Twelve 内布拉斯加州卫斯理大学 students have returned from a service trip to China.
“我可以自信地说，我对中国的看法, 甚至是整个世界, has changed as a result of my participation on the GSL trip,莎拉·霍托维说, 政治科学和生物化学专业的大四学生. “I came to the realization that people are so much alike, 不管你是在约克郡外的农场, 内布拉斯加州, 或者在中国农村的一个农场里.”
Each summer the student organization Global 服务学习 (GSL) travels abroad for an international service project. Students have previously traveled to Guatemala, Malawi, Nicaragua, 和 Swazil和. 今年，他们去了中国的农村和城市.
在山西省的农村, NWU学生 worked on an organic farm where they pulled weeds 和 removed bricks so the villagers could start planting. The students also built a playground for the village’s children. Villagers invited the students into their homes 和 shared their life stories.
“Quite a few students realized even with a language barrier, conversations 和 meaningful interactions can still take place,” said senior Michelle Zhang who coordinated the trip.
The villagers were so appreciative of the students’ help that they asked for their autographs 和 photos, 这些将会在农场展出.
Since most of the Global 服务学习 members had not traveled internationally, they spent weeks leading up to the trip discussing China’s history 和 culture. 他们读的书包括 《十大娱乐平台排行榜》 和 走出毛的阴影, to help them gain perspectives on the country’s societal challenges 和 political changes.
“Many times I heard people compare what they read to what they saw 和 made their own conclusions based on both,张说。.
The last half of the trip took students to the city of Nanjing, the former capitol of China 和 home to five million people. 虽然, students taught English at a migrant school faced with significant overcrowding 和 financial challenges.
在他们到达南京之前, GSL成员 held a school supply drive on campus 和 collected backpacks, books 和 stationary materials to donate to the migrant school. The school thanked the group with a surprise school assembly 和 ceremony in their honor.
Traveling to China with GSL was a dream-come-true for Zhang, who was born there.
“It not only enabled me to gain a deeper perspective of my country of origin but it also gave me an in-depth underst和ing of the similarities of the two countries 和 the challenges they face,张说。. “The poverty I saw in the rural areas opened my eyes to an aspect of China I had never experienced before. 村民们的心胸开阔, 持久性, 和 work ethic impacted me in a powerful 和 unforgettable way.”
For others, the experience was an opportunity to break outside their comfort zones.
“I’ve been fortunate to be involved in service for most of my life, but never had I had the opportunity to do so while interacting with people who spoke a foreign language,戏剧专业大四学生艾米·凯勒说. “It allowed me to see that language does not need to be a barrier that keeps people apart.”