By Chase Strawser, KnoxPages.com Reporter
MOUNT VERNON – Forte International Exchange Association’s summer camp, running from July 8 to the 19, gives middle school exchange students from Shanghai, China a taste of American culture. The eleven day adventure in Knox County includes field trips around the area, classes to teach them the basics of our culture and language, and residence among local families for an authentic experience of living and being a part of an American community.
When the students arrive here, they spend the weekend getting acquainted with their host families. According to the summer camp brochure, “FIEA Host Families come in all shapes, sizes, and represent the diversity of American culture.”
The students live with their host families and learn the aspects of American culture that life-long residents may take for granted. Hu Cai Xia, a Chinese teacher and translator for the camp, said, “Sometimes they don’t actually know the culture of America, and now they stay in the host family so the host family can teach them some American culture. For example, when you accept other’s service you should say, ‘Thank You’ and when you go into the room you should hold a door for others and after you have something, you should write a thank you letter and give some gifts to your friends or host family.”
Along with cultural adjustments, the students also have to make adjustments in lifestyle. According to Michael Chen, a Chinese teacher at the camp, said, “In China the parents will do everything for the kids. So the kids do not need to do anything by themselves. When they wake up, the breakfast is in front of you, you just need to eat. The only thing you need to do is just take off the breakfast and your parents will take everything away and wash the plates and everything, but here it’s a little different.”
The weekly activities kick off each day with English and Cultural classes, from 8:30 to 11:45 am. The classes give students an interactive experience of our culture that a text book cannot do justice. Tammy Souhrada, a MVCSD teacher at the camp, said about her theater based activities, “I think it’s a good exposure to the English language, and English culture. With the reader’s theatre, they get to work on, not just reading something, but expressing it to make it a clearer understanding and have some fun with our language, not just read it from a book.”
Along with absorbing the culture around them, the students also get to take in the scenery and notable locations around Knox County. According to Perry Brokaw, the English Camp Coordinator, “They get to see the Midwest and coming from a large city like Shanghai, this is a big difference, and I know one of the students said, ‘It is so nice to see the blue sky and to be able to breathe.”
Field trips are scheduled every day from 1:15-4:30 pm, ranging from cultural and educational centers like Memorial Theatre and MVNU, city government and public service locations such as the Fire Department, Knox County Offices, and the Mayor’s Office, as well as recreational and business outlets like the Mt. Vernon Swimming Pool, Foundation Park, and the downtown shopping area.
According to Brokaw, the cultural appreciation is just as much an educational experience for the students as it is for the teachers and organizers. He said, “We are trying to get them to be more aware of our culture and we are trying to learn a little bit about theirs.”
Knox Community Hospital proudly supports the vibrant pulse of our community by sponsoring the Life & Culture section on Knox Pages, celebrating the stories and experiences that make our region unique.