Teacher brings Chinese students to Blaine

By Jack Kintner

Blaine school teacher Mike Dahl and 30 local host families will be saying goodbye next week to the 29 students and two teachers from Chongqing Foreign Language School in Chongqing, China.

The visitors depart August 9, concluding what has become an annual three-week visit to Blaine from the large Chinese secondary school.
Chongqing, formerly known as “Chung King,” is roughly three thousand times the size of Blaine with its population of 39 million.

Despite that difference in size the ever-enthusiastic Dahl sees this as a working sister city opportunity. “The main goals of this exchange are promoting peace and cultural understanding. Hopefully a long-lasting friendship has been formed and will continue to grow between Blaine and Chongqing,” Dahl said.

The non-profit Cultural Homestay International sponsors the visits, and while in Blaine students are taught daily lessons in English each morning by Dahl and his wife Amanda, both teachers in the Blaine school district. 

Afternoon excursions have included rides on the Plover, tours of the city and municipal offices as well as local attractions like the Edaleen Dairy and the Mt. Baker area.