Three students and Mr Bryce went to participate in a Global Youth Ambassador Programme as International Students on a Chinese Summer Camp in Changsha, China.

Global Youth Ambassador Camp – Changsha, China

Very early on Thursday morning, 12 July, three St Bede’s College students (Steven Little, Charlie Newsome and Matthew Hemphill), along with Beth Waretini and Abbie Mitchell from Aidanfield Christian School, departed Christchurch an-route for Changsha, China. These five students were to participate in a Global Youth Ambassador Programme as international students on a Chinese Summer Camp. It is fair to say there were many unknowns about what the next 12 days would bring.

After many hours flying, our students were greeted with mid-summer temperatures into the high 30’s and a world barely recognisable to your average Cantabrian. With a few days to rest and check out the sights before the camp started, the group enjoyed exploring some of Changsha’s highlights. The city is home to almost eight million people and naturally is was rather exciting to see so many new things for the first time.

On Saturday (mid-weekend of the holidays), the students arrived at Hunan Concord College of Sino-Canada to get their first look at the venue to host the ‘Panda’ camp. The next morning, we started with an opening ceremony and a meet and greet with all the local Chinese students.

Throughout the week our students, who had become the international students for the week, participated in Chinese cultural classes, science, drama, sports and other lessons and activities. There were also a couple of afternoons of sightseeing trips reminding us that, although we were at school during our holidays, this was not just an everyday week in Canterbury. The heat of Changsha in mid-summer was sweltering, making every activity that little bit more draining. An air-conditioned bus back to our accommodation was a welcomed relief at the end of each day. The week flew by and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves back where we started for the closing ceremony. Saying goodbye to our new friends, we left the school to the ‘bullet train station’ for a 1,400 km journey to China’s capital, Beijing.

With a speed of around 300 km/h our ‘bullet train’ was a pleasant experience. Sitting in an air-condition carriage, watching the sun set as we sped our way across China, was a welcome retreat from the busyness of camp life. We arrived in Beijing around seven hours later to hear that our bus was stuck in typical Beijing traffic. It was unknown as to how long it would take for it to get to us and how long to the hotel from there. Around midnight, after our bus driver decided that the bus could not make it down the skinny street to our hotel, it was time to get out in the rain and continue on foot to find our new accommodation. This craziness was a reminder of the adventure we had signed up for going on this trip.

Getting up early the next morning wasn’t a struggle despite the previous late night, as we knew we were off to see a section of China’s Great Wall. This was, for all of us, the anticipated highlight of the trip. The forecast of 28 degrees and rain was a relief from the heat we had endured the previous week, perfect for a steep climb up the side of a mountain overlooking China’s ancient Capital. A half day of climbing proved to be the highlight we were expecting and there were many photos taken in every direction.

On the return into Beijing we were reminded of the size and scale of this mega city. It made our time in Changsha feel like a week’s retreat in a small town compared to the bustle of Beijing. With many hours driving to get places, it was a busy few days of finishing off all the sights we were packing into our shorts stay. Lunch at a dumpling house and Peking duck for dinner were our food highlights before our final day of this short but intense journey. On the morning we were to depart, we woke to torrential rain and plans to see the forbidden city and Tiananmen Square. With no back-up days, we were committed to seeing these impressive sites rain or shine. After a very wet morning we were looking forward to getting to the airport for our long flight home. This day too will be remembered for its craziness and by the time we landed back in Christchurch we were well and truly ready to be home in our little corner of the world.