China

The Modern and Classical Languages Department is pleased to announce the 2018-2019 Chinese Exchange Program with a Middle School affiliated with the Central University of Science and Technology located in Wuhan, People’s Republic of China. Wuhan is the capital of the Hubei province and the most populous city in central China.

With a 3,500-year-long history, Wuhan is one of the most ancient and civilized metropolitan cities in China. This will be a family-to-family and school-to-school exchange. This is a great opportunity for our students to experience a new culture firsthand, go on an adventure, and practice their Chinese!

The Chinese group will arrive in Buffalo in late January or early February for a one-week visit. During their stay, the Chinese students will participate in excursions and activities on and off campus during the school day. Students and families participating in the Chinese exchange trip must be available to host the visiting Chinese students. Hosting is often times the highlight of the trip and what makes our program affordable and an exchange in the true sense. Through hosting, our students expand their understanding of the Chinese culture and their own, and learn a great deal about themselves.

We will take a group of Nichols students to China a week before and during our spring break (+/- 17 days) accompanied by two or three Nichols faculty members. While in China, our students will live with families, attend school with their host siblings, and participate in excursions to various sites in the area including Beijing and Shanghai (Xi’an).

Chinese students who are currently freshman, sophomores and juniors may apply. Rising seniors will be given the first opportunity to turn in their application (with deposit). Rising juniors will have the next opportunity, followed by rising sophomores and students that are not taking Chinese. Please note that this exchange runs bi-annually only.

The success of the exchange depends on many factors: an open curiosity about the world, a desire to participate in school and family life while in the foreign country, the commitment to be a considerate and accommodating host here at home, the maturity to accept responsibility, the ability to work well in a group, and flexibility under all circumstances. We look for an applicant’s commitment to share, understand, and appreciate cultural differences. In making our choices, we will also consult other teachers and deans.

The deadline for returning the application and deposit is Friday, May 25, 2018. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Yajie Zhang, Group Leader and Upper School Chinese teacher (yzhang@nicholsschool.org) or Laura Arribas, Director of Exchanges (larribas@nicholsschool.org).

We look forward to having you be part of this exciting adventure!

Application Information

List of 7 items.

1. Dates of Exchange
- Chinese students in Buffalo: late January or early February for a one-week visit.
- Nichols students in China: 1 week + spring break (contingent on travel arrangements)
2. Cost
Total cost: $2,500 - $2800 (based on 16-18 participants)

a. Price includes: All travel expenses between Buffalo and Wuhan
- Excursion expenses in China
- All hosting expenses for Nichols organized activities
b. Prices do not include: Family-organized activities
- Spending money in China
- Health related expenses incurred abroad
These costs are based on current airline fares. Significant adjustments in costs could result in additional surcharges due to fluctuating airline prices and taxes.
3. Who May Apply?

Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors (rising seniors and juniors studying Chinese take priority)
4. School Organized Activities
a. For Chinese students in Buffalo:
- Tour of Downtown Buffalo
- Guided tour of Albright-Knox
- Excursion to Niagara Falls
- Other excursions to local points of interest
b. For Nichols students in China:
- Attending classes
- City visits – Shanghai, Beijing
- Excursions to local points of interest
5. Family Responsibilities
- Host exchange student for one week (make them feel like a part of your family!)
- Introduce visiting student to a wide range of American culture if possible
6. Mandatory meetings (mark your calendars!)
- Hosting meeting – will take place in January (student and at least one parent must attend)
- Pre-departure workshop – will take place in February (student and at least one parent must attend)
7. Application Procedure
- Complete and return registration form with $200 deposit by Friday, May 25, 2018
- The $200 deposit will be refunded if your child is not accepted to participate in the exchange. It is non-refundable to those accepted, but it will be applied to the cost of the trip.
- Applicants will be notified as soon as possible after the final selections of participants are made
- First payment (half of remaining balance) is due the last week of November 2018 and the final payment (second half of remaining balance) is due the final week of January 2019.