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!