On October 2, the Asia Pacific Rim Development Program and Chinese Students and Scholars Association held a welcome picnic for new students and scholars.
In addition to welcoming new students and scholars, the picnic was a great opportunity for attendees to meet outside of the classroom or lab. Yanjun LIU, a medical student visiting from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said "the best part was playing games and meeting people." Xin FANG, a faculty medical education trainee from Baotou Medical College, said "at the picnic we got to know each other better. We could get in touch with our tutors and other Chinese students at UNMC. It was a really good experience." Jingjuan JU, from Wenzhou Medical University, agreed, saying that she made several new friends at the picnic. Chanjuan ZHAO, another trainee from Hainan Medical College, said "the picnic was a great opportunity to get to know students and faculty from all across China."
Xiaoxiao QI, a first-year PharmD student, enjoyed the "creative ice-breaking games." Qingfeng HE, another first-year PharmD student, also enjoyed the games. "I was captain of a team, so I felt responsible to lead my team to final glory… Although we came in second place, we still felt satisfied because we had gained happiness and friendship!" Yan Lin, a faculty trainee from Shantou University Medical College, said "even though I could not participate in the games, it was very exciting to watch them."
Others enjoyed being outside. Yixi HE, another student from Shanghai Jiao Tong, said "I enjoyed the environment—the grass, the trees, and the breeze." Weiwei ZHANG, a faculty medical education trainee from Chengdu Medical College, said "we enjoyed Omaha’s amazingly beautiful autumn scenery while playing games and making friends."
Fei WANG, a faculty trainee from the First Affilliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, said "I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable time than I had at the Sunday picnic. The scenery was beautiful, the people were nice, and conversations were entertaining."
The event was fun for senior students as well. Xin WEI, a fourth-year student in Pharmaceutical Sciences and an organizer of the event, said "I felt extremely happy when I saw the students and scholars enjoying themselves."
That day the Omaha Police Department was also holding an event nearby, which added to the fun of the picnic. A team of mounted police rode around the park, and the horses and their riders paused to meet the picnic goers. Also, a police helicopter circled the park before landing on the grass a few hundred feet away from the picnic area; this provided an interesting backdrop for photos.