For most of us high school students, long days are spent in classrooms learning physics, geometry, and English. Nights are spent tediously working on homework in the comforts of our own homes or going out with friends to places we’re familiar with. Take this setting away, and it could be enough to make any of us run for cover.  But for a group of twenty-seven students and four teachers from across Baltimore County, a possible disaster turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The exchange program to China originated at Dulaney High School in 2007.  BCPS families host the Chinese students first, during the months of January and February.  The students live with a local American family and attend classes at the family’s home school.   The American students then travel to China during June and July, where they also stay with a host family and attend Chinese schools.

This year, Ms. Meehan, English department member, jumped at the chance to be one of four teacher chaperones to accompany the twenty-seven eager-eyed teens from multiple BCPS high schools on their journey half way around the world

The group arrived in Xi’an, a small city in Shaanxi, about 700 miles away from Beijing on May 18^th.  Here, they were immersed in Chinese culture for seven rewarding weeks. Three days a week, the group traveled to their school, Tie Yi, where they took customized classes.  “All of the [Chinese] kids were in a special program… the International School,” remarked Meehan.  “But the American kids did not attend the Chinese classes. They had special classes for us,” she explained.

Meehan was not only impressed by the level of intelligence at Tie Yi, but also by the level of courtesy inside the host families’ homes. “We were treated so well; our host families were just the kindest, most ridiculously generous people, ever,” Meehan recalled. “I got yelled at if I tried to carry my own dishes into the kitchen after a meal.”  This sense of cultural amazement was felt by both the American students and the Chinese citizens. When the group went on side trips on Thursdays and Fridays, they attracted plenty of attention. “People were interested in us, and people always wanted to take their pictures with us and stared at us all the time,” added Meehan.

But the real wonder of the trip was not the grueling school schedule, (both physics and math twice a day – yikes!) the genuine Chinese food, or the hospitality of the hosts. It was the bonds formed by the students who went. “When we first left, of course everybody kind-of stayed with kids from their own school, cause it’s the people that they knew. But by the end, the twenty-seven kids that we had in the group had all become such great friends…everybody was so welcoming,” Meehan reminisced.

Although the students had come from several different schools, by the end of the trip, you wouldn’t have known it.  Being away from home for almost two months immersed in a culture completely different than the American way, would be a lot for any kid to handle.  But they took no time settling in and getting to know each other. “I would listen to the group and they would say, ‘Hey, can I do this with you?’ or ‘Hey, can I be with you?’ and the answer was always ‘Yes,’ and it was the most wonderful thing to see,” Meehan recalled. “I knew that we had really settled in when early on, we were in line [to get lunch], and one of the kids said to the rest of the group, ‘Have the lotus, it’s delicious.’ And when you know that’s what your kids are talking about, you know you’re doing well.”

One of the most special and unforgettable moments of the voyage took place at the most outrageous party venue of all: The Great Wall of China. There were only two seniors on the trip, Maki (from Towson) and Rob (from Hereford).  Not only had Maki and Rob missed their senior prom, but they also weren’t able to attend their graduation ceremonies.  So, “BCPS China Team 2013” spared no expense to celebrate the duo’s accomplishments. “We had a big graduation celebration for Maki and Rob on the Great Wall of China. They loved it,” Meehan elaborated. Complete with music, hats, and diplomas, the pair had a one-of-a-kind graduation party that trumped any festivity they could’ve had in the States.

The graduation celebration wasn’t the only amazing memory that will remain in the hearts of the thirty-one travelers. When asked about her absolute favorite moment, Meehan did not hesitate with her answer.  “My favorite part was watching how the kids grew, and how they changed, because it was so positive, and it was every kid, which is kind of amazing… It was some of the greatest time I’ve spent with kids.” The bonds formed on this excursion, thousands of miles away from home, are sure to last a lifetime.

The group’s final excursion proved to be one of their most symbolic experiences. Atop Mt. Huangshan, they purchased a lock engraved with “BCPS China 2013.” They then locked it onto a chain railing, along with thousands of other locks. Keeping with tradition, they threw the key off the peak, forever bonding them with this special experience. In a blog kept during the duration of the trip, Meehan perfectly summed up this moment and the trip as a whole: “We started out as twenty-seven students and four teachers from ten schools. Now (and forever) we’re just ‘BCPS China 2013’–we have a lock and a blessing to prove it.”