China Trip

Friendship Schools Program

St Andrew’s Anglican College has established an exciting friendship school program with Beijing Primary School. 2009 was the inaugural year for this program which provides an exciting and enriching experience for these Year Six ambassadors.

 

The primary purpose of this program is to provide our Year Six students with an opportunity to extend their Chinese learning within a real-life context and to further develop their knowledge and understanding of the Chinese culture. During the visit the students are involved in an engaging learning program at Beijing Primary School, participating in classroom learning, cultural activities, music and sport. A number of excursions to various sights around Beijing, including the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, the Olympic stadium and the Beijing Zoo are all highlights for the students.

 

The students and teachers stay in the international student dormitory facilities during the week and with a home stay family on the weekends.  Each home stay family selected by Beijing Primary School sends their child to visit St Andrew’s Anglican College later each year. This enables Australian families to return the hospitality and further develop the relationship with their Chinese friends.

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Beijing Primary School 2012 - The Reciprocal Visit!
Sunday, July 22 - Thursday, August 2, 2012
In Term Three, twenty- one students and five staff from Beijing Primary School will visit St Andrew's Anglican College for the reciprocal visit of the China Friendship School's Tour. It will allow our students, staff and families to showcase Australian life and education to our Chinese visitors.

China Trip 2012 - A Cultural Exchange!
April 10th - April 25th 2012
Twenty- one students and four staff from St Andrew’s Anglican College experienced a wonderful cultural exchange in China at the beginning of Term Two. Below is a short diary of their adventures and experiences.

Day 16 - Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Our 21 students and four staff returned to Brisbane International Airport at 9.50am. The group were sad to leave Beijing but they will have many wonderful memories of their stay in China. 

Day 15 - Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The children had a farewell class party and then headed off to a dumpling restaurant for a formal farewell lunch, with the Principal, Mr Li, the Chinese English teachers, the buddies and the parents of the buddies. The tour group had an amazing two weeks. The children have learnt so much and had experiences that will remain with them forever. They have made new friendships and gained a wonderful understanding of Chinese history and culture.

Day 14 - Monday, April 23, 2012

It was another great day in Beijing with a lot of walking. Our group went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the National Theatre. They caught the subway to Tiananmen Square, which was quite crowded being an early morning week day. The group walked through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City where they spent most of the morning. A guide explained what each building was used for as the group walked through the traditional centre of China. It was amazing. After spending a few hours walking through the Forbidden City, it was on a bus to KFC for lunch. Once lunch finished it was a short walk to the National Theatre, which is China’s Opera House and is colloquially described as The Bird's Egg.

Day 12 and 13 - Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22, 2012
All students spent the weekend at their buddy's house. It was the last weekend in Beijing before they head home on Tuesday evening.

Day 11 - Friday, April 20, 2012

After Thursday’s big adventure to The Great Wall, it was a quieter day on Friday at Beijing Primary School.  The St Andrew's group were given special Chinese and Music lessons. The children really engaged in both of these lessons. The Chinese lesson involved learning the words and pronunciation of different kinds of traditional Chinese food. To end the lesson, the teacher handed out to the students some treats which were in the shape and flavour of the foods they learned. Many of the children found this quite different to what they were expecting as these forms of treats are not like the ones which we get in Australia. The music lesson was learning a song in Chinese about Spring. The children mastered this quite well by the end of the lesson and were told that they will be singing it at the farewell lunch next Tuesday at the dumpling restaurant. After lunch, the parents came to collect the children for the weekend and they all were looking forward to a great weekend. They will return to Beijing Primary on Sunday evening.

 
Day 10 - Thursday, April 19, 2012

Our travellers arrived at the Great Wall, after a 90 minute drive from Beijing Primary School, at around 10.00 am and did not return to the base until about 12.45 pm. They hiked along part of the wall and back for around 2.5 hours. It was an amazing experience, and at times quite tiring as there were many steps and steep inclines. It felt as though they were walking on a 45 degree angle on various sections of the climb. Fortunately, the group had regular stops for a rest and group photo shot. One of the boys started counting the steps but lost count (or interest) after 278! The experience though was great and one that the children will treasure and remember for a lifetime.

Day 9 - Wednesday, April 18, 2012

It was a busy day at Beijing Primary School learning traditional Chinese Knot tying, the acrobatically skills of the Chinese yo-yo or Diablo as well as some more language lessons for the afternoon's trip to the famous Silk Markets. The Silk Markets were a highlight with the journey on the subway and the great bargaining to be had with stall holders. Many students picked up good deals and they did better than their teachers. It looks like more space is needed in the suitcases!

Day 8 - Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Our group again had superb weather on Tuesday with many wearing sport shorts for the first time. It was a maximum of 29 degrees so the day was quite hot. They visited three main attractions: the Beijing Zoo, the Beijing Aquarium and the Temple of Heaven. At the zoo, they all got to see the amazing Pandas. At the Aquarium, the jelly fish display was magnificent and everyone was amazed at the Japanese Spider crab which has the greatest leg span of any arthropod, reaching 3.8 metres from claw to claw. After lunch at Big Pizza, (like Sizzler in Australia), the tour group spent a couple of hours at the Temple of Heaven. It was first constructed in 1420 during the Ming dynasty and it was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship the god of heaven and pray for good harvest. It is a very impressive structure. After a long day of walking, it was early to bed for the students so they would be ready lessons at Beijing Primary School on Wednesday.

Day 7 - Monday, April 16, 2012

Monday was a busy day with perfect weather again for SAAC students and staff at Beijing Primary School. Our College Council Chair, Father Richard Gowty and College Council Member, Mr Peter Wade joined our tour group for the day. Everyone had an opportunity to enjoy Chinese language lessons, a flag raising ceremony, Chinese silk kite painting and a Chinese Kung Fu or Wushu lesson. In the afternoon, our students went to the lovely local park for some leisure time using large feather shuttlecocks that are used like hacky sacks. They are a lot of fun! The tour group are off to Beijing Zoo and the Temple of Heaven on Tuesday.

Day 5 and 6 - Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15, 2012
All students went to their buddies house for the weekend. They had a fantastic time experiencing family life in China and seeing many of Beijing's sights including the beautiful Summer Palace.

Day 4 - Friday, April 13, 2012
Friday was hot and sunny with a temperature of 27 degrees Celsius and not a cloud in the sky! The tour group spent the day at the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube before having a great lunch in a Beijing Noodle restaurant. Beijing Primary School even organised an official tour guide for the group. The children got to sit in the grandstands inside the Bird's Nest but were unable to walk on the track because they were setting it up with staging for a rock concert. For lunch, they ate a huge bowl of a Beijing staple: Peking Noodles. So many students were shovelling the food into their mouths! The chopsticks were the most efficient way to pick up the noodles. After lunch, it was back to school and off to the buddies' houses for a homestay. They will return to school on Sunday night.

Day 3 - Thursday, April 12, 2012

On Thursday, April 12, the Year Six tour members attended Beijing Primary School with their buddies. The children were welcomed into every class with a special ceremony and presentation to St Andrew's students. This was followed by a whole school ceremony where Beijing Primary School's 2 000 students and staff assembled to officially welcome the group with generous gifts. Next, it was off to a restaurant that was Chairman Mao's favourite for a delicious banquet lunch. Some adventurous students ate jellyfish! After lunch, it was back to school for Chinese language lessons. A very busy day for all!

Day 2 - Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Our Year Six tour members were met at Beijing airport by Miss Lily Chen, the International Exchange Program Organiser for Beijing Primary School. On the 45 minute bus journey to the school, they witnessed many interesting sights. The travellers arrived at the school around 5.15pm and were treated like rock stars by the students, parents and staff. The children spent the afternoon settling into their accommodation. It is really like a five star motel; own bathroom, bed, fridge, television, computer, air-conditioning/heating and cupboards! It is very, very comfortable. The buddies do not join the children in the rooms until after 8.00 pm when they finish school for the day. Their day is from 7.00 am (breakfast), first lesson starts at 7.30 am and their last lesson finishes at 8.00 pm – 5 days per week. When Mr Paterson mentioned this to our SAAC students, they didn’t seem to want this implemented at our school! It was a long day travelling. Hence, the children were off to bed early, ready for their first day of schooling on Thursday, April 12.

Day 1 - Tuesday, April 10, 2012 

Twenty- one students and four staff from St Andrew’s Anglican College travelled down to Brisbane International Airport on Tuesday evening to fly out to Beijing, China. They were very excited and departed at 11.45pm. Not sure how much sleeping would have occurred!