Part 1: Pandas
We saw pandas today — awesome, cute and fascinating pandas. On our drive over, we learned the meaning behind the Chinese word for panda bear, or 熊猫 (Xiong Mao). The word for panda bear in Chinese roughly translates to ‘Bear Cat’ in English. Because they kind of look like bears and kind of look like cats. Anyways, a picture is worth a thousand words, so attached are photos of the cute bear cats. -Madison Kwan, Grade 10
Part 2: The Consulate
After we finished obsessing over the adorable pandas, we were brought from the zoo to the U.S. Consul General in Chengdu. After a 20-minute wait with Chinese security outside, we were permitted entry to the consulate (领事馆). We sat down and were given a interesting presentation on what the U.S. does in Chengdu and China as a whole, and what specifically, the role of the consulate is in Chengdu. It was super interesting how they deal with things such as religious freedom and human rights, and just getting to hear about how it’s done firsthand was an incredibly cool and unique experience. -Eon Kounalakis, Grade 11
Convent & Stuart Hall Travel 