Nineteen Watkins Mill High School students and four adults traveled to the opposite side of the world this year for the annual spring break trip.

The 12-hour time difference wasn’t the only thing different in China. From the things the locals eat to the way they talk, it was not hard to see the cultural differences. Chinese history was captivating and filled with numerous dynasties and emperors.

The students threw themselves into the Chinese daily life. Well, as much as a group of American tourists could.  China is a huge country and because the students were at tourist attractions, they would run into people from rural parts of the country. In those rural parts there is not a lot of diversity, so many of those tourists had never seen a Westerner in real life.

Some highlights of the trip included many historical sites, like two of the World Wonders: the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall. Students tried foods like scorpion, starfish and spider–actually, social studies teacher Adam Swartz tried scorpion, starfish and spider. They felt genuine silk, drank a lot of tea, and brought back some very cool souvenirs.

Gallery • 15 Photos

Jubilee Robinson

Koi pond in Yu Garden, Shanghai China