Henderson teacher takes students on voyage to China

Cross China off these kids' bucket lists.

Five students spent spring break visiting the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and sampling Chinese cuisine and tea.

Four of the students attend Cortney Middle School, 5301 E. Hacienda Ave., and one attends Del Sol High School, 3100 E. Patrick Lane.

The trip was April 4-11 and was the idea of Cortney sixth-grade English teacher and Henderson resident Jessica Maloy. She and some colleagues traveled to Costa Rica with students in 2010 through Education First, a company that organizes educational tours and study abroad programs.

Students fundraised about $1,600 each over the past two years to pay for the trip. They sold snacks at school sporting events, washed cars and got donations from local restaurants and grocery stores.

Students met monthly while in the fundraising stage to learn about China's history and practice the language.

Maloy said the China trip was comparable in price to a Washington, D.C., trip, and she thought the opportunity to travel internationally would be beneficial for the kids.

"I think this was a huge eye-opening experience for them," Maloy said, "just to see the culture and the different ways we live."

Teachers and students said their Internet use was heavily restricted. Facebook, Twitter and email were blocked.

Motorists did not stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, and they had to dodge cars to cross the street. Restrooms were holes in the ground and, in some cases, public streets.

Young children in China have slits cut in the back of their pants. Maloy said she felt bad for the first few kids she saw until she realized what the opening was for.

In a crowded street, sidewalk or other public place, a child often will relieve himself while their parents stand behind them.

When the group visited Tiananmen Square, their guide told them that he was not allowed to speak about the protests that happened there in 1989. No one they met in China would talk about their government, Maloy said.

Students met some peers at a language school in Beijing. The Chinese students were learning English, and the American students practiced the language with them. They also donated some books they brought on the trip.

And then there was the food.

For most of their trip, students and teachers had typical dishes with beef, chicken, pork, rice, noodles and vegetables. On one night, though, they all ventured to a street market to try other fare.

They ate scorpion, which tastes like bacon, they said. They also tried bug larvae, snake, frog, cat, dog, starfish, centipede, pigeon and lamb testicles.

No one got sick, Maloy said.

As much as they enjoyed the experience, they were happy to be home again, they said.

When Cortney reading teacher Janice Thomas arrived back in America, one of her students stepped off the plane and took a deep breath.

"Doesn't the air smell good here?" he asked.

Del Sol ninth-grader Renato Acob went with Maloy to Costa Rica in 2010 and said these trips have the biggest impact on students' perceptions of America.

"Most of the students haven't been out of the country," Renato said. "I figure it's pretty nice to open their eyes. Whey they go to other countries, they realize how lucky they really are. They can appreciate the stuff they have."

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.