AN UNLIK FRIENDSHI At first glance, Jason Liu and David Trombold are different. Jason is from China, while David is from the United States. Jason is of Generation Z, while David is a Baby Boomer. Jason says he is a libertarian, while David is more conservative. Different in ways that may cause waves in other relationships. However, geography and Collegiate brought Jason and David together and gave them opportunities for shared experiences that have made those differences far less significant.
In 2014, Jason decided, for no particular reason (or at least not one he can remember), to come to the United States from China for high school. He found Collegiate through a school catalog, noting it “looked interesting, with lots of activities, clubs, and classes offered.” Despite his Foreign American English teacher’s warning that “there is nothing there” in Kansas, Jason came to Wichita Collegiate for high school.
despite the fact that he wasn’t part of the choir… yet. (Jason did join the following year, “probably because I was moved by it, seeing them sing in Italy.”) “Thought I might starve or something,” Jason joked, recalling he would have been home alone while David chaperoned the trip and Louise traveled elsewhere that week. When asked about the trip, Jason was quick to name Florence as a favorite destination. “I liked the architecture. Italy does a mighty fine job preserving. The Church of Santa Maria del Fiore was magnificent!” All of Italy, though, impressed Jason with its food. “They serve an appetizer, first entrée, second entrée, and dessert at every meal – definitely the highlight of the trip. And I stopped two or three times a day for gelato; probably spent quite a bit of money on gelato!”
"Differences are just that. Preferences are not right or wrong, just different."
David first came to know Jason the following year when Jason was a sophomore in his Chemistry class, but got to know him even better during an annual canoe trip for upper high school students. Jason had expressed interest in going on the trip, and it was then that Jason indicated he was looking for a place to stay his junior year. “I said my wife Louise and I were interested, and it worked out eventually that he came to stay with us.” While there are always adjustments, expectations, things that are important to establish and take care of when moving in with strangers (or even friends), David says Jason “fit right in.” “Seems like I get along with most kinds of people,” Jason says, and David completely agrees. “Jason’s really unique this way – I think he’s very adventurous and really likes to get involved.” Just as he was adventurous enough for a canoe trip with new people, Jason was adventurous enough to go on the biennial Italy Trip with the WCS Madrigals, 12
“Jason likes to eat and knows good food when he tastes it,” David says. Shared meals and new restaurants became opportunities for bonding between the two. They recommend Oh Yeah! China Bistro for its authentic Chinese cuisine, Yokohama Ramen Joint in Delano for good noodles, and Gangnam Korean Grill and Bar, “if you’re feeling carnivorous,” as Jason would say.
Another bonding opportunity – movies! Jason and David would watch movies together, choosing titles from lists on IMDB. Among the most memorable: Fight Club (“The first rule of Fight Club is we don’t talk about Fight Club,” Jason remembers.); The Shawshank Redemption; all of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies one Christmas break; and Sharknado (“wish we hadn’t seen that one,” they both agree). Beyond meals and movies, Jason and David both say the other opened doors for novel experiences during their time together. For Jason, going to church was something new. For David, he learned more about gardening from Jason, who has been “a tremendous help. He has logged more than 120 hours since his sophomore year helping in the garden. He loved to pick strawberries (and
