China 2015

During the holidays, myself, Nicole Ogorida, Imogen Brew and Waimania Hawkings headed to China for a 15 day camp.  On the 5/6 of April we did a total of 20 hours of travel from Oamaru to Wuhan.  We flew out of Christchurch into Auckland to catch a connecting flight to Shanghai.  From Shanghai we flew to Wuhan where we would be staying for the next week.

We stayed on campus at the University of Science and Technology (HUST).  The following day started with an Opening Ceremony.  That evening we started our first of four language classes.  The first school we visited was in the country which meant a 6am start!  At the school we played football, basketball and other various sports with them.  We also got to experiences their classes.  In the days that followed we visited a local high school where we attended a Y12 physics class and martial arts.  We got to go to one of the many malls in Wuhan.  Halfway through out stay we got a day to ourselves.  We mainly just played football with the St Bede's boys and some St Margaret's girls.

The next city was Beijing, where we got to watch an acrobat show, visit the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven and other famous tourist locations.  The Great Wall was stunning, crowded with people and very big!  While we were in Beijing, the largest sand storm in over a decade hit, leaving the city with a blanket of red dust.  One of the last things we did in Beijing was have a photo stop at the Water Cube and the Olympic Stadium (Birds Nest).

The final city we visited was Shanghai.  In Shanghai we visited the Oriental Pearl Tower.  From the top of the tower you could see right across Shanghai.  That evening we took a boat cruise on the Pu river.  Our last full day in Shanghai was filled with last minute shopping trips in the local markets and local shopping centre.

We made some really good friends with the locals and with students from other schools on our camp.  We all still keep in touch with our "group" we formed and with our Chinese friends.  China is somethings we are not going to be able to forget.  The camp was definitely a trip of a lifetime and something we would all like to experience again if we were given the chance.

By Ellie Graham.