On the evening of Thursday, January 14, 2016, 12 Kean University exchange students arrived at Wenzhou Longwan International Airport. The students will study and live with Wenzhou-Kean communities for the current semester. 

The day after their arrival, Holger Henke, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, welcomed the students on their first orientation session. Representatives from Student Affairs, the Student Career Development Center, the Counseling Center and the Medical Service Center also introduced their own departments and services. The peer-mentoring program as well will help the exchange students integrate the new experience of Chinese culture.

The Kean University exchange students are majoring in arts, international business, accounting, business management, psychology and biology. Their families are from places such as Russia, Colombia, Italy and the Philippines. The exchange students expect to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and develop more Chinese friendships through this opportunity, and Wenzhou-Kean University will offer special Mandarin language and Introduction of Chinese culture courses for them.

During the Spring Festival vacation, the exchange students lived with local Chinese families, experiencing the Chinese New Year together with their Wenzhou friends. They had a lot of unforgettable memory at that time, because it was their first time to stay with Chinese families and experience a Chinese New Year.

Here are some photos:

Carlos Herrera with his first traditional Chinese family meal in Hefei
University Affairs, Wenzhou-Kean University 

Xavier Angeles enjoying the “Wu Peng Chuan” in Shaoxing
University Affairs, Wenzhou-Kean University 

Katerina Aladova with her Wenzhou friends in Jiahua
University Affairs, Wenzhou-Kean University 

Michael Huber  having a picnic with Russell in Quzhou
University Affairs, Wenzhou-Kean University 

Nowadays, there are programs for both Kean University students and Wenzhou-Kean University students for having an exchange program between America and China. It is a wonderful chance for students to experience totally different life and cultural background. The hope of the program is for more students to catch the opportunity to be an exchange person internationally.