Marla (left) and Miriam (right) experience traditional Chinese culture.

"This journey has been wonderful and precious. For the time remaining, I will cherish every single day here." Having traveled thousands of miles, ten foreign students on an exchange program in Ningbo have entered the latter half of their study life here, and they expressed their reluctance to leave.

As Ningbo youth exchange ambassadors in the AFS intercultural exchange program, they will return to their home countries one after another in two months. How have these foreign teenagers been doing during their time in Ningbo? And what have they gained?

Finding a "Second Home" in a Foreign Land

At Ningbo No. 3 High School, Marla from Switzerland and Miriam from Austria have forged deep friendships with teachers and students there.

After arriving in Ningbo, they did not just briefly visit campus or experience classes; they were formally integrated into classes, studying alongside Chinese students and participating in various campus activities, gradually getting to know and understand each other through daily interactions.

During this time, they experienced the friendliness and warmth of their Chinese classmates and were also quite surprised at how much German everyone knew. Their daily exchanges brought them closer, making cross-cultural communication more sincere and natural. Additionally, through the school's "Maritime Silk Road" culture and international moral education courses, the two experienced various traditional Chinese culture classes, including Chinese language, calligraphy, table tennis, fan painting, paper-cutting, cross-stitch, tea ceremony, and mother-of-pearl brooch making.

With their host families, Marla and Miriam also felt immense warmth and kindness. Marla said her host family had given her a second home in a foreign land. Back home, she is an only child and had never experienced having siblings around, but here, her host family's little sister affectionately calls her "big sister." This form of address truly warms her heart.

Immersing in the Vibrant Life of Ningbo

Peter, an exchange student from the United States, shared that he has been in Ningbo for nearly four months. He is currently studying at the High School Affiliated to the University of Nottingham Ningbo, where he has encountered many new things. "My hometown is inland, so I rarely eat seafood. Since coming to Ningbo, I have tried a lot of seafood, and it's all been very delicious."

It is learned that there are currently 10 AFS exchange students in Ningbo, studying at schools such as Ningbo No. 3 High School, Ningbo Xiaoshi High School, the High School Affiliated to the University of Nottingham Ningbo, Zhenhai High School, and Ningbo Foreign Language School. Their exchange periods vary, ranging from as short as three or four months to as long as nearly a year.

In their daily lives, they study alongside Ningbo students, deeply immerse themselves in campus life, and live with local host families, experiencing the daily life of Ningbo people from an insider's perspective.