Victorian Young Leaders To China ___________________Page

The Victorian Young Leaders to China program is a program set up by the Victorian Government. Students are selected from across the state to embark on a six week trip to China. On 22 March, 13 Year 9 students along with Mr Taylor and Ms Brown left on the trip of a lifetime. We left from Melbourne and travelled to Beijing. We would stay there for two weeks studying at Beijing Language and Culture University. We would have long days starting at 7:00 with breakfast then self-study and class from 8:30-12. In the afternoon we would either go on an excursion or participate in a cultural activity such as dragon dancing or a workshop on Chinese History. After dinner we would have study again from 7:00pm until 8:30pm. Before going to bed and getting up to do it all again the next day. Across these two weeks we visited many of Beijing’s major tourist attractions such as the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and The Great Wall of China. During this time we also had no contact with our family and friends back at home.

In week three, we moved on to Shanghai along with Marcelin College and Whitefriar’s College students. We all boarded at Shanghai I&C Foreign languages school. They were long but fun days with a similar routine. School in the morning and cultural activities or an excursion in the afternoon followed by self-study at night. The highlight of the trip for most of the boys was the buddy visits. We were all assigned two buddies and spent two Saturdays hanging out with them and their family in some cases. We also went on a weekend away to Hangzhou and a day trip to Suzhou. Two cities further away from Shanghai. In Shanghai, we visited many attractions such as The Bund, The Oriental Pearl Tower, Yu Gardens and the China Expo Pavilion to name a few. We were received with great hospitality and the schools we stayed at were extremely helpful and welcoming. During our time in China, we even met up with some St Joseph’s College Alumni who told us their stories about their pathway to living in China and their job and life in China now. The group set out with three clear goals. 1. To improve Chinese Language skills 2. To improve our understanding of Chinese culture 3. To improve as leaders. Throughout the program we achieved all three goals. Our Chinese Language skills improved greatly with many of the boys passing exams and tests with flying colours, a result of many hours of hard work. Our understanding of Chinese culture is deeper and we now understand many Chinese traditions and rituals and why they are important to Chinese people. We all improved as leaders through looking after ourselves for six weeks. We made sure we were well organised and punctual. We looked after each other and worked as a team building a strong bond. All in all, the program was a great success for all involved. We built lifelong friendships with each other and the Marcelin and Whitefriar’s boys. We were able to look after ourselves and were self-sufficient for six weeks. We improved on our Chinese language and our knowledge of Chinese culture. We visited many of China’s major tourist attractions. We ate some phenomenal food and at amazing restaurants. We all ventured out of our comfort zones at some stage and tried something new like a food, experience or even performing to a room full of strangers. We have returned as better people and many with a passion to return to China one day for further education or even a career. We have many amazing memories and experiences and would like to thank the school and Ms Brown and Mr Taylor for supporting us and giving us the wonderful opportunity to experience the other side of the world.

- Lachlan Schoemaker, Year 9