Hi my name is Miguel Montalvo and I am a 10th grader at Marble Hill High School For International Studies. Thanks to Marble Hill I was fortunate enough to participate in a China Exchange Program and let me tell you it was the best experience of my life. I got the chance to travel to China along side two others students from Marble Hill. The trip took place from April 18, 2008 to May 2, 2008. I was fortunate enough to go to China and learn about the chinese culture, places, life styles, schools and sites. While we were in China we visited 3 different cities. We visited first Beijing. then Nanjing and last but not least was Shang Hai.

Beijing was the first City we arrived to. At Beijing we stood at a beautiful 5 star hotel called The Beijing News Plaza. At the hotel they had a restaurant, pool, bowling alley, store, business center and a night club. I shared the hotel room with Handis which was the other boy student that also went to China along side me, Eliana, Ms Young our Chaperone, Ms Zucker, Mr. Pedro Baez and Ms Zucker's cousin. There were all lovely people and during this trip I gotten to get to know them a lot more. At Beijing we visited many places such as Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer palace, The Hutongs, Shopping Markets and The Great Wall. I always dreamed about going to the Great Wall in China and thanks to Marble Hill it came true.

Next we took a plane to the next City. We went to Nanjing. At Nanjing we visited many places such as The Presidential Palace and Dr Mun Suns place. However, the main purpose of going to Nanjing was to visit our Sister school The Nanjing School of Foreign Language. The school was beautiful. It was a huge campus, in which I got lost in a few times. The school is a private school and a boarding school. I have to say that it was my first time that I have lived in a school. Although we only lived in school for about a week, it was a great experience. Boarding was fun and a easy way to go to school because here in america most High School students have to travel to school every day but if you live in school then you don't. The dorm was pretty big. I shared a room with 5 other Chinese boy students.

The guys where really nice. I also had a few things in common with them like we like to play Basketball. I also once had the chance to play with them and let me tell you there really good. We had a good time. Also a night before going to sleep we would like talk about the day or if not I would tell them about America and New York. So they can see how its like. The would always tell me that they want to come to the U.S. someday. Most of them and other students in the School want to do there college studies here in America.

We also got the opportunity to Home Stay. I had the chance to stay with a chinese family. Not only 1 night like the other students who came to China along side me but for 3 days and 2 nights. I felt special. It was because the family wanted to have me for a longer time. They were really nice and served me a lot of food. Also we did many things together. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. We had a BBQ. Visited Nanjing South East University, Center Mall and watched the movie "The Forbidden Kingdom" by Jackie Chan and Jet Lee, then went to a restaurant to eat. We talked shared family photos with each other and I learned a little kung-fu. They were so nice on my last night on the stay they gave me a Chinese kung-fu traditional Custom. I was really sad when I had to leave. But we stay in touch still today.

After Nanjing we took a train to another city. We went to Shanghai. At Shanghai we visited a museum, a school, a Buddhist temple a place that was like a European area, shopping markets and the famous Bund. The Bund is that weird looking building that Shanghai is known for. I found Shang Hai very fascinating because of its unique architecture from the rule in the 1800s of the British. So they have a mix of chinese building and European buildings. I really like the architecture of not only Shang Hai but of all China especially since I would like to become a successful architect and go into the engineering field. After our stay in Shang Hai we took an airplane back to Beijing and from Beijing back to New York.

What I also really loved about China was Shopping. Bargaining things that were at high prices and bargaining and bringing those prices down. For example I wanted to buy this chinese traditional suit for my nephew and they wanted 600 Yuan, which is the chinese currency we have dollars they have Yuan. So 7 Yuan = 1 U.S. dollar. So you calculate how much is 600 Yuan and I Bargained I told them "Bu Yao" which means: "No I don't want" and "Hen Gui" which means "Very Expensive". I acted like I was going to leave and they reduced the price all the way down to 100 yuan. So shopping was fun because the sales. People really wanted to sell and would like grab you so you wont leave.

What I really didn't like much was traveling to China. That long 13 hour and 40 minutes plane ride. I was so bored on the plane and uncomfortable, but although the flight was so long it was worth it. Also the food was great but there were only two things that weren't great. I had to eat an eel and a boiled egg that had a chick in it that wasn't fully hatched so it was dead and I ate that. It wasn't the best dish but it was also a good experience trying it. Last Thing was the time change and Jet lag. When I went to China it didn't effect me but when I came back to New York it took me a few days.

Again Traveling to China was the best experience of my life. I am very thankful I got the opportunity to travel to China and learn about the chinese culture, places, life styles, schools and sites. This trip really changed me. I really matured, I'm more open to people from other countries since I had a chance to live with them in china. I'm less picky with food and just in general I think I matured. Also not only traveling to China but traveling without my Parents that was also a first for me.