Paddy McCarthy, our intrepid group leader, describes the visit to Chongqing.
It was quite an amazing journey from Beijing to Chongqing, to say the least, and that 25-hour train ride was nothing short of unforgettable—from “cozy” quarters to games of Uno to “sketchy” bathrooms to lots of talking and laughing to spectacular scenery of mountain and rivers and farmland as we passed through the countryside.
We were totally caught by surprise when we headed out of the train station to find about fifteen enthusiastic people waving their hands and holding a big “Welcome to Chongqing” sign. They were from the Jaffrey summer camp group last year and when they found out we were coming, they figured out our schedule so as to be there to meet us. Wonderful and so touching! The host parents all seemed very sweet and excited, and my awesome group of students didn’t show any nerves or hesitation as they got together with individual families and gathered luggage to head home. I think I was the one with the bigger separation anxiety: after seven days of nearly every waking minute together, it was hard to imagine two whole days without them.
But Chongqing has been full of new and very positive experiences. Weekends were spent with host families, and most of them had students out and about, seeing different things in this huge and pleasant city. I heard about boat rides, birthday parties and weddings, shopping excursions, meals in restaurants, visits to museums and temples and much more. Families were without exception unwilling to let students pay for a meal or an admission or anything else. Sounds like students were treated like royalty in the homes, and I have not had a single report of a problem other than the “communication gap”, but even that obstacle was apparently surmounted with helpful English-proficient friends and neighbors. In one case the family arranged a Chinese-English interpreter to accompany the family group as they toured and ate dinner out! One student commented that it made her think about how her family could be better hosts next time. The time with families has gone quickly, and now it is time for goodbyes, exchange of emails & addresses, final photos.
I cannot say enough about the kindness that we have received on every step of our journey. So many times on this trip, we have been touched by the generosity and sincerity which so many have shown toward us. This has certainly seemed a step toward global understanding.