Visit to 厦门外国语学校 (Xiamen Foreign Langauge School)

The first half of today was a normal - relative to our agenda on other days - but in the afternoon we got a chance to visit one of Xiamen's most prestigious high school. So prestigious, we learned that the student who scored highest on the 高考 (Gao Kao, the placement test that graduating high school students take to determine their entire future) in the entire Fujian province goes to the Xiamen Foreign Language School. Once we arrived at the school, the first thing I noticed was the high level of security at the front gate. There was no going in and out without permission - there were guards on either side and metal gates lining the entire entrance. The school was huge and spanned a very large campus, almost making it feel like a college. All of the students live on campus for all of middle and high school, and also stay in the same classroom their entire time there. We were welcomed into the school by once of the directors, and met a few of the student representatives in a nice air-conditioned room. We got a chance to introduce ourselves and also hear from some of the school's students what they enjoy doing with their time. We then went in our groups and got a short tour of the campus from some students. I have a lot of admiration for the high quality of academics, but I couldn't help but see the similarities between the living conditions and restrictions of the school to a prison. The students have no electricity in their dorm rooms besides lights, and they must charge their phones in small cupboards and lock them away when told to do so. They have no access to internet, and the only computers are in the library and have restricted internet access. Most of the dorms have balconies, but they are all barred off to the point where you can't see out of them, and 6 people share a small dorm room. I would NEVER be able to attend a school like that, but I suppose it works for some of the kids there. I have really enjoyed observing the differences between American high school students and our Chinese counterparts, in addition to breaking down many stereotypes. We also performed a funny Chinese pop song and dance in a small cross-cultural bonding talent show. After our visit came to an end, Dr. Chen gave us all 100¥ to spend in a mall and go buy food and hang out for a few hours. That was definitely a highlight of the day. Yang Laoshi took Camille and I to eat food from Xi'an, an area in China where they have very spicy food. It is one of her favorite types of Chinese food, and I was so excited that I got to taste such incredible meat and noodles.