We made it... barely!

After 2 hours of check-in, immigration, and security, we are on our flight! No ticket errors this time around- thank goodness! We are going to leave early- in the next 5 minutes.

Our window in Detroit is very narrow for customs, immigration, and reboarding. Hopefully you hear from us, but if not, it's because we're sprinting to our gate!

So close to HOME :) Can't wait!

I love China because...

Abby - everybody is super, super friendly

Thomas - I'm a celebrity here! Everybody wants pics.

Sam - everyone goes out of their way to help you

Nathan - the basics of ancient guidelines still apply

Tina - everything is so different, stuff is really cheap- it's fun to bargain!

Kelsey - of its diverse culture and the new experiences I've had

Ana - the people are extremely kind and welcoming. And the rafting!

Joe - the people are so welcoming

John - of the calf workout since you walk everywhere (just kidding!) because you can get cool stuff really cheap everywhere

Maddie - the food and shopping

Mr. Kline - of the good people and good friends

Cam - of the great people

Katie - of the style of eating

Miss Anderson - of the rich cultural history and beautiful sights

Last day in China. And the Netherlands. And Romania. And Canada. And...

It's hard to believe that we got off the train this morning. What a day it has been! We were all bummed that we were going to go through yet another full day after the train. We hiked all the way up the Great Wall, now we can't shower? So gross, but I guess we're used to it?

But then, a glimmer of hope. Our tour guide, Angela, picked us up at the train station and said we would be eating breakfast at our hotel. So we could leave our bags at the desk and not take them on the bus all day. Is it possible that our rooms might be ready? YES! At 9 o'clock, all but two rooms, currently being cleaned, were ready! As Thomas said, "This is the best surprise of the entire trip!" Many of the kids agreed. Apparently a shower trumps being on a Chinese game show- who knew.

We met in the lobby at 10 to head over to the Expo. Everyone was still a little tired, but at least refreshed. We took the bus over to a subway drop off. Shanghai built a brand new subway line just for the Expo- which few people use. It was nice to go through security and not have a large crowd! The subway has two stops: one at Puxi and the other at Pudong. Puxi has the smaller section of the Expo, which houses the corporate pavilions as well as many of the Chinese theme pavilions. We took the subway to the Pudong side, which had Zones A,B, and C- the country pavilions.

We arrived around 11 and the park opens at 9- it was already hopping. The Expo sees 400,000 to 500,000 people each day. It was crowded, but only really bad in certain areas. We arranged a meeting spot at 5 o'clock, then everyone took off. So-and-so was going this way with this person and the next thing you know, I'm breaking the rules & I'm by myself.

I love everyone on this trip, but, to be fair, I had a wonderful time exploring on my own. Some of the students wanted to visit certain country pavilions and go inside. I just wanted to see EVERYTHING and enjoy the unique architecture. I walked around the entire Pudong area and took pictures of all the cool buildings. I got to see the Asia, Europe, and the Americas sections. The entire time, I was stared at and stopped by people to take pictures with them, as were many of the students. Kelsey and Tina counted over 100 pictures taken- either with them or without asking! The Expo is such a popular place for tourists, yet they still love Americans!

Well I turned this into a little game. As I met new people and talked with them, I was from a different place each time- I'm a terrible person. Today I was from the US, Canada, England, Australia... then I cut the bad accents and spoke horrendous German and Spanish. It was rather entertaining for me, anyway!

After all the walking, picture taking and messing with people, I figured most of the day was gone- it was only 1:30! I had seen each building, but certainly thought it would take much longer! I decided to make the loop yet again, but this time went into the larger, multi-country pavilions that did not have lines. My goal was to keep on walking and not stand in lines at all today. I went to the Central/South America pavilion, the Africa pavilion, and the Pacific Islands pavilion. After another two and a half some hours, I got a late lunch/early dinner.

Now I'm not going to lie, I really didn't do my research going into the Expo. I didn't know much about it. I knew about the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis and the debut of the Arch. I also knew that this is the place where the waffle cone was accidentally invented. Sad, but true- this is how ignorant I was. I wasn't really looking forward to it because I knew nothing about it or what to expect- the only thing I heard about were the lines.

Today I was pleasantly surprised. Was this my favorite thing ever? No. Favorite part of the trip? No. But it far exceeded my expectations. I loved the construction and the national pride. New Zealand was a fan favorite- it was a beautiful building covered in vegetation with their stage right out front for anyone, standing in line or not, to see. It was a constant party. Spain's pavilion was covered in woven wooden mats- very unique. Saudi Arabia spent $1 billion on their pavilion. I thought the lines for the US, Canada, and Great Britain were bad, then I saw the lines for China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia- it had to take at LEAST 3 hours to get into those buildings. The line for Turkish ice cream was ridiculous, but that was one line I wouldn't pass up since it was recommended by the Travel channel. I have never had anything like it.

The students absolutely loved the Expo. The girls bought a lot of jewelry at the Africa pavilion. The boys waited in line and got to check out the USA pavilion ("It was good- but extremely liberal!"). Other favorites included Canada, the Netherlands, and Russia. It will be fun to hear more stories and experiences when everyone returns home!

We are in for the night. Many of the girls are spending the last of their yuan (RMB) on foot massages at the hotel! My only regret on this trip: I didn't bring a pedometer!

Our wake up call is at 6, breakfast at 6:30, and departure for the airport at 7. Our flight leaves Shanghai at 10 AM and we get into Cleveland at 2:45 PM- only a 4 hour and 45 minute flight! ;) I'll keep telling myself that. It's been a wonderful trip, but we are all exhausted and ready for the comforts of home. Have a wonderful day- we'll see you in a few (x10) hours!


Other random pieces of information about the Expo:
- Only 5 buildings will remain standing after the Expo- the Expo Axis, Theme Pavilion, the Expo Culture Center, the Expo Center, and the China Pavilion. The rest will be dismantled by their respective countries and brought home. The land will be used as a business center.
- I have never seen so many people push and shove in my life. Lines don't matter and if a small child were in the way, so what?
- It was hard to take your time and learn about each country when people were in a hurry to get a stamp from that nation for their fake Expo passport. Cute, but it made each line even deadlier.
- The Netherlands building was the shape of a tulip.
- You could ride a bike through the Denmark pavilion. They also had a replica of the mermaid statue.
- Switzerland "built" the Alps on the top of their building. You could ride a ski lift around the top.
- Romania's building was a giant green apple.
- Finland's pavilion was a popular spot- they had saunas inside.
- Belgium was even more popular, thanks to the beer bar inside.
- Shortest lines? North Korea, Iraq, Iran, and some of the European joint pavilion countries (Georgia, Montenegro)
- Japan's pavilion looked like a giant purple jelly bean with purple trumpets sticking out of it. There is no other way to describe it.
- The mascot of this Expo is referred to as "the Chinese Gumby." He really is Gumby, but blue instead of green.

Back in Shanghai!

We made it safely back to Shanghai. At breakfast right now, then off to the Expo. No idea what to expect for today!

The Great Wall and Strange Roommates

It was so nice to sleep in this morning and enjoy the nice hotel! We slept until 9, had breakfast, then were off by 10. The weather was perfect for the Wall- cloudy and cool. It took 1 hour 30 minutes to get there, even though rush hour was technically over- that's what happens with 5 million cars on the road!

The Great Wall is breathtaking. You see pictures of it and you try to imagine exactly how it would look, but it still impresses you. Contrary to popular belief, it cannot be seen from space with the naked eye. However, this ancient military structure still draws people from all over the world. I wish I could put into words how grand it is.

Construction began in 221 B.C., after China's principalities united. New sections were linked together and old sections of city walls were joined as well. It was necessary to maintain the wall for military reasons, but over time, it started to wear out. Only the section constructed during the Ming Dynasty, the second to last dynasty, is well preserved.

We took a group picture at the base with a Chagrin Falls banner. Then, there were 2 hours to climb. We had the opportunity to hike the highest, steepest point of the Wall. All but 4 students opted for the steep hike. Toward the beginning, it was so crowded! Teens, children, the elderly- everyone was climbing! Some areas were about 30 feet wide, others just a yard. There were ramps in some spots and some very steep stairs on others, where you practically crawled.

As we trekked higher and higher, we got further into the clouds. It wasn't raining, but you could feel the mist on your skin. There were fewer and fewer people making it. It's lonely at the top! Mr. Kline left everyone in the dust- he went up then right back down. I made it in about 45 minutes, then waited for about 10 minutes for Mrs. Guan, Abby, Ana, Maddie, and Katies. We all took pictures and signed our names on the stone. Two guys came up right after that- they had trombones strapped on their backs. We had a nice little impromptu brass concert! Everyone loved it! Right after that, Nathan, Cam, Tina, and Kelsey made it. We asked where the other boys were and they decided to hike on the other side of the Wall. We took a group picture, then had to book it down the mountain in 45 minutes! It is hard work going up the Wall, but much scarier going down! A couple people were slipping, but we all made it in 40 minutes.

We went to lunch at a restaurant located close to the wall. It had a factory where they made vases, jewelry boxes, and pretty hand-painted bracelets.

Next we went to a jade carving factory. We got to see how they carve the stone and determine the quality. Some of the work was VERY ornate and takes a very long time to make. We had fun looking at the jewelry and pricing the large jade sculptures- some were $200,000! It was fun to see the whole process from start to beautiful finish.

On the way back from the Wall, we had the chance to stop at the Olympic Park just north of the city. We saw the Water Cube (swimming pool) and Bird's Nest (track). The architecture is amazing. I don't know how anyone would figure out how to design it and put it all together!

We had a lot of time before our train left at 9:46, so we decided last minute to see a kung fu show. I didn't get everyone's review, but overall the students enjoyed it. They did all kinds of moves and hung from fabric and wires. I thought the little kids in it were the most impressive- they didn't do handsprings- they flipped over on just their heads!

We ducked out right before the final scene to make our train on time- and barely made it! One of us got held up at security, then the tickets were odd: two rooms have 4 Chagrin students and are in one car. The rest of us are all spread out! I am currently writing from the top bunk with two odd Chinese men trying to sleep. Abby left to sleep in the cafe car with Cam and Maddie, who are on the top bunks in the room next door. Oh well. My room smells kind of funny, but at least it will be quiet? What a strange end to the day.

In the morning we will go to breakfast then head out to the Expo. We've heard that some buildings have lines 4 to 5 hours long, so it will be an all-day event for the sleep and shower-deprived students. Hopefully they'll be in good spirits!

Can't believe tomorrow is the last day. We've been looking forward to this for so long, now it is coming to an end! I think everyone is ready for home though.

Hope you all have a great day!

"Chairman Mao was a very, very great man"

Our tour guide, Jack told us that Beijing is at least a 4 day, 3 night trip in order to fill everything in. We are here for two days and one night. Needless to say, we are all tired after a busy, busy day.

Jack picked us up at the train station this morning at 7:30. We were a little slow moving, a preview of how the day was going to go. We went straight to a restaurant to have a traditional Cantonese/Hong Kong breakfast. It would have made a great dinner. The porridge was like a thick chicken and rice soup, we had dumplings, BBQ pork filled steam bread, and one really great bread that tasted like a cinnamon muffin. There were other things that I can't remember because there was no way I would eat it for breakfast :) Many of the students started talking about cold milk and Apple Jacks. Nathan suggested that "the next time we all come to China, we all need to pack one of those Fun Packs and share Smacks and Froot Loops!"

Cathy (Yaxin) Guan met us at breakfast. It was wonderful to have her with us today! She did not have any of the students for class, but has many of their younger brothers and sisters. She was very helpful and everyone loved her. We are excited to go to the Great Wall with her tomorrow!

Beijing means "north capital." It also has many nicknames, including "first capital" and "first traffic jam," which we learned rather quickly. The traffic here is insane- almost every road has 8 lanes, but they're all packed. People pull U-turns, drive the wrong way, and basically do everything you were taught not to do. Jack said there are 5 million cars on the road, but I would not be surprised if there were more. He also said that the average commute in Beijing, to work and back home, takes 4 hours! This happens because of the number of cars and how expensive it is getting to live in the city.

When we arrived, it was nice and cool, refreshing compared to last week's heat wave. It was a cloudy day, not ideal for taking pictures; however, it was not all the clouds because it was hazy too close to the ground. The smog here is really bad, making the visibility horrendous. You can't see for a distance and the tops of some buildings are tough to make out.

The first stop was Tian'amen Square. It is the largest city center in the world- larger than Times Square in NYC and the Red Square in Moscow. It is impressive. In one direction, there is The Great Hall of the People, which houses chambers of the government and boasts a 10,000 person banquet hall. Directly across the square is The National Museum of China. There is a lot about the 3 Beijing dynasties, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, as well as other history dating back thousands of years. Mao Tse-Tung's (sometimes Zedong?) Mausoleum looks like it is bigger than the Lincoln Memorial in DC. The Monuments to the People flank the entrance. Across from the Mausoleum is Mao himself- his portrait hangs from the front of the Tian'amen Tower. The square also has panoramic TV screens where you can learn about the history of China, as well as a remnant of the innermost part of the city gate. In the center of it all, there is a monument for Mao with some of his poetry on the side. As Jack said, "Chairman Mao was a very, very great man." They certainly seem to think so!!!

We moved through the entrance of the Tian'amen Tower to get to the Forbidden City. As you walk through, you are supposed to touch one of the 81 gold doorknobs for good luck. Why 81? 9 is a lucky number, so the doorways have knobs in multiples of 9 to keep bad luck out.

The Forbidden City was forbidden to the commoners, thus the name. The emperor, the royal family, and high-ranking government officials were allowed within the walls. It is, literally, a city. It keeps going and going- all that for one family! Construction started in 1406 and was completed in 1420. There are two things that make this unbelievable: 1) that they could build something so grand and expansive during the start of the 1400s and 2) that they could build something so grand and expansive in just 14 years. Every corner we turned and doorway we walked through, I just thought "WOW!"

We had the opportunity to see several sections of the City. I don't have a guidebook (and internet is 50 RMB in the hotel), so I cannot tell you the names of everything. We saw the main hall where the Golden Throne was located. The emperor sat there for ceremonies. Oh my goodness- you have not lived until you attempt to push through the crowd to see it! I have never seen so many angry little old ladies in my life! I was worried I was going to run over a small child from one of the school tour groups. Thankfully, I stand head and shoulders above everyone, so I still got a good view.

We also saw the inner palace, which was strictly for the emperor, the empress, the emperor's concubines, and the emperor's servants. In order to be a servant, the men had to be eunuchs, so the emperor knew that they would be loyal to him. Each emperor had at least 20-30 concubines! The emperors who did not accomplish much of anything during their reign had too much "leisure time" and are rumored to have had 3,000! The emperor had his own study quarters and room, the concubines had their own section, and the empress had her room connected to the wedding room, where their ceremony took place. All rooms had intricate details, many from the Qing Dynasty, like carved furniture, beautiful silk fabrics, and ornate glass and jade sculptures.

The last spot was the garden. The garden has trees that are hundreds of years old and little pavilions for each of the four seasons. Again, the detail was spectacular- such bright colors & great carving.

There were all kinds of other facts, but I'll spare you. I was a nerd today and couldn't get enough! Most the students, however, seemed pretty miserable 20 minutes in. It was difficult to get them to get up and move to the next place or to take interest in what was being said. Many were upset with how much walking it was- which makes me worry about the Wall tomorrow! We were all tired from the train and all DESPERATELY wanted to shower, but you do what you have to do.

After lunch, we knew that there would be too much time before hotel check-in as well as dinner. We needed something else to do, so I tried to ask Jack about the silk market that some of the students mentioned. I didn't know what it was called exactly and Jack didn't get what I was trying to explain, so we ended up at a silk mall- which we saw yesterday in Shanghai. I felt so bad for him and for the kids because of their genuine disinterest in seeing how it is made again. Some students loved shopping again, but overall, group morale was low. We were very tired at this point, wanting to shower & sleep.

We moved on and went to the Temple of Heaven. The temple and stairs around it are round to represent heaven, but the walls around the temple are square because they are on earth- Chinese culture uses the circle to represent heaven and the square for earth. It was really cool to see, but the history behind it is so bizarre. They used this temple to ask the god of the heavens to bless them with a good harvest. The emperor stood in the middle of a stone at the top of marble stairs. They made their plea to the god, then burned sacrifices around the stairs. Precious items like silk and jade were burned in cauldrons; animal sacrifices were burned on an altar. Everything was burned because the smoke would get to heaven faster. It's weird, if you ask me.

The temple itself was great- there is a picture of it when you look up "Beijing" on Wikipedia :) So much colorful paint and gold leaf detail! There is a blue tile tablet inside that says Tiantan, heaven, and has a prayer on it. The temple is surrounded by an echo wall. If you say something into it, the echo will wrap around the wall back to you. It was too crowded for that to work today.

We still had a little bit of time to kill, so we stopped at a tea house. This was awesome! We were given a formal tea ceremony for free. This explained the process of the ceremony, but basically was a good way to pitch the products. It worked! We got to sample 5 very different types of tea. Everywhere else we've been, people keep telling us what to buy because it's the best, but the students never get to try it. We all had a lot of fun and learned something new! With our tea & gifts, we left for dinner.

FINALLY we were able to go to the hotel. Oh was it worth the wait! The Jiang Xi Grand Hotel is grand indeed! The students faces lit up when they saw how nice it was :) We're bummed that we're only here for a night, but it was great to call it an early night so we could all get long showers and lounge around in the comfy robes and slippers! Hopefully everyone gets the rest they need for tomorrow morning!

Late departure- 10 AM- then Great Wall all day. We're hoping to add the Bird's Nest and Water Cube (Olympic Park) on the way back from the Wall tomorrow night.

Enjoy your day :)

Beijing Huan Ying Ni! (Beijing Welcomes You!)

Good morning! It's 6:35 AM and we will be arriving in Beijing shortly. I slept rather comfortably- after 4 teens kept running in and out of the room, trying to double up in the top bunks. Once we reach the train station, we will hit the ground running for our busy day. I will let you know what we encounter at the end of our day & the beginning of yours!

A train, some rain & a tough goodbye

Well, we are currently pulling away from the train station in Shanghai. It was a packed afternoon- which is good because it kept our minds off the emotional goodbye.

After posting this morning's blog, I slept the whole way to Shanghai. I didn't wake up until Coco came up to the front of the bus to talk to me. The city is so beautiful. Coco told me she always comes up here for vacation and pointed out some of her favorite spots.

We switched buses at the Yafan hotel, where we'll be staying in two days. I am so happy that the students grew so close in the last week, but it made for a sad goodbye. There were definitely tears as Andi begged to come with us in someone's suitcase and Blair pushed away after hugs. It makes it a little easier to know that we'll see each other in one month. It was a bittersweet goodbye because now we get to start the next part of the journey.

Our tour guide for Shanghai, Angela, met us at the hotel. She is, by far, the most knowledgeable and best English speaking guide we have had thus far. Plus, the boys LOVE that she is easy on the eyes ;) As we drove around Shanghai, she gave us a lot of great facts.

The city is so large and it seems like it will never end. There are 20 million people living in Shanghai and the number is growing at a rapid pace. There are fewer bikes and motorcycles here than in the south, but the traffic is so much better than Linhai and Hangzhou. Angela said that they refer to Shanghai as "The Jungle," much like we call our urban areas concrete jungles. There are over 2000 high rise buildings in Shanghai- and you can see all the cranes building more. The old districts are being destroyed to make room for all of them. The government will buy people out, then put them in an apartment of equal value, which means they won't live downtown anymore. Angela told us that the apartments in the northwest district cost roughly $7000 per square meter.

Our first stop was The Bund, an Indian name for the river bank. This waterfront location has the most famous view of the city skyline- where construction only started in 1990! Before that, that side of town was all rice paddies. They just finished the construction of tunnels under the river, which helped to reduce traffic across town. It was rainy (it's monsoon season) and we were very lucky to see all the buildings. They are typically covered by clouds during the daytime. Behind the Bund, we could see the British district of Shanghai, constructed after the Opium War in the mid 1800s over British trade rights in China.

Next we went to Old Town. Angela led us into the market and we stopped at a silk museum first. The kids really liked seeing the silk being made and getting to try the stretching out for themselves. They got to prep the silk, then work together to stretch it for a comforter. They had a shop there as well, so you knew you were buying the real thing.

While in Old Town, we had the choice of shopping for an hour or going to visit Yu Garden. Your children are shopping fanatics- Mr. Kline and I were the only ones who went to see the garden. It was BEAUTIFUL. The garden and the Lantern Zig-Zag Bridge leading up to it were originally private, then the government bought it out in the 1950s. It was built as a retirement home for a high ranking official's parents, but construction was not completed in time. We got to see Happy Fish Pavilion, the Magic Jade Stone, the international union trees (400 year old gingko and 100 year old magnolia, a symbol of Shanghai) and all of the residential parts of the estate. The furniture was unique to the Qing Dynasty era because it was large, had intricate patterns, and marble inlay.

We met the students at 5:15 and they were starving. We went to an early dinner at a Szechwan restaurant. It was my favorite meal since we've been here for a number of reasons: I like spicy food, nothing had eyes, and no one was smoking. It was a great meal & it was nice to see some Chinese food from a different region of the country.

We had a little more time before our train left, so we went to Nanjing Road. It's like Times Square and the Magnificent Mile combined. It is a one kilometer pedestrian shopping street. There were so many lights! It was nice to see it after dark. There were places to people watch, entertainers, and people trying to sell you fake Rolexes and Louis Vuitton wallets (our kids bought some of each). I FINALLY got decent coffee at a Starbucks :)

We got to the train station a little after 8. I have never been to the train stations in Europe, so I was very impressed with it. Security there is so-so, but apparently it's been beefed up for the Expo. There were SO MANY people in there, but we'll have to get used to it from here on out. Our train for Beijing left at 9:15 and we will arrive tomorrow morning at 7 AM.

The train is pretty nice, but small rooms for 4 of us and all our luggage! As John noted, "These rooms are made for 4 small Asian women!" Everyone is in the cafe car now (in their pajamas) playing cards and eating snacks. I hope to get to sleep some time soon, but the walls here are pretty thin! Oh and no showers for us after a long, humid, rainy day. We will have to get used to one another until the hotel tomorrow night!

Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City are on tomorrow's schedule. Mrs. Guan, the Chinese teacher at Gurney and the Intermediate school will be meeting us at the station for this portion of the trip. She is VERY excited to see all of us- she's been talking about the trip since February!

Can't think of anything else to add. I will put up a short post in the morning to let you know we arrived in Beijing. Have a nice day :)

Wuzhen East Scenic Zone

Each time I write a blog, I typically have Google Hong Kong open so I can give you more information on an area. I got an e-mail from my mom last night at 9 saying she was wondering what we were doing since I hadn't updated when I usually do! It took a long time to look up a lot of the names and locations yesterday because I couldn't hear our guide half the time. This morning was absolute chaos and now I'm on the bus, so you won't get much background info at all- sorry.

Last night was the best night of sleep many of the students had since we got here. No more sleeping on bamboo mattresses! It was wonderful to have a room with air conditioning and everyone loved the rainfall showerhead. We appreciated it because we have no idea what the train tonight has in store for us!

It was an early wake up call & we left the hotel at 7:30. The trip to Wuzhen was a 2 hour bus ride. Our tour guide tried to talk the students into doing karaoke the entire ride there. Now I deal with students on a daily basis and I knew this idea wasn't going to fly. Maddie & Nathan humored her, while many of the others put their iPod ear buds in and their heads down. She finally gave up & we all slept on the rainy drive into the country.

Wuzhen reminds me of the different global villages at Disney World. There is a large parking lot in front filled with tour buses and there are hoards of tour groups clustered in front of the gate waiting for tickets. It was weird getting a ticket to go visit a place where people still live.

Anyhow, the morning was filled with sweaty people packed into narrow corridors pushing on to the next thing (I'm getting REALLY excited for the Expo now... yikes). It really is a very beautiful historic town. The streets aren't even 10 feet wide- in some places, I could stretch my arms from wall to wall, subsequently clotheslining unsuspecting Chinese tourists. The buildings are 2 stories high with the traditional tiles on the roof. We turned off several times to check out a Chinese bed museum (it made those bamboo mattresses look good), indigo fabric making, and where they make rice wine. Oh my goodness, the rice wine. Mr. Kline and I were politely forced to try it at a meal. Never in my life have I had anything that burns like it. When we walked into the area with casks filled with it, the students faces turned right away. Just the smell is so off-putting. The guide said that anyone could try it if they wanted (which Mr. Kline and I weren't crazy about), but the smell discouraged many. The only brave souls were John, Sam, and Thomas. They were given thimble-size ceramic cups to try. Their faces were PRICELESS.

We continued to wind through the crowded streets, then crossed over Dongshi River that runs through the historic area. It was like Venice with boats carrying tourists down the narrow canal and under the bridges. On the other side of the river was the shopping area. We looked around and the Chinese students bought rice wine, wooden swords, and BBQ chicken drumsticks. Once everyone was accounted for we had lunch near the city gate.

We are on the bus for our 2 hour ride into Shanghai. We're anxious to see what the next few days will have in store with the train ride, Forbidden City, Great Wall, Expo, and other exciting activities ahead of us! I'm curious to see how everyone gets their luggage around from bus to train to bus to airport- many of them already have two full bags!

I will update again once we are on the train and Beijing bound!

Hanging out in Hangzhou

Have you ever seen the Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism video on YouTube? If not, please copy and paste this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY

I feel like that video was really made by Hangzhou natives. Cleveland only has 3 buildings. As we drove into Hangzhou, the skyline kept going and going and going. Downtown Hangzhou has a population of roughly 4 million people, but including the "suburbs," the population is 8.1 million. Poor Cleveland :(

We arrived into the city around 11:30. It was interesting because we weren't really in a downtown area. The parkway we were on was green and tree-lined. There were office buildings and high-rise apartments on each side, but everything was spaced out. We crossed over the Qiantang River on the way in. It is part of the Yangtze River Delta. The entire city was on our right side, to the east, and West Lake was on our left. West Lake is yet another national park and there are many scenic places to stop to take pictures or just enjoy the view.

We ate lunch at a resaurant located just across the street from West Lake. Our afternoon involved a boat ride around the lake and walking through the gardens.

To get to the boat, we had to walk along a man-made "causeway," the Sudi Causeway, which is open only to pedestrians. Our boat ride was 40 minutes on the Xihu Lake. West Lake is actually several smaller lakes that have been joined together from flooding... with man's help, of course. It was a very relaxing ride. We saw Leifeng Pagoda and Huxin Pavilion, which is featured on the 1 yuan bill. There is also a great view of the Hangzhou Skyline.

After the boat ride, we got to check out the Flower Harbor Park (Huagang Guanyu). Some of the students feed the fish at Red Carp Pond, even though they were so big, they probably don't need anything for a year. We also checked out Peony Pavilion, which has a great view of the entire park. It was a very beautiful place. I took a picture of everyone in front of the pavilion, despite their protests :)

We were supposed to meet our driver after that, but he didn't show up. We started to walk to the next location, the Hangzhou Botanical Garden, and hoped to flag him down as he drove by. Well he drove by- and kept going! John and Sam started to chase after him! How he missed a group with a bunch of Americans is beyond me, but at least we caught him. We went to see the Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard. This is the time of year that the lotus (lotuses? lotusi?) bloom in China- and the garden had a lot of them. We walked around on the Crooked Courtyard, a winding concrete platform through the middle of Yuehu Lake. They hold concerts there in the summer, on a stage that rises up out of the shallow lake.

The kids were all tired and cranky by this point. The best way to describe this tourist area is to say it is like Disney World or Cedar Point at the end of July- it was hot, it was humid, there were TONS of people in tour groups (ok we're guilty of that)- just making it a draining experience. Personally, I hate crowds and "touristy" locations, so I was exhausted. Many of the students just wanted to stay on the bus. HOWEVER, once the tour guide said it was time to go shopping, EVERYONE perked up!

We went to He Fang Street, which is the oldest section of Hangzhou. The only remaining city gate is in the middle of this shopping district. The students have been looking all over for cheap clothes, so maybe this wasn't their place. But I LOVED it! An hour wasn't enough time to just look around! I didn't buy anything at all- just loved the old buildings and looking at the market-style shops and carts. They had silk, tea, and pearls, as well as a variety of handcrafted items. I spent forever in a shop that was just items handmade in Nepal. I hope that Shanghai or Beijing has something similar.
We went to dinner and, yet again, it was so crowded. I'm so not used to this; it is so normal to everyone who lives here, but I need personal space- especially in this heat! We waited after dinner for our bus driver- the traffic here is a lot worse than Linhai- then he almost got stuck pulling into our hotel. All the kids really miss our chain-smoking bus driver who was always early and drove worse than the taxi drivers.

We are finally settled at the hotel after a long day. It is really nice- very modern. The bathroom door is glass, so I hope everyone gets along with their roommate! The hotel is located on the fashion street of Hangzhou, so we gave the students the option to explore from 8-9. Coco (Ana's host) said that the stores are "not for students," meaning they are too expensive. Blair (Thomas' host) on the other hand, did not pack ANYTHING for our overnight stay- he was planning on buying a brand new outfit to wear tomorrow!

Tomorrow we will tour Wuzhen, which is a historic scenic town just north of here, then we will move on to Shanghai. I am not sure when our host friends will be leaving us. It will be sad to say goodbye because they have all grown SO CLOSE, but it is nice to know that we will see them in just 1 month.

Have a great Saturday!

Some random thoughts...

We are on the bus for 3 hours on our way to Hangzhou. I thought I would share a few of the things the students have noticed during their first week in China:

- "My shorts are so baggy!" We've all probably lost about 5 pounds this week. None of the food here is processed- it's all fresh- plus we've been doing so much walking in this heat. It may also have to do with the fact that half the food put on our plate has eyes. We let it stare back instead of eating it.

- "Their English has improved so much, but mine is getting worse!"
Our grammar has completely gone downhill, mine included. I proof what I write on here and sometimes wonder what I was thinking (and I still don't catch everything- sorry). Many kids have noted that they are only speaking in sentence fragments, repeating themselves when it's not necessary, and pronouncing words incorrectly. Honestly, it's really, really bad.

- "There are so many cars on this road- and this is a 'little' city."
Cars are a sign of affluence here. They are EVERYWHERE. Plus, you still see all the motorcycles and bikes. It's difficult to imagine so many people living in one area, but here, it's reality. Another observation- there are a LOT of German-made cars here. All the taxis are VW and it's not all that uncommon to see a Benz or BMW roll down the street.

- "When I get home, I'm going to honk the car horn all the time."
We're so used to that sound now. People actually try out the car horn at the dealership to make sure it's a sound they can tolerate hearing NON-STOP. I'm sure Town Council will be really happy to have teens driving all over laying on the horn.

- "It's sad, but I'm getting used to the smell of cigarettes."
The smoking here is beyond epic proportions. At dinner last night, the man next to me (the school headmaster) smoked 3 cigarettes during an hour long meal. One afternoon our bus driver had two lit at once. And the cigarettes are different here- so much more potent. People even smoke in elevators when they aren't supposed to and blow smoke right in their children's faces. I think I may come back with black lungs. Speaking of...

- "I can't believe how much pollution there is."
I felt bad when I heard this one- because we haven't even been to Beijing yet! I wasn't totally positive if it was smog hanging over Linhai our first day, but I am 100% positive now. That cloud NEVER cleared. The smell of exhaust makes me sick on every car and bus ride.

- "I covered my eyes the entire hour cab ride!"
Taxi drivers are paid by the mile, not by time. Time is money, so they drive as fast as they possibly can in order to get to the next customer.

- "They play basketball in a totally different way."
I can't put my finger on what it is exactly, but the international game is really different. While the NBA has the best players in the world, it is easier to understand why the USA team struggled in international competition leading up to Beijing in 2008. One guy from another country in the NBA may not make that much of an impact, but put him out on the floor with 4 of his buddies and US guys don't know how to handle this new style. They used their speed and jumping ability to run the floor and play a finesse game.

- "It sounds like yelling all the time- if that happened in America, look out!"
Students noticed that their is a definite hierarchy when shopping or dining out. Anyone in the service industry is there to do what you want- no questions asked. It sounds rude and demanding, but that's how it is. If you did that in the US, your food would be spit on or you'd get cussed out. It's been interesting to see how respect works between all individuals, equals and those of different ranking.

- "I wonder what kind of perception they have of Westerners since we have our picture taken all the time. Or do they think we're famous? I don't get it."
It is very awkward having strangers take pictures of you without asking. Or even when they ask, why do you want to take a picture with me? And why do you insist that I do the peace sign with my hand?
Some of the students were even told that they looked like famous people. Ones that I heard:
Cam - Justin Bieber (the Chinese students even call him Bieber)
Kelsey - Bella from Twilight
Thomas - Forrest Gump (I can't make this stuff up)

That's all the different quotes/observations I can remember for now. I'm sure I'll write more like that later. It was a nice way to kill time on the bus ride instead of watching Chinese music videos :) Everyone is really excited for the back half of the trip- who knows what Shanghai and Beijing will have in store.

Hope you had a great Friday! Saturday is off to a good start halfway around the world :)

Zaijian, Linhai!

Today was our last day in Linhai. Time flies when you're having fun! The jet lag is long gone, strangers have now become friends, and we changed our palates for Chinese food... or, as our Chinese freinds would say for that last one, kaiwanxiao! Just kidding! :)

We spent our last day at the high school, which is a fitting farewell. In the morning, we had classes: English, Chinese papercutting, and Chinese calligraphy. All 3 classes were good ones to have on the "last day of school."

Ms. Vivian Tang taught our English class. She has been with us throughout the trip. Vivian is from Taizhou and studied English at the university. Vivian said our accents were difficult to understand- she speaks Australian English :) It is very funny talking to her and hearing HER accent. Anyway, she did a very good lesson that was not a language lesson at all; she taught a geography/history lesson about Linhai and made some comparisons to the United States. She did her homework- she knew the year that Ohio became a state (1803) and when Cleveland was founded (1796). Very few of OUR students knew that! Linhai's Old City Wall, or Southern Great Wall, was built during the Jin dynasty, some 1,300 years before Cleveland existed. She compared the size of Zhejiang province (like a state) to Kentucky; however, it has the population of Alabama, Pennsylvania, and California COMBINED. The population of Linhai is 1.09 million and growing rapidly; the population of Cleveland is just below 500,000 and falling... thanks, LeBron. She shared the exports of Linhai and what the province is known for (yao mei, oranges/tangerines, seafood). After her presentation, the students interviewed one another to learn about their hometowns. It was an engaging class.

Next was papercutting. The teacher spoke Chinese and showed us some very intricate designs. We had the opportunity to make two paper cuts and the students realized it is much harder than it looks. The paper is like tissue paper and you must always think one step ahead so you do not ruin the patterns.

Unfortunately, I was a very poor student and not interested in the lesson at all. My Blackberry was passed back and forth across the back row as we awaiting LeBron's announcement. We tried to avoid an outburst when we heard the news... and that was tough. It was pouring outside and "The Decision" was added to the long list of Cleveland sports heartbreak... cutting out designs in paper just wasn't going to cheer us up. Huefe (Joe's partner- NO idea how to spell his name- no American name) told me that now I have to start cheering for Kobe or Wade, his favorite players. I said no way and asked him why not Yao? His answer: he is slow and boring. I think I'll stick to the Browns for now.

After paper cutting, we learned Chinese calligraphy. Our Chinese classes at Chagrin do this. Our teacher is actually an English teacher at the school, so he walked us through the steps. The brush strokes must be made a certain way and in a certain order. It definitely takes patience to practice this art! I liked it a lot, but, as always, I had no idea what I was doing. Mike, Nathan's host, told me that my writing was better than his, but I was just copying the script on the wall above the board. I think I wrote something about Huipu High School? The teacher gave each and every student a personalized paper, a nice way to end the morning.

After lunch and a break, we came back to the school for some basketball! Students could play if they wanted to- and 7 did. We played two games and yes, we DID play against the school teams! We split up into two teams for two different games. In the first game, Joe, John, Sam, Thomas, and I played against their boys team. We played against two of their best players from Senior 3 (the top level, like varsity senior year) and 3 players from Junior 3 (like freshmen). Huipu is known for their basketball- so these guys were tall and very good! The first few minutes they shot the lights out and at one point we were down 10. They could run the floor very well and jumped over us for rebounds. But we are Chagrin and we rallied back. With some outside shooting and a few offensive boards, we tied the score at 24-24. They scored then their coach (who was reffing) called the game. We decided it shouldn't count and it was a tie :) We were all very tired and very sweaty... gross.

In the next game, Kelsey, Tina, Maddie, Blair (Thomas' host), Huefe (Joe's host), and Mike (Nathan's host) took on the girls' Junior 3 team. It was a physical game! Blair and Mike kept knocking girls over (accidentally... we think) and Maddie is feisty! However, it was the same result: a 14-14 tie, then game over once they scored again. It was so much fun. We took a lot of pictures with the guys after the games and Sam & John played a little 2-on-2 with their guys as well.

I had a very interesting conversation with their basketball coaches, with Vivian as the translator. They couldn't understand how I was a coach without a certificate or why I wasn't a PE teacher. All coaches teach PE classes there and had to get a certificate, like a degree, to coach each specific sport. They also have NO concept of student-athlete. I told them that students must meet a certain grade point average to play because school comes first. Some of their players, however, were recruited for basketball. The coach asked if the best player was failing, would I still put her in? I told him absolutely not, because it was against the rules, and he looked at me like I was crazy. It is so interesting because Huipu prides itself in academic success, yet they really make exceptions for their basketball players. I guess it is a lot like the NCAA, but it makes me wonder about what these high school students are learning.

After quick showers at home, we were off to the farewell dinner at the International Hotel in Linhai. It was a wonderful evening of speeches, toasts, good food, great company, and gifts. The students all received the Huipu High School track jackets was a parting gift, which was a VERY pleasant surprise (I'm a little jealous). We took TONS of pictures after dinner. I think I was in more pictures tonight than I have been at any wedding or graduation. Why the parents wanted me in the host family picture with them is beyond me and my cheeks still hurt as a result.

This is plenty for tonight- my thumbs start to hurt after a while from typing on this phone! In response to Carole's comment earlier, I am sorry that there are no pictures to post as we go along, but I am glad that you are using your imaginations. I will set up a Snapfish account for everyone to put their pictures on after the trip. Also, we had a photographer/videographer with us EVERY DAY who will be giving us a DVD with everything. We will get copies of that distributed as well.

We leave early tomorrow morning for Hangzhou (pronounced Han Joe). It is a little over halfway between Linhai and Shanghai. Vivian's husband told me at lunch that it is famous for "West Lake and the beautiful women." Um... yeah. I'll let you know what it's like when we get there. There are several temples and pagodas around West Lake that I would love to see.

TGIF!

Oh what a night!

I went to dinner with Mr. Kline and Miss Ren at the hotel restaurant. We put our order in and were settled at our table around 5:45. Miss Ren asked the waitress something (in Chinese, so, as usual, I had no idea what was going on) and she came back with a TV remote. She put on the TV, and there we were, on the game show! The entire restaurant watched the end of Part I. The wait staff stopped what they were doing to laugh at poor Maddie and Joe wipe out on instant replay. It was lovely dinner entertainment :) Part II, with Sam's victory, will air tomorrow.

The students, their host families, teachers, and other Huipu High School students gathered tonight at Linhai Foreign Language School for "An Evening Party with Friends." I arrived at the school with Mr. Kline and Miss Ren at 6:45. We walked into a large, circular room with a red banner welcoming us. There were balloons and streamers all over. The room had lighting and a disco ball set up on the ceiling. The Huipu students arranged desks with refreshments around the performance area. It looked like it could be set up for a school dance!

The students gathered and the evening began. Thomas and Blair were late, but had the best reason: Blair took Thomas to a salon for a massage and to get their hair washed and styled! They both looked very sharp ;) John exclaimed, "[Blair] is the Chinese version of Thomas!" And Sam agreed, "They are the same person!" And then, the party continued...

The Huipu students arranged a lovely program. They had two hosts, one girl who spoke Chinese, and a boy who translated in English. We started with a musical trio playing traditional Chinese instruments. Amazing! It was a very long song completely memorized. Next, a group of girls performed a Chinese pop song, but in traditional performance outfits. One of the members was also our host. Another girl sang a Chinese ballad- she was an excellent singer and I made sure to tell her at the end of the evening.
Next, the hosts got some audience participation and the American students played a game. They made four teams, each with 3 students and one host parent. Each person had 1 minute to fish marbles out of a bowl of dark water only using chopsticks. It was so much fun to watch! The kids' chopstick skills are impressive. All participants received beautiful Beijing Opera chopsticks. The winners wore red scarves.

After the game, Nathan performed an original song on the guitar. He wrote a song about his experiences in Linhai. It was wonderful! He is very talented and the song was creative. The audience loved it.

A ballet troupe danced for us, including acrobatics, then a boy played a song on a Mongolian instrument. He played it with a bow and it actually looked like a croquet club with a string!

Next, the moment we were all waiting for... our game show debut! The school received a copy of the game show DVD, so we watched a short clip. It is even more hilarious on tape with all the graphics, sound effects, and replay after replay of the wipeouts :) All the students and parents really got a kick out of it!

The students played another game kind of like Password. The US students had their backs to a board, then the hosts flipped paper over to a Chinese word. The Chinese students had to act out the word and the US student guessed. This (like everything else) was fun to watch! Some of the kids had really tough words! John and his host Justin won it.

After the game, we heard a performance by a Huipu student- Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time." They LIVE for Britney and the Backstreet Boys here- which I LOVE because it takes me back to 8th grade! It was kind of like all the KTV singing our students have been doing the last week. Next, two students sang a duet of a Chinese ballad. Again, both were excellent singers.

The Huipu and Chagrin students closed together by singing "Auld Lang Syne" in both English and Chinese. It was a nice end to the evening. We took pictures for at least 20 minutes after the song. Everyone loves these guys! New students we met this evening were even asking for their email addresses- it was insane!

I cannot believe how close the students have grown in the last week. The host parents requested that the students come with us on Saturday and Sunday to Hangzhou and Wuzhen. The families will be on the road with us until Shanghai! The Huipu students will definitely receive a warm, warm welcome when they come to Ohio!

Tomorrow is our last full day in Linhai. We will attend English, "papercuts," and Chinese calligraphy classes in the morning. In the afternoon, the students will play basketball. (Miss Ren invited Mr. Kline and me over to her house during this time. Mr. Kline can go- I want to play basketball!!!) In the evening, we will have our farewell dinner.

This week has gone by so quickly! Have a nice day back home and I will post again tomorrow morning!

P.S. I am going to break some school rules tomorrow- I'll have ESPN.com on my Blackberry for LeBron's announcement from 9 AM - 10 AM. The boys and I are really missing the sports updates at home & are following free agency updates from here! Let's hope LeBron remains a Cavalier- our Chinese students want to "run into them" when they're in Ohio :)

My hair still smells like incense

Another day packed with adventures, but today, it was a little more low-key. We went to the city of Taizhou to see Tiantai Mountain and to visit a glass-carving factory.

Tiantai Mountain is considered "the cradle of Buddhism." It was made a national park in the late 1980s. On the side of the mountain, there are several temples and a monastery. Many Buddhists from Singapore, South Korea, and mostly Japan make the pilgrimage to Tiantai. According to legend, the mountain was once carried on the back of a turtle. The gods needed to cut off the turtle's legs to support the sky, but they had to do something with the mountain or it would sink into the ocean. They took the mountain off the turtle's back and placed it on dry land.

We started out at Sui Pagoda, a very tall tower made from bricks. It looked like a game of Jenga- ready to topple at any moment. People used to be able to climb the tower in the center, but that stopped as it became more fragile. The tower is over 1,300 years old.

Then we walked on to the monastery. First we went to a pond full of koi and turtles, which was kind of like the fountain of youth. The turtles live to a very old age and if you take time to relax and breathe there, you will as well.

Next we had the opportunity to walk through the sacred temples. It was very different from any of the cathedrals throughout Europe. You had the sense that you were in a very holy place, yet it was not as stark and cold as the stone churches. There were so many colors! Colors on banners and flags, colors on lanterns, colors in bouquets, and colors on the statues for the gods. Many of the gods were all gold- there was so much gold! We kept going to room after room filled with these gold idols. There were large carts with burning candles and huge cauldrons with burning incense. There was a distinct aroma filling the air.

It was also interesting to see the monks everywhere. They were stationed at each part of the temple and were walking around. We asked them if we could take pictures and they directed us where to go. They smiled and were very friendly. I don't know how they could stay cool in their robes- it was sunny and hot!

The students, US and Chinese, did not seem interested in much of the tour. However, I hope that they appreciated the opportunity to see a place so important to so many people in the world. Oddly, it was overwhelming and peaceful at the same time.

We moved on to lunch in Taizhou and had "Chinese fast food," which is nothing like the mall food court. There was so much food to choose from and the restaurant was loud and crowded. It was worse than our normal dinners because I didn't have a clue what I was getting! I picked at my vegetables and ate ALL of my rice :)

We had an hour to shop and explore before glass carving. The students took this chance to look for knock-off designer shirts for 20 yuan (roughly $3). It was funny to watch the Chinese students barter and to read the butchered English words on the t-shirts. I bounced around from group to group, but ultimately ended up following Blair, Thomas' host. This guy is hilarious! He loves his designer labels and nice cars, but is one of the nicest, goofiest kids I have ever met. He loves music, especially "Poker Face," or "Park Face," as he calls it. Blair was bopping around to the store music the whole time.

The glass carving factory was a great experience. First, we walked around the show round and saw pieces the size of your hand to pieces the size of a wall. It was very impressive to look at all the fine detail. Next, we watched exactly how it is done. The artists draw the image on the reverse side of the glass in marker. They flip it over and coat the glass with water. Then, they use a variety of drill heads to etch out the image. They worked so quickly! It only takes them a day to do a door-size carving and one guy was carving one plate-size piece after another.

The best part of the day was when the students got to try. Many of them made their own! It was much more difficult than they thought, so they really understood how much time and practice goes into this art. I took a lot of pictures and video of the process. Hopefully you will like the pieces when they come home!

I have to hurry & get ready for dinner. We are meeting at Linhai Language School for a party tonight! Our students are supposed to perform a song or dance- I'm anxious to see what they came up with :)

You are not going to believe this one...

It was another incredible day here in China. Just when you think something can't be topped, they go ahead and do one more thing to impress you. We spent our day in Youxi county, which is in the countryside. As you drive out, the land is flat and you are surrounded by rice paddies. Then you start up into the mountains, with steep slopes of bamboo forest on one side of the bus and a steep drop off into the rocky river valley on the other. It is breathtaking.

Jimmy (Cam's host) is incredibly shy, but a very, very sweet boy who speaks quite well. His dad had all the connections for us today- all activities and our lunch were arranged by him. Jimmy's father is also a very nice man who speaks no English, yet stayed with us all day and made an effort to communicate with us. I am happy that I had the chance to get to know them today.

We left the Linhai Language school this morning around 7:45. It was roughly an hour drive out of Linhai and through a small, but very busy, market town. Our first stop was grass skating. Now, none of us had any idea what we were in for- nobody could explain it to us. Once we got there, we realized that we would be downhill skiing. In July. On grass. The whole group marched up the hill for demonstrations, then walked down the course to see what it was like. Next we had to get our gear: boots, knee pads, elbow pads, a helmet, and skis that look like the bottom of an army tank. The problem with this, however, is that our Chinese friends have much smaller feet. About half of our group did not participate because the boots were too small. Those who could participate got quite a workout in! The "grass skates" don't work very well on wet grass- it rained all last night and all day today- so it took a lot of arm strength to get going. By the end of one run, the students were exhausted. I tried to get video of most of them in their downhill debut, so we can see it for yourself :)

At 9:30, we thought we were moving on to bread making, but we were in for a major surprise. The bus pulled into a driveway only about 500 feet down the road. There was a water obstacle course. Not just any obstacle course- there were TV cameras. We were going to be on a Chinese game show similar to ABC's "Wipeout." It was one of those moments where you said "this cannot be happening" over and over while laughing. I was laughing so hard- and ultimately decided there was no way they would get me to do this. The students have a much better attitude than I do and most of them were all for it. You have some crazy children.

The students had the rules and safety instructions explained, then had the opportunity to try a practice run. I was so impressed! This course was soaked, it was pouring, but they were strong athletes with great balance! Everyone was helping each other figure out a strategy for the course. They cheered for one another and took pictures as well- I can't wait to share the video :)

Everyone did their practice run, then it was lights, camera, action! They divided the students into two groups so they could tape two different episodes. In the first one, six of our girls challenged six of the Huipu students. Both groups did great, but only one students, Joe's host, made it halfway through. Then, Joe took on John's host, Justin, at the end of the episode. Poor Joe did not get a practice round earlier and was eliminated. Everyone had a great time though.

In the second episode, Nathan, John, and Sam were on a team with Andy and his daughter. They took on a group of guys and one girl from the area. During the introduction, the boys did a fabulous rendition of "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys. Why? I'm really not sure. Nathan went first and he did not go on a practice round either. He was eliminated when he ran out of time. John had an impressive run like his practice round, but a slippery spinning platform just past the halfway mark led to his downfall.

And then there was Sam. Good old Sam who towered over the game show hosts. Like John, he also had a very good practice run. He was very confident going in, even setting up wagers with his buddies beforehand. Well Sam just sprinted through that course. He jumped, he ran, he swung, he climbed. And in the end, Sam climbed up a rope ladder in the final seconds to reach the top of the platform and ring a gong. Sam won! He not only completed the course, but did so within the time limit. Not only does he get the satisfaction of winning, he won a motorcycle! We didn't think that would fit in a second checked bag, so we tried to figure out if it would be shipped. Apparently they did not want to ship it- perhaps his parents don't want it shipped either. Sam received a cash prize for his efforts... but was still asking how he could get that thing back to Ohio.

The show will be airing on TV tomorrow night. The students are talking about getting together to watch it. Hopefully the school can tape it and give us at least one copy. I'm honestly still in shock about the whole thing. As we left the course, many of the students were saying "that just happened!"

By this time it was after 12, so we headed further into the countryside and up to the mountains. We stopped in a very small town for a country lunch which, for me anyway, was the most "normal" meal we've had since we've been here. Still fish with eyes and chickens with heads, but great vegetables and Chinese bread. We didn't have enough time to make the Chinese steam bread, but they set each student home with two loaves. It is very doughy, but delicious!

Then it was off to rafting, yet another situation where the explanation is lost in translation (sorry that's a weird sentence- I can't think of another way to write that). We originally thought this would be whitewater rafting, but were then told that we don't have to paddle. We saw that the river had been altered- there were stone canals built in the middle, even through the rapids. What you do is ride down a two person raft, hanging on as tight as possible to the sides. You are given oars for the pools that are few and far between. We had the option of level 1, which started at the highest point, just below a dam, or level 2, which started later in the middle of the route. Miss Ren told us "Level 1 is far more dangerous. I will be doing Level 2." After that statement, 80% of the students opted for Level 1 :) At first, it looked really intimidating. Then we watched a group go down, and it didn't seem so bad. I'll be honest- it was AWESOME! I went with Katie and I almost fell out twice. It wasn't too bad because the rafts were just small enough to fit through the narrow canal. There were a couple spots you could get stuck, but for the most part you moved through pretty well. One rapid went STRAIGHT DOWN into a pool- a little scary, but alright. I find out later that Thomas flipped completely over Joe at that spot- and said it was worth it :) There were guys all down the river with large bamboo poles to help you out. There were a lot of locals along the river too, who seemed quite entertained by these crazy Americans.

The entire day was one adrenaline rush after another. I think that everyone, yet again, will sleep well tonight. After dinner, the group will meet at Huipu to work on a performance. Andy has requested that the students come up with a song or dance for the party tomorrow night. Who knows what they'll come up with. Tomorrow, we have a schedule change- we will go tour Tiantai and have our party in the evening, instead of going to classes in the morning.

It was, literally, an unbelievable day. When I joked about the students being celebrities here, I didn't realize that it would actually happen! I will get the video sent to you as soon as we get back stateside :)

Have a nice day! Stay cool in the heat wave- and think of us here!

It's official: pandas are the world's cutest animal

Nihao! What a day! I just woke up from a VERY late nap because I was so spent :) Today has been, by far, my favorite day since we've been here. Why? Well as several of the students put it, "Wow! You're a science teacher, so you must love this stuff!" I'm a bit of a nerd, so I did, but I don't see how anyone could NOT marvel at what we saw this morning.

All the students met at Huipu this morning at 8... or tried to meet at 8. We got a little bit of a late start this morning. We weren't on the road until about 8:30 and it was a long bus ride. Fortunately, it rained all last night and was still raining this morning, so it was much cooler. We split up in the school bus and a 12 passenger van. Between the aggressive driving, bumpy roads, and rickety jump seat, I was thankful when the ride was finally over :)

We went to Changyu Cave, one of the top five things to do in Taizhou, according to China Tour Online (Linhai Old City is also on there). Personally, I'm wondering what else we will see in China, because I think this could be in the top five for the country. I wish I had more literature about it, because I cannot find a lot about it online. But this location is a national park in China (which I never knew existed, but apparently there are a lot of them- my bad). We hiked through beautiful gardens with sculptures and script carved into rocks. After just 10 minutes, we reached our first stop- the panda building.

The panda building is kind of like an exhibit at the Cle Met Zoo. It is at the top of a hill like the Primates building, but is much smaller. And, like Cle Met Zoo, there is always a little construction :) They said 3 pandas would be out and we saw 2 today. I have never had the opportunity to see the pandas in the U.S. (at least that I can remember- sorry if we saw them in D.C. mom & dad), so this was my first time seeing them in person. It was unreal. I don't know if anyone, our Chinese friends included, realized how RARE it is to see giant pandas. They are such a fragile species- it is believed there are only 2000 left in the wild due to China's rapid growth & lack of conservation efforts. 200 are in captivity in China and less than 30 are in other countries. I will get off of my environmental soapbox now and say that they are so adorable! They do not even look like other bears, really. There is just something about them that makes them so different. One of them woke up while we were there, walked out, then plopped down sitting up to eat bamboo. I can't put my finger on it, but something about it just made it incredible. I could have stayed for a long time.

We moved on with our hike, up lots of stairs (again) to several scenic points, criss-crossing up and down a valley. I don't know where we stopped next, but wow- the view was incredible. In the hillside, you could see several pagodas, a Buddist temple, a large Buddist monument carved out of the hillside, and yin-yang painted on the hillside. It was unbelievable. It's like if someone were to take Mount Rushmore & and make the faces statues, then dub it a holy place :) After you turned from the view, there was a temple in the large cave behind us... and things only got better.

We walked in on a stone walkway with water on all sides. There were MASSIVE koi fish swimming all around us- hundreds, perhaps thousands, of them. We threw coins into the water, trying to land them on a rock for good luck. This cavern was unreal, with light pouring in from all directions. As we walked further, there was a giant Buddha carved in the middle of another cavern. Everything got better and better. In one of the grottos, they even had a stage set up for music. We walked around that and continued up stairs winding around the cavern as far as they would let us go. The geology of the area was simply fascinating and I took so many pictures at a variety of angles. I can't wait to share them with you.

The bus & van picked us up and we drove to Luqiao for a long time. I thought Linhai was intense- the city here was a nightmare. Traffic was so bad, shops were spilling into the streets, and children were urinating in the streets. It was a very bizarre scene. Luqiao is just a small district, the shopping district, of Taizhou. Linhai has a population of 1.09 million; Taizhou has 1.5 million.

We went to a formal lunch at the International Hotel. I think this may have been the first formal meal for some of the students. It was very good- not as scary as some of the other meals I've had here. However, some of the kids were weirded out by the chicken feet and chicken and fish heads. No duck tongue, thank goodness. It was a very late lunch, so we were not done until 2:30.

We drove further into the city until we reached the marketplace. We passed store after store after store. Sam observed 2 Nike and 2 Adidas stores within a block of one another- they really like sportswear here. We had free time at the marketplace until about 4:30. This place was insane. It was like emptying all of the merchandise out of Beachwood Place stores into the walkways, throwing trash all over the walkways, speeding motorbikes through them, add a couple thousand people, and decreasing the value of that merchandise to about 5 yuan, or 73 cents. Whoa. I was a bit overwhelmed by the merchants sleeping in their stands, children running around barefoot, and trash thrown around. However, the students managed to get great deals on sunglasses, jewelry, bags, belts, and other items thanks to their bartering Chinese counterparts. We left for the long drive back and returned around 6. Mr. Kline & I were so tired that we decided to forgo dinner with the other teachers. I can't be force fed any more for today!

Today was eye-opening. China has such natural wonders & sacred places that very few people know about. I didn't get to see everything I wanted to at Changyu, so I will have to go back some day :) Also, I think everyone got a better picture of the "real" China at Luqiao markets today. I cannot compare it to anything I've seen in the US, Europe, and Latin America. I have never seen poverty quite like this and cannot believe families sustain themselves on these stands- that is their livelihood. I appreciate what we have and that we are staying in the safe and relatively clean city of Linhai. It just makes me think a lot about the political and social implications of China's rapid growth and what may ultimately result.

I apologize for getting so in depth this evening. We saw two extremes today, interesting in different ways. Everyone had a great time today and I am sure they will sleep very well tonight.

Another long day tomorrow- touring in Youxi (grass skating is involved and no one has a clue as to what that involves) and rafting. Should be another interesting day!

Hope your day goes well in Ohio! Goodnight!

Old Wall Linhai City

It was a packed afternoon and evening. I am absolutely exhausted between the activities, heat, rain, and stairs! It rained for the first time this afternoon. The rain helps cool things off, but not a whole lot. We are still in the upper 80s.

Some of the kids went home after lunch, others went shopping. Maddie's host, Andie, picked out dresses and bought them for all the American girls. It was a very sweet gesture. At 2 o'clock, we met back at the school for our music class. One of the English teachers, Mrs. Tang (Vivienne), asked me if I enjoyed lunch. I told her the dumplings were very good. She said, "You liked them? They were terrible! The worst I've ever had." She must not have liked the ravioli-style dumplings everyone made... or maybe she got one of John's McDoubles. Oh well.

The music teacher would give Mr. Hamid a run for his money. She was an excellent teacher, she sang beautifully... and all the boys LOVED her. She was so gorgeous that the boys asked to take pictures with her after the lesson. We sang a song from the Beijing Opera; we sang one of the easier songs that they teach young students because it is so difficult. The students were great sports with the singing- no solos, but everyone participated. After, everyone had an opportunity to color/create a Beijing Opera mask. It doesn't matter how old you are- if you get crayons out, you WILL color. It was the most focused I had seen any of them during class.

We had our sports class next: ping pong. I knew that it was intense here, but oh my, did we see some competitive players today! There is a large room in on of the classroom buildings dedicated to the sport. It was the coldest room in the entire school- several AC units in the room. The floor is a rubber material, there were waist-high fabric dividers, and 5 different tables. Huipu had a PE teacher there and two coaches. There was another man training there, decked out in a matching polo and shorts and ping pong shoes. Yes, ping pong shoes. They don't mess around here. We got a private lesson on the proper form, then the kids were turned loose. I watched one of the coaches, an older gentleman, school student after student after student. He had a sick spin serve that no one could return. Everyone participated and enjoyed ping pong.

At 4:30 we dispersed to clean up and eat dinner. Mr. Kline and I went to dinner with Miss Ren, Steven (American teacher), and Mrs. Tang and her husband. We ate at one of the hotel restaurants. In addition to having private rooms, most restaurants have you look and pick out what you want to eat. You walk around a room and look at pictures, prepared plates, or, in some cases, pick out what fish or other critter you want right out of the tank. I wish I could take pictures or video of this process without offending anyone. I tried to tonight, but it was frowned upon. Again, we had another meal "special and unique to Linhai." Everything was pretty much the same (like the duck tongue, unfortunately), but the dessert was very interesting. They brought out a large wooden pail and when they opened up the top, it looked like sand and bird seed inside. I, for one, was not about to dig through sand for some dessert I did not want- watermelon was fine by me. But Miss Ren had the waitress cut up this cake, which was only the top part of the pail. She served several pieces of this spongy, brown cake supposed made of a sweet potato base. It was kind of dry, but actually pretty good. I don't know what it is called, so I'll just say I ate sand cake in China :)

We all met up again after dinner at 6:30 at the city wall. The kids kept calling it the Great Wall all day, but it's really not part of it. Miss Ren said something about it being used to block water, but I'm not sure how much is lost in translation. I'm almost positive the southern city wall was intended to keep invaders out. It was a steep climb up 195 steps, then we continued further uphill to a pagoda overlooking all of Linhai. The walk was somewhat disappointing because it started to rain hard for the second time today. Plus, the sun sets around 6:30, so our pictures didn't really turn out. This was, however, a nice little adventure before we get to check out THE Great Wall of China.

The students were picked up by their host families after. It appeared that all the boys wanted to go to KTV again and the girls were going to go out for smoothies. Again, it is so wonderful to see the positive interaction between the US and Chinese students.

Tomorrow we visit the Changyu Cave- and hope to see the 3 pandas that live there! It is quite the hike, so we start out bright and early. In the afternoon, we will go to the markets at LuQiao.

Have a great day!

"I'm Chinese- and I can't even do this!"

It was great to go to school again this morning and see everyone happy and smiling! It sounds like the students had a great time with their host families yesterday. Some of the activities included berry picking, hiking, shopping, and a visit to a toy factory. Everyone seems to get along well with their hosts; it's great to see them interact with one another and take so many pictures!

We had three classes this morning: Chinese, Math, and cooking (technically not a class here). Nathan's host, Mike (English name), is the son of one of the Chinese teachers at Huipu. His dad does not speak any English, so I was interested to see how the class went. He taught a lesson on ancient Chinese poetry, particularly by Li Bai. He is such a wonderful teacher! Very dynamic and interactive. He gave everyone handouts with both Chinese and English, plus had a bilingual powerpoint. They studied four poems about the moon, then learned that there are MANY different names for the moon in China, each holding a different meaning. The host students would teach our students how to read the poem in Chinese- it was entertaining. Maddie & her host were using their hands to show what each Chinese word meant. The teacher then had our students go up front in groups to read the poems- it was awesome! He was so encouraging & started clapping for them. Don't worry- I got some video of it :) I could not stop smiling the entire class!

We had a 15 minute break, then another teacher came in to do math. I haven't taken math in a long time, but I think it was a lot of Algebra II. The teacher called the class "Application of Mathematic Thought." Wow- it was like 2 weeks of class rolled into one 40 minute lesson! I assume most of the Chinese and English students have had this level of math, but it was interesting to watch her go from one topic to another. She covered things like reduction, summation, slope, parabolas, and more. Everything was taught in Chinese, but all the variables, numbers, and graphs are the same in the US. Also the same? The number of students with blank stares, yawning throughout class :)

We then moved on to the cafeteria for our cooking lesson: dumplings. Commons is a joke compared to this cafeteria- it was longer than our gym. We went to a very tiny room in back to make the dumplings. Tiny room + 24 students + 92 degrees = sweat. It was very warm, but the students agreed it was not near as bad as PE two days ago. They were given aprons, hats, and a demonstration on how to roll the dough and stuff the dumplings. I don't know what Sam and John have been eating at home, but they kept eating the raw dough! The chefs were getting frustrated with how inept both the Chinese and US students were at making the dumplings. Too many kids took creative license for his liking. One host cried in frustration, "I'm Chinese- and I can't even do this!" Ana's host, Coco (who is the cutest person I have met in my entire life), almost started a food fight by wiping flour on people's faces. I think they all had fun, but realized that Easy Mac and Ramen may be the way to go for the next few years.

We ate lunch in their cafeteria and the dumplings were pretty good! I looked in my bowl and realized that I got one of Thomas and John's special creations (they called it a McDouble), so I gave it to them, because I wasn't brave enough to eat it.

We are taking a break until more classes at 2. I'm not sure how it's going to work, but it sounds like everyone will go to the Southern Great Wall tonight after dinner when it is cooler.

Hope the 4th was fantastic!

Yes, there is a 4th of July in China ;)

Tonight Mr. Kline and I had the opportunity to eat dinner in the old city. Linhai used to have a wall around the city, but now only part of it is intact. We went to the old city gate, then walked through all the little buildings just inside the wall. I forgot my camera tonight & I am so upset about it! Andy and Miss Ren told us that we will come back with the students one evening (when it is cool) to walk the city wall. It is beautiful and very impressive.

The restaurant was very traditional- wood carvings, red laterns, and a koi pond in the middle. It also had multiple stories and private rooms, so that must be standard here. Also standard: "You can only get this food here! It is very special and unique to Linhai!" At least tonight unique didn't mean strange or weird- it was the best food I've had since we've been here! The veggies were normal- cucumber, bok choy, snap peas, and sweet potatoes. They had fish, pork kabobs, and beef (covered in breading and mayo? They really like mayo out of the squeeze bottle here- we've had it a lot) for meat. The best part of dinner was the spring rolls. Nothing from Hunan compares to this- so good and not greasy at all. Oh and Mrs. O'Toole was right about the pop- they put some in the fridge just for us so it wasn't room temperature :)

I feel like all I do is write about food, but life here really revolves around it! After dinner, we took a short walk then quick drive along the Lingjiang River. The Lingjiang runs through Linhai, then empties into the East China Sea. We are not right on the coast, but close enough that low tide affects the river flow. Along the river there are cute little restaurants and park after park after park. All the the playground equipment was fitness equipment. There were a lot of Power Wheels and other little cars for kids to ride around in. Also, even though it is so hot, tons of boys playing basketball! They really like LeBron, Kobe, and Kevin Garnett here... in addition to Yao, of course. I'm starting to get nervous for our basketball game! :)

Huipu had a teacher meeting at the high school tonight at 7, so I'm done for the night. Andy told us the host kids arranged for "singing TV" tonight- so we think they are all getting together for karaoke tonight! Even though it originated in Japan, KTV, as it is called, is very popular here. Every couple blocks you encounter a sign for KTV. There should be some entertaining stories tomorrow...

We meet bright and early at Huipu for more classes tomorrow. In the morning, we have Chinese, Math, and Cooking. I know I could REALLY use the Chinese lesson and I am very interested to see how the "universal language" of math translates for our students. In cooking, we will make our own lunch- dumplings! After lunch and a break, we will attend art & music, then play ping pong.

Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July! Enjoy the cookouts, popsicles, and fireworks! We tried to explain some Independence Day traditions to Andy, but he didn't seem to understand. Oh well! We will be eating watermelon and singing karaoke to celebrate ;)

"Duck tongue must be the Chinese chicken nugget!"

Well, it is 1 o'clock and it has already been a long day. The students are spending time with their host families today doing a variety of activities. I am looking forward to hearing what they did tomorrow. I hope that they are remembering to write in their journals all their daily activities, thoughts, feelings, etc. because I'm sure it will make for an interesting read!

This morning, Mr. Kline had an early breakfast at the hotel. Andy, the English teacher, picked us up at 8 o'clock for berry picking. It was an hour drive west of Linhai and we went with some of his family and friends. We were told to wear long pants to avoid brambles. It is ONLY 96 degrees today, just as humid, and very sunny. I would have taken a few scratches just to stay a little cooler.

The "small" town we went to was packed with people. Berry picking is a very popular Sunday activity; people can get out of the city and into the country with their families. The traffic was more chaotic than usual. Anyway, we got baskets and picked yao mei, or Chinese berries. They look very similar to strawberries, but are not berries at all because they have a pit inside. They grow on trees all over the hillside. We had to hike a bit uphill to get to some trees and I was sweating like crazy. Two women with us were wearing high heels, and one was wearing a silk dress, the other silk shorts. If I had to dress like that, I would not survive here. The regular pickers wear the traditional hat, long sleeves and long pants made of linen, and carry two large, round baskets on a bamboo rod across their shoulders. It was surprising to still see this when other parts of the country have become so "Westernized."

We were only out there for about an hour (thank goodness), then got to go into the back of one of the market stands to cool down. One of the people in our group must have known the owners, because it seemed like we were sitting in someone's air conditioned bedroom. After just a few minutes and a bottle of water, we left. I was happy to go back into the heat because it was an awkward situation.

Our 14 person group stopped at a restaurant for a 2 hour lunch. It was three stories and had all these private rooms for family-style meals. I feel like everything they feed us here is special to the area. We are asked to try EVERYTHING because it is so special and so unique. Special? Maybe. Unique? Absolutely! There was a plate set down on the table that I thought was octopus or squid of some sort. Upon closer examination, I realized there were only two "legs." The part I thought was a head, looked like a tongue. They serve duck tongue with the duck's entire bottom jaw! There were 3 children in our group, ages 4, 7, and 14 and ALL of them probably ate at least 10 duck tongues each. Mr. Kline noted how much they liked it (see title) and the kids ate 3 plates worth. The fish, chicken, and duck prepared for us had the heads still intact. There was pig stomach soup, cow cartilage, turtle soup, bean curd, whole prawns, goose liver, and many vegetables. I was so thankful when dessert was placed on the table. They served watermelon (happy 4th of July to us!), a very doughy cinnamon bread, and what appeared to be a fried doughnut- it was very good until Mr. Kline discovered the "surprise" sardine inside. Lovely.

One observation for today: your children are all so well-behaved. I feel as though the kids here are permitted to do whatever they want. When they are misbehaving, nothing is said. I knew that things would be different here, but this is one cultural difference that really shocks me. Basic etiquette, like waiting to speak, table manners, and sitting still, just do not happen here. It is actually rather frustrating to sit through. Thank you for raising such polite kids!

We are resting for the afternoon until 4, when we will go sightseeing and to dinner in Linhai with Andy and Miss Ren. I feel like all we do is eat here!

RE = HOT!

It was a balmy 108 degrees today in Linhai. The students agreed that this is nothing like anything they've experienced. It is not dry heat like Arizona and it is MUCH more humid than anywhere in Florida. We missed three days of cool weather and the teachers tell us we are here for a heat wave. It is nice to know the weather is not always like this; however, it is unfortunate that we are here for it!

I feel as though I could write a novel about today. It was so wonderful to meet the students at Huipu HS this afternoon to hear about their host families. Some of the students have EXCELLENT matches and everyone seemed happy today. Their families certainly kept them well-fed- everyone was so full!

In Linhai, it is not rude to stare, as we learned today. I had a 7 year old boy who would not leave me alone at lunch today & kept shouting "Hello!" and "Goodbye!" in my face while waving. When we were at Huipu, the students had quite the entourage following them! Many kids wanted to take pictures with our students- John was very popular with the ladies :) Parents, you may want to put their egos in check when they come back- they are like celebrities! The TV station and newspaper for Linhai have been following the group from our arrival at the airport. Joseph and Maddie were both interviewed by the TV station this afternoon. We met a teacher at the school originally fron Augusta, Georgia who told us that there are only 10 "Westerners" in Linhai, so stares are normal. He said Shanghai and Beijing are not "real China," so we are getting the most authentic welcome and experience here.

At Huipu, we went to Chinese, Science, and Physical Education classes. The Chinese class was excellent. I can't remember much, but the teacher was high energy and there was a lot of interaction between the students and their hosts. Quiz everyone when they get home and ask them how to say bird, fly, mountain, and field... those are just a few of the examples. We then moved on to the science building where the students did a chemistry experiment. They used litmus indicator to test if foods were acidic or basic. I think Thomas and his host were the only ones who finished it- is anyone surprised???

The last class was phys ed. We went to the arena where the basketball teams were practicing. Huipu is THE basketball school in China, so they have a very impressive arena and very good athletes. I think phys ed was the least favorite part of the day, as most students were already sweating through their shirts before the class started. The teacher had them run laps, do Chinese fan kung fu (we got to keep our fans), and then stilt walking. It was unbearably warm, but everyone participated and remained positive.

After working up a sweat, we were informed that we were going straight to our welcome dinner. It was at a very nice hotel near Huipu. There were two tables for the students and their hosts and one for the teachers, school officials, and local dignitaries. I was kind of nervous sitting with Linhai and provincial government officials, but when the Huipu headmaster's cell phone rang with "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys as the ringtone, I knew it wouldn't be so bad. The traditional Chinese dinner took some getting used to. It is served family-style and dishes are turned on a lazy susan in the middle of the table. They served many dishes that you can only get in Linhai, like wheat shrimp soup, a soup with wheat flour noodles that look like pieces of shrimp. There was a lot of seafood because Linhai is so close to the coast. I ate some of the critters out of shells that I used to pick up on the beach when I was little :/ I'm not sure how things went at the student tables, but my dinner was definitely interesting/entertaining.

Tomorrow, July 4th, the students hang out with their host families. Mr. Kline and I will go pick Chinese berries with the English teacher from Huipu, Mr. Feng (Andy), who picked us up at the airport yesterday. Later, we will have dinner in town with Mr. Feng and others from Huipu. I am not sure of what the students have planned for the day, so I am looking forward to hearing their stories.

We're now back in for the evening- many students are going to watch the Argentina-Germany game at 10. The two top stories on the news just now were the heat wave and an octopus at an aquarium picking Germany as tonight's winner. Go figure.

Have a wonderful day back home!

No need for alarms when there are car horns!

Good morning, Linhai! At about 6:45 this morning, I felt silly for setting my alarm last night. As the kids learned quickly on the drive down, Chinese drivers are VERY aggressive and flash their lights & honk their horns while passing. There were several aggressive drivers out and about early and the sound has only gotten louder throughout the day.

I watched the Brazil-Netherlands World Cup game before falling asleep last night. I tried to find something to watch between breakfast (which I'll get to later) and our noon pick-up time today, but no luck. We knew that there would be an obvious language barrier, I could not find anything like the Today show- news or weather. I had no desire to watch cartoons, game shows, or Houston Rocket basketball- yes, there really IS a whole channel devoted to Yao Ming!!!

Mr. Kline & I went to breakfast this morning at 9. He was much more brave than I was. The only time I ever thought I would eat fried rice for breakfast was if I had takeout the night before & no milk for cereal in the morning! There were lots of different meats, colorful vegetables, and 3 types of porridge at breakfast. I had fried rice & 2 pieces of toast- and was mad at myself. I am by no means a picky eater, but I just could not eat beets or "breakfast bowel" this morning. Hopefully the kids had cereal of some sort at home- or at least packed granola bars!

It is already incredibly humid here. The window of my hotel room is hot to touch. It is nice to see Linhai in the daylight. It is a packed, large city surrounded by the mountains. I can see 7 cranes for new high-rise construction from my room. There is a haze hanging over the city already- it seems like the mountains create a smog like that of Los Angeles.

Tried to get Blogger to work on the hotel network the last 2 hours & still no luck. No CFHS e-mail. Or Facebook :)

It will definitely be an interesting day as we all get acclimated. Personally, I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I'm also really jealous of the kids getting to go home with such awesome families. It was such a warm welcome last night and everone was so sweet. I don't think I will EVER forget all their faces as we arrived!

I'll work on the blog & pictures more later today. Sleep well and we'll have a great day here :)

Safe and sound in Linhai

We arrived in Linhai at 1 AM where the students were greeted with open arms and big smiles. The Huipu HS students are THRILLED that we are finaly here! They were matched up with their host families and went home to get some sleep! Tomorrow morning's class activities were cancelled so all the kids (and teachers!) could get some extra sleep. We all meet at the high school tomorrow afternoon at 2 for Chinese, science, and PE classes.

I cannot get Blogger or my Chagrin e-mail to work from the laptop- the websites are blocked here. I will try to post in greater detail, pictures included, tomorrow.

NIHAO, SHANGHAI!

We just landed in Shanghai! Still on the plane :) Have to get through customs & immigration, then a 4 hour bus ride to Linhai.

"Oh... you're with the debacle group"

Well, we've earned quite the reputation with Delta airlines, but all 14 of us managed to make it to Detroit.After several ticket & flight changes, as well as a 30 minute delay on the Hopkins tarmack, we are currently speed walking from C-30 to A-30. I am trying not to trip over my feet while typing on my BlackBerry :) A 1 hour 48 minute layover turned into 25 minutes until boarding. We SHOULD be all set... finally! Boarding @ 3:20 & leaving @ 4:15. Talk to you in roughly 16 hours :)