Days 7 and 8 by Mr. White

Mr. White's update

The day really was another one that made quite an impression on the group. These school visits make the Pathways to China program so unique. We are representing our country at these Chinese schools, and making friends with other teachers and students. We left the school yesterday articulating the hope that as time moves forward, we hope these students, the future leaders of our countries, will remain friends and maintain peace in the world

When we arrived at the school, we were greeted formally and brought to a function room where the headmaster and principal welcomed us in Chinese; the English teacher at the school translated. Then, the students sang, showed us their artwork, and demonstrated the art of Chinese paper cutting. Some of our students sang for them, including Martha who is very talented! We were given free time, and as Martha and Emma indicated, we were pulled into classrooms. I was brought to a classroom in which there was no teacher, apparently he was on break. The students were left to sit for a period alone...and so they put me up on the platform in front of the room and asked me to speak. They hung on every word I said. They are so curious about Americans, and they love to hear the English language spoken. Even more, they love to hear us sing. So I sat there in the front of a room with about 40 students all pleading with me to sing. I don't sing. But, they would not take "no" for an answer, and soon I was singing round after round of "Happy Birthday," plugging in random names of the Chinese students. Frankly, I felt like an idiot, but they cheered as though I was a superstar. I don't think my classes in Reading would appreciate it nearly as much.

It was then time for lunch; they have an hour and a half. . .this is something we need to adopt in our school. There were over 2,000 students all eating at the same time. It was interesting to see how unstructured the time was. They were allowed to eat outside, in the classrooms, or other places on the campus. The free time is important because they have a very long day. Although their day is longer, they do have much more free time. They have an hour and a half for lunch, plus a physical ed. class, and recess time. When I consider how many students in Reading are involved in after school clubs and activities that extend beyond the school day, I do not think we are as behind the Chinese in terms of the time we put into education as I thought coming into this trip. Students are certainly dedicated to their work, but I saw more balance of down time and work time than I expected. A major difference I saw is that only a small population, which is made up of the most gifted, are afforded the opportunity for an education. I also saw a lot of lessons that involved workbooks requiring answers to be filled in. There is not the discussion or student centered process of constructing knowledge that I see in our school system. I am proud to be a part of a system that works with the entire population, and not just those considered smart enough. I have seen so many of my students come into their own late in their high school education. We are very fortunate to have the system we do. I think they students on this trip now realize how fortunate they are to have the opportunity to receive an education and pursue their dreams. I wish I could channel this understanding to some students back at home who do not see how fortunate they are.

Later in the day we visited a Muslim Mosque. I did not realize that there was a Muslim population here, but apparently some settled here during the thriving silk trade. The Muslim Market in Xi'An is a place I could walk through for hours. . .there is so much to see and eat!

Info on the Mosque: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/great_mosque.htm

We went to bed early Wednesday night because we were up at 4:30 Thursday morning. I thought teens were in rough shape first period; 4:30am took it to a whole new level. Zombies making their way through the airport.

We arrived in Shanghai and took the "bullet train" from the airport to the city. It took us only 7 minutes because the train goes 267 miles per hour. It is the fastest train in the world. We went to a demonstration on silk making, which was fascinating. And then more food and entertainment. We boarded our boat at 7pm for an evening river cruise. The view of the city captivated us all. The architecture here is stunning. The lights on the buildings were like fireworks splashed across the skyline. What a great way to end the night.

Days 7 and 8 by Martha and Emma

Matti's blog about Xi'An rural school visit:

Today's school was a lot of fun. We got to talk to the kids and learn about them in a less formal setting than we did at the other school, which was nice. A lot of the kids kept asking me if I knew how to speak Chinese, even though I had told them a few times that I only know a few words. The first girl I talked to didn't know very much English, and we had a really hard time communicating. The second girl I talked to knew a little more English, and so did the three or four boys I talked to, but it seemed like the conversation went around in circles because they did not understand a lot of what I said and I didn't understand a lot of what they said. We also talked about where they live. The girls live in one building of dorms and the boys live in another building. They wondered when I was leaving, and if I was going to come back, and they were sad when I said I was leaving to go back to Boston on Saturday. They also seemed sad when we left the school. It rained, so we did not get to play any sports with them, but we had a performance in a room on the sixth floor of the school where a lot of kids performed songs, and there was a group that performed a poem. Hamish and Mike sang a song from Little Mermaid, and Cassandra and I sang Moment Like This by Kelly Clarkson, which we also sang at karaoke last night. A few of us thought we were being taken to the bathroom, but they took us to a classroom instead, where they made us sing the National Anthem, and finish putting verbs into sentences. One of the kids I talked to was having a hard time with a sentence from a worksheet, and we tried to answer it correctly, but there was only one answer out of the four choices that didn't make sense, so we had a really hard time. We ended up putting the worksheet away and talking instead because we could not figure it out. I think the kid answered it right, and the teacher told him the wrong answer, but I didn't want to tell him that his teacher was wrong. The other thing we talked about was QQ, and a couple of kids gave me their account numbers so that we can still talk. All in all, it was a really good day, and a really fun experience. Zaijian!

Emma's blog, same topic

Ni hao!
We're on our way back from the school near Xi'an. The school paired us up with a student and we spent time with them. First we went to their auditorium/meeting room. They had lots of kids play instruments, and one kid did kung fu. They had baskets of cucumbers and tomatoes on the table which tasted so good! These kids didn't speak English as well as the school in Beijing, so I had a harder time communicating, I used a lot of drawing and hand motions. She gave me a little blue notepad and I had her write her name in it. She also gave me her phone number and I gave her mine (so mom, if you get any calls from China, don't be surprised.=] ) We went into a classroom and some of the kids tried to talk to me. They all wrote notes in another little book and they gave it to me. One boy sang a song in the classroom, he was really good. Then we went to lunch where they gave me a bowl of three different vegetable/pork dishes, a bowl of rice, and a bowl of soup. There was so much food. Then they came around with a spicy roll. The girl kept telling me to eat. She showed me some of her drawings (which were AMAZING) She let me keep one of her anime drawing which also had a picture that she took. She took out a piece of string tied into a look and we played cat's cradle. Then she showed me two magic tricks she knew with the string. I learned one of them. I gave her the heart knot i learned to make at the Beijing school as well as the pens. When I left she kept telling me not to forget her. She followed me to the bus to say goodbye. This was one of my favorite days so far!
-Emma

Today we visited the terracotta army. As we were exiting the city we visited a factory that actually re-made terracotta soldiers. The process to make these replication soldiers included making clay and then molding it into the actual soldier. The soldiers then were fired in a oven. After stopping here we made our way to the sight to where the real soldiers were discovered. My expectations were overwhelmingly met. First of all, there were many many more soldier's then I expected, 1,000 were restored and there is believed to be around 8,000 in total. Also I really didn't realize how much work was put into making them, each soldier is slightly different and unique. I was unaware that the relics and weapons in the tomb were stolen and destroyed shortly after it's completion. Finally the archaeologists had found two bronze chariots that were preserved for over 2,000 years. The terracotta army was amazing and should definitely be considered a wonder of the world.
Peter Franchina

Days 5 and 6

We started Day 5 at the Temple of Heaven where we learned Tai Chi...I took some great video footage that you will be able to see at some point. We spent some down time in the Temple of Heaven watching the local Chinese people--senior citizens in particular--exercise. It is interesting to see how they exercise. The elderly dance in the park, play badminton, hackey sack, and, of course, perform Tai Chi. They were very welcoming and taught Peter some dance moves: I also have that on video. Blackmail.

Climbing the Great Wall was incredible. It is surreal to be standing on something built over 2,000 years ago. There was some smog, but most of the visibility was hindered by cloud cover; it was very humid. We would climb a section thinking we were going to the top level and then when we would reach that level, we could see more stairs leading into the clouds, and we realized we had more climbing ahead of us. Reaching the top was a challenge.

After a couple hours of climbing--and some very good ice cream, we were off to a Tea Tasting Ceremony.

We finished our day at the the Silk Market. It is like a flea market of stalls with some knock off items. The group had a lot of fun negotiating prices. One of the teachers who has been a number of times taught the group how to go about it. It was like being a character cast in a play. There was a whole order of rejecting, walking away, making facial expressions, and using Chinese phrases--which I wrote on my hand to remember--and then finally settling on a price.

Our dinner involved traditional dancing and food that represented a regional people: I do not remember the name off hand.

Day 6 was our flight. Imagine organizing 61 teenagers to get through airport security. We are on our toes at all times keeping things moving smoothly, but this group is making it manageable because everyone is being very cooperative. Our bus has a great mix of kids from all six schools. When we arrived in Xi'An, we went to the City Wall where we rented bicycles and rode around the whole city. The view was amazing and the weather is really nice. It is in the mid 70s and smoggy, but we are lathered in sunblock because you still can burn easily...it is deceiving. From the wall we went to a buffet lunch, and then we checked into our hotel, which is very nice and has an amazing location in the heart of the city. We went to a hotel where most students got a 70 minute foot or body massage for $20! They put a group of people in a room and each person gets a massage chair. After all the walking and carrying luggage around, it was the perfect way to relax. After dinner, we walked in the area around the hotel, and then had curfew at 10:00.

Today, we are on our way to see the Terracotta Warriors. More to follow from Peter.

Student reflections from Monday 4/20

My first days in China were great. i really liked going to the school and seeing kids my age and how they act and play just like i do. i also like how China's culture is so vibrant and how they take pride in how they are. I did not really like being in the big city just because I don't really like big cities. One thing that does get me mad is how bad the pollution is here. There are just blankets of smog all over the beautiful buildings. i do really like the food. I cant wait to see what it is like here, in XiAn.
Troy Jones

Yesterday was really fun. We went to the Temple of Heaven , and learned some Tai Chi. But the favorite part of my day was the Great Wall. It was a very tedious climb all the way up. The view from the top was very constricted by the smog. The smog is very annoying, and it is everywhere. It made the trip down the Great wall seem endless, because you could never really see the bottom. I am having lots of fun here in China, and I can't wait to see Shanghai.
--Ben Webb

The Great Wall was really awesome. It was even cooler in person than I expected. Climbing all the way up was tiring, but very worth it. You couldn't see too much because of the smog, but it was still an amazing feeling to be on top of that mountain. The steps were very worn, and you really got a sense of the history from that. The silk market was also really fun. The bargaining was entertaining and rewarding once you got it down to a satisfactory price. It was all knockoffs, but a fun experience. The culture of China is also really amazing, and you could really see it at the temple of heaven, with all the people dancing, playing instruments, and doing Tai Chi. Yesterday was really amazing.
-Mike McGlathery

DAY FOUR

What a day. I think every ounce of energy is drained from us. We left the hotel this morning at 7:00 and just made it back tonight at 9:00. We learned Tai Chi, learned about the craft of making Chinese vases, climbed The Great Wall, went to a lesson/tasting of Chinese teas, shopped on the "Silk Road," and had another good dinner. I am going to have a couple more students update with details tomorrow. We have to get up at 4:30 tomorrow morning to catch our flight, so everyone is going to bed, including me.

Today has been the best so far, in my opinion;I think the students will have a lot to write about it tomorrow. I do not know what to expect for internet service in Xian, so if the blog does not get updated soon, it is because we have to wait until Shanghai.

Everyone is happy and doing well.
-John White

Day three continued

I am signing out for the evening. We just completed room checks and everyone safe and exhausted, except Charlie McRae who is safe, but has a lot of energy. Martha and Emma were in the room journaling...I am very impressed. Nick C. and Peter blogged tonight. Nick D. is watching a movie, Mike, Ben and Troy all turned in early. Troy ate more exotic food today--the head of a fish. You can see the picture of him kissing it before he ate it. Nick D. and Peter are buying cheap communist party hats from vendors who accost us. I am going to run interference tomorrow between them and the vendors. All are happy and learning and growing. They are all being very mature and responsible. I am proud of this Reading group. Below is the link for pictures. Flat Will made a couple appearances.
Signing off,
John White

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7421576@N02/sets/72157616979858756/

DAY THREE - Some student updates

Hello,
My first few days in Beijing have been amazing. We do so much in one day. I've tried lots of new foods, from lotus root to scorpion. All of the architecture here is beautiful. There is so much detail, especially in the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, which we visited today. This morning, I saw the flag raising ceremony at sunrise. There were so many people, especially tourist groups that ran for the line to see Mao after it ended. Everyone here wants to take a picture of us. Today Matti and I were waiting in line for the dragon boats and this group of around ten chinese women came over asking to take pictures. Then they would switch and push each other out of the way. We must have taken ten different pictures. Everyone here is so nice. We went to the school and the girls played basketball with us. Today a little boy was asking me where I was from and if I liked the Summer Palace. His dad was telling him what to say and he repeated it to me. I can't wait to go to the rural school and meet more kids.
Zaijian!
Emma

So far China has been great. It's so different from the US, yet similar. The city look is similar and people are crazy drivers. The people are very different though and act like we are aliens and they always want to take pictures. Today at the Forbidden City, about 15 Chinese women grabbed us and had us take pictures with them. It was both flattering and awkward. Also on the topic of foreign relations, we are often stared at like we have 4 eyes on the street. People say "you handsome, I love you" and attempt to sell us some random product. It is quite a spectacle for us to be in a public place.

Today, day 3 in Beijing, we began our day at 8:00 am when we got on our tour bus and headed for the summer palace. Going to to the palace, I wasn't expecting a huge monument or grandeur royal area but man was I wrong. This place was spectacular. There was a wide walkway toward a wall and a pagoda. We then walked through the gate and came upon a huge lake overlooked by a massive buddist temple on a hill. The palace grounds were huge. The lake was big and the shoreline was lined with exquisite walkways and pagodas.


Nick and Charlie

Day Three

What a packed day we had today. Some members of the group got up early this morning and walked to Tienanmen Square where they watched a flag raising ceremony. I went for a run and ironically took years off my life . . .the smog is really bad here.

We again had a great breakfast and then were off to Summer Palace. This was beautiful...elaborate gardens, a lake, incredible architecture. We took a boat ride across the lake, and then we were off to a demonstration on fresh water pearls. We then headed to the Forbidden City and took in a great deal of Chinese history. It is interesting to consider over 3,000 years of history compared to hundreds of years of American history. I am going to leave more specifics for the students; I am going to bring the computer down for a couple of them to blog. Last night we ran into some Internet problems, so hopefully tonight some will be able to get on. I will upload some new pictures soon.
-John White

DAY TWO

We had an excellent day today. It is now 7:30pm, and we are back at the hotel after a feast, which featured Peking Duck. Our morning started with a very filling breakfast--everyone is eating more than we need--and then we headed to the "Number One Middle School" in Beijing (apparently they are not very modest given the name). We learned a Chinese craft of string art. I think Troy was the worst at the arts and crafts, and he had no problem admitting that it was not his forte! We then went to an English class where we listened to their lesson and then we joined a group of students and spoke with the children about American culture. They thought Americans did not get any homework and that we get paid big money for doing chores . . . we set them straight that not all of us have this experience. They were very intrigued by our culture; some even asked us about the effect of the economic crisis on our lives. We ate lunch in their cafeteria. Again, more food than any of us could eat.

The US Embassy was our next stop. Here we listened to and spoke with US diplomats about their positions with the Embassy. They had very interesting stories about their work with international students, granting Chinese visas and working with the US and Chinese press. They shared with us stories of being an American living in China. One thing they said is difficult is being considered "exotic." People are very intrigued by Americans; we have had our pictures taken many times.

Next it was to the Newbury Street of Beijing and then "snack street." I ate--we all ate--a scorpion. Actually Martha didn't. Everyone else was brave...or maybe stupid. It tasted like a potato chip...but I wouldn't say you "just can't have one." One was enough. After this appetizer, we were off to our dinner, which I already told you about. I have a bunch of pictures I am attaching.

Everyone is happy and really having an amazing trip. They all have big smiles on their faces and are taking in every moment. In fact, I think it is interesting to see them without cell phones. Everyone is much more present to the people they are with, rather than texting someone else. It is refreshing. I am going to have a student also blog each day to give their perspective. Emma will be the first, so look for blog in a couple of hours.

I hope this is working out so you can share in some of our experiences. And Flat Will did make a couple of appearances today...I will try to get some of his pictures uploaded as well. Here is the link for our pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7421576@N02/?saved=1

Signing off until tomorrow,
-John

DAY ONE - Beijing

We have safely arrived and just headed to our rooms for the night. Everyone is exhausted. It was difficult to sleep on the plane, so most of us are operating on little sleep. We had a walking tour of a neighborhood around Beijing and then we went to dinner. The challenge for the evening was eating with chopsticks. I think I am going to drop a couple of pounds over here.
Our hotel is nice, and the tour director is great. We have a full day planned for tomorrow. We are spending the morning at a local school where we will attend classes, take them on in a basketball game and eat lunch in their cafeteria. In the afternoon, we will be visiting the US Embassy and meeting with US Embassy workers who will talk to us about their work as well as the experience of living in China as an American. I will try to post more when I am more rested. I just wanted parents to know we are safe and everyone is doing well.

One day to departure!

We are one day away from our departure for China. This trip has been in the works for a year now. Nine students signed up, took two classes last summer, participated in the pre-trip activities (such as movie nights, a trip to Chinatown, pre-departure meetings), and they have individually prepared themselves for the opportunity of a lifetime.

As we prepare to leave, we are thankful to the school administration for its support, the Pathways to China Program managed by Burlington Public Schools, and our families. All have made this possible.

While we are in China, we will be updating this blog to bring friends and family news of our whereabouts and post pictures for all to see. We are unsure how often we will be able to access the internet, but when we do, we will post.

Also, we are being accompanied by a paper cut out boy called "Flat Will." Mrs. Burchill's 4th grade class at Killam Elementary is learning geography all year long by tracking the travels of their own "Flat Stanley" (Flat Stanley is a children's book.) Flat Will has traveled to New Mexico, Arizona,London, Florida, Washington DC and his culminating trip is China. Hopefully, we will be able to post pictures of Flat Will as he makes the journey with us. Thanks to Mrs. Burchill and her class for allowing us to spend this time with Will. Hopefully he has some rain gear and his passport is up to date.


Lastly, you can see our itinerary below. Thanks again to all of you for reading our blog. We are excited to share our stories and pictures with you as we explore China.
-Mr. John White

Itinerary
Day 1 > April 15 > Start Tour
Day 2 > April 16 > Ni Hao Beijing
Meet your Tour Director and check into hotel
Day 3 > April 17 > Beijing
Tiananmen Square
Local school visit
Forbidden City visit
Peking Duck dinner
A favorite dish of the emperors during the Ming Dynasty, Peking duck became available to the masses when a later dynasty collapsed and court chefs took their recipes to the streets. Indulge in spiced, crispy duck carved into strips and eaten on thin pancakes with cucumber, shallot, and plum sauce.
Day 4 > April 18 > Beijing
Tai-Chi Exercise
Summer Palace visit
"Snack Street" visit
Day 5 > April 19 > Great Wall
Travel to Great Wall of China
Stretching from Korea to the Gobi Desert, the Great Wall of China reaches 1,500 miles along old imperial borders. The wall was built mainly by millions of slaves, repairing and lengthening existing defensive walls throughout the centuries (the oldest dating back to the 5th century BC), until the massive structure was complete. Sentries posted at the stone watchtowers along its length could use smoke to signal an imminent attack.
Sacred Road
Day 6 > April 20 > Beijing--Xian
Fly to Xi'an
Bike the City Wall
Greater Wild Goose Pagoda visit
Day 7 > April 21 > Xi'an
School visit
Muslim Market visit
Mosque visit
Dumpling dinner
Day 8 > April 22 > Xi'an
Terra Cotta Warriors Museum
Tang Dynasty Singing and Dancing Show
Elaborate costumes, haunting rhythms, spectacular dexterity. The Tang Dynasty had a wide reputation for its dance performances, used by the Emperor Taizong not only for entertainment but also to educate citizens about civic duty and military readiness. At the art form's peak popularity, there were thousands of trained dancers kept in the emperor's court.
Day 9 > April 23 > Xian--Shanghai
Fly to Shanghai
French Concession walk
Yu Yuan Garden
Bund evening cruise
Day 10 > April 24 > Shanghai
Shanghai museum
Nanking Road
Acrobatic Show
Forget Cirque de Soleil -- Shanghai's Acrobatic Troupe has been performing for more than 50 years, and their combination of superb acrobatics, juggling, magic, and more has made them the world's best acrobatic ensemble.
Day 11 > April 25 > End Tour
High-speed train to airport