U.S./China Environmental Education Exchange

Day 2: Welcome to Baird Middle School

DAY 2 PHOTOS: School and Reservoir
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The Chinese group said goodbye to the ocean and the cool Monterey breeze and headed inland to Fresno at the center of the San Joaquin Valley. This area lies between the coastal mountain range and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a premier agricultural area of the United States.

Along the way, the group stopped at the San Luis Reservoir visitors' center, which talks about the aquaduct system in California. This system supplies water to farms and electricity to the Central and Southern California region.

At the Baird Middle School, the students were warmly greeted by their host families and teachers from the school. Everyone settled down to a typical American barbeque of hamburgers and hot dogs, followed by "ice breaker" games.

In one game, everyone was separated into groups and given a group animal sound. After closing their eyes and shuffling themselves up, they had to get back into their groups by making their animal sound -- no talking or peeking allowed. Everyone felt very comfortable with their new friends after searching for other ducks, chickens, and cows.

Another game was "fruit bowl mixup." This is a variation of musical chairs, and when your favorite fruit is called, you have stand up and find a new empty chair. There is always one person left standing in the middle, so competition is fun and humorous.

DAY 2 PHOTOS: School and Reservoir | Introduction to Exchange