China Adventure

As a reward for our participation in the school anniversary celebration we were granted a week off from school to travel. As a group we decided to head south to Yunnan province where we spent 5 days visiting four cities and numerous tourist attractions. It was a great week and perhaps my favorite part of the trip was the time we spent in our mini-bus zooming down winding roads that took us through rice paddies, beautiful mountains and breathtaking valleys. Local restaurants display the produce they have so you can chose what you would like them to cook for you. [ These wind chimes hold the prayers of local people. Once a year young people go to butterfly park to look for their future husband or wife. The heart shaped pillows are thrown into the trees or hung on the post by single people hoping to find love. We spent one night in a replica of an ancient village. After dinner we participated in a traditional torch lighting ceremony and then danced the night away around the fire. Our guide, Jenny Lee. Stone Forest

For the past two months we have spent countless hours rehearsing for the school's 50th anniversary show. School officials thought it would be a wonderful idea to showcase the American kids on stage and so we (I was also given a role) attended practice 4 sometimes 5 times a week in preparation. In the show we all act / dance out the process of traveling to another country and being united with our host families. I also play the role of a student and my big moment is when I run slow motion across the stage into a slow motion hug with my new host brother (played by a 17 year old Chinese kid!) In an effort to make me more child-like I was given a horrible pink dress to wear. Although at times frustrating we were able to make it through the endless hours of stretching, dancing, practicing lines and finally the performances that took place this weekend at the Poly Theater in Beijing. We are now off for a much deserved 5 day trip to Yunnan province. The following pictures chronicle the journey to the final show last night.

It has been almost three months since I have arrived in Beijing and I thought it would be appropriate to share what my day to day life is like. I am busier than I have ever been and time is passing by way too quickly. Between school, time spent with my host family, rehearsal for the school's 50th anniversary show and a social life that has finally taken shape I have virtually no down time at all. Monday through Friday I wake up just after 6 and get ready for work. Around 6:45 I get a knock on my door signaling that breakfast (usually consisting of some combination of eggs, rice porridge, and a variety of stuffed buns) has been served. I then walk the 20 minutes or so to school and start classes at 8 a.m. School ends around 3:05, however we have practice for the anniversary show most days after school until 6:30. On days that we do not, Dorothy and I usually get out to explore some part of the city and have dinner together. Weekends recently have been spent convincing my host mother that if I am out after midnight I will not be in grave danger (she has at least stopped waiting up for me!) and going out with some of the really cool people I have met here.
Despite the hectic schedule and even though it is extremely difficult to explain why, I am finding myself falling in love with China. Beijing has more character than any other place I have been and despite the smog, wind, dust and crowded streets it never fails to amaze me. Each new neighborhood I explore and historic site we visit just adds to the impression that this city has left on me. With one month left in this journey I find myself wishing I had more time. The following pictures are the views from my apartment.
Teaching at the Jingshan school has been a wonderful experience. I have 10 classes per week, 6 groups of 6th graders, 1 group of 5th and 3 groups of high school kids. The younger children are challenging, although they already have an impressive level of English it is a constant challenge to keep their attention. With 45 students in a class it can be really hard and at times frustrating but when I walk down the hall and hear the chorus of "Hello, Ms S" it all somehow seems worth the effort. My high school classes are by far the high point of the week. We have done lessons on cultural stereotypes, Universities in the US, Pop culture trivia and have even spent time writing Haiku. The kids are interested and engaged and even laugh at my bad jokes. I will be sad to say goodbye to them.

b]The rest of these pictures are from sites we have visited along the way.[/b]

This past weekend Dorothy and I travelled to Shanghai. We took an overnight train on Friday and hit the ground running when we arrived at 7:30am. Throughout the weekend we enjoyed beautiful weather and the fact that spring had arrived making the gardens and parks come alive with flowering trees and new leaves. Most of our trip was spent up high; we braved the glass walkway of the Pearl TV station 1,500 feet off the ground, had dinner 58 floors up in the Jinbao tower, visited the world's hightest bar 88 stories off the ground and had brunch on the 38th floor of the Westin hotel. Needless to say the highlight of our trip was the amazing heights of this city in which skyscrapers reach as far as the eye can see. As in Beijing, Shanghai really comes alive at night when the neon lights of the city give the illusion of being in some sort of fantasy word.

This weekend we decided to escape the chaos of the city to explore some of the sites outside Beijing. I found a group online called "Beijing Hikers" and signed Dorothy and I up for a Sunday excursion to the mountains about an hour and a half drive outside of the city. We had beautiful weather which was very lucky considering the sand storm that wreaked havoc all day on Saturday, turning the sky orange and coating everything in a thin layer of yellow sand. Our group consisted of around 30 people from all over the world who had come to Beijing for an array of different reasons. We made our way through orchards, quarries, tiny villages, up to the top of the mountain and finally to the field of giant pagodas that were built over 600 years ago. It was a great day. We got to meet some really interesting people, get in a good workout and leave behind the crowds of the city, at least for a little while.