In the great summer of 2016, a group of students signed up to go on a summer camp to Stanford University in USA for two weeks, which turned out to be a very splendid trip.

On July 23rd, the team assembled at Phoenix Building in Futian District, then took the ferry to Hong Kong international airport. Everybody was very excited about what was going to happen, they shared their own experiences abroad and what impression they had on America, they had prepared a lot and waited a long time for this day to come. After all the stories had been told during the 15 hours flight, CX892 took all the passengers to the first stop—San Francisco, United States of America. And there is where the grand journey begun.

During the 15 days camp, they took a close look at American culture and lifestyle, visited some most famous Universities in California and attended lecture and speech given by the professors in Universities and elites in different professions. It was an expedition for studying, setting up the model, answering the big questions, enhancing the will to achieve their dreams.

Accommodation

Sound sleep in the dormitory of Stanford University for the first week brought us bright mornings. Everybody woke up and got breakfast in the cafeteria. That were great meals because we had a variety of food to choose from, vegetables, fruits, meats, drinks, everything. Healthy and nutritious, you can eat as much as you’d like.

The next week we travelled from north California to south California, so we tried different food along the way.

Academic

1. Steven Chu’s lab

In Steven Chu’s laboratory in Stanford University, we attended the speech given by a PHD tutor who is now working in the lab. He showed us the latest projects they are working on and raised some examples to demonstrate how to conduct a scientific experiment and the spirit we need to be a scientist.

2. Dr. Chen’s speech in Stanford University

The topic is about immigration and multi-culture conflicts. Dr. Chen introduced the history of the first generation immigrants in USA, so that students can have a deep understanding of what it was like back to the old times. With that in mind they can actually see the development from generation to generation, and know better how to adapt themselves into American life in future when they go to universities in both American school or other English speaking countries. At the mean time, Dr. Chen compared some sayings in Chinese and English, such as the needle in hay stick(大海捞针),  the flower or the honey(鱼和熊掌不可兼得). Students benefited from the pattern of translation.

3. Bob’s class in Stanford University

Bob, who is a tenure professor in Stanford University and already in his 70s, gave us a demo class on the differences in education now compared to 1960s. First we watched a movie called The dead poets, a reflection of the education background in USA, very similar to current Chinese education situation. The parents designed children’s life track, and the kids must follow. The stories ended up with one kid’s suicide, rang the alarm-bell for all in nowadays. Students understood they had more choices and resources than people in the 60s did, may be motivated to study harder and also acquired one saying: Seize the day.

4. Oliver Fringer’s class

Another tenure professor in Stanford University whose major are in multiaspects, computer science, engineering, environmental fluid mechanics. He introduced the structure of American education system, the departments and its function in Stanford University. A vivid speech on how to do research, solve problems for government or organizations and answer questions for them. He demonstrated his typical research on how does sea level rise impact salt-water intrusion in the San Francisco Bay-Delta. Broke down this project into several steps and what they need to do in every step and how to simplify the problem. Finally create a computer model to simulate the reality. A total scientific way to solve problems and predict to prevent the disasters had great impact.

5. Law office of Taihe Wang

A very famous Chinese lawyer who has been living in Los Angeles for over 20 years, offered great hospitality to us. A passionate man with rich experiences, spared no effort to pass on the knowledge he has to our students, explained the laws in USA clearly in feature. Issues closely related to students’ life in the US. It was a great lesson for those who will study in United States in the future, vital heads up.

6. University of Southern California

Students follow a volunteer who study at USC, tour around the campus to learn about the history of USC, and the standards required to apply.

7. Senate of California

Pay a visit to Senate of California.  The retired senator presents us the whole mansion, which was first built in 1919. The senator told the stories about politics and construction progress in a very interesting way, got everybody involved. We all performed the senators and discussed the issue raised.

8. Silicon valley

Where the most famous technology companies like Google, Intel, Apple, Facebook,etc locate, most advanced technology are invented. Among all the high tech companies there, we visited two leading edge, Google and Intel. Visited the exhibition halls, had class there about information transmission. All the exciting and fascinating stuff inspired students.

Scenic spot

1. The golden bridge

A suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km), three-mile-long (4.8 km) channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

2. Hoover Tower

A 87 meters structure on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California. The tower houses the Hoover Institution Library and Archives, an archive collection founded by Herbert Hoover before he became President of the United States.

3. USS Midway Museum

A maritime museum located in downtown San Diego, California at Navy Pier. The museum consists of the aircraft carrier Midway (CV-41). The ship houses an extensive collection of aircraft, many of which were built in Southern California.

4. Hearst Castle

National Historic Landmark and California Historical Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan, between 1919 and 1947, for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951.

5. Stanford Hill

Stanford hill is a unique portion of Stanford University’s Academic Reserve dedicated to field research activities and enjoyed by visitors for recreational purposes. It’s one of the last unbroken expanses of open space in the lower foothills.