食物是qin yupei和wei meilingzi指出的中國重慶和美國康科德之間最大的區(qū)別。在他們重慶的家里，他們的一日三餐都經(jīng)常是熱和辣的食物，而這里一切的都似乎是甜和冷的食物。

“美國人民很喜歡甜食。”wei meilingzi談到就如昨天她剛在學校食堂吃了一份配有果汁和蘋果醬的大份午餐。

（在“體驗美國”夏令營將近尾聲的時候，兩位學生和我們討論了中美食物的區(qū)別）

30名12-16歲年齡不等的重慶學生于7月11日抵達，分散住在位于康科德的美國家庭里，相處十分融洽?，F(xiàn)在他們即將離開這里，飛往加利福尼亞州游玩后再返回中國。在這一批中國學生離開后，另外一組中國學生也已整裝待發(fā)準備來到Bishop Brady。

體驗美國夏令營目的就是通過文化交流，在中美之間建立起互相理解的新關系。當Bishop Brady 的老師Tee Treybig 聽說此事，她就知道這對于中國學生以及Bishop Brady 的美國學生將是一次偉大的體驗。在美國新罕布什爾州，中國的學生們將體驗到與位于中國西南人口約三千萬的重慶非常不一樣的氣候和文化。

每天前三小時的學術課程由Sarah Miller負責。另一名Bishop  Brady 的老師負責教授第二語言—英語。學生們下午配合課程參加各種活動。例如，經(jīng)過課堂上對美國歷史和政府的學習，學生會去到州議會會見州長Maggie Hassan.。另一天，學生們學習了美國的體育游戲，下午就安排Fisher Cats 的游戲。

盡管只有約2周的住家學習時間，Treybig和其他老師都說，他們已經(jīng)看到了中國學生的巨大改變。例如：初來乍到的時候，中國學生們大多數(shù)只會一些最基本的英文，但現(xiàn)在能聽懂的，能講出來英文明顯更多了。而美國學生居然也學會了一些簡單的中文。

作為重慶市巴蜀中學校的英語老師shuai qiang的談到，“他們（學生們）比以前更勇敢自信了！”

中國學生說，除了食物，他們還發(fā)現(xiàn)了其他方面的差異。比如說，美國的空氣更清新，天氣涼爽而干燥。即使是在像上周一樣陽光強烈的天氣里，也不會覺得太熱。一些學生參加了游泳派對，另一些學生的美國家庭在周末的時候去了海灘或湖邊游泳玩耍。而在中國，學生們似乎并不經(jīng)常去參加這類活動。

“我喜歡新漢普郡，因為天氣很好，尤其喜歡這里的天空，湛藍湛藍的。”一名叫John Ye的重慶學生說。

另一位名wei xin的學生說，她親眼目睹最有意思的事情就是有野生動物的存在！她居住期間，她在美國家庭的后院發(fā)現(xiàn)了三只野生火雞，這周末，當她從海灘回家的路上，還意外看到一只可愛小鹿在旁邊徘徊。而這些，都是她在中國重慶不會看到的。

隨著越來越理解中美之間的差異，Treybig也希望學生們會來關注中美之間的相似之處。一個就是中美學生們都愛購物。昨天的美國經(jīng)濟商業(yè)課程之后，學生們一起去了Steeplegate Mall，每個人都很開心，用零花錢買了許多喜歡的東西。部分學生直奔蘋果手機柜臺，其他人去買運動鞋。女孩子們在American Eagle Outfitters購物，男生們拎著從Abercrombie & Fitch買來的戰(zhàn)利品。

“美國的衣服和鞋子確實比中國便宜。”巴蜀中學的yi shouchun（英文名Justbin）談到。每個學生在美國學校的英語課上都有英文名字。他選擇Justbin這個名字是因為他的很多朋友都是偶像明星Justin Bieber的粉絲，這也是中國學生和美國同齡人的另一個共同點。

經(jīng)過這段時間，中美學生彼此加深了理解，很多美國孩子還一時不能接受自己的新朋友很快就要離開這里，動身回國的事實。

Lindsey Beahm（即將迎來大二生活的布雷迪學生，家里接待了重慶的中學生）說到，“這是段非常意義的時間！我多么希望還能有更多的時間讓我們彼此更加親近。”

Treybig希望這些學生能夠在美國收獲到的就是通過交流，從而建立起親密的友情，拉近彼此的距離。她說，“我告訴我的孩子們，維護世界和平就是要去跟全世界的人交朋友。”

參觀State House 前合影

參觀當?shù)叵谰?/p>

和美國學生一起，制作“可樂火箭”

教美國孩子毛筆字

手工課

附：美國當?shù)貓蟮涝?/p>

Bishop Brady hosts Chinese students for two-week camp

Lauren Oswsowitz, 17, reaches across the table for a map of Concord during the morning lessons at the Bishop Brady High School library on Thursday, July 18, 2013. The day's lesson was around public services and getting to know Concord's layout. Thirty students from Chongqing, one of the national central cities in China, traveled to Concord where they are being hosted by local families and improving their English through activities and lessons at Bishop Brady High School. They are here through a program called Spiral International, an educational organization that focuses on intercultural learning.

Students pile on to a school bus before heading out for the day's trip to the Concord Fire Department Headquarters where they toured the station and learned about the role of the department on Thursday, July 18, 2013. Thirty students from Chongqing, one of the national central cities in China, traveled to Concord where they are being hosted by local families and improving their English through activities and lessons at Bishop Brady High School. They are here through a program called Spiral International, an educational organization that focuses on intercultural learning.

Students play a game of ping pong during one of their breaks in their morning lessons in the library of the Bishop Brady High School on Thursday, July 18, 2013. Thirty students from Chongqing, one of the national central cities in China, traveled to Concord where they are being hosted by local families and improving their English through activities and lessons at Bishop Brady High School. They are here through a program called Spiral International, an educational organization that focuses on intercultural learning.

Students work hangs on walls in the library at Bishop Brady High School on Thursday, July 18, 2013. Thirty students from Chongqing, one of the national central cities in China, traveled to Concord where they are being hosted by local families and improving their English through activities and lessons at Bishop Brady High School. They are here through a program called Spiral International, an educational organization that focuses on intercultural learning.

(ANDREA MORALES / Monitor staff)

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE   Monitor staff   Monday, July 22, 2013

(Published in print: Tuesday, July 23, 2013)

The biggest difference Qin Yupei and Wei Meilingzi can point to between China and Concord is the food. In their home city of Chongqing, they eat three hot and spicy meals a day. Here, everything seems to be sugary and cold.

“People in the U.S., they like their sweets,” Meilingzi said as she ate a lunch complete with a juice box and container of applesauce yesterday in the Bishop Brady High School cafeteria.

The two talked about the difference in food as they neared the end of a two-week exchange camp run by SPIRAL International that brings students from Chongqing to study at American schools. The 30 students, ages 12 to 16, and two teachers arrived July 11 and stayed with host families in Concord until today, when they’ll leave and make a quick stop in California before heading home. This is Bishop Brady’s first time hosting the students, and another group of students with the same program are in Bow.

The purpose of the camp is to build understanding and new relationships across cultures. When Bishop Brady teacher Dee Treybig heard about it, she knew it would be a great experience for the Chinese students as well as a group of Bishop Brady students who participate as student ambassadors. In New Hampshire, the students experienced a greatly different climate and culture than in Chongqing, which is located inland in southwest China and has a population of nearly 30 million.

The first three hours of each day were spent on an academic lesson run by Sarah Miller, another Bishop Brady teacher who teaches English as a second language. The students then spent afternoons doing activities that corresponded with the lesson. For example, after a day of learning about

U.S. history and government, the students went to the State House and met Gov. Maggie Hassan. Another day, the students learned about sports and games in America, then went to a Fisher Cats game.

Although the camp lasts less than two weeks, Treybig and the other teachers say they’ve seen an enormous change in the students. The Americans have learned how to speak in simpler terms, and the Chinese, most of whom had a base knowledge of English before coming, can understand much more.

“They are braver than before,” said Shuai Qiang, an English teacher at the school in Chongqing who accompanied the students on their visit to America.

Aside from the food, the Chinese students said they found many differences between home and New Hampshire. The air is much cleaner and the weather cooler and drier, even during a hot week like last week, several students said. They also rarely get to swim in China. During their time in Concord, they went to a pool party at one student’s house and several went to the beach or other swimming areas with their host families during the weekend.

“I like New Hampshire because the weather is very good; the sky in New Hampshire is clean,” said student John Ye.

Another student, Wei Xin, said the most interesting thing she witnessed was the presence of animals. She spotted three wild turkeys in her host family’s backyard during her stay and saw a small deer crossing the road on the way home from the beach this weekend. That is not something she would see in China.

Along with understanding their differences, Treybig hoped the students would also come to see their similarities. One is a love for shopping. After yesterday’s lesson on America’s economy and commerce, the students took a trip to the Steeplegate Mall, where they were let loose to spend any money they had left.

One group of students made a beeline for a display of cell phone cases, while others went to shop for sneakers. The girls wanted to shop at American Eagle Outfitters, and many of the boys carried bags from Abercrombie & Fitch.

“American clothes and shoes are cheaper than in China,” said Yi “Justin” Shouchun. Each of the students have English names that they use in their English classes back at school. He chose the name Justin because he and many of his friends are followers of pop star Justin Bieber, another similarity between the students and their American peers.

After nearly two weeks of getting to know one another, several American students weren’t ready for their new friends to go home.

“It’s been a great week,” said Lindsey Beahm, an upcoming Brady sophomore who had several students staying at her house. “I wish there was more because I’ve grown so close with all of them.”

Building those relationships is exactly what Treybig said she hoped would happen among the students.

“I tell my kids, how to keep peace in the world is to make friendships across the globe,” she said.

(Kathleen Ronayne can be reached at 369-3309 or kronayne@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @kronayne.)