Soon we will board yet another plane and head to our final destination in China: Henan province. Once there, we'll meet again with all of the students and sponsors involved in this year's Chinese Bridge summer camp. After six days of Kung Fu in the mornings and Kung Fu in the afternoons, we'll have a closing ceremony to showcase everything our students have learned in classes in provinces all over the country in the last two weeks, and of course what they have learned from the master at Shaolin temple in Henan.
We're washing clothes and cramming souvenirs and gifts into luggage to get ready for the last leg of our adventure. Students and teachers are hot and tired and ready for a new venue. We're hopeful for a really positive week in Henan, and that students will have made important connections with China, the people, the food, and the language.
Many apologies for limited updates. I have thoughts and stories and photos to share, and will update all that you've missed in between our limited days on the inter net as soon as we're back in the states.
Despite many challenges, we are all safe, and working toegether to finish well. We're all grateful for prayers and support!
26 July 2008
24 July 2008
china, again
hey all, we are all beginning to prepare for our Chinese presentations. they include making a speech of 3 or more sentences(in Chinese of course) and then showing off some"talents" that all Americans supposedly possess and are willing to parade in public. tai chi is going somewhat better, meaning that all of us have at least the 1st part of the 1st half down and maybe the second part of the end down. that made so much sense, right? we went to the Huxian art exhibition yesterday(24th) and most of us bought paintings. then we all ordered pizza hut. that was fun. American food never tasted better. most of the guys ordered 2 or 3 pizzas a piece, ate them all, then were sick the rest of the afternoon. i hate to say that it was entertaining, but it was really quite funny. we went to the shaanxi history museum after the "American pizza fest". we took pictures and mostly wandered(or tottered, depending how much pizza the person ate) around aimlessly looking at exhibits. we'll be preparing for leaving Xi An pretty soon to got to Henan.
i think that covers everything,
hh
i think that covers everything,
hh
21 July 2008
China....
Update! 1st of all be amazed that we have had internet access 2 days in a row and have been able to use it! That's a very abnormal occurrence in the world of Xi An Bodi School. Anyway, there's nothing much to tell except that life went on as usual; classes were long(but informative), the majority of our group seemed ready to fall asleep, and we all(w/ the exception of me) are ready for the rain to "come again some other day" if not never. On second thought, last night (Monday the 21st) some of us had a pretty cool experience. We (5 or 6 Americans) attended an English summer camp attended by Chinese high school graduates/university students presentation. Quite a mouthful, eh? Anyway we all went with some friends that we'd made during the Saturday night "get-to-know-you" session. It wasn't a huuuuge thing, but it was cool because we got to interact with the Chinese youth in a way that would not have been possible had we just said hi, got their email addresses and moved on. It was, in a very subtle-barely obvious way, a global interaction (is that the right word?) that afforded the kids who went a view of foreign teenagers as themselves;having fun. What else..........? Um, I think that's all right now, but will update when there is more news or when i have another chance to use the internet.
Bye all,
HH
Bye all,
HH
20 July 2008
more china
hey again, more china trip update coming at you.
its monday, the 21st and i'm typing this post as it rains, again, for the millionth time. rain is cool but it gets a little old after a while. anyway, back to china. yesterday the whole group was handed out to chinese teenagers to experience Xi An from a teenagers perspective. at 8 ish(am) we headed out to explore the unknown. my host and i ended up hanging out with another 2 hosts and their american buddies. that made it a lot easier to communicate especially since one of the american spoke chinese fluently. we pretty much just went clothes, jewelry, and knicknack shop in addition to being offered food every other hour. and trust me this can get just a little annoying after a while; especially if shopping isn't your thing and you don't know how to say so in chinese. so the whole day goes by like that, we walk,take taxis,ride buses, and /or ride this carraige attached to a motorcycle thing(very fun if i might add) to all the places and then we get back to the dorms and crash(sleep). the night before that (the 19th) we met other chinese teeenages who were staying on campus for an english camp. i ended up being invited to take part in one of their night classes. it was the english interview class and was taught (of course and to my relief) in english. the chinese students i sat with were extremely friendly. their english was impeccable and the whole experience that night was something i will always remember.
that's all for now,
zai jian,
hh
its monday, the 21st and i'm typing this post as it rains, again, for the millionth time. rain is cool but it gets a little old after a while. anyway, back to china. yesterday the whole group was handed out to chinese teenagers to experience Xi An from a teenagers perspective. at 8 ish(am) we headed out to explore the unknown. my host and i ended up hanging out with another 2 hosts and their american buddies. that made it a lot easier to communicate especially since one of the american spoke chinese fluently. we pretty much just went clothes, jewelry, and knicknack shop in addition to being offered food every other hour. and trust me this can get just a little annoying after a while; especially if shopping isn't your thing and you don't know how to say so in chinese. so the whole day goes by like that, we walk,take taxis,ride buses, and /or ride this carraige attached to a motorcycle thing(very fun if i might add) to all the places and then we get back to the dorms and crash(sleep). the night before that (the 19th) we met other chinese teeenages who were staying on campus for an english camp. i ended up being invited to take part in one of their night classes. it was the english interview class and was taught (of course and to my relief) in english. the chinese students i sat with were extremely friendly. their english was impeccable and the whole experience that night was something i will always remember.
that's all for now,
zai jian,
hh
19 July 2008
Liquid
Our first day of traveling was filled with delays, but we were grateful mechanical problems could be repaired and no disembarking was necessary. If not an omen, changes in schedule were a test, preparing us for the many changes in plans or expectations we would soon encounter. Students were surprised by squatty potty dorm bathrooms, small hard bunkbeds, and shared showers at the Beijing Foreign Language School where we stayed our first two nights in China. I was surprised by the way my stomach rejected Chinese food at breakfast, and by how strongly I was affected by disconnectedness to the USA.
We did receive promised calling cards, but many students had phones which rejected the calling ocdes or cards that had expired. They were a thoughtful gesture from gracious hosts, but didn't provide the international contact everyone desperately needed those first few days as foreigners. We were lost like Desmond between two time zones and having a hard time staying grounded without familiar contact. Our plans for posting blog content daily fell through when we learned we wouldn't even see a computer for about five days. Students are finding separation from family, facebook, t.v., and video games harder than imagined, and I find myself preaching flexibility and the power to be liquid fluidly moving where we're told, when we're told no matter how off the established track, so that we can find our way into the circle of communication which surrounds us.
We did receive promised calling cards, but many students had phones which rejected the calling ocdes or cards that had expired. They were a thoughtful gesture from gracious hosts, but didn't provide the international contact everyone desperately needed those first few days as foreigners. We were lost like Desmond between two time zones and having a hard time staying grounded without familiar contact. Our plans for posting blog content daily fell through when we learned we wouldn't even see a computer for about five days. Students are finding separation from family, facebook, t.v., and video games harder than imagined, and I find myself preaching flexibility and the power to be liquid fluidly moving where we're told, when we're told no matter how off the established track, so that we can find our way into the circle of communication which surrounds us.
Preface
Seven days ago I dried off my shampoo bottle, slipped it in a ziplock bag, and packed it away last. I zipped my upright, secrued the turquoise ribbon I hoped would ensure I saw the bag at the end of a 13 hour flight, and 20 minutes later hugged my sister good-bye at the Tulsa airport. At 5:30 am, we had our complete Tulsa group through security sitting at our boarding gate sizing up each other, uncertain about what the next 21 days would hold.
One thing we did know was that we had hours and hours of traveling ahead. Cabin fever set in early, but we all arrived in Beijing at 4:40 pm local time on Sunday July 13. And are now, a week later, filled with authentic Chinese food, packed with experiences to process, sore with muscles used to climb ancient walls, famous squares, and modern stairs in classroom buildings and dorms, and are settled into a remarkably fast paced schedule at a boarding school on the rural outskirts of Xi'an.
With limited internet access, I'm posting in a journal, and typing online as soon as possible. Read on. And see photos at www.picasaweb.com/jentufts26.
One thing we did know was that we had hours and hours of traveling ahead. Cabin fever set in early, but we all arrived in Beijing at 4:40 pm local time on Sunday July 13. And are now, a week later, filled with authentic Chinese food, packed with experiences to process, sore with muscles used to climb ancient walls, famous squares, and modern stairs in classroom buildings and dorms, and are settled into a remarkably fast paced schedule at a boarding school on the rural outskirts of Xi'an.
With limited internet access, I'm posting in a journal, and typing online as soon as possible. Read on. And see photos at www.picasaweb.com/jentufts26.
Ok we arived in China so far the only plane that didn't have any delays was the one from China to Xi An. They accually serched my bag in China b/c of a pill bottle full of quarters. We spent a total of 15 hours on that plane from Chicago to Beijing! We are having fun and seeing a lot of cool places here in Xi An. We have classes and also some Tai Chi and caligraphy and Chinese waist drums and Chinese ink painting and Chinese songs and more. I've taken tons of pictures also.
bye for now
bye for now
16 July 2008
China Trip
hey everybody, its me, haley with a china trip update.
to start off we(ok people) arrived in China tired but thrilled to finally have arrived in beijing. we had a chinese buffet type dinner immediately upon arrival and then went to an information session with the rest of the students who had arrived earlier. our rooms were cool. they had airconditioning which was very very appreciated. we(the ok people and the hawaii group) left for Xian on tuesday after having visited the great wall( i didn't realize that the wall was steps) and the forbidden city. the forbidden city was huge and it rained off and on during the day. the chinese people were hilarious. most either stared at us or asked for our picture which we obligingly gave. we are in xian now. the facilities are like that of a hotel.(2 beds, ac, balconies in some,private bathrooms) we visited the wild goose pagoda to see music water fountains. we ended up running through them to the delight(and horror) of the chinese people and our teachers. that's all for now,
zai jian,
hh
to start off we(ok people) arrived in China tired but thrilled to finally have arrived in beijing. we had a chinese buffet type dinner immediately upon arrival and then went to an information session with the rest of the students who had arrived earlier. our rooms were cool. they had airconditioning which was very very appreciated. we(the ok people and the hawaii group) left for Xian on tuesday after having visited the great wall( i didn't realize that the wall was steps) and the forbidden city. the forbidden city was huge and it rained off and on during the day. the chinese people were hilarious. most either stared at us or asked for our picture which we obligingly gave. we are in xian now. the facilities are like that of a hotel.(2 beds, ac, balconies in some,private bathrooms) we visited the wild goose pagoda to see music water fountains. we ended up running through them to the delight(and horror) of the chinese people and our teachers. that's all for now,
zai jian,
hh
10 July 2008
09 July 2008
Welcome!
We're three short days from boarding our international flight to Beijing. Campers, I hope you're checking your emails and logging in to announce yourselves soon! At three days and counting, I'm feverishly sorting through piles at work; packing and repacking essential t's, gifts, and sunscreen; practicing my conversational Chinese, reading about inter-cultural communication, and crossing off a long list of "to-do" with a thick, black Sharpie. Right now I'm slicing through "Post welcome message at ouchina blog" and it feels great! Welcome, campers, family, and friends. I can't wait to share this journey with you!
-Jennifer
-Jennifer
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