“We often don’t recognise the value of something or someone until they’re no longer ours.” The value of the Nanjing trip in April 2026 was unfathomable to me. The planning of my friend group to join XNE was one of the best decisions I remain adamant about.
I still remember the excitement that sparked inside me from our school to the airport.
All I could think about was “This is going to be so much fun,” and it was far from that; it was extraordinary. The memories captured in my phone will remain some of the best.
nanjing
I can still remember the joy of everyone when we got to the dorms. It was way better than we all expected; it was like living at a hotel. We were skipping across the dorm hall, rejoicing in how great it was.
My roommate was Kris; we modified our room to have more space and look the nice and clean.
Kris and I were a part of a Nanjing group, which was called Trigault, named after the Jesuit Nicolas Trigault. I was nervous about if our group would get along, but my worries subsided when we had our first prayer circle together. It was fun to know each other, and after that I would look forward to every other prayer circle, even though it meant going to sleep late. It was a lot of fun to bond with them over random questions and then have fun in the halls after. I just wish we could have one last prayer circle.
The next day after we settled in our dorms, we had an opening ceremony, and it took so long we were losing our minds.
Every week we would have a three-hour Chinese class in the morning, teaching us useful terms to help us converse with the locals, but it was still hard to converse properly.
Afterwards, we would have a break, then a class teaching us about the culture of China and giving us activities to further enrich ourselves in their culture.
Like making panda fans, decorating accessories, playing Mahjong, building wooden models, learning how to use a 3D pen, and learning how to play Diablo.
excursions
Every other day, when we didn’t have classes, we would go on mini field trips.
It would be to malls, famous places, culture festival, lantern festival and breathtaking views.
Traveling to different Chinese Heritage Museum,
learning about Nanjing’s historic past and certain important figures.
It was literally breathtaking when we went to the purple mountain peak; we were exhausted because it was one of the hottest days in Nanjing.
We went to the biggest zoo I have gone to and saw all kinds of animals it had to offer.
On Sundays we would go to Xin Jie Kou,
there would be multiple malls for us to go to and spend our allowance.
Before the day would end, we would go to a church nearby, and it would have the most beautiful choir performance ever.
We travelled either by bus or train; most of the time, the train would be so cramped that sometimes people would be left behind.
food trip
Every time we would travel by bus to a location, lunchtime would always be at a table with a lazy susan on top.
The restaurants would serve local delicacies, and they would be dishes I’d never seen before. I personally also waited for mango sago to appear, but it never did. Leaving a hole in my heart that was never filled with mango sago.
When we would stay in the dorms, we would get a similar breakfast of dumplings and different variations of carbs.
At lunchtime, we usually get served duck and other types of meats we couldn’t identify with vegetables. Ending the day with dinner in a classroom, if we were lucky, we would get served McDonald’s or KFC for our dinner.
Most days we would have free time, and we would just knock on each other’s dorm rooms to play cards, play mahjong or just hang out in the hallways.
And if we’re on our best behaviour, our advisors would let us go on a perimeter walk, and we would eat in local stores or buy snacks for our dorms.
My friend, Donn, and I would always buy ice cream, and it would taste sublime.
hangzhou
After 21 days in Nanjing, we had our closing ceremony. Rewarding people medals and certificates for their acts during our trip. Our last night in the dorms had us realise the memories we made the past few weeks and that our XNE trip is almost to a close. The next day, we travelled to Hangzhou by bus. Entering our hotel room, inspecting how large it is compared to our dorm room, we rejoiced once again in the halls.
Going on a boat the next day to island hop and hiking a steep mountain and sliding down via grass skiing. Afterwards, we went back to our hotel to have mass and go to sleep in comfy beds. After three days in Hangzhou, we travelled to Shanghai by bus.
shanghai
When we got to our hotel, we noticed how creepy it looked inside the halls and in the rooms. Nonetheless, I tried my hardest to sleep, not because it was creepy inside the room, but because we were going to Disneyland the next day.
Unfortunately for us, what was supposed to be the happiest day of the trip had the coldest and strongest rainfall we ever experienced during our stay.
We even bought matching T-shirts for Disneyland, which was heavily covered with a hoodie and a raincoat.
Even though the weather wasn’t in our favour, we still had a lot of fun. Riding Tron, Rex’s Racer, the Seven Dwarf Mine train, Battle for the Sunken Treasure, and Roaring Rapids;
and even eating a massive turkey leg, which was scrumptious.
Then riding Tron for one last time and running to the souvenir shop before we have to travel back to our hotel.
Luckily, we were able to watch the famous firework show, ending our night with a sentimental atmosphere.
The next day, we barely made it to morning attendance, which was really early in the morning. Riding the bus to the airport, knowing all of us wanted to extend the trip. Flying to Guangzhou for our connecting flight. Landing in the Philippines, getting greeted by the hot atmosphere, and recognising that our XNE trip was over.
Saying goodbye to our XSJ friends and getting on the bus back to XSN. Everyone was getting ready to say goodbye. Arriving at XSN, seeing our family members out our windows, we got off to hug them. And it hit; most got emotional saying goodbye to each other, sealing the end of trip once and for all.
final thoughts
Overall, this XNE trip has given me multiple insights on living away from my family and the different hardships one has to go through after being on their own. Keeping track of one’s expenses, traveling the world of its beautiful landmarks, making unexpected friends along the way, and missing your family’s presence. After living with my friends and schoolmates for a whole month, learning different Chinese topics, eating a vast variety of food, experiencing the same events; it truly bonds you together. Even though I was in a different country, always had this feeling that I was at home in the Philippines because of the people that surrounded me. In the future, I wish to be able to be given another opportunity to go on a trip similar to this again, because it was one of the best 28 days of my life.
Live an Awesome Life,
Raphael Diaz
Disclosure: This article was written entirely by a human—reflecting my own biases, opinions, and insights—with grammar and clarity checked using AI assistance. We paid for our Nanjing Trip.
p.s. here are interesting photos of mall bathroom in the China.
