You may or may not know what it’s like to come from a completely different country and see unique ways of living. It could either be completely fascinating or horrifying, depending on the person.

Just last week, Day Creek Intermediate had the good fortune of a visit from some new people. No, we’re not talking 6th grade scrubs. We mean interns – Interns from China, specifically. The Day Creek Howl had the chance to meet and interview these visitors. Coming from a different country, they brought an interesting perspective, as we shared the things we had in common as well as our individualities.

One of these interns was Bella Gao. She brought an original perspective that was at times funny and at other times surprisingly different.  

“This is the first time I went to America, and when I came here, I think the people here are very nice and they are very friendly,” said Bella.

She found the streets to be nicer in comparison to Beijing, her hometown, where everything is much more crowded and sidewalks are narrower.

“I live in Beijing, China [where] there are a lot of tall buildings and the street in very crowded with a lot of people. And here you can drive a car very fast. Yes, I like that feeling,” Gao said.

She also expressed that the Chinese school system is different. In China, elementary school students have a different teacher for each subject.

“I think it’s a very good way, [to] have one teacher for all the subjects [in elementary school] and I really like that. In our country we have a lot of teachers – one teacher for one subject.”

Bella Gao also explained how teaching is different with a more hands-on experience. Teachers generally talk about the subject, and students listen and take notes.

“You can cooperate with each other and I think you are very good at self learning. In our country, the teacher does all the talking. [Teachers] just sit in front of the room and talk a lot, and students just listen to the teacher. After class [students] do their homework, but in your class you have a lot of opportunities to learn by yourself, and I think that’s really important … [to] cultivate people’s ability.”

Bella Gao enjoyed the trip to America, and plans to come back again.

“If I have the chance, I will [come] back to America. One month is too short.”