DIS freshmen welcomed their soon-to-be friends from Asia American International Academy (AAIA) with open arms on Mar. 31. Seven students from Taiwan comprised the inaugural cohort of the exchange program for a week.

Partnership formed when AAIA reached out directly to DIS and requested to jumpstart this double endeavor. “The teachers said it was a student exchange program. I got to go to someone else’s house and they came to our houses and we could make new friends. I signed up because I wanted to make new friends and to experience life outside of just Taiwan,” Andrew Song, an AAIA student, said. 

Some connections stretched back long before the project. “Last year, when I went to Korea, I happened to be competing against Jio’s documentary group for NHD and that’s how we met. When I saw her name on the list of people, I was like, ‘I want her to be my partner,” said Peyton Tsai from AAIA.

The DIS freshmen also recognized some of their Taiwanese peers as well. “We didn’t talk much at all, but I definitely remember seeing the school there and their Nintendo project. I remember seeing freshmen from Taiwan and getting to talk to them about politics and other stuff,” said freshman Haydn Mangione. 

Although their time together in Korea was short, the DIS and AAIA freshmen revived old bonds and forged camaraderie with their new pals. “[I got to make] new friends, experience new things, and get away from my friends because they are all kinda dumb (just kidding),” Song said. Their excitement for Korean culture brought the project to success. 

However, unexpected challenges arose as both schools never organized dual trips before. “When we were downtown, [Evelyn] said that she didn’t feel well. My mom and I took her to the hospital, and she found out that she had caught the flu. Since influenza is very contagious, I contacted Mr. Jolly right away, and she stayed with her school chaperone for 4 days. I was upset, but I couldn’t really do anything so I just bore it,” Lee said. 

But the freshmen worked around the hardships and still concluded in a blast. Lee said, “Even with [Evelyn] not there, we stayed in contact. I checked in with her, and I asked if she felt alright and some other stuff. I don’t think the absence of my partner influenced all that much of our friendship; if anything, it kind of made us bond more. We knew that we missed the four days, and we knew we had to get back to each other and get closer.” 

As role models, the Jets provided AAIA with the best experience both on and off campus. On campus, DIS planned team activities and coordinated special schedules for both the Jets and their partners. 

Filled with a dab of Korean culture, the kids from Taipei relished in off-campus activities. They enjoyed shopping sprees at Shinsegae, as well as the trek to the trampoline park that sealed closer friendships with their local counterparts. The Jets also prepared cute sticker photo booth sessions to save the blissful moments to bring back home. 

Our community opened up and catered to the visitors. They gained experiences of the DIS identity, such as after-school activities and class projects. As the door opens for future travel exchanges, the Chinese department checks the 2024-2025 calendar to prioritize this transformative experience for rising ninth graders.