Early Saturday morning, armed with notes and flash cards for final exam preparation, the students rode the bus to GXNU’s newest campus, well on the outskirts of Guilin. The campus is so new that there is nothing surrounding it but grasslands and trees. Upon arrival at the Foreign Languages building, UW students were able to see Freshman in uniform participating in the mandatory two-week session of military drills and exercises.
Before joining other Chinese students to celebrate English Day, the UW group was given a virtual tour of Guilin’s newest campus. A large conference room housed a huge bird’s eye view of the new campus and an administrative official explained that the campus was being built in four stages, the first stage being complete and the second stage beginning. Many state-of-the-art features are to be included in the new campus. However, when students were able to talk with Chinese students about their new campus, the major complaint was that it was located in “the middle of nowhere” and didn’t offer off-campus excitement and activities. Perhaps when all building stages are complete, these students, if still on campus, will feel differently.
English Day consisted of two moderators who introduced the UW students and several Chinese students studying English as their majors. There were performances of song and dance and poetry, the UW students sang several English children’s songs and then the students played several games together. Afterwards, students paired off with Chinese students and toured the campus together, or got soft drinks and talked. Just before lunch, the students parted and the UW students returned to GXNU to eat lunch and prepare for the final exam. After the final exam, students were given a free night to finish up shopping, eat out, or catch some of Guilin’s night life.
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