Saturday in Xi'An

We have been out of touch for a few days because Mrs. Donovan and I are Mac people, and this is a Windows kind of place. Mr. Baker arrived, and now we are in business again. The teachers at the school offered the use of their computers, but the keyboards are all in Chinese...

So, now for an update

We arrived in Xi'An on Wednesday after a two hour plane ride. We were driven to the school where we met up with the host families. The students left, and we did not see them again until this morning. The students are on the New Year's break, so class is not in session until Monday. We met up with the students this morning at the school, and received hugs and lots of information about what they've been doing- karaoke, visits to the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, walks through the Muslim quarter, visit to a Chinese Amusement Park- an in-depth report on one host parent, who, after going on a ride with the kids, threw up in the cab, played basketball, ate pizza with very unusual toppings, and so forth!

Today we boarded a bus together and headed to the country. We visited a small village of 800 people and visited with an artist who paints village life. He gave us a demonstration of his technique, and then served us lunch. After lunch we looked through many paintings and selected ones to buy. After that we enjoyed drum music in the courtyard, followed by dragon dancing with our students.

We bid farewell to the village and headed back into the city. We visited the Xi'An history museum and saw relics over three thousand years old. Xi'An was the original capitol of China, and it's history is rich, and deep. There were a few terra cotta warriors on display, a taste of what we will see when we visit the site on Monday.

After the museum we went to a Tang Dynasty Plaza. The place was hoppin'! Thousands upon thousands of people enjoying food, dancing, acrobats, and the day. We saw people eating fish on a stick, coconut juice out of green outer husks of coconuts, roasted squid on a stick, and Tobias and Henry's personal favorite, scorpions on a stick!

Jan Baker

The Xi'an group is doing great!

We hope to post to the blog soon - have had technical/internet issues but no other issues - all are well - with their host families past two days exploring this city, its rich history and culture - it warmed our hearts when we spotted Tuti with a big smile on her face leaving the Drum Tower at the center of the city - our host teacher, Forest, made a few behind the scene calls for us yesterday and as far as we know everyone is enjoying their time with their families. We'll all meet at the Xi'an Foreign Language School this morning and travel to Hu Xian Farmers Painting and House. Jan and I are anxious to see the kids and hear their stories! - All for now.

Pat Donovan

A Most Fortunate Day in Chengdu

Today was another brush with Buddhism as we headed north to the Baoguang Buddhist Monastery. It has been a place of worship since the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220 in case you don’t know your dynasties) and continues to be an active monastery. The sight of monks roaming the grounds interested the kids, as did the many folks burning incense, bowing, and kneeling in prayer. The biggest attraction for our group was the Luohan Hall. Inside there are 518 life-size Buddhist saints, Buddhas, and Bohidarma, the Indian founder of Zen Buddhism. As you enter the hall, boys go left and girls go right. You walk among the statues until one strikes your fancy and then you count statues from there until you reach the number of your age. Each statue is numbered, and the number associated with your final statue corresponds to a fortune card that you can obtain, for a nominal fee of 5 Yuan, about 75 cents. In a freaky Zen kind of way Martha and I each headed our separate directions at the entry, counted statues and out of 518 possibilities, ended up with statues right next to each other. There may be something to this Buddhist fortune thing, as one of the boys, who shall remain nameless to protect him from his English teacher, was writing feverishly in his journal in the adjacent garden. When I asked him how the journal writing was going he responded that he was trying to catch up because his fortune said he needed to work harder. I thought about just gathering 240 fortune cards from that same statue but decided that wasn’t a very Zen thing to do. Other fortunes included promises of large families and happy jobs. Before lunch we gave the kids some time to wander. Most roamed the gardens for awhile, and then settled into a garden pavilion to write in their journals. I can’t think of a better place in all of Chengdu to quietly reflect on all that we have seen and done. We had a vegetarian lunch in the monastery, and then it was back to the big city for the afternoon. But before boarding the bus we all tried our luck at the blind walk of faith. There is a large Chinese symbol carved in the wall of the monastery’s entry courtyard. You start 50 yards from the wall, close your eyes, extend your hand, and start walking. If you end up hitting the wall with your hand on the symbol then you will have good fortune. With our group it was more miss than hit, but all had a good laugh trying and watching others try.

Our afternoon in downtown was a contrast of shopping experiences. First, we went to the Wide Alley and the Narrow Alley. These are two old streets that have been restored into upscale restaurants and shops. There were lots of smiles when we agreed to meet at Starbucks as our rallying point. After an hour of wandering the two alleys it was off to the Tibetan market street. This was a very different sort of area, with shops filled with incense burners, prayer flags, all things Lama Buddhist, and lots of Tibetan textiles. There were also scores of folks in traditional Tibetan attire on the street and in the shops. Another hour of wandering brought more purchases, stories of bartering, and a renewed sense of just how different
the culture is in China.

Finally, it was a quick trip back to school where all said their goodbyes and headed off for a weekend with the their host families. We can’t wait to hear the stories Monday morning when we once again gather as a group.

Tom Whittington

Friday in Chengdu

A couple of our students got up early and visited an English class this morning. Ji Gu, Erick and Kathleen found themselves in the role of English teacher for some very enthusiastic young students. Kathleen sang a song from High School Musical. After reuniting with our group inside the gates of the Tangu School, we all walked to the athletic field in the middle of the campus where we observed the morning exercise program. Hundreds of middle school students jogged into the gated athletic field and quickly lined up in groups of about 25 students, one wearing a colored vest with a number on it. Each group then ran several laps in formation. After they left, the gym teacher came over to the turf field and had us all line up by height. He led us through some exercises. During the course of the day, many young students wanted to speak to the "foreigners"- some of them shouted "Hello!" as they passed by and a few came right up to us, eager to converse. This activity was followed by a short presentation by "Mike." He gave an overview of Chinese culture, including the many festivals enjoyed by the Chinese, chopstick history and etiquette, and Chinese tea. He ended the presentation with some music by a well known female singer from Chengdu. We had lunch and then spent some time in one of the school's computer rooms where we all tried to access email, but without much luck. The afternoon activity was a calligraphy lesson. Everyone tried his or her hand at this ancient Chinese art form and we all agreed it is harder than it looks! We can all read the word "America" in Chinese now. After calligraphy we went to the second floor of the dining hall to make dumplings.

The dining hall has three floors and each one is filled with tables to seat several hundred people. However, we arrived before dinner was served so it was just our group and the kitchen staff, who were taking a break and watching tv together. One of them came over to demonstrate how to make a dumpling. Her fingers worked so quickly as she scooped a spoonful of pork and cabbage mixture into the round dough and pinched into a sealed pouch. Our students gave it a shot and we discovered that Shea has a knack for dumplings - his first one was perfect! It took only 5 minutes for the dumplings to steam. We had several different sauces to try with the dumplings, including vinegar, soy sauce and a very spicy sauce that got the best of both Madame Leff and Penny. Once we had finished eating the students all met up with their hosts and went "home" with them for the weekend. Some of the families are planning to take their Gould student to see the Pandas. A few of the students have Saturday classes so a few of our Gouldies will be tagging along (not such an unfamiliar thing, though...). The hosts arranged for Madame Leff and Mrs. Chase to see a Sichuan Opera show. Because of heavy traffic, we missed about half of the show but we did get to see some exquisitely dressed dancers, a man balancing a small, flaming urn on his head and most exciting of all: the signature face-changing act. We really don't know how they did it, but it was a stunning display of color and sound and definitely something to write home about!

Xi'an

Hi all,

We've heard from Pat Donovan and the Xi'an group has arrived safely and are getting to know their host families. Pat and Jan Baker hope to have internet access shortly so they can keep you up to date.

Tucker

Luck of the Buddha

Hot off the press from Martha Wittington:

"Our first full day in Chengdu! Today’s excursion was a two hour drive to Leshan, where we climbed up to the head and then down to the feet of the world’s largest Buddha.

The ride there was most informative as we learned that the farmland around Chengdu is particularly profitable because of its year round use. The crop of the week was a yellow flower, which we had difficulty identifying, whose seeds are used for cooking oil.

We learned that the bus driver had a GPS system that kept track of his speed for the traffic police. If he went over the limit a buzzer sounded and the ticket was sent by mail. We also learned that the very firm beds in the host family homes are thought to be healthiest for children and their growing bodies.

A check-in with all the students brought forth stories of last night’s dinners, a few awkward moments, and the relief of finally meeting their host families. The Gould kids are staying in a variety of accommodations from 10th floor apartments to first floor flats to a house in a gated community. Most have a grandparent or two living with them. All seem pleased with the relative ease of “moving in” and agreed that their families are sooooo nice and doing all they can to make them feel welcome.


Back to Leshan…. The Giant Buddha was carved out of the mountain during the Tang dynasty (800AD) at the site where three rivers come together. We were told that many boats sank at that site and Monk Haitong thought a solution was to raise money to build a large Buddha to protect the waters. The Buddha took ninety years to complete and has gone through many restorations since then. It is quite spectacular both up close on the mountain and from the boat in the river below.

The day felt long mostly because of the bus rides and the heat. Who would have thought that we needed sunscreen? The temperature hit 70 degrees and we all enjoyed an early taste of spring. Oh, by the way, the teachers were treated to a wonderful foot massage at the end of the day.


Tomorrow we visit a Buddhist monastery in the morning and then hit the shops in the main shopping district in the afternoon before students head off with their families for the weekend."

Just in from Darcy Chase:

"Ni Hao from Chengdu 2 (Thursday):

The students spent their first night with their host families and we all met up again this morning at our host school (Foreign Language Experimental School Affiliated to Tanghu Middle School). A chinese English teacher, "Mike", guided us around the campus and pointed out the various classroom buildings, the technology building, the dormitories, etc.

We saw dozens and dozens of students jogging around a sports field, all wearing identical nylon track suits (a typical Chinese school uniform). We all marveled at the very tidy dorm rooms - each consisted of two sets of all-in-one bunkbed/desk combination units so that four students shared each room. Not one item was out of place and there was absolutely nothing on the walls. This school houses not only middle and high school students but primary students as well. we caught a quick glimpse of five and six year old students having their recess. Later, when we passed by some young students, many of them shouted "hello" and wanted to talk to us in English.

After the tour, we all convened in a conference room on the first floor of the Principal's Building. This was the official welcome ceremony and speeches were given by the assistant schoolmaster, one host student, one host parent, Mr. Baker and Courtney (we were so proud of her!). Official gifts from one school to another were exchanged. We presented the assistant headmaster with a plaque depicting our school. They presented us with a beautiful book of handcrafted paper cut images as well as several gifts for the teachers. The host families then presented gifts to their Gould student. After a group picture was taken, we all ate lunch in the very large cafeteria.

Lunch was a huge scoop of white rice accompanied by several different meat and vegetable dishes including cooked pumpkin and even rabbit! The only drink was salted hot water (the only safe way to consume water here). We noticed that many of the Chinese students had brought their own spoons as the cafeteria provided only chopsticks. We learned that the middle and high school students have a two hour break for lunch and rest but are often busy with classes and study halls through ten pm each evening. After lunch, the host families wisked away our students for an afternoon of shopping.

We teachers spent the afternoon window shopping in a HUGE shopping district. We spent much of our time scouting for western toilets and real coffee! It was overwhelming to be surrounded by hundreds of asian people. We definitely attracted attention as we were the only non-asians. Toward the evening, our host "Barbie" took us to Jinli Street. This is a gorgeous, gated pedestrian walkway/park with many small shops and food vendors. The New Year lanterns were still up and looked especially nice lit up in the evening. Barbie insisted that we try some of the sichuan snacks. We tasted things like spicy potatoes on a stick and a sweet white fungus soup.

We will hear from our students in the morning about what they did today with their host families. It looks like tomorrow will be a full day at the school including Chinese music, calligraphy lessons and a dumpling dinner. Oh, and by the way, we enjoyed 60 degree weather today in Chengdu!"

This in from Darcy Chase:

"Ni Hao from "Chengdu 2" (Madame Leff, Mrs. Chase, Courtney, Kathleen, Molly, Penny, Ji Gu, Doug, Avery, Shea and Erick)

Today we all got up and had one last breakfast at the King's Joy Hotel. Everyone gathered up their clothes and recently purchased gifts and carried stuffed suitcases down to the lobby and boarded the bus for the airport. At the airport the two Chengdu groups and the Chien group said goodbye and parted ways. Chengdu 1 and Chengdu 2 traveled together by plane for 2.5 hours.


After claiming our bags, Chengdu 2 proceeded toward a crowd of smiling people holding signs. Bouquets of flowers were presented as host families welcomed their Gould students.


We all posed for pictures outside of the airport.

The ride from the airport allowed us all to see that spring has arrived here in Chengdu! ()It was nearly 60 degrees when we stepped off the plane.) Red and yellow flowers adorn every corner and look especially nice complemented by the hundreds of red paper lanterns hanging from
every tree.

After the students spent a couple of hours visiting with their hosts, everyone met at a lovely hotel for a welcome dinner. Our hosts had arranged for the electronic sign on the entrance of the hotel to read " Warmly Welcome the Student Delegation of Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine America". We were so proud of our students- they were all dressed nicely, conducted themselves well and chose to use chopsticks even though forks were available. Molly remarked "I'm a traveler, not a tourist!"


Molly, Kathleen and Courtney sat with several Chinese students. Whenever we looked their way, everyone was smiling, talking and eating. Kathleen's host mother came over to meet the teachers. She was so enthusiastic about having Kathleen and had already chosen a Chinese name for her American "daughter." Avery enjoyed the meal with his host brother and host parents. Doug and his his host brother seemed to hit it off right away. Molly's host sister has just started college and the parents both teach at the school we will be visiting.

Shea's host sister told us how handsome he is. Erick and Ji Gu's host brothers had to go back to school for evening classes so the host parents brought them to the dinner. The boys had traveled by pedicab to the hotel. Erick told us he had already enjoyed a nap, Chinese snacks and even a hot shower - although he found he was taller than the shower! Penny and her host sister were chatting away all through dinner. After the buffet dinner, students dispersed with their host families for the evening.


We teachers walked down the street and found the "Trust-Mart" which is the name of the Walmart chain here. The aisles were filled with dozens of unfamiliar snacks and there was a huge, open bin of rice. We were trying to find water and a Chinese clerk tried to help us but did not understand us even when we used gestures. We were the only non-asian faces in the whole place.

Mr. McKnight is here with us and has been busy taking photos. Tomorrow there will be an official welcoming ceremony at the school, followed by lunch and a city tour and shopping in the afternoon. We are very curious about this school of five thousand students and 500 teachers. We will post more tomorrow.

Wan An! (that means goodnight in Chinese)"

Jan Baker writes:

"We are very fortunate to be in China during the New Year Festivities. The New Year is based on a lunar calendar, and this is our first visit during the celebration. Every evening the sky is bright with fireworks, and the crackle and boom of firecrackers of all sizes. The celebration will continue until March 1st. In the morning, the sidewalks are littered with the red paper remnants of the night's explosions, soon to be swept up by women with handmade brooms.

This morning we walked a block or two from our hotel into a hutong. Hutongs are very, very old neighborhoods of one story buildings, set in a rambling maze of streets and paths. There are store fronts, small markets and private homes, bicycles and people. In the interest of modernity, the Chinese government is tearing down many hutongs to make way for larger streets and taller buildings. We divided into the groups we will be traveling with, and wandered in.

At one tiny shop, a man was spreading a batter on a flat iron about three feet across. He used a wooden spatula to quickly distribute the batter all over the iron. Some of us were thinking crepes, but the huge disk of batter was folded and folded and folded, then quickly cut with a huge knife, and we bought a bag full. The resulting confection was so thin it was translucent, and the crispest thing we'd ever tasted. Wow!


We continued along, and found a large outdoor food market. Everyone checked out the vegetables, some familiar, and some completely new to us. There was a tea stall and lots of people bought green tea and flower tea. Some of us got a little lost and turned around in the narrow streets, but we finally made our way out.

We took subways and buses to Christina Xiang's neighborhood and stopped for lunch. We had another delicious meal and reaffirmed the notion that we ought to have lazy susans at school. After lunch, with great sadness, we said good bye to Lincoln and Shuo. They returned to Shanghai and Shenzen. We are so greatful to them; we couldn't have done it without them. They are terrific problem solvers, energetic, always up for adventure, and tremendously proud of their country. Now that they have departed, Penny is doing a great job.

We visited Christina's school, a 600 year old institution with 3000 students. Our students visited two classes and spoke English with sixth graders. It was a lot of fun, and the students were proud to show off their English skills. We returned to our hotel, washed our hands and faces and headed out for the theatre to see the Chinese acrobats. We sat in the fifth, sixth and seventh row, and watched the troop of young acrobats. Tumbling, leaping, flying through the air, throwing hats in the air and retrieving them on their heads while tumbling, and contorting their bodies in ways that defied reason!


After the performance, we returned to the hotel where we greeted Margaret, Max, Erick, Ella and Mr. MacKnight, all of whom are happy to be in China and out of an airplane.

After a quick bowl of noodles for dinner, we returned to the hotel to pack for tomorrow's departure, and hit the pillow."

Beijing Delights

This just in from Martha Whittington:

"Today we walked and walked and walked. Tiananmen Square was our first trek, the largest gathering square in the world. Tomorrow it is back to work and school for many of the Beijing folk after a long holiday, so the crowds were small and we breezed right across the Square into the Forbidden City. Until only a hundred years ago the Forbidden City was only accessible to the Emperor and his chosen people. Now it is a most spectacular monument to past dynasties, enjoyed by all from near and far.


Lunch noodles were consumed hungrily and fortified us for another walk and subway ride to the Silk Market—a prime shopping experience! Imagine the Gould students talking a seasoned shopkeeper down in price for all sorts of things, from Northfake clothing to special silk items. Robes were popular purchases, as were sets of chopsticks. Many wanted more time although some were tired of the constant attention and pressure to buy.

After shopping, it was back to downtown for a hotpot dinner and a trip through the night market. Imagine every scary creature from your childhood nightmares, on display and yours for the asking, to eat. That was enough to send us off to bed, with one last pass around the Square on the way “home.”

Tomorrow is our last day in Beijing before heading off to our host schools."

One more time...

I just said good bye to the final group. Three students, Max Barber, Margaret Cameron, and Erick Robicsek and Mr. MacKnight are down in Holden Lounge waiting for 2 am and Larry to take them on to Boston where they will meet up with Ella Dorval-Hall at Logan Airport and hop on the plane headed to Chicago and Beijing.

The crew as they prepare to leave Maine.

再见！

Sunshine and dumplings

This morning we awoke to a blue sky and bright sunshine in Beijing. We walked a short distance to the public bus and we were off to the Dirt Market. Rows and rows of stalls of treasures just waiting to be bartered for. And barter we did! A little information about exchange rates, how to negotiate, and when to walk away, and everyone was set loose in a sea of tea sets, jewelry, silks, swords and imitation antiquities!

Two hours later we were satisfied with our purchases and ready for lunch. Shuo Yuan and Lincoln arranged lunch in a restaurant a few blocks walk from the market, and we ate fish, cabbage, chicken, pork, a soup with spinach and soft boiled quail eggs, and a salad with deep fried pigeon eggs. Everyone is getting very good at eating with chopsticks.

After lunch we took another bus to the Temple of Heaven. The temple sits at the center of a magnificent park with 500 year old cedar and juniper trees. The park was filled with people enjoying the day- singing in groups, playing cards, playing musical instruments, and dancing. We were watching groups of people dancing, and an older woman beckoned us to join them. Courtney, Kathleen and Lily joined them, and then a few more of us, and soon we were all dancing! Then we turned around to see that we had become the subject of many cameras! We were laughing and dancing, and Lincoln learned from the woman who coaxed us to dance that her son was a PhD living in Chicago, and that she was a math teacher in Beijing. Mrs. Chase borrowed a rather terrific bling scarf from one of the dancers, tied it 'round her waist, and showed us a few moves.

We walked through the park to the Temple of Heaven, a majestic spot made even more beautiful by the blue sky. We took many photographs, got the Gould banner out for a few group shots, and enjoyed the afternoon.

We headed back to our hotel on a very crowded bus, and we all got laughing at the positions we were squeezed into with complete strangers, and when we arrived at the hotel, we had a meal of dumplings- boiled dumplings, fried dumplings, pork, chicken, vegetable, you name it dumplings. Finished off with cold slices of delicious watermelon.

We ventured out into the neighborhood in small groups for an hour this evening, all returned safely, and after a day of walking, bartering, trying new things and enjoying one another's company, we are ready for sleep!

Jan Baker

Great Wall and Great Duck or ...Serendipity

This in from Darcy Chase:

"Today we traveled by bus (about 2.5 hours) to the Simitai section of the Great Wall...

Upon arrival, many of us had our first experience with a non-western style toilet. This event will surely make an appearance in some of the journals.

The group began to make its way toward the pathway when suddenly, Gould Alum Hilary Hough '07 came running up the walkway! She had spent the night sleeping on the wall and was visiting China with some of her Semester at Sea companions. A small world, indeed! The whole group trekked up the wall, flanked by some very persistent locals who wanted to assist us and sell us some souvenirs. Some of the more ambitious in our group climbed as far as the 12th tower. It goes without saying that today's field trip presented us with excellent photo opportunities.

The long bus ride back into the city gave us a chance to a bit of China outside of Beijing. We saw clusters of small buildings "hutongs" where the local farming families live, as well as colorful fruit, fish and meat stands along the highway. Upon our return to Beijing, we enjoyed a traditional peking duck dinner. Jet lag seemed to have hit most of the group full force and everyone went to bed fairly early. The plan for tomorrow is to visit the "dirt market." Parents: your children are doing great!"

The Great Firewall of China

Here's a quick update from Tom Whittington:

"The main group has arrived in Beijing and quickly got a major lesson in the differences between our two countries. Apparently since we were last here there were posts on blogspot, the host for our blog, that the Chinese government did not like. So, the People's Republic has simply banned all access to blogspot from inside China for the time being. Needless to say that has put a hitch in our plans to keep folks updated.

Not to worry. Posts may be a little delayed, but we will not be deterred. We're going to send posts and pictures to Tucker Kimball, back at Gould, and have him post them. Since we've already visited the Great Firewall of China, we plan on visiting the Great Wall itself on Saturday. Check back to see how we're doing, and thanks Tucker for squelching the fire."

The Eagle has Landed

The crew landed in Beijing a few hours ago. They had a great first meal and currently are settling to the their rooms in The King's Joy Hotel. Tomorrow morning it will be off to the Great Wall and then back to Beijing for a meal of the ever famous Peking Duck. It looks like the weather should be relative warm and sunny for the trip to the wall tomorrow, so look out for some spectacular pictures went everyone gets home.

As was mentioned in Tucker's last post, there are currently some technical difficulties with the blog in China. Hopefully, those can get straightened out soon, but no matter what, the posts will keep coming.

Picture from: http://www.directpersonnel.com/site/load.php?page=106

Hi all,

Mr. Baker and the crew are working out some technical kinks in China but sent this note along to post to the blog:

"Advance Team in place in Beijing. Have made all bus arrangements and most food reservations for stay in Beijing. Weather is clear and upper 30's F. Things in place for a wonderful visit!"

Stay tuned for updates from our in-China bloggers throughout the trip!

Best,

Tucker

And they're off...

So tonight, at 9:30 pm, the freshman, minus a few, gathered in Ordway Living Room to wait for the 2 am bus to Boston. A few students chose to nap a bit.
Tomorrow (which is a confusing idea as you look to travel forward 13 hours) is Abbi Fitzpatrick's 15th birthday. Some of her friends got her a birthday cake and, at midnight, we sang a round of "Happy Birthday" to welcome her into year 16 (24 hours early.) Hopeful she can get a few long noodles (a traditional birthday food symbolizing long life) at her first dinner in Beijing.
At 1 am, the students learned the groups that they will be traveling in.

Chengdu Group 1

Chengdu group 2

Xi'an Group

Finally the bus arrived and everyone is out the door. There was a great sense of excitement to the scene as bags were wheeled out and last minute shuffling happened.

The bus was quickly filled and they were off.


The bus pulled out...
at 2 am on the nose!
You'll hear more from all the groups once they hit the ground in China.

I'll post one more brief update from Gould as the second group heads out.

-Colin Penley