Sunday July 12

Sunday:

Today was awesome! We had the whole day to do whatever we wanted and so a few of us decided to head to the inner city and explore within the city walls. I was picturing Xi’an to be a bit more rural but it is a city of over six million and the traffic is almost as wild as Mumbai – traffic rules are more of a suggestion, and it is pedestrian beware!

View from the back seat of the cab.



A welcoming gate in the inner city of Xi’an.

Kat from Portland, Rene from Brooklyn, and Craig from Bay City posing at the art studio where I got a good deal of a piece of work.


All along the streets artists are showing their works and selling goods. It is interesting how the small markets and sellers are mixed in with the glitz of a bustling city.

Text for earlier Post - Sat 7-11-09

Saturday, July 11, 2009

After visiting Beijing, hiking the Great Wall, visiting The Forbidden City and catching a flight to Xi’an, I was pooped! Yesterday we had orientation at the Shaanxi Normal University which is one of the five distinguished universities in China. We were greeted and welcomed by the dean of the university and met Chinese university students that served as our guides for the day. After the tour of the university, we hit the streets with our guides and took care of getting ourselves situated to the city of Xi’an. The university is a beautiful setting and I am excited about being here for an extended time.

My student guide, Shang Hui, and me by the rock which says something about knowledge giving power – she suggested the peace signs for a “nice, good touch.”

Just one of the many garden/shaded areas to study on campus

Welcome

Limited time to download - off to Chinese lessons.

Beijing Welcome

Wednesday
We made it to Beijing and everyone made it outside of the airport. One of our travelers was sick several times on the plane and our fear was that she would have a temperature and we would all be quarantined for seven days. We were all a bit nervous when the team of “temperature takers” passed through our rows zapping each of us in the head to check our temps.

Again as we passed through security our temperatures were read, but, we are happy to be with each other on a bus instead of a plane. After registering at the hotel it felt great to walk after so much sitting. Tienanmen Square and the Wangfujing area of Beijing which looks much like Times Square.

Thursday AM.
I woke up at 3:30 to make a 4 AM walk to Tiananmen Square for the raising of the flag. The place was crowded with people holding children holding cameras. Many nationals come out for this while in Beijing. The Chinese people enjoy listening to Americans speak English and we are keeping score on who gets asked to have their picture taken most often.

After the flag ceremony we walked down Wangfujing Street. It looked quite different than it did the night before. I even caught a look at Yao Ming looking out over the city. Somehow I had missed him the night before.

At 8:30 we leave for The Great Wall! I pretty pumped for that.

The Big Three

While not the best picture, these are the best people to teach about China. Their resumes and experience put me in awe and I am excited for all I will be able to learn from these three.


Pictured are Kevin Lawrence, Associate Director of Teach China and leader of our NEH program; Professor Annette Juliano, Rutgers University; Dr. Hsin-Mei Agnes Hsu, Director of Education, China Institute.

Tonight some of us are venturing out in Newark for tacos. Tomorrow we leave for Beijing - the lengths one must go for some good Chinese food!

Let the adventure begin!

Today started with an orientation. Everyone introduced themselves telling a bit about where they are from and why they wanted to learn about China.

Lots of questions were answered and I am amazed to be in the company of such a well-traveled group of people. While most people are teaching some social studies there are artists, a media specialist, elementary as well middle and high school. We are a diverse group sharing a sense of adventure and a passion for learning!

All packed!

Can you even believe that all my clothes for five weeks is this flat pack - gotta love those space bags for international traveling. I had everything in my one bag and weighed in at 46 pounds.

I decided to try my luck and flew standby. I got into my hotel in Newark at 7:30 instead of midnight so even enjoyed dinner with Ellen from Frederick, Maryland. She is my roommate two nights in Newark and two nights in Beijing.