Today was a good day. It was the first day that we really got to connect with the Chinese exchange students. We began our morning bright and early at 9am. The American students met in a conference room, where talked about the upcoming trip and our goals and expectations. We also watched a fun Pepsi commercial that gave us insight into the working of Chinese culture. Soon, the exchange students met up with us in the conference room, and we all participated in ice-breakers and other introductory activities. I was both surprised and happy to realize how funny and nice everyone was! After the initial meeting, we all drove together to get lunch at a Chinese buffet. I am happy to say that the socialization did not stop. We talked all throughout lunch about the differences in our culture, and also the few similarities.
The real highlight of the day, however, came directly after lunch. We all drove into the city of Manhattan for a scavenger hunt in Central Park! We broke up into groups of six and the race was on! The objective was to solve a riddle and find a monument within the park to take pictures next to. We also had bonus tasks, as well. For instance, we had to take pictures next to people wearing green, find and photograph a vendor in the park, and chill around and do cartwheels in the grass. I taught a few girls how to cartwheel and it was a cool experience. We got caught in the rain, though, so we thought it best to run back to the meeting post, as quick as possible. We managed to find a good number of monuments on our list, so it was a successful day. I could tell everyone had a good time by the number of people sleeping on the ride back to the hotel. I am excited to see what tomorrow brings.
