chinese with the workers at the shops!”
A sure highlight of the day was the evening cruise on the Huangpu River. Students made new friendships with locals onboard, much of it by dancing together to Chinese pop music— using the skills our students developed in preparation for the Rivers Lunar New Year celebration back in February.
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