CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) — A group of Clovis Unified School District students skipped staying home and traveled overseas instead for a nine-day trip to China.<\/p>\n
The group includes 10 students. Among them are Buchanan High School senior Linkin Phimphisane, and sophomore Matthew Maxon.<\/p>\n
“We did a lot of sightseeing and we ate a lot of unique dishes,” Phimphisane said.<\/p>\n
All of the students on the trip have studied Chinese as a foreign language under teacher Lili Wong.<\/p>\n
She said traveling to China gives students the chance to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom.<\/p>\n
“They have to interact with the local people, just improve their pronunciation because they self pronounce – self correct – the pronunciations after hearing the local people,” Wong said.<\/p>\n
According to Wong, the experience immerses students in Chinese culture and history through travel, food and firsthand observation.<\/p>\n
The group’s itinerary includes visits to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, as well as well-known landmarks such as the Great Wall of China.<\/p>\n
“Seeing it is like completely different than just like seeing maybe a picture or reading about it,” Maxon said.<\/p>\n
The trip holds special meaning for Linkin, who is traveling alongside his father and grandmother. His grandmother was born in Southeast Asia, but had never been to China.<\/p>\n
“She lost all her heritage, so bringing her here for the first time was very eventful for her,” Linkin said. “She gets to experience her roots, and I also get to to experience half of where I came from.”<\/p>\n
His father, Mike Phimphisane, said he was grateful his mother was able to make the journey.<\/p>\n
“I’m actually happy that she gets to experience this,” he said. “She’s pretty old age, and she’s able to walk and travel with us pretty well.”<\/p>\n
In addition to sightseeing, students, family members and teachers have participated in cultural activities, including a traditional tea ceremony and calligraphy.<\/p>\n
“They’re really learning some life-long experiences, and I hope this is an incentive to – a motivation for them to continue this language, learn more about the culture and to broaden their views about the world,” Wong said.<\/p>\n
The group is scheduled to travel to Shanghai on Friday, where they will visit one of the world’s busiest shopping streets and the Shanghai Silk Museum before returning home Sunday.<\/p>\n
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