Excitement builds for trip to China

Excitement is building for the nine students and six adults traveling to China mid-June as a culmination of their second year of Mandarin language studies.

Students are gearing up for Friday's spaghetti feed and fundraiser, at 6 p.m., April 23 at the Three Sisters Fellowship church. Everyone is invited.

Anyone who attended February's Chinese New Year Celebration remembers the honor of being greeted at the door with a cheery hello and a ringing gong announcing guests' arrival. Several silent auctions punctuated by an exhilarating Dragon Dance entertained during the evening.

If you missed the New Year's Celebration you will have the opportunity to be similarly entertained at the spaghetti feed. Attendees will see the Dragon Dance and be treated as honored guests.

The fun doesn't stop there. Added to all this revelry will be games and shopping. Several local businesses, artists, and restaurants are contributing specialty items for the silent auction. Among these items, Black Butte Ranch is offering rounds of golf, Columbia Sportswear offers clothing and footwear, and Paula Perkins is contributing baskets from Rwanda.

The students will also be on hand to help the cautious learn to eat spaghetti with chopsticks.

The second-year Mandarin students have been deeply immersed in their studies. A requirement of the trip is polishing their Mandarin language skills to be able to speak to the locals.

Sophomore Samantha Malone explained some of the challenges:

"The hardest part is the writing, but you get used to it. If you use the wrong tone when speaking, it changes the meaning. If you speak German with an American accent, it isn't that big a deal. But it isn't funny if you speak Mandarin with an American accent."

Sophomore Trevor Condel talked about what he is working toward in preparing for the trip.

"I'm good with the reading, but they speak so fast, listening is hard," he said. "But one of the best parts about this trip is being able to speak with all the locals."'

Mandarin instructor David Perkins plans to put his students into the thick of the culture from day one.

"They will be at a high school in Beijing for a week and attend classes," he said. "Our students will make a presentation about Oregon and the Chinese students will ask questions. As if that isn't challenging enough, our students will then spend three days in Xian at the Star Fish Orphanage. Our kids will help take care of over 50 babies. They will each be assigned to a nanny, and the nannies don't speak English."

Perkins feels it is important for our students to immerse themselves in the culture to get a deep experience of what it is like to live in China. While the students will see some of the traditional sites, like the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City and the Terra Cotta Warriors, experiencing daily life in China is an experience that will stay with the students throughout their lives.

The last step in their journey is the opportunity to work for an hour at a shoe factory. Each of our students will work at the end of an assembly line and get paid the going rate in Chinese money.

The students will get the full experience to help them understand what life is like for the average Chinese worker.

John Anast of Sysco Food Service, is donating the spaghetti for the fundraiser. His daughter, Madeleine Anast, in eighth grade, is one of the younger students going on the trip.

"There's a lot you have to take in to remember and savor the language," Madeleine said. "It will be a good culture experience."

Students, parents, and staff going on the trip are all paying their own travel expenses. Donations will enable those students to travel who might otherwise not be able to make the

trip.