‘Once-In-A-Lifetime' Adventure

When school starts in the coming weeks, two area high school students will have no problem writing essays about what they did during summer vacation.

Patrick Turner, a rising junior at Harrisonburg High School, and Jeremy Everitt, a rising senior at Spotswood High School, both 16, spent more than two weeks this summer on a "once-in-a-lifetime" adventure.

From June 25 to July 11, the teens were among a group of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland youth who traveled throughout China with the People to People Student Ambassador Program, an educational travel provider. Both teens say the trip broadened their horizons and gave them a greater respect for different cultures. It's a journey they say they will never forget. A Letter Started It All

It all started last fall, when the boys each received a letter in the mail from People to People informing them they'd been nominated to go to China. Turner and Everitt say they were both a bit skeptical about the letter, but they wanted to find out more before dismissing the whole thing.

The two, along with their parents, attended an informational meeting about People to People. During that session, they heard from other students who shared stories about their experiences traveling with the program. After that, both boys were hooked. They were eager to see the sites of China, one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations. They pictured themselves walking along the Great Wall, taking in the awesomeness of Tiananmen Square and admiring the craftsmanship of the Terracotta Army. The only problem was the trip cost about $7,000 and neither had the money to pay for it. Teens Raised Money

Turner did fundraisers to get the money for his trip.

He sent letters to local businesses, family and friends requesting donations. He and his parents also did a "pink flamingo fundraiser," which involves putting the tacky plastic birds in people's yards and asking for donations to have them removed. Everitt tried requesting money from local businesses, but he said that didn't go so well. Instead, he collected old cell phones and sent them to a company to be recycled, which earned him about $1.50 per phone. Everitt's parents agreed to put the remaining cost of the trip on a charge card, and now he's working as a lifeguard at Massanutten to pay it off.

"I've always wanted to go to China since I was a little kid," said Everitt, the son of Paul and Sylvia Everitt of Massanutten. "I wanted to see the Great Wall and all the major attractions." Trip Fun & Educational

Neither Turner nor Everitt had ever been so far away from their families for such a long period of time. Both were a little nervous when they boarded the plane in Dulles that would take them halfway around the world. But that nervousness quickly turned into excitement when they landed in China.

Their trip was packed with action and included not only tours of famous sites, like the Forbidden City, but also a myriad of educational opportunities. They saw silk making, traditional cooking, martial arts, painting and the opera. They also lived with a Chinese family for a day.

"We did so many things," said Turner, the son of David and Meredith Turner of Harrisonburg. "I feel really fortunate that I got to experience all that." Everitt's mother said the trip had a noticeable impact on her son and she's grateful he was able to take advantage of the opportunity. "[Jeremy] has grown up so much since the trip; it's actually quite nice to see," said Sylvia Everitt. "They thoroughly enjoyed it so much; they learned so much." Turner's mother said the trip opened her son's eyes to China's long history and enduring culture.