This July I participated in the overseas Summer Group Camp organized by Anqing Foreign Language School. This wonderful experience enabled me to learn what I could not get from textbooks, expand my horizon as well as learn how to get along with my pals.
We started from Beijing, the capital city of China. After almost twelve hours’ flight, we reached Toronto, Canada where it’s still at night. Also teachers and students from Ping Ding Shan Bilingual School arrived at the airport in the same time.
Once getting off the plane, we were received by teachers with Columbia International College. We got out of the airport in order and took a school bus. After nearly 40 minutes’ drive, we got to the student dormitory of Columbia International College where the school management was strict and secure. There were even specialized staff members in charge of elevators. On entering the dormitory, we quickly took a bath and went to sleep to deal with jet lag. The next day, we began our 15-day study tour. We went to college early in the morning. After breakfast, we walked into the examination room to proceed the placement test which lasted about twenty minutes or so. Afterwards, we got to the playground to play with our foreign friends.
During the following days, we went to a great many places of interest, such as the Toronto CN Tower, Warriors’ fight in themed restaurants in the Middle Ages from the Toronto Exhibition Hall, the Thousand-Island Lake, the Niagara Falls in addition to China’s Gothic architecture.
Other than that, I saw many world renowned autos, such as Ferrari, Porsche and Dodge. However, what impressed me the most was Canada’s housing and the outdoor training center on the Bark Lake.
To be specific, the housing condition in Canada is quite different from that in China in that Canada has a vast territory with a sparse population, which explains most residents live in a villanette with a small garden both in front of and behind it. Thus, the life there is very comfortable.
What’s more, Canada’s idyllic scenery was quite desirable. On the expressway, we could see some farms from one city to another. Just like China, Canada is also a large agricultural country and farming is the basic unit of Canada’s agricultural production. Usually on each farm there was a large-scale harvester, a no-tillage planter and a spraying machine, which promised a high degree of mechanization. On the vast farm, we could see herds of cattle and sheep as well as golden cornfield. Sometimes we could come across some farmers breaking their back in the field.
On the other hand, the outdoor training center on the Bark lake is situated on Haliburton Highlands, which is 3 hours’ drive from Toronto. This campsite, covering an area of 700 acres with a 400-acre lake, is privately owned by Columbia International College. We were deeply stunned by her clinquant lake surface and the indistinct shadow of boats afar. We spent four days there. More noticeably, I met two passionate and cute guys from Guizhou Province, who made me feel particularly close. They often sang the song ‘Made in China’ aloud, which made our patriotism arise spontaneously. There was poor carrier’s coverage  and no wifi, which almost secluded us from the world. Nonetheless, I felt full happiness through these days’ training and friendly getting along with my fellow students.
To sum up, Canadian people’s hospitality was deep in my mind. If I have time and opportunity, I will definitely come back to this fantastic place!

Yu Yaodong from Class 9, Grade 7
14th August, 2017