ROHS students visit China

By Jennifer Kopsch
C & G Staff Writer

ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak High School’s award-winning Model United Nations team spends countless hours researching global social and political issues, but nothing beats seeing and experiencing the world firsthand.

After nearly two years of fundraising and preparation, the Model UN team traveled to China this summer. The students — along with chaperones, including ROHS teacher Steve Chisnell and Superintendent Tom Moline — visited the country from June 26 to July 7.

“I think this is one of the best trips we’ve ever done,” said Chisnell.

The adventure began in Beijing, where students toured the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square; saw the Great Wall of China; and visited Peking University, which included a discussion about China’s political climate with a local professor. 

Then, the group visited the Xi’an province, where they toured Buddhist temples and went on a nine-mile bike ride along the top of the city walls. Also on the itinerary, were the cities of Luoyang, Zhengzhou and Shanghai.

“I’ve never been out of the country, and I’ve never done anything like this before,” said recent ROHS graduate Ashley Hull, 18.

Hull noted that the trip opened her eyes to China’s efforts to become a more developed country.

“They’re on the brink of something more,” she said.

She especially enjoyed soaking up the culture of the Chinese people. 

“I liked when we walked around the city at night, seeing what they do in their daily life,” she said.

In a country where thousands of years of history mesh more and more with modern influences, students also saw a few unexpected sights, such as Buddhist monks sending text messages on their cell phones. According to Chisnell, it’s a symbol of China’s growing pains, as traditional culture collides with the country’s aspirations.

Chinese cuisine was another highlight of the trip. Students said that they preferred traditional Chinese dishes rather than the Chinese versions of American dishes. They also tried some more exotic foods, including jellyfish.

“The flavor was fine, but the texture was, like, ‘no,’” said former ROHS student Erika Lessien, 20.       

As a former Model UN team member, Lessien couldn’t pass up a chance to explore China with some of her old teammates. She added that the Model UN was a fitting group to take on such a big trip, because of their knowledge and motivation.       

“Model UN students are hungry for more,” said Lessien, who was scheduled to travel to India shortly after the China trip. “I can’t stop going places now.”

Moline and Chisnell both noted that trips like this are necessary to help students become more internationally minded, which is something the district is increasingly trying to promote.           

“There really aren’t any borders anymore,” said Moline. “They need to know there’s a lot of opportunities in this world.”       

“Part of being an American means being global,” Chisnell added.   

Throughout the trip, students blogged about their experiences and posted photos online. For more, visit www.chisnell.com/travels/ China.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Kopsch at jkopsch@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1052.