By Kristin Sommers (December 12, 2002)

For the second year in a row, 1995 George Mason graduate Jennifer Weise, now a teacher of English at Chongqing University in China, has sent pen pal letters to George Mason’s senior class. Again she was not disappointed. All 168 letters found a pen pal here and those pen pals have sent letters back to the University.
 

Smiles and surprises were the order of the day last week when students studying English at Chongqing University in China opened their pen pal letters from George Mason High Seniors. One hundred and sixty-eight Chinese students are corresponding with about 100 Mason seniors. The program not only improves the Chinese students’ English, it also creates good will between the two countries. (photos by Jennifer Weise)

Weise started this program to help her students to learn to read and write better. But her former English teacher, Michael Hoover, here at Mason said that Weise is "being an ambassador of good will between China and America." 

"Those letters represent far more than a writing exercise, they’re small symbols of friendship," continued Hoover who helped find the American pen pals among this year’s senior class.

Weise echoed these sentiments by saying that her aim is "to set the process of cross-cultural communication in motion." In their letters the Chinese students sent small gifts such as phone cards, Chinese money, pictures, origami and good luck charms. Senior Michael Miller said that he "got a good luck charm. I was excited about getting a gift and learning about their culture." 

In turn, Mason seniors sent gifts back including American coins, graduation photos , Listerine breath strips among other paraphernalia.

Senior Jenny Davis said that she joined in the program because she was "interested in other cultures and how their daily life compares to ours." Senior Katie Rosenburger shared similar views; she "thought it would be fun to write to someone from another country." 

The program started as a surprise last year when Weise sent the letters to Mason, positive that there would be students there for her pen-pal program. "As a graduate of GM," said Weise "I know the school well and feel a close connection to it. I feel my students would be fortunate to be corresponding with you all." Both years there have been more Chinese pen pals than George Mason seniors, but every student was covered, even if some Mason seniors have had to write two or three letters. 

Weise thought of the seniors of George Mason because she "thought it would be most effective if my students could exchange letters with people close to them in age." She also knew that Mr. Hoover would be able to start the program in motion. Hopefully this program will continue for many years to come because it not only helps students learn about people from another culture, it also helps them learn about themselves and what they want to show people of another culture about their own.

"Tai xie xie ni le," ("I appreciate you so much.") wrote Weise last week after her students received the first bundle of letters back from the Mason seniors.