Our Final Destination: Beijing
April 17, 2017
Katie's POV:
Arriving on rickshaws, we all gathered into one of the many security checks we have been through while in china. After all of our bags had gone through the metal detector (luckily nothing had been confiscated by security this time) we met with David our tour guide in front of a huge, traditional looking, Chinese building. A museum maybe? An art gallery? None of us were really sure. As we walked into the building we discovered it was a tea room! Squad minus two (Banas and Aidan) took their places around the table, waiting patiently for what was to come. In about 5 minutes a lady walked into our room wearing a traditional Chinese dress. She carried a tea pot full of boiling water, and greeted us all in nearly perfect English. In front of us lay containers of tea leaves, which our hostess prepared for us. We drank our tea in tiny cups, that could have been apart of a toy tea set. We tried 7 types of tea, while everyone discussed which one was their favorite. After tea we all shuffled into the shop of the tea room. I keep having to tell myself that only in China is it okay to drop a quick 340 yuen (50$) on tea. I'm writing this snapshot of my day while my roommate Caroline and I sip our tea while the night lights of Beijing beam through our hotel window. I can tell that when I miss our journeys across China I will be able to make a cup of tea and remember this day vividly.
Caroline's POV:
Despite group wide exhaustion due to our lack of sleep on the overnight train we had taken earlier in the morning, our group will always rally for a meal, which is exactly where david, our tour guide, brought us. After a 40 minute drive, which consisted of sleeping for everyone on the bus, we arrived in the historical neighborhood where we would eventually eat our favorite meal in Beijing yet. Through our long bus rides, I've quickly learned how enormous Beijing is, and how the excessive levels of traffic can quickly make a 10 minute ride 40 minutes long, giving us ample napping time. Still groggy, our tour guide david quickly ushered us down a small side street of a historic neighborhood in Beijing. None of us knew what to expect, seeing as it was our first day in the largest city in China, and the slightly dingy street we were walking down wasn't exactly what we were picturing when we thought of Beijing, but the meal that followed quickly made up for our misconceptions. When we reached the entrance of the home where we would eat, we were guided through the hallways connecting outdoor spaces where tour groups and families sat, enjoying their home cooked meals. Each table and outdoor area was slightly different, but they were all full of varieties of plants with sun pouring through. Because we're a big group, the owners of the house brought us to their dining room and sat us down at a large table with a spinning lazy susan in the center. Considering the fact that our entire group was starving, we were all relieved to see snacks waiting for us at the table. After devouring the chips that were left for us, a parade of dishes began assembling on the lazy susan at the center of our groups attention. Plates of dumplings, vegetables, meats, rice, and other assortments of delicious food presented themselves just as fast as we were devouring them. My personal favorites were the Chinese cabbage and the pork dumplings. After buffets upon buffets for our meals in Xi'an, this home cooked and beyond flavorful meal being presented to the chex group exceeded any of our expectations and left us hopeful for the meals to come during the rest of our stay in Beijing. Despite the lack of conversation during our lunch, considering the fact that we were all too busy taking in every part of the meal in front of us, it was evident that every single person sitting down was enjoying the food we had been given. Once we finished, the cook and owner of the house gave us some historical background on the home that we were eating in. It had been passed through three generations of the same family, and all that time owning the house in such a historical neighborhood increased its value to around $8,000,000, a price that none of us could guess. On our way out of the home, after the lunch was over, we stopped in one room of the house where the owner proceeded to entertain us even more by playing a song on a traditional instrument. Overall, entering the house where we ate lunch on this monday afternoon, none of us could expect how much we would all enjoy such a special meal.
Arriving on rickshaws, we all gathered into one of the many security checks we have been through while in china. After all of our bags had gone through the metal detector (luckily nothing had been confiscated by security this time) we met with David our tour guide in front of a huge, traditional looking, Chinese building. A museum maybe? An art gallery? None of us were really sure. As we walked into the building we discovered it was a tea room! Squad minus two (Banas and Aidan) took their places around the table, waiting patiently for what was to come. In about 5 minutes a lady walked into our room wearing a traditional Chinese dress. She carried a tea pot full of boiling water, and greeted us all in nearly perfect English. In front of us lay containers of tea leaves, which our hostess prepared for us. We drank our tea in tiny cups, that could have been apart of a toy tea set. We tried 7 types of tea, while everyone discussed which one was their favorite. After tea we all shuffled into the shop of the tea room. I keep having to tell myself that only in China is it okay to drop a quick 340 yuen (50$) on tea. I'm writing this snapshot of my day while my roommate Caroline and I sip our tea while the night lights of Beijing beam through our hotel window. I can tell that when I miss our journeys across China I will be able to make a cup of tea and remember this day vividly.
Caroline's POV:
Despite group wide exhaustion due to our lack of sleep on the overnight train we had taken earlier in the morning, our group will always rally for a meal, which is exactly where david, our tour guide, brought us. After a 40 minute drive, which consisted of sleeping for everyone on the bus, we arrived in the historical neighborhood where we would eventually eat our favorite meal in Beijing yet. Through our long bus rides, I've quickly learned how enormous Beijing is, and how the excessive levels of traffic can quickly make a 10 minute ride 40 minutes long, giving us ample napping time. Still groggy, our tour guide david quickly ushered us down a small side street of a historic neighborhood in Beijing. None of us knew what to expect, seeing as it was our first day in the largest city in China, and the slightly dingy street we were walking down wasn't exactly what we were picturing when we thought of Beijing, but the meal that followed quickly made up for our misconceptions. When we reached the entrance of the home where we would eat, we were guided through the hallways connecting outdoor spaces where tour groups and families sat, enjoying their home cooked meals. Each table and outdoor area was slightly different, but they were all full of varieties of plants with sun pouring through. Because we're a big group, the owners of the house brought us to their dining room and sat us down at a large table with a spinning lazy susan in the center. Considering the fact that our entire group was starving, we were all relieved to see snacks waiting for us at the table. After devouring the chips that were left for us, a parade of dishes began assembling on the lazy susan at the center of our groups attention. Plates of dumplings, vegetables, meats, rice, and other assortments of delicious food presented themselves just as fast as we were devouring them. My personal favorites were the Chinese cabbage and the pork dumplings. After buffets upon buffets for our meals in Xi'an, this home cooked and beyond flavorful meal being presented to the chex group exceeded any of our expectations and left us hopeful for the meals to come during the rest of our stay in Beijing. Despite the lack of conversation during our lunch, considering the fact that we were all too busy taking in every part of the meal in front of us, it was evident that every single person sitting down was enjoying the food we had been given. Once we finished, the cook and owner of the house gave us some historical background on the home that we were eating in. It had been passed through three generations of the same family, and all that time owning the house in such a historical neighborhood increased its value to around $8,000,000, a price that none of us could guess. On our way out of the home, after the lunch was over, we stopped in one room of the house where the owner proceeded to entertain us even more by playing a song on a traditional instrument. Overall, entering the house where we ate lunch on this monday afternoon, none of us could expect how much we would all enjoy such a special meal.
Second and Last Day in Xi'an
April 16, 2017
Sophie's/ Hayley's Day:
After almost missing breakfast and trying to put the last couple of things in our bags, we were down and ready to go in the lobby at 9. The music started playing nice and early, as usual, and we were all ready for another day of touristy things! Typical Chinese traffic was hectic, so we made a quick change and started with the wild goose pagoda instead of starting at the museum. All of us, especially Aidan, were tired and groggy as the rainy weather weighed down on us. We all seperated into smaller groups and walked around the pagoda for about half an hour admiring the beautiful architecture and colors. It started to rain again so we were happy that the museum was next, so we could be warm and dry. We then all went our ways because we had an hour to walk around. We (Hayley + Sophie) walked around with Vivi and Caroline. We quickly discovered the museum was really crowded and hot as hell, so we decided to form a line and all hold onto each other's hoods and powered through the museum. We got a lot of stares but it was funny! We admired the beautiful pottery and occasionally would stop for a picture. It was a quick and easy way to see the things we wanted without getting stuck in all the large crowds. After rushing through and then shoveling french fries into our mouth, we were back on the bus and on the way to lunch finally! It was in another large performance arena where the food supply was endless. We were again surrounded by french people and germans, so the language barrier was further extended when we tried to ask for plain noodles and vegetables. After our stomachs were full and energy was boosted, we were on our way to the fake markets!! We had been to a few markets in Qingdao, but not as big and loud as these ones. We were overwhelmed by all of the hustle and bustle, but also excited and intrigued by all of the fake goods. Caroline, Sophie and I walked back to the beginning of the street to scout for necklaces and some fake wallets. We all ended up with "prada" wallets! We walked around some more and bought gifts for friends and family. After a succes hour an a half of bargaining we got some well deserved rolled ice cream and were off to an early dinner since we were getting on the over night train tonight!
Sophie's POV:
Mr. Banas gave us a little more freedom today as we were given roughly 2 hours to wander and shop.Our excitement was buzzing as Hayley, Caroline, and I were jumping from shop to shop as random merchants were plugging numbers into their calculator and yelling deals at us. We also went back to one store we we all found one necklace that we wanted. Caroline had already bought hers, so it was a fight for the same one between Hayley and I. However, the clerk said he would make us some more so we walked inside his store and all sat around a case of jade necklaces to watch the store man making us our new necklaces. He pulled out more materials to make them right in front of us.
"This is all I have, I'm sorry!" I would say as I hid my wallet and held out 40 yuan. I think we all enjoyed bargaining, simply because we were foreigners and students so everyone gave us a discounted price.
Even though this was very cool to see and I loved shopping around, I couldn't seem to get the idea of food out of my head. Right across the street I could see Mr.Banas sitting drinking tea and reading the newspaper, which only made me think of fresh food, and then I began thinking about what my shake shack order would be!
Hayley's POV:
After a long hour an a half of bargaining prices way down in the markets and twisting out words to emphasis that we were all students and American. Sophie, Caroline, Mrs. O'hare and I were the first back so we decided to try some rolled ice cream. I got Oreo and Mrs. O'hare got green tea. It was an interesting yogurty flavor taste but pretty good. I was sitting down on a bench when this little girl in bright blue pants and a striped t-shirt approached me. In China we are all like celebrities because we look so different and stand out so much more, therefore people always take pictures of us or come up and ask to have a conversation with us to practice with their English. Anyway, this girl comes up to me and asks me if she could practice her English with me. It amazed me how she just came up to me because I would never have the guts to do that. I was very excited to help her and almost honored that she asked me. It was a really cool moment of my trip and I'm happy I got to help her practice her English, which was pretty good. Definitely gonna miss being a celebrity when we get back to the states. Even when I get frustrated with random people taking pictures of me, I always think about how this will never happen to us again, so I just laugh and smile for random elderly Chinese peoples pictures!
After almost missing breakfast and trying to put the last couple of things in our bags, we were down and ready to go in the lobby at 9. The music started playing nice and early, as usual, and we were all ready for another day of touristy things! Typical Chinese traffic was hectic, so we made a quick change and started with the wild goose pagoda instead of starting at the museum. All of us, especially Aidan, were tired and groggy as the rainy weather weighed down on us. We all seperated into smaller groups and walked around the pagoda for about half an hour admiring the beautiful architecture and colors. It started to rain again so we were happy that the museum was next, so we could be warm and dry. We then all went our ways because we had an hour to walk around. We (Hayley + Sophie) walked around with Vivi and Caroline. We quickly discovered the museum was really crowded and hot as hell, so we decided to form a line and all hold onto each other's hoods and powered through the museum. We got a lot of stares but it was funny! We admired the beautiful pottery and occasionally would stop for a picture. It was a quick and easy way to see the things we wanted without getting stuck in all the large crowds. After rushing through and then shoveling french fries into our mouth, we were back on the bus and on the way to lunch finally! It was in another large performance arena where the food supply was endless. We were again surrounded by french people and germans, so the language barrier was further extended when we tried to ask for plain noodles and vegetables. After our stomachs were full and energy was boosted, we were on our way to the fake markets!! We had been to a few markets in Qingdao, but not as big and loud as these ones. We were overwhelmed by all of the hustle and bustle, but also excited and intrigued by all of the fake goods. Caroline, Sophie and I walked back to the beginning of the street to scout for necklaces and some fake wallets. We all ended up with "prada" wallets! We walked around some more and bought gifts for friends and family. After a succes hour an a half of bargaining we got some well deserved rolled ice cream and were off to an early dinner since we were getting on the over night train tonight!
Sophie's POV:
Mr. Banas gave us a little more freedom today as we were given roughly 2 hours to wander and shop.Our excitement was buzzing as Hayley, Caroline, and I were jumping from shop to shop as random merchants were plugging numbers into their calculator and yelling deals at us. We also went back to one store we we all found one necklace that we wanted. Caroline had already bought hers, so it was a fight for the same one between Hayley and I. However, the clerk said he would make us some more so we walked inside his store and all sat around a case of jade necklaces to watch the store man making us our new necklaces. He pulled out more materials to make them right in front of us.
"This is all I have, I'm sorry!" I would say as I hid my wallet and held out 40 yuan. I think we all enjoyed bargaining, simply because we were foreigners and students so everyone gave us a discounted price.
Even though this was very cool to see and I loved shopping around, I couldn't seem to get the idea of food out of my head. Right across the street I could see Mr.Banas sitting drinking tea and reading the newspaper, which only made me think of fresh food, and then I began thinking about what my shake shack order would be!
Hayley's POV:
After a long hour an a half of bargaining prices way down in the markets and twisting out words to emphasis that we were all students and American. Sophie, Caroline, Mrs. O'hare and I were the first back so we decided to try some rolled ice cream. I got Oreo and Mrs. O'hare got green tea. It was an interesting yogurty flavor taste but pretty good. I was sitting down on a bench when this little girl in bright blue pants and a striped t-shirt approached me. In China we are all like celebrities because we look so different and stand out so much more, therefore people always take pictures of us or come up and ask to have a conversation with us to practice with their English. Anyway, this girl comes up to me and asks me if she could practice her English with me. It amazed me how she just came up to me because I would never have the guts to do that. I was very excited to help her and almost honored that she asked me. It was a really cool moment of my trip and I'm happy I got to help her practice her English, which was pretty good. Definitely gonna miss being a celebrity when we get back to the states. Even when I get frustrated with random people taking pictures of me, I always think about how this will never happen to us again, so I just laugh and smile for random elderly Chinese peoples pictures!
First Day in Xi'an
April 15, 2017
Marley's POV:
Olivia and I woke up from our wake up call at about 7:30. It was nice to sleep in a little after getting up early for school with our host students. Although we missed everyone from the Qingdao school, we became excited for the new adventures we would endure this week. We met up with majority of the crew for breakfast and my hope for eating a huge waffle vanished. There were a few westernized foods for breakfast but mostly noodles and steamed dumplings that were delicious so it ended up being ok I didn't get my waffle. We then set out on the bus to go on an hour ride. Although we have been on the bus for long segments of time because it takes a long time to get to the city, we don't mind. The tour bus is one of the best parts of the trip where we bond, blast music, and listen to interesting facts about China from our tour guide Lily. We arrived at our first destination, the factory where they build look alike sculptures to the ancient terrocota warriors. It was interesting to see how the sculptures were made and to imagine the length of time it took the workers to build the original sculptures in the ancient time. The warriors have intricate designs that are challenging to sculpt and are easy to make mistakes on. After we got a tour of the factory, we went shopping in a bunch of small stores inside the factory. All of the pieces of art that were sold were beautiful and hand crafted. Most of the students, including myself, bought small remakes of the terra-cotta warriors that were built in the factory. The factory was a short drive from the terrocata warrior sight and we were all extra excited after learning and seeing the look alike a to the beautiful sculptures. We grabbed some snacks and then walked about fifteen minutes through a pretty path in order to get to the first pit. The first pit was the largest, and in my opinion the coolest. Hundreds of soldiers and horses were lined up and it was amazing to think about the time and effort it took to build these wonders. The second pit was small and showed warriors facing in different directions, and some on the ground smashed. It is believed that there was a raid on the emperors tomb and angry rioters knocked the warriors down in ancient times. The third pit was not yet finished being dug out, but was very large. It didn't hold any warriors but looked as if there were structures under the uneven dirt. The terrocata warriors were really awesome to see but we were all hungry and excited to go to lunch. When we arrived at the restaurant, an assortment of noodles, vegetables, and meat were already lied out for us to eat. It was interesting to try the noodles with the peppercorn sauce, because X’ian is known for its spicy cuisine. We all headed out of the restaraunt excited for the rest of the day.
Olivia's POV:
After our lunch at a restaurant near the terracottas warriors museum, the crew headed for the Xian city wall to rent bikes. Of course, Marley and I were the only ones who decided to rent a tandem bike, while everyone else rode single bikes. At first, it was a struggle for us to get going on our two-seated bike. We almost collided with other people on bikes, as we struggled to gain control of our house and vehicle. When we actually were balanced and in control, we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Swerving through crowds of people and bikers, we slowly caught up to Hayley, Sophie, Nathan, Mrs. Ohare, Ali, and Sofia. After about an hour of biking and almost several bike accidents, Marley and I turned around and went back to where we were supposed to meet and return our bikes because our hands and legs were in extremely sore. The wall bike ride was a really interesting and exciting way to see the city of Xian and its most famous attractions. All of us are still adjusting to life without our host students in Qingdao and traveling with each other 24/7. Because Xian is a touristy city, we aren't stared at as much as we were in Qingdao which is relieving at times, but I think a lot of us miss being treated like celebrities in Qingdao. For dinner, we went to a Tang Dynasty Dumpling show. We were served several dumplings in the shape of what was inside like ducks or walnuts. I tried a pastry with egg and custard inside of it, which was quite interesting! There was a show that told told the story of the Tang Dynasty through music and dance. A lot of us were mesmerized by the beautiful and extravagant traditional dresses that the performers danced in. Although it was a very cool performance, all of us were very tired and wanted to sleep. Some of us were even curled up in our seats ready to pass out from the long day filled with exciting activities. When we got back to the hotel, we all showered and played an intense game of tag, running up and down the halls. When we all went back to our own rooms, we had to pack up all our stuff because it would be our last night in Xian. Tommrow we would head for Beijing in the evening on the overnight train. Because we only have a week of traveling to both Xian and Beijing, the dynamic of our days are very fast paced and we have a lot to see in only 6 days.
Olivia and I woke up from our wake up call at about 7:30. It was nice to sleep in a little after getting up early for school with our host students. Although we missed everyone from the Qingdao school, we became excited for the new adventures we would endure this week. We met up with majority of the crew for breakfast and my hope for eating a huge waffle vanished. There were a few westernized foods for breakfast but mostly noodles and steamed dumplings that were delicious so it ended up being ok I didn't get my waffle. We then set out on the bus to go on an hour ride. Although we have been on the bus for long segments of time because it takes a long time to get to the city, we don't mind. The tour bus is one of the best parts of the trip where we bond, blast music, and listen to interesting facts about China from our tour guide Lily. We arrived at our first destination, the factory where they build look alike sculptures to the ancient terrocota warriors. It was interesting to see how the sculptures were made and to imagine the length of time it took the workers to build the original sculptures in the ancient time. The warriors have intricate designs that are challenging to sculpt and are easy to make mistakes on. After we got a tour of the factory, we went shopping in a bunch of small stores inside the factory. All of the pieces of art that were sold were beautiful and hand crafted. Most of the students, including myself, bought small remakes of the terra-cotta warriors that were built in the factory. The factory was a short drive from the terrocata warrior sight and we were all extra excited after learning and seeing the look alike a to the beautiful sculptures. We grabbed some snacks and then walked about fifteen minutes through a pretty path in order to get to the first pit. The first pit was the largest, and in my opinion the coolest. Hundreds of soldiers and horses were lined up and it was amazing to think about the time and effort it took to build these wonders. The second pit was small and showed warriors facing in different directions, and some on the ground smashed. It is believed that there was a raid on the emperors tomb and angry rioters knocked the warriors down in ancient times. The third pit was not yet finished being dug out, but was very large. It didn't hold any warriors but looked as if there were structures under the uneven dirt. The terrocata warriors were really awesome to see but we were all hungry and excited to go to lunch. When we arrived at the restaurant, an assortment of noodles, vegetables, and meat were already lied out for us to eat. It was interesting to try the noodles with the peppercorn sauce, because X’ian is known for its spicy cuisine. We all headed out of the restaraunt excited for the rest of the day.
Olivia's POV:
After our lunch at a restaurant near the terracottas warriors museum, the crew headed for the Xian city wall to rent bikes. Of course, Marley and I were the only ones who decided to rent a tandem bike, while everyone else rode single bikes. At first, it was a struggle for us to get going on our two-seated bike. We almost collided with other people on bikes, as we struggled to gain control of our house and vehicle. When we actually were balanced and in control, we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Swerving through crowds of people and bikers, we slowly caught up to Hayley, Sophie, Nathan, Mrs. Ohare, Ali, and Sofia. After about an hour of biking and almost several bike accidents, Marley and I turned around and went back to where we were supposed to meet and return our bikes because our hands and legs were in extremely sore. The wall bike ride was a really interesting and exciting way to see the city of Xian and its most famous attractions. All of us are still adjusting to life without our host students in Qingdao and traveling with each other 24/7. Because Xian is a touristy city, we aren't stared at as much as we were in Qingdao which is relieving at times, but I think a lot of us miss being treated like celebrities in Qingdao. For dinner, we went to a Tang Dynasty Dumpling show. We were served several dumplings in the shape of what was inside like ducks or walnuts. I tried a pastry with egg and custard inside of it, which was quite interesting! There was a show that told told the story of the Tang Dynasty through music and dance. A lot of us were mesmerized by the beautiful and extravagant traditional dresses that the performers danced in. Although it was a very cool performance, all of us were very tired and wanted to sleep. Some of us were even curled up in our seats ready to pass out from the long day filled with exciting activities. When we got back to the hotel, we all showered and played an intense game of tag, running up and down the halls. When we all went back to our own rooms, we had to pack up all our stuff because it would be our last night in Xian. Tommrow we would head for Beijing in the evening on the overnight train. Because we only have a week of traveling to both Xian and Beijing, the dynamic of our days are very fast paced and we have a lot to see in only 6 days.
Goodbye Qingdao, Hello Xi'an
April 14, 2017
ViVi's POV:
With our last day in Qingdao, we all have lots of mixed feelings. For me, I was so sad to be leaving my wonderful host family, but I was anxious and excited to move onto our next destination with the Chex group.
In Chinese culture it is customary to be served dumplings for your parting meal as a way to wish good luck and a safe journey upon the person. 上车饺子,下车面 (shang che jiaozi, xia che mian). So, I sat down at the table with a blanket of dumplings covering every inch of the 4 person table. In other words-HEAVEN. Claudia (my amazing host sister) explained to me that her grandmother made them by hand the night before. I was so touched by this because all through the trip, the entire family was so involved in the hosting. We went to to her grandparents house for dinner 2 times, and even though they spoke no English, they were so happy to have me there. We all sat in the family room enjoying the handmade dumplings, savoring the last few minutes we had together.
But soon, the time came to say goodbye. As my host mom hugs me she says "ViVi, come back to your home in China" and she tucked me safely into the car and waved to me as we drove away. Leaving my host mom was so hard, I was fighting back tears and looking back on all the wonderful things she provided me with. The hospitality and love my host family gave me made it bittersweet to leave. When I arrived at school I ran into Ali and as we lugged our suitcases through the hallways, I could feel the sadness in the air. The students looked at us with such seldom expressions and we could tell that we weren't the only ones who would be missing our visit at Qingdao No. 58 School.
For the morning we got to shadow the students for 2 classes, the best way to end our visits at the school. For the second period a group of us went to an English class where the teacher was so enthusiastic to have us in her class and invited us up to the stage (more like a platform where the teacher stands to deliver the lessons) to say a few words. As Ali, Hayley, Sophie, Olivia, Andrew, and I looked at all the students in the class with their eager expressions we all felt the pain of having to leave. We thanked them for such an incredible visit, but the most touching part was when Andrews Host stood up and talked about how much he will miss Andrew. We all started to tear up, but when Andrew and Ali's hosts both started tearing up too, we lost it. Listing to them explain how much we were going to be missed also made the whole class emotional too. One of my favorite parts of Qingdao No. 58 school was how involved all the students were with our visit. Whenever we went into a class, we would be greeted with such a warm welcome and the cheerful smiles of the students. Yet another reason departing was so tough.
As all the Chex students and the host students gathered outside in front of the school the tears started again. We all exchanged hugs as we said our final goodbyes. The hardest part (aside from leaving my host family) was leaving the group as a whole. We all had the most amazing time with eachother and the thing that we'll miss is the company. Words can not describe how much fun I had with everyone and how much I'll miss it! I think the thing that hit all of us was that we would never be all together again. When they were leaving Darien we were all sad, but we were able to say see you in April, but today we all knew that we will never be together again. Once we finally all got on the bus with our faces stained with tears all the hosts were standing below us sobbing and waving us off. Some came up to the window and put their hands up and other stood back and watched as tears rolled down their face. Everyone on the bus was pressed up against the glass watching them as we too had tears streaming down our face.
Once we arrived at the airport everyone was calm and quite, something very unlikely with the usually energetic Chex squad. Marley, Katie, E'Sachi, and I all went to get some KFC, which by the way is very good in China. I usually hate fast food but it was so good. Maybe it was because we were all missing American food that made it taste good, who knows.
The first half of the day was emotionally draining, however there were some exciting things in store for us once we arrived in Xian. Leaving was so hard, but we knew that the week ahead together would bring many exciting things! Qingdao we miss you already, Xian and Beijing, we are very excited to visit!
E'Sachi's POV:
Today is the day we all have been dreading. We would have to leave the beautiful city of Qingdao, but that wouldn't come until later. I woke up from my last slumber at my host family's house, and savored the delicious dumplings my host father prepared for me; I learned later that it's customary for dumplings to be the last meal because it is sign of leaving and gives you good luck.
After breakfast, I said goodbye one last time to my host mother and Victoria, my host student; she doesn't attend Qingdao 58. Then, my host father dropped me off at the school and we said our final goodbye. My host family has nothing but gracious to me, and I will miss them greatly. I will always remember when we would all eat dinner together and have meaningful conversations. It was times like these where I would truly felt at home, and I am going to cherish those experiences.
Afterward, the CHEX group had some free time, so I chose to shadow one more class before my departure. I went to Jimmy and Jessica's English class with Mr. Banas and a few of the other American students. Unlike yesterday when I came to this class, it was a formal lesson about grammar. At one point during the lesson, Ivy, the teacher, called on Marley to answer a few questions. We, Americans, felt some pressure to help Marley answer these questions because we couldn't be "showed up" in our native tongue. Luckily, we answered the questions correctly!
Later, I chose to do some homework and walk around the school for a final time. And then it was finally time for us to embark on our next journey. The Chinese students were able to leave their classes to see us off. At first, I was tranquil when saying goodbye, however, when I saw David, a Chinese student, crying, I began to sob. I vividly remember hugging him and him whispering in my ear, "Please stay". As much as I wanted to grant his wish, I knew that I could not do it. All of the Chinese students left a lasting impression on me; Kevin's goofiness, David's friendliness, Maria's kindness, and everyone else's unique qualities. As we boarded the bus, I finally understood the feelings that previous exchange member's described. I have made a strong connection with each of the students and it something that I will keep with me forever. So as we were driving away, I didn't focus on the fact that I was leaving them, but more on the fact that I am glad to have met them and will continue to maintain contact with them.
We finally arrived at the airport, and we all managed to sober up. We made it through checking without a hitch, and we were on our way to Xi'an; the flight was short and bumpy. At the Xi'an airport, we met our tour guide, Lily, who held a sign for Laura Drazen (no clue who that is), and we were off to a buffet dinner. At this dinner, the group faced a curious phenomenon: being a major tourist destination, there were many other westerners. I'm not completely sure we enjoyed this because we liked the fame that came with our ethnicities in Qingdao, but Mr. Banas reassured us that more fame will come.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel and dispersed to our rooms with our roommate. Many of the students were anxious to go swimming, and some immediately went to the gym. I, on the other hand, wasn't a part of either crowd and chose to journal. I wrote about the number of feelings I endured throughout the day. As much as I miss Qingdao and would jump at the opportunity to go back, there is much more to explore in China. I have left a piece of my heart in Qingdao, but I am anxious to see what the rest of China offers.
With our last day in Qingdao, we all have lots of mixed feelings. For me, I was so sad to be leaving my wonderful host family, but I was anxious and excited to move onto our next destination with the Chex group.
In Chinese culture it is customary to be served dumplings for your parting meal as a way to wish good luck and a safe journey upon the person. 上车饺子,下车面 (shang che jiaozi, xia che mian). So, I sat down at the table with a blanket of dumplings covering every inch of the 4 person table. In other words-HEAVEN. Claudia (my amazing host sister) explained to me that her grandmother made them by hand the night before. I was so touched by this because all through the trip, the entire family was so involved in the hosting. We went to to her grandparents house for dinner 2 times, and even though they spoke no English, they were so happy to have me there. We all sat in the family room enjoying the handmade dumplings, savoring the last few minutes we had together.
But soon, the time came to say goodbye. As my host mom hugs me she says "ViVi, come back to your home in China" and she tucked me safely into the car and waved to me as we drove away. Leaving my host mom was so hard, I was fighting back tears and looking back on all the wonderful things she provided me with. The hospitality and love my host family gave me made it bittersweet to leave. When I arrived at school I ran into Ali and as we lugged our suitcases through the hallways, I could feel the sadness in the air. The students looked at us with such seldom expressions and we could tell that we weren't the only ones who would be missing our visit at Qingdao No. 58 School.
For the morning we got to shadow the students for 2 classes, the best way to end our visits at the school. For the second period a group of us went to an English class where the teacher was so enthusiastic to have us in her class and invited us up to the stage (more like a platform where the teacher stands to deliver the lessons) to say a few words. As Ali, Hayley, Sophie, Olivia, Andrew, and I looked at all the students in the class with their eager expressions we all felt the pain of having to leave. We thanked them for such an incredible visit, but the most touching part was when Andrews Host stood up and talked about how much he will miss Andrew. We all started to tear up, but when Andrew and Ali's hosts both started tearing up too, we lost it. Listing to them explain how much we were going to be missed also made the whole class emotional too. One of my favorite parts of Qingdao No. 58 school was how involved all the students were with our visit. Whenever we went into a class, we would be greeted with such a warm welcome and the cheerful smiles of the students. Yet another reason departing was so tough.
As all the Chex students and the host students gathered outside in front of the school the tears started again. We all exchanged hugs as we said our final goodbyes. The hardest part (aside from leaving my host family) was leaving the group as a whole. We all had the most amazing time with eachother and the thing that we'll miss is the company. Words can not describe how much fun I had with everyone and how much I'll miss it! I think the thing that hit all of us was that we would never be all together again. When they were leaving Darien we were all sad, but we were able to say see you in April, but today we all knew that we will never be together again. Once we finally all got on the bus with our faces stained with tears all the hosts were standing below us sobbing and waving us off. Some came up to the window and put their hands up and other stood back and watched as tears rolled down their face. Everyone on the bus was pressed up against the glass watching them as we too had tears streaming down our face.
Once we arrived at the airport everyone was calm and quite, something very unlikely with the usually energetic Chex squad. Marley, Katie, E'Sachi, and I all went to get some KFC, which by the way is very good in China. I usually hate fast food but it was so good. Maybe it was because we were all missing American food that made it taste good, who knows.
The first half of the day was emotionally draining, however there were some exciting things in store for us once we arrived in Xian. Leaving was so hard, but we knew that the week ahead together would bring many exciting things! Qingdao we miss you already, Xian and Beijing, we are very excited to visit!
E'Sachi's POV:
Today is the day we all have been dreading. We would have to leave the beautiful city of Qingdao, but that wouldn't come until later. I woke up from my last slumber at my host family's house, and savored the delicious dumplings my host father prepared for me; I learned later that it's customary for dumplings to be the last meal because it is sign of leaving and gives you good luck.
After breakfast, I said goodbye one last time to my host mother and Victoria, my host student; she doesn't attend Qingdao 58. Then, my host father dropped me off at the school and we said our final goodbye. My host family has nothing but gracious to me, and I will miss them greatly. I will always remember when we would all eat dinner together and have meaningful conversations. It was times like these where I would truly felt at home, and I am going to cherish those experiences.
Afterward, the CHEX group had some free time, so I chose to shadow one more class before my departure. I went to Jimmy and Jessica's English class with Mr. Banas and a few of the other American students. Unlike yesterday when I came to this class, it was a formal lesson about grammar. At one point during the lesson, Ivy, the teacher, called on Marley to answer a few questions. We, Americans, felt some pressure to help Marley answer these questions because we couldn't be "showed up" in our native tongue. Luckily, we answered the questions correctly!
Later, I chose to do some homework and walk around the school for a final time. And then it was finally time for us to embark on our next journey. The Chinese students were able to leave their classes to see us off. At first, I was tranquil when saying goodbye, however, when I saw David, a Chinese student, crying, I began to sob. I vividly remember hugging him and him whispering in my ear, "Please stay". As much as I wanted to grant his wish, I knew that I could not do it. All of the Chinese students left a lasting impression on me; Kevin's goofiness, David's friendliness, Maria's kindness, and everyone else's unique qualities. As we boarded the bus, I finally understood the feelings that previous exchange member's described. I have made a strong connection with each of the students and it something that I will keep with me forever. So as we were driving away, I didn't focus on the fact that I was leaving them, but more on the fact that I am glad to have met them and will continue to maintain contact with them.
We finally arrived at the airport, and we all managed to sober up. We made it through checking without a hitch, and we were on our way to Xi'an; the flight was short and bumpy. At the Xi'an airport, we met our tour guide, Lily, who held a sign for Laura Drazen (no clue who that is), and we were off to a buffet dinner. At this dinner, the group faced a curious phenomenon: being a major tourist destination, there were many other westerners. I'm not completely sure we enjoyed this because we liked the fame that came with our ethnicities in Qingdao, but Mr. Banas reassured us that more fame will come.
Finally, we arrived at our hotel and dispersed to our rooms with our roommate. Many of the students were anxious to go swimming, and some immediately went to the gym. I, on the other hand, wasn't a part of either crowd and chose to journal. I wrote about the number of feelings I endured throughout the day. As much as I miss Qingdao and would jump at the opportunity to go back, there is much more to explore in China. I have left a piece of my heart in Qingdao, but I am anxious to see what the rest of China offers.
Our Last Full Day in Qingdao
April 13, 2017
Sofia's POV:
After lunch at, sadly, our last full day at Qingdao #58 High School we practiced for the Sino-American Gam. Despite most people thinking Gam is a typo, it's actually a Chinese word for celebration. I'm pretty sure we practiced our performance like 8 times. After about an hour or so of just practice, it was time. Many of the Chinese students had really good choreographed hip hop dances that were really cool, traditional dances, singing, a band, a rock band, and an interpretation of Oliver Twist. Katie, Aiden, and Andrew sang Your Song by Elton John, and it was really good but obviously the best part was Will fake playing the piano. Then, finally it was our turn. We sang and danced to "We're All In This Together" from High School Musical. After our great performance it was time to go to dinner. Andrew, Leo, and David walked to the Hotel from school. I got more stares then usual because of my bright red traditional dress. After asking how far we were every 5 minutes, we finally arrived to a beautiful hotel. A buffet was set up and we sat down to wait for everyone to arrive. After eating dinner we sat and heard some speeches, I won't go into detail because I might cry more than I did today. Quoting, Jessica's (one of the Chinese students) mom "Every meeting has a goodbye." After singing Party in the USA, Piano Man, and listening to the Chinese students perform for us. We took too many pictures to count. As the night ended we took one final group picture. When I arrived at home my bed was full of gifts. As I packed, I looked out my window one last time to the beautiful lit up city I had been living in for the past 2 weeks.
To Be Continued...
After lunch at, sadly, our last full day at Qingdao #58 High School we practiced for the Sino-American Gam. Despite most people thinking Gam is a typo, it's actually a Chinese word for celebration. I'm pretty sure we practiced our performance like 8 times. After about an hour or so of just practice, it was time. Many of the Chinese students had really good choreographed hip hop dances that were really cool, traditional dances, singing, a band, a rock band, and an interpretation of Oliver Twist. Katie, Aiden, and Andrew sang Your Song by Elton John, and it was really good but obviously the best part was Will fake playing the piano. Then, finally it was our turn. We sang and danced to "We're All In This Together" from High School Musical. After our great performance it was time to go to dinner. Andrew, Leo, and David walked to the Hotel from school. I got more stares then usual because of my bright red traditional dress. After asking how far we were every 5 minutes, we finally arrived to a beautiful hotel. A buffet was set up and we sat down to wait for everyone to arrive. After eating dinner we sat and heard some speeches, I won't go into detail because I might cry more than I did today. Quoting, Jessica's (one of the Chinese students) mom "Every meeting has a goodbye." After singing Party in the USA, Piano Man, and listening to the Chinese students perform for us. We took too many pictures to count. As the night ended we took one final group picture. When I arrived at home my bed was full of gifts. As I packed, I looked out my window one last time to the beautiful lit up city I had been living in for the past 2 weeks.
To Be Continued...
One Of The Last Days in Qingdao
April 12, 2017
Sophie's POV:
Another day began with a subtle knock on my door at 6:30 as Stella called into my room, "Sophie... are u up?". I rolled out of bed and woke once more to the fresh smell of vegetable noodles and beef. Stella and I arrived at school and were given some time to talk and relax. We were given some time to plan out some thank you notes for our families, which was not fun as it made us think back on all the amazing things we had planned to then have to leave in 2 days.
We were later taken to the art classroom again where we learned how to paint fish and bamboo. My painting might not have looked all that great, but it was a lot of fun. Another class of chinese students also came in when we were working, which was a fun experience to see all their work and talk to even more students!
The group swiftly moved onto the TV recording room where we planned a small segment! We were able to include some funny parts as well as being able to include things about american culture a little. Our segment, which also had Ali, Olivia, Katie, and Hayley, was a small skit about the Kardashian and Jenner sisters. Other people did some about sports, weather, and tea! (possible video to come later) We lounged around for a little and watched previous videos of american students, and a rather expressive german performance.
We were then taken back to the room again to discuss our future plans and communication skills in X'ian and Beijing. I think we all realized, even more than before, that we are all a very tight knit and confident group of people!
Finally, we were taken to our usual eating room where we shoveled down food and discussed outfit choices for tomorrow evening on our last night 😓. Even though our morning was full of activities, we were still able to enjoy each others company and have some nice down time.
To Be Continued...
Another day began with a subtle knock on my door at 6:30 as Stella called into my room, "Sophie... are u up?". I rolled out of bed and woke once more to the fresh smell of vegetable noodles and beef. Stella and I arrived at school and were given some time to talk and relax. We were given some time to plan out some thank you notes for our families, which was not fun as it made us think back on all the amazing things we had planned to then have to leave in 2 days.
We were later taken to the art classroom again where we learned how to paint fish and bamboo. My painting might not have looked all that great, but it was a lot of fun. Another class of chinese students also came in when we were working, which was a fun experience to see all their work and talk to even more students!
The group swiftly moved onto the TV recording room where we planned a small segment! We were able to include some funny parts as well as being able to include things about american culture a little. Our segment, which also had Ali, Olivia, Katie, and Hayley, was a small skit about the Kardashian and Jenner sisters. Other people did some about sports, weather, and tea! (possible video to come later) We lounged around for a little and watched previous videos of american students, and a rather expressive german performance.
We were then taken back to the room again to discuss our future plans and communication skills in X'ian and Beijing. I think we all realized, even more than before, that we are all a very tight knit and confident group of people!
Finally, we were taken to our usual eating room where we shoveled down food and discussed outfit choices for tomorrow evening on our last night 😓. Even though our morning was full of activities, we were still able to enjoy each others company and have some nice down time.
To Be Continued...
We Went To A Beer Museum?!?!
April 11, 2017
Katie's POV:
Today was another exciting day in Qingdao!! We all arrived at school to find Andrew had brought along his kazoo orchestra, and after much repetition "Gold Digger" by Kanye West played on the kazoo is permanently ingrained in my mind. Thanks Andrew. After a short kazoo orchestra rehearsal, we set off to explore the city. First stop, Tsing-Tao Beer Factory. Because of our tendency to get stuck in queues, and experience long waits we have become innovative with our time. While we wait for our tour at the factory to begin we embark on an emotional rollercoaster of charades. You may not associate such criticism with the "friendly" game, but our version of charades gets heated and competitive, fast. After being shushed by many bystanders and staff we finally began the tour. The tour was really cool, and we learned a lot about the German influences in Qingdao, and how the beer Tsing-Tsao is important to Qingdao culture. At the end of the tour we were offered peanuts, not beer (which disappointed the boys.) We explored the museums interactive rooms which included a "drunk room" which is basically is an optical illusion that causes you to fall over and everyone went crazy. Despite the lovely peanuts we were offered, we were all starving. And when you have 14 starving teenagers on your hands, there is only one option. Feed them. Our meal consisted of dumplings, dumplings, dumplings oh and some more dumplings. But trust me, no one was complaining. We set off for one last excursion after lunch- the 2008 Beijing Olympics Sailing Course in Qingdao. Vivi, Caroline, Hayley, Sophie and I jumped a few barriers to reach the Olympic Rings, despite risking being arrested by the local police- it was so worth it. The bus ride back to school consisted of throw back music, making new friends from outside the windows, and annoying our bus driver. The rest of the day we rehearsed our surprise performance, (hint: High School Musical) and we hung out with our Chinese hosts. As tomorrow marks the 2nd to last full day in Qingdao we begin to pack our suitcases, and experience every last thing the city has to offer. I am hopeful that our last 2 days will be as great as the past 11.
ViVi's POV:
Once again I wake up to the always cheerful and happy smile of my host mom. I can't bear to think that we will be leaving in such a short time after all the amazing moments and memories we've made. For me, my host family has made this the most exciting and eventful experience, making me feel at home and showing me everything that beautiful Qingdao has to offer. The feast I was served for breakfast was delicious - as always - and I was full and ready to take on the day.
We were all dropped off at school by our host students. As all the American students slowly trickled in and congregated in our meeting room, the buzzing sounds of the kazoos Andrew brought filled the room! After everyone was accounted for, we hopped on "the bread bus" (as the Chinese students call it because it looks like a loaf of bread) to drive to the Tsingtao beer museum. Our rides in the bread bus are always eventful and lively as we blast music over a portable speaker. once we arrive, we are told we must wait for 20 min for our tour. Being the motley crew we are, we started up a game of heated charades. However, after getting hushed many times by the staff in the otherwise empty waiting room, we took it outside. The tour we went on was very interesting because it showed us the history of German occupation in Qingdao. I think I speak for the group when I say it gave us a new perspective on the city we have grown to love and it illustrated the culture behind their development as a city. At the end of our tour there was a room called "the drunk room" which was supposed to make you feel as thought you were drunk. We all went in and immediately felt the effects, it felt as thought your head was spinning and 1,000 tons were pushing down on us.
After the tour we all went to lunch where we had an endless flow of dumplings, which was pretty much heaven for all of us!
Next on the agenda was going to the Qingdao sailing Olympic center, which was an incredible view! Sophie, Hayley, Katie and I went all the way to the end of the "dock" or "Boardwalk" not sure if we were supposed to... but it was totally worth it! To stand in one of the Olympic Rings was stunning as well a humbling, to stand in a piece of history that is a symbol recognized around the world was unlike anything else!
In the evening a small group of hosts and students and I went to hot pot for dinner and then to the beach. I loved having hot pot again because this time I knew what I was doing and I was able to cook my own food. After we ate dinner we were supposed to meet another group of hosts and students at an indoor amusement park, but we ran out of time so instead we improvised and all went to the sea. We got to see May 4th square (kind of like the Statue of Liberty of Qingdao) and the Olympic Rings lit up. The view on the boardwalk was amazing during the night. We got to see Qingdao in a whole new light!
We are all so grateful for the amazing things we've done today, and all throughout the trip. As our time in Qingdao starts to come to an end, a new destination lies ahead! We still have 2 days left in Qingdao and I know we will cherish the time we get to spend with our host families!
Today was another exciting day in Qingdao!! We all arrived at school to find Andrew had brought along his kazoo orchestra, and after much repetition "Gold Digger" by Kanye West played on the kazoo is permanently ingrained in my mind. Thanks Andrew. After a short kazoo orchestra rehearsal, we set off to explore the city. First stop, Tsing-Tao Beer Factory. Because of our tendency to get stuck in queues, and experience long waits we have become innovative with our time. While we wait for our tour at the factory to begin we embark on an emotional rollercoaster of charades. You may not associate such criticism with the "friendly" game, but our version of charades gets heated and competitive, fast. After being shushed by many bystanders and staff we finally began the tour. The tour was really cool, and we learned a lot about the German influences in Qingdao, and how the beer Tsing-Tsao is important to Qingdao culture. At the end of the tour we were offered peanuts, not beer (which disappointed the boys.) We explored the museums interactive rooms which included a "drunk room" which is basically is an optical illusion that causes you to fall over and everyone went crazy. Despite the lovely peanuts we were offered, we were all starving. And when you have 14 starving teenagers on your hands, there is only one option. Feed them. Our meal consisted of dumplings, dumplings, dumplings oh and some more dumplings. But trust me, no one was complaining. We set off for one last excursion after lunch- the 2008 Beijing Olympics Sailing Course in Qingdao. Vivi, Caroline, Hayley, Sophie and I jumped a few barriers to reach the Olympic Rings, despite risking being arrested by the local police- it was so worth it. The bus ride back to school consisted of throw back music, making new friends from outside the windows, and annoying our bus driver. The rest of the day we rehearsed our surprise performance, (hint: High School Musical) and we hung out with our Chinese hosts. As tomorrow marks the 2nd to last full day in Qingdao we begin to pack our suitcases, and experience every last thing the city has to offer. I am hopeful that our last 2 days will be as great as the past 11.
ViVi's POV:
Once again I wake up to the always cheerful and happy smile of my host mom. I can't bear to think that we will be leaving in such a short time after all the amazing moments and memories we've made. For me, my host family has made this the most exciting and eventful experience, making me feel at home and showing me everything that beautiful Qingdao has to offer. The feast I was served for breakfast was delicious - as always - and I was full and ready to take on the day.
We were all dropped off at school by our host students. As all the American students slowly trickled in and congregated in our meeting room, the buzzing sounds of the kazoos Andrew brought filled the room! After everyone was accounted for, we hopped on "the bread bus" (as the Chinese students call it because it looks like a loaf of bread) to drive to the Tsingtao beer museum. Our rides in the bread bus are always eventful and lively as we blast music over a portable speaker. once we arrive, we are told we must wait for 20 min for our tour. Being the motley crew we are, we started up a game of heated charades. However, after getting hushed many times by the staff in the otherwise empty waiting room, we took it outside. The tour we went on was very interesting because it showed us the history of German occupation in Qingdao. I think I speak for the group when I say it gave us a new perspective on the city we have grown to love and it illustrated the culture behind their development as a city. At the end of our tour there was a room called "the drunk room" which was supposed to make you feel as thought you were drunk. We all went in and immediately felt the effects, it felt as thought your head was spinning and 1,000 tons were pushing down on us.
After the tour we all went to lunch where we had an endless flow of dumplings, which was pretty much heaven for all of us!
Next on the agenda was going to the Qingdao sailing Olympic center, which was an incredible view! Sophie, Hayley, Katie and I went all the way to the end of the "dock" or "Boardwalk" not sure if we were supposed to... but it was totally worth it! To stand in one of the Olympic Rings was stunning as well a humbling, to stand in a piece of history that is a symbol recognized around the world was unlike anything else!
In the evening a small group of hosts and students and I went to hot pot for dinner and then to the beach. I loved having hot pot again because this time I knew what I was doing and I was able to cook my own food. After we ate dinner we were supposed to meet another group of hosts and students at an indoor amusement park, but we ran out of time so instead we improvised and all went to the sea. We got to see May 4th square (kind of like the Statue of Liberty of Qingdao) and the Olympic Rings lit up. The view on the boardwalk was amazing during the night. We got to see Qingdao in a whole new light!
We are all so grateful for the amazing things we've done today, and all throughout the trip. As our time in Qingdao starts to come to an end, a new destination lies ahead! We still have 2 days left in Qingdao and I know we will cherish the time we get to spend with our host families!
We Climbed Another Mountain
April 10, 2017
Caroline's POV:
Waking up this morning was startlingly difficult, considering the fact that it was Monday morning and we had to return to our early wake up time of 5:40. Once i finally listened to my alarm and woke up, I began my everyday routine of staying in bed way too long to the point where I have about five minutes to get ready before breakfast. However, I still never let my laziness get in the way of being on time for breakfast at 6:30 sharp. My host mother is an incredible cook, and every single breakfast she makes us is absolutely delicious, I would never miss it. On this Monday morning, she served Skye and I rice porridge with egg "pancakes" containing scallions and carrots, and of course a small pound cake-like bread. Considering the fact that my breakfast in America usually consists of a piece of bread being eaten in the car, I am so appreciative of my host family's consistent dedication to sit-down breakfasts that are so delicious. Once we finish eating, Skye and I rush out of the door and down to the parking garage where his dad begins our drive to school. Despite only living 15 minutes or so from Qingdao #58 School, the drive can still be arduous due to the excessive rush hour traffic- something my mom and I are too familiar with in the line of cars outside of DHS every morning. However, Skye and I still made it to school and to our meeting room before we were quickly ushered to the fields at the school for the flag raising ceremony.
This ceremony, which I believe happens every Monday morning, consists of the students in rows out on the field, and after some speeches from important figures at the high school (sadly none of which we could understand), a marching band of students plays music while the Chinese flag is raised on the pole in the center of campus. After this ceremony was over, however, a special part of it began that does not happen every monday. To celebrate the senior class turning 18 years old and beginning adulthood, students, teachers, and parents watched on as the senior class at #58 began their ritual of running around the track chanting the school motto. It is common for the Qingdao students to run in groups like this around the track, but it is always impressive, and slightly strange, to watch because it is so unlike anything at DHS. This celebration ended with more students from the class releasing doves into the air accompanied by music. None of us were expecting such an extravagant celebration, leaving us slightly dumbfounded but mostly impressed by the traditions and rituals performed by the 18 year olds. Once the ceremony was over, I felt so lucky to have been a part of it and to witness such an important moment the seniors all moving to adulthood.
After this ceremony, the American students split up to shadow our friends for two class periods before we left for our day trip. Accompanied by Sofia, Vivi, Nathan, and E'Sachi, David took us to his reading period, which is basically like a study hall in the school's library for one class period. While we worked on journal entries or makeup work, the Chinese students worked diligently at studying or reading, almost without any words being spoken between them. After a while, we began to realize that there was no teacher in the room supervising the students and they were still silent and working, something that would be near impossible at DHS. The students in Qingdao have so much respect for their teachers, and despite classes almost never being totally silent because there are at least a few people talking, I haven't heard any teachers have to raise their voice at students in the classes I've been to.
Once David's reading period was over, our group put away whatever work (or lack of work in my case) they did and we split up for the next class period. Skye took Vivi, E'Sachi, and I to his class where had english class. Once we got there, however, we realized around 8 other Americans had also ended up in the same class. I made a beeline for the seat next to Lilith, a friend I had made being in Skye's class on Thursday and Friday, and everyone else soon found stools placed around the classroom to sit on as well. During this english class, the teacher mostly focused on reading comprehension and grammar, and although it is our first language, Hayley and I agreed that the english work they had was quite difficult. Lilith and I spent much of the period talking about the differences in our schools and learning more about each other, but once the music began, signaling the end of the class, we had to make our way to the "bread bus" to depart for the mountain. Mr. Banas told us the first time we rode in one that the beige rounded busses our group rides around in are nicknamed bread busses because of their loaf-like shape. Bread bus rides are always fun because we play music on Sophie’s speaker to listen to on the way. Only around 30 minutes later, the group found ourselves parking in the lot of Maogong Mountain. After our strenuous hike on Friday, and some people's equally difficult hike on Sunday, the whole group was looking forward to the so-called "hill" mentioned on the itinerary. From afar however, the mountain looked like no hill to us. The only distraction from the mountain range we were soon to be faced with while walked to the foot of the it was the camel we found on the side of the road. It was very fluffy, but we were all scared that it would spit on us and the group quickly moved on. Apparently, stairs are our group's best friend, because when we saw the saw the sheer amount of stairs separating us from the top of the mountain, many wanted to quit before starting. However, distracted by the beautiful scenery and stalls filled with items we could not resist looking at and buying in some cases (andrew bought a cane), our group quickly found ourselves reaching the pavilion at the top of the mountain. Maogong Mountain is accurately named due to the rock jutting out of one of its peaks that looks like Mao Zedong, one of China's past communist leaders. Many of us were disappointed to find, however, that this rock was not quite a perfect match for Mao Zedong, and after taking in the breathtaking views and snaking a few pictures, we moved on to lunch at the top. Skye's family generously supplies me with bounties of food for whenever i'm hungry, so for lunch, I munched on a bag of rolls, some snacks including a group fave, pocky, fruit, and a cookie.
Later that night, once school ended, a few Qingdao students brought Nathan, Aidan, Katie and I for a quickly bite at a pizza restaurant right near the school before we returned for their drama festival. Pizza in China, although having some resemblance to American pizza, is slightly different considering it always has corn on it, and it does not have the signature rich taste of pizza from Heights or Post Corner that no Chinese pizza replicates. However, we still scarfed it all down and made our way back to school for the festival. Qingdao #58 had its first drama festival in English tonight, and they put on the play "Oliver Twist". Different classes each performed a scene from the play, and once they were finished, I believe judges there picked a winning class (but we left early). Many of us were slightly confused and lost trying to follow Qingdao's interpretation of the play, but we were all still happy to see a part of the school culture hat rarely comes along. After a few scenes of he play, Skye and I left early to go home and get some rest to prepare for another busy day tomorrow. As Friday, the day we leave Qingdao, grows nearer and nearer, I feel luckier and luckier to be welcomed into Skye's family for two weeks to observe and understand their culture better. I am so appreciative of the opportunity to live in a Chinese household and attend school and learn so much in such a short span of time. However, we still have three more full days of fun!!!
Ali's POV:
After our long journey up our second mountain of the week (third for Katie, Aidan, Banas, and o'hare) we found a shady spot at the top to sit down and eat our lunches. Unfortunately, we were told that we were only going to a small hill so some of us showed up in jeans and sweaters, one of those people being me, but thankfully Marley had packed an extra t shirt that she let me borrow. For lunch, my host dad packed me a sandwich that had ham and something else that I didn't know (or ask) what it was. Since I didn't really have anything else to eat I was given a matsuma which is a loose skinned orange that tastes almost exactly like a regular orange. Since It was my first time trying one I didn't know what to expect but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. As we finished our lunch, we took some last pictures with the beautiful mountainous view and started our walk down. On the way down there were small shops that sold little trinkets such as tiny wooden models and picture frames. Many of us were very interested in the fact that most of the stuff sold had Mao Zedong on them. There were posters, frames, keychains, all with Mao Zedongs face on it and almost everyone purchased at least one thing with him on it. We found it funny that we all had a sudden desire to buy some Mao memorabilia, perhaps the stone at the top or the mountain influenced us. After our purchases, we headed back to the bus where we were taken to a place to pick strawberries. I personally did not enjoy the taste of the strawberries but I think the fact that they weren't washed influenced my decision but I did love taking cute pictures of everyone picking and eating them. I carefully ate half of one and decided not to have another one after that. As we were walking out of the strawberry field, Sofia noticed that Aidan's eyebrows were not on point and decided to whip out her tweezers and give Aidan a new look. We all crowded around them as sofia slowly plucked Aidan's eyebrows, getting many judgey stares from the workers that were watching. When sofia finally believed that his eyebrows were good, we continued through the massive garden and found a sitting area that could fit all 14 of us. There we played an unsuccessful game of charades and practiced the song that we are performing for the school on Thursday. We quickly got on the bus after that and made our way back to the school where we enjoyed some free time to either sleep, journal, or do our homework. About half way through that, Jessica (Marley's host sister) came in and asked if anyone wanted to join her in her PE class and most of us jumped up right away. During their PE class most of the girls played cards while the boys played either basketball or soccer and at the end they all got in line to run their 3 laps. Marley, Vivi, and I decided it would be fun to join in with Jessica and her friends so we ran with all of them. After school, most students went to the play, Oliver Twist, but Sophie, Hayley, Andrew, and I traveled to a famous restaurant about an hour away with our hosts. Even though I have had dumplings the past multiple meals, I still have not gotten tired of them, they were amazing! Our first school day of the week was very eventful and sadly, we only have a couple days left here in Qingdao:(
Waking up this morning was startlingly difficult, considering the fact that it was Monday morning and we had to return to our early wake up time of 5:40. Once i finally listened to my alarm and woke up, I began my everyday routine of staying in bed way too long to the point where I have about five minutes to get ready before breakfast. However, I still never let my laziness get in the way of being on time for breakfast at 6:30 sharp. My host mother is an incredible cook, and every single breakfast she makes us is absolutely delicious, I would never miss it. On this Monday morning, she served Skye and I rice porridge with egg "pancakes" containing scallions and carrots, and of course a small pound cake-like bread. Considering the fact that my breakfast in America usually consists of a piece of bread being eaten in the car, I am so appreciative of my host family's consistent dedication to sit-down breakfasts that are so delicious. Once we finish eating, Skye and I rush out of the door and down to the parking garage where his dad begins our drive to school. Despite only living 15 minutes or so from Qingdao #58 School, the drive can still be arduous due to the excessive rush hour traffic- something my mom and I are too familiar with in the line of cars outside of DHS every morning. However, Skye and I still made it to school and to our meeting room before we were quickly ushered to the fields at the school for the flag raising ceremony.
This ceremony, which I believe happens every Monday morning, consists of the students in rows out on the field, and after some speeches from important figures at the high school (sadly none of which we could understand), a marching band of students plays music while the Chinese flag is raised on the pole in the center of campus. After this ceremony was over, however, a special part of it began that does not happen every monday. To celebrate the senior class turning 18 years old and beginning adulthood, students, teachers, and parents watched on as the senior class at #58 began their ritual of running around the track chanting the school motto. It is common for the Qingdao students to run in groups like this around the track, but it is always impressive, and slightly strange, to watch because it is so unlike anything at DHS. This celebration ended with more students from the class releasing doves into the air accompanied by music. None of us were expecting such an extravagant celebration, leaving us slightly dumbfounded but mostly impressed by the traditions and rituals performed by the 18 year olds. Once the ceremony was over, I felt so lucky to have been a part of it and to witness such an important moment the seniors all moving to adulthood.
After this ceremony, the American students split up to shadow our friends for two class periods before we left for our day trip. Accompanied by Sofia, Vivi, Nathan, and E'Sachi, David took us to his reading period, which is basically like a study hall in the school's library for one class period. While we worked on journal entries or makeup work, the Chinese students worked diligently at studying or reading, almost without any words being spoken between them. After a while, we began to realize that there was no teacher in the room supervising the students and they were still silent and working, something that would be near impossible at DHS. The students in Qingdao have so much respect for their teachers, and despite classes almost never being totally silent because there are at least a few people talking, I haven't heard any teachers have to raise their voice at students in the classes I've been to.
Once David's reading period was over, our group put away whatever work (or lack of work in my case) they did and we split up for the next class period. Skye took Vivi, E'Sachi, and I to his class where had english class. Once we got there, however, we realized around 8 other Americans had also ended up in the same class. I made a beeline for the seat next to Lilith, a friend I had made being in Skye's class on Thursday and Friday, and everyone else soon found stools placed around the classroom to sit on as well. During this english class, the teacher mostly focused on reading comprehension and grammar, and although it is our first language, Hayley and I agreed that the english work they had was quite difficult. Lilith and I spent much of the period talking about the differences in our schools and learning more about each other, but once the music began, signaling the end of the class, we had to make our way to the "bread bus" to depart for the mountain. Mr. Banas told us the first time we rode in one that the beige rounded busses our group rides around in are nicknamed bread busses because of their loaf-like shape. Bread bus rides are always fun because we play music on Sophie’s speaker to listen to on the way. Only around 30 minutes later, the group found ourselves parking in the lot of Maogong Mountain. After our strenuous hike on Friday, and some people's equally difficult hike on Sunday, the whole group was looking forward to the so-called "hill" mentioned on the itinerary. From afar however, the mountain looked like no hill to us. The only distraction from the mountain range we were soon to be faced with while walked to the foot of the it was the camel we found on the side of the road. It was very fluffy, but we were all scared that it would spit on us and the group quickly moved on. Apparently, stairs are our group's best friend, because when we saw the saw the sheer amount of stairs separating us from the top of the mountain, many wanted to quit before starting. However, distracted by the beautiful scenery and stalls filled with items we could not resist looking at and buying in some cases (andrew bought a cane), our group quickly found ourselves reaching the pavilion at the top of the mountain. Maogong Mountain is accurately named due to the rock jutting out of one of its peaks that looks like Mao Zedong, one of China's past communist leaders. Many of us were disappointed to find, however, that this rock was not quite a perfect match for Mao Zedong, and after taking in the breathtaking views and snaking a few pictures, we moved on to lunch at the top. Skye's family generously supplies me with bounties of food for whenever i'm hungry, so for lunch, I munched on a bag of rolls, some snacks including a group fave, pocky, fruit, and a cookie.
Later that night, once school ended, a few Qingdao students brought Nathan, Aidan, Katie and I for a quickly bite at a pizza restaurant right near the school before we returned for their drama festival. Pizza in China, although having some resemblance to American pizza, is slightly different considering it always has corn on it, and it does not have the signature rich taste of pizza from Heights or Post Corner that no Chinese pizza replicates. However, we still scarfed it all down and made our way back to school for the festival. Qingdao #58 had its first drama festival in English tonight, and they put on the play "Oliver Twist". Different classes each performed a scene from the play, and once they were finished, I believe judges there picked a winning class (but we left early). Many of us were slightly confused and lost trying to follow Qingdao's interpretation of the play, but we were all still happy to see a part of the school culture hat rarely comes along. After a few scenes of he play, Skye and I left early to go home and get some rest to prepare for another busy day tomorrow. As Friday, the day we leave Qingdao, grows nearer and nearer, I feel luckier and luckier to be welcomed into Skye's family for two weeks to observe and understand their culture better. I am so appreciative of the opportunity to live in a Chinese household and attend school and learn so much in such a short span of time. However, we still have three more full days of fun!!!
Ali's POV:
After our long journey up our second mountain of the week (third for Katie, Aidan, Banas, and o'hare) we found a shady spot at the top to sit down and eat our lunches. Unfortunately, we were told that we were only going to a small hill so some of us showed up in jeans and sweaters, one of those people being me, but thankfully Marley had packed an extra t shirt that she let me borrow. For lunch, my host dad packed me a sandwich that had ham and something else that I didn't know (or ask) what it was. Since I didn't really have anything else to eat I was given a matsuma which is a loose skinned orange that tastes almost exactly like a regular orange. Since It was my first time trying one I didn't know what to expect but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. As we finished our lunch, we took some last pictures with the beautiful mountainous view and started our walk down. On the way down there were small shops that sold little trinkets such as tiny wooden models and picture frames. Many of us were very interested in the fact that most of the stuff sold had Mao Zedong on them. There were posters, frames, keychains, all with Mao Zedongs face on it and almost everyone purchased at least one thing with him on it. We found it funny that we all had a sudden desire to buy some Mao memorabilia, perhaps the stone at the top or the mountain influenced us. After our purchases, we headed back to the bus where we were taken to a place to pick strawberries. I personally did not enjoy the taste of the strawberries but I think the fact that they weren't washed influenced my decision but I did love taking cute pictures of everyone picking and eating them. I carefully ate half of one and decided not to have another one after that. As we were walking out of the strawberry field, Sofia noticed that Aidan's eyebrows were not on point and decided to whip out her tweezers and give Aidan a new look. We all crowded around them as sofia slowly plucked Aidan's eyebrows, getting many judgey stares from the workers that were watching. When sofia finally believed that his eyebrows were good, we continued through the massive garden and found a sitting area that could fit all 14 of us. There we played an unsuccessful game of charades and practiced the song that we are performing for the school on Thursday. We quickly got on the bus after that and made our way back to the school where we enjoyed some free time to either sleep, journal, or do our homework. About half way through that, Jessica (Marley's host sister) came in and asked if anyone wanted to join her in her PE class and most of us jumped up right away. During their PE class most of the girls played cards while the boys played either basketball or soccer and at the end they all got in line to run their 3 laps. Marley, Vivi, and I decided it would be fun to join in with Jessica and her friends so we ran with all of them. After school, most students went to the play, Oliver Twist, but Sophie, Hayley, Andrew, and I traveled to a famous restaurant about an hour away with our hosts. Even though I have had dumplings the past multiple meals, I still have not gotten tired of them, they were amazing! Our first school day of the week was very eventful and sadly, we only have a couple days left here in Qingdao:(
Our Last Sunday Funday
April 9, 2017
Hayley's POV:
Today began with an interesting choice for breakfast, dumplings and toast(but Sophie and I aren't sure what kind of dumplings)!Sophie had spent the night because some of the students had gone away to an English Competition and Stella happened to be one of the students going. After breakfast we lounged around in my room and had a bit of a lazy morning because we could not decide on what we wanted to do today! Maria had to stay home and do homework. The other American students were already at a beach that was too far for us to go to, so it was just my host mom, Sophie and I for the day! We were a little nervous since my host mom doesn't speak much English, but our day turned out to be really fun and full of new adventures! We first went to the beach! It was a beautiful, but a bit chilly. Kite flying seems to be a very popular thing to do while in a park or on a beach. While Sophie and I were taking some pictures, my host mom surprised us and bought us a kite! It took me a few try's to get it up, but I eventually did. Sophie, however, got it on the second try! After kite flying we then decided to go the Art Museum, but my host mother didn't quite know what we meant so we ended up at a history museum. It was actually very interesting!There was an arts and crafts area where Sophie and I each made 2 prints of Chinese New Year Animals. I picked the dragon since I was born in 2000 and then the rooster for 2017. We were a bit hungry after this and my host mom asked what we wanted for lunch. We looked at each other and both knew we wanted pizza, and before we could ask her, she said "do you want pizza". We laughed at the fact that she knew we were craving pizza and nodded our heads in unison YES! After unknown dumplings for breakfast the pizza tasted so good!!! We treated ourselves to some Baskin Robbins Ice Cream after lunch! Sophie and I really wanted to get these cool beaded bracelets and so my host mom said we could go to the other beach and buy them there, but once we arrived there weren't any vendors so she decided to take us to some markets! The markets were cleaner and less crowded than I had imagined. We bought some really pretty bracelets for our friends and family and of course for ourselves. We also tried on some sun glasses that looked terrible on both of us. I really enjoyed spending time alone with my host mom and venturing around the city of Qingdao. Sophie and I found that language barrier , while difficult at times, made today special. We experienced Qingdao through my host mother's eyes, and also learned that my host mom is really good at bargaining!!! Being away from our loud and funny group and just spending time with my host mom made me really realize how lucky I am to be here and how amazing this opportunity truly is. I can't wait to experience the rest!
Marley's POV:
Me and Olivia woke up at around 8:00 with the hope that we would be doing homework. As we got text messages and face time requests from our friends and family that goal quickly vanished. We then went out for breakfast at around 9:30 and sat down with my host mom and dad. Jessica my host sister wasn't here this weekend because she had an English competition in another city. We ate breakfast which consisted of ham, soup with rice balls, shrimp, zucchini, bread, and my favorite part bacon. We quickly ate our breakfast and got dressed so we could meet some other people in the CHEX group at a park. My host parents drove Olivia and I about an hour and a half away to the park which I'm not sure what the name of it is. The drive made me realize how large Qingdao is, although the traffic makes the drive pretty long. When we arrived, we met some host moms at a cafe and waited for the kids to come by. Olivia and I were greeted by the screams of Nathan and Ali saying, “get in” and “we have to win”. We quickly jumped into a moving car that consisted of about 6 sets of pedals and steering wheels. The Chex group had rented three and we being an upbeat and very competitive group decided to make a race out of it. It was lots of fun but partly dangerous, Nathan steered us towards the grass in order to get infront of Vivi and Esachi’s car. After a long and fun ride, we all grew hungry and our host parents all decided on a restaurant to eat at that was nearby. All the kids were seated in a large room and offered many different kinds of delicious dumplings, which the restaurant is famous for. After, we were all pretty tired and full so decided to drive home and rest/ maybe do some homework. Olivia and I again attempted to do our work, and then my host mother called us for dinner. We had rice,shrimp, green beans, and scallion pancakes. The shrimp still had its outer shell on and me and Olivia struggled to pick it off, so my host mom ended up helping us. The shrimp looks a lot different like this and kind of scary, but it tastes much fresher. I then said good bye to Olivia because her host family returned from their weekend trip, and Jessica came home almost exactly after Olivia left. My host mother taught me how to make her delicious scallion pancakes and after we finished eating, me and Jessica resorted to our usual spot, the couch. We laugh and talk here most nights for an hour our two and then go out sepearte ways for bed, where I quickly fall asleep because of our jam packed and amazing schedule. I can't believe after today we only have 4 days left with our hosts, I wish it would last forever.
Today began with an interesting choice for breakfast, dumplings and toast(but Sophie and I aren't sure what kind of dumplings)!Sophie had spent the night because some of the students had gone away to an English Competition and Stella happened to be one of the students going. After breakfast we lounged around in my room and had a bit of a lazy morning because we could not decide on what we wanted to do today! Maria had to stay home and do homework. The other American students were already at a beach that was too far for us to go to, so it was just my host mom, Sophie and I for the day! We were a little nervous since my host mom doesn't speak much English, but our day turned out to be really fun and full of new adventures! We first went to the beach! It was a beautiful, but a bit chilly. Kite flying seems to be a very popular thing to do while in a park or on a beach. While Sophie and I were taking some pictures, my host mom surprised us and bought us a kite! It took me a few try's to get it up, but I eventually did. Sophie, however, got it on the second try! After kite flying we then decided to go the Art Museum, but my host mother didn't quite know what we meant so we ended up at a history museum. It was actually very interesting!There was an arts and crafts area where Sophie and I each made 2 prints of Chinese New Year Animals. I picked the dragon since I was born in 2000 and then the rooster for 2017. We were a bit hungry after this and my host mom asked what we wanted for lunch. We looked at each other and both knew we wanted pizza, and before we could ask her, she said "do you want pizza". We laughed at the fact that she knew we were craving pizza and nodded our heads in unison YES! After unknown dumplings for breakfast the pizza tasted so good!!! We treated ourselves to some Baskin Robbins Ice Cream after lunch! Sophie and I really wanted to get these cool beaded bracelets and so my host mom said we could go to the other beach and buy them there, but once we arrived there weren't any vendors so she decided to take us to some markets! The markets were cleaner and less crowded than I had imagined. We bought some really pretty bracelets for our friends and family and of course for ourselves. We also tried on some sun glasses that looked terrible on both of us. I really enjoyed spending time alone with my host mom and venturing around the city of Qingdao. Sophie and I found that language barrier , while difficult at times, made today special. We experienced Qingdao through my host mother's eyes, and also learned that my host mom is really good at bargaining!!! Being away from our loud and funny group and just spending time with my host mom made me really realize how lucky I am to be here and how amazing this opportunity truly is. I can't wait to experience the rest!
Marley's POV:
Me and Olivia woke up at around 8:00 with the hope that we would be doing homework. As we got text messages and face time requests from our friends and family that goal quickly vanished. We then went out for breakfast at around 9:30 and sat down with my host mom and dad. Jessica my host sister wasn't here this weekend because she had an English competition in another city. We ate breakfast which consisted of ham, soup with rice balls, shrimp, zucchini, bread, and my favorite part bacon. We quickly ate our breakfast and got dressed so we could meet some other people in the CHEX group at a park. My host parents drove Olivia and I about an hour and a half away to the park which I'm not sure what the name of it is. The drive made me realize how large Qingdao is, although the traffic makes the drive pretty long. When we arrived, we met some host moms at a cafe and waited for the kids to come by. Olivia and I were greeted by the screams of Nathan and Ali saying, “get in” and “we have to win”. We quickly jumped into a moving car that consisted of about 6 sets of pedals and steering wheels. The Chex group had rented three and we being an upbeat and very competitive group decided to make a race out of it. It was lots of fun but partly dangerous, Nathan steered us towards the grass in order to get infront of Vivi and Esachi’s car. After a long and fun ride, we all grew hungry and our host parents all decided on a restaurant to eat at that was nearby. All the kids were seated in a large room and offered many different kinds of delicious dumplings, which the restaurant is famous for. After, we were all pretty tired and full so decided to drive home and rest/ maybe do some homework. Olivia and I again attempted to do our work, and then my host mother called us for dinner. We had rice,shrimp, green beans, and scallion pancakes. The shrimp still had its outer shell on and me and Olivia struggled to pick it off, so my host mom ended up helping us. The shrimp looks a lot different like this and kind of scary, but it tastes much fresher. I then said good bye to Olivia because her host family returned from their weekend trip, and Jessica came home almost exactly after Olivia left. My host mother taught me how to make her delicious scallion pancakes and after we finished eating, me and Jessica resorted to our usual spot, the couch. We laugh and talk here most nights for an hour our two and then go out sepearte ways for bed, where I quickly fall asleep because of our jam packed and amazing schedule. I can't believe after today we only have 4 days left with our hosts, I wish it would last forever.
Our Last Saturday in Qingdao
April 8, 2017
Olivia's POV:
Today I woke up at about 7:30, which was quite nice due to the fact that I have been waking up at around 5:30 to get to school during the week. I woke up feeling refreshed after stressing out all night over my broken phone, which I dropped in one of the toilets at a local sports center where all of us met to play basketball and badminton. I spent almost 2 hours at the Apple Store fixing my extremely water-damaged phone. This morning was different than most mornings because my host mom took Sukky (my host) and I to a restaurant for breakfast in a local hotel. I tried several different traditional dishes that they pre-ordered for me. When we got back to the apartment I had to pack my overnight bag that I would bring to Marley's apartment for a 'sleepover' because both of our hosts would be at an English competition until Sunday night. Many other Qingdao students participated in this English competition in another city near Qingdao. When we dropped off my things at Marley's apartment, my host mom drove Marley and I to a nearby mall to meet E'Sachi, Hayley, and Maria. We went to several stores in the shopping center and ate lunch at a dumpling house. After we ate lunch, we headed for the IMAX theater in the mall to see the new movie Beauty and the Beast. When we walked in all of us were surprised to see that it was oddly similar to the theaters we had in America, except for the fact that the popcorn they served was actually kettle corn and the selection for food was very limited. We all enjoyed the movie, despite the fact that E'Sachi and I fell asleep for part of it. Marley's host mom picked us up from the mall and drove us back to her apartment before Alex's birthday party. Although I enjoy spending time with my own host family, it was very refreshing to be able to hang out with Marley and experience what daily life is like with a different family in a different part of the city. We quickly got dressed and went to Alex's party at a nearby hotel in a banquet room. Many American and Qingdao students attended this party to celebrate Alex's birthday. The dinner was buffet style and all of the American students quickly devoured the noodles and pork dumplings when it was time to eat. The night mainly consisted of all of the American students sitting at the table while eating and talking about everything that has happened over the past week. It was nice to be able to spend time with most of the DHS students outside of school and touch base with everyone after all of the exciting activities we have participated in over the weekend. I can't believe we have already been in Qingdao for a week. It is crazy and makes me sad at the same time because that means we only have 2 weeks left. The whole CHEX squad has grown so close already since we have arrived in China and all of us will only keep growing closer.
Andrew's POV:
Today was different than any other day I've had so far. Today I wasn't with my host student, Leo. Even at this point in the trip, I expected to feel absolutely lost if he weren't with me when I needed help, but today and yesterday showed me that I wasn't all that lost. I'm starting to understand more, and more and I just can't seem to get enough of it. I’m learning how to communicate and I think I understand most of the public transportation. I'm getting much better at bargaining, but I'm still pretty bad. All I know is that due to the place I'm in and my surrounding I believe that I've already starting to grow into a different kind a person. I'm aware of my surroundings and finally understand how China has changed me.
So on a completely different note, Last night, my host family told me I could sleep in and that was music to my ears. Yesterday had been full of mountain climbing and basketball, so I was very excited for the break. Unfortunately, I woke up early today and decided to just go downstairs to have my favorite time of the day, breakfast time.
I could go on and on about how much I love breakfast time. whether it's something completely new and I don't even recognize it, or if it’s just the normal breakfast containing rice and braised beef and various vegetables, it always tastes amazing. I don't love it for the taste though. On the days I wake up early enough, like today, I get to watch my host mother and father prepare breakfast. Some days I can even help make it, which is consistently one of the highlights of each day for me. It may not sound too exciting or look that fun to most, but I can assure you, I love every bit of it. The smells are absolutely magnificent. Also I find the way the make it very intriguing, compared to the way my family will prepare their meals.
As soon as we finish eating, we went off to the boardwalk to meet with a couple other students whom I'd spend the rest of my day with, due to Leo's English competition 4 hours away from home. After wishing leo good luck we toured around the Oceanside, going out to the end of the pier, visiting landmarks, and buying lots of fake merchandise. I even tried bargaining for a belt and it worked. Well the bargaining did, but sadly the belt was too big. That and it was so cheaply made that it broke about an hour after I bought it.
After an amazing power nap, the entire Chinese exchange class went to a hotel restaurant to celebrate one of the host’s birthday. The food was amazing. I had a couple of dumplings, some beef from the hot pot, and 5 or 6 pudding cups. All in all, a great dinner, but the night was still young. Everyone seemed very excited for what was coming next. After dinner we walked a few blocks over to a karaoke place, called “Grammys” to end off the night.
Today I woke up at about 7:30, which was quite nice due to the fact that I have been waking up at around 5:30 to get to school during the week. I woke up feeling refreshed after stressing out all night over my broken phone, which I dropped in one of the toilets at a local sports center where all of us met to play basketball and badminton. I spent almost 2 hours at the Apple Store fixing my extremely water-damaged phone. This morning was different than most mornings because my host mom took Sukky (my host) and I to a restaurant for breakfast in a local hotel. I tried several different traditional dishes that they pre-ordered for me. When we got back to the apartment I had to pack my overnight bag that I would bring to Marley's apartment for a 'sleepover' because both of our hosts would be at an English competition until Sunday night. Many other Qingdao students participated in this English competition in another city near Qingdao. When we dropped off my things at Marley's apartment, my host mom drove Marley and I to a nearby mall to meet E'Sachi, Hayley, and Maria. We went to several stores in the shopping center and ate lunch at a dumpling house. After we ate lunch, we headed for the IMAX theater in the mall to see the new movie Beauty and the Beast. When we walked in all of us were surprised to see that it was oddly similar to the theaters we had in America, except for the fact that the popcorn they served was actually kettle corn and the selection for food was very limited. We all enjoyed the movie, despite the fact that E'Sachi and I fell asleep for part of it. Marley's host mom picked us up from the mall and drove us back to her apartment before Alex's birthday party. Although I enjoy spending time with my own host family, it was very refreshing to be able to hang out with Marley and experience what daily life is like with a different family in a different part of the city. We quickly got dressed and went to Alex's party at a nearby hotel in a banquet room. Many American and Qingdao students attended this party to celebrate Alex's birthday. The dinner was buffet style and all of the American students quickly devoured the noodles and pork dumplings when it was time to eat. The night mainly consisted of all of the American students sitting at the table while eating and talking about everything that has happened over the past week. It was nice to be able to spend time with most of the DHS students outside of school and touch base with everyone after all of the exciting activities we have participated in over the weekend. I can't believe we have already been in Qingdao for a week. It is crazy and makes me sad at the same time because that means we only have 2 weeks left. The whole CHEX squad has grown so close already since we have arrived in China and all of us will only keep growing closer.
Andrew's POV:
Today was different than any other day I've had so far. Today I wasn't with my host student, Leo. Even at this point in the trip, I expected to feel absolutely lost if he weren't with me when I needed help, but today and yesterday showed me that I wasn't all that lost. I'm starting to understand more, and more and I just can't seem to get enough of it. I’m learning how to communicate and I think I understand most of the public transportation. I'm getting much better at bargaining, but I'm still pretty bad. All I know is that due to the place I'm in and my surrounding I believe that I've already starting to grow into a different kind a person. I'm aware of my surroundings and finally understand how China has changed me.
So on a completely different note, Last night, my host family told me I could sleep in and that was music to my ears. Yesterday had been full of mountain climbing and basketball, so I was very excited for the break. Unfortunately, I woke up early today and decided to just go downstairs to have my favorite time of the day, breakfast time.
I could go on and on about how much I love breakfast time. whether it's something completely new and I don't even recognize it, or if it’s just the normal breakfast containing rice and braised beef and various vegetables, it always tastes amazing. I don't love it for the taste though. On the days I wake up early enough, like today, I get to watch my host mother and father prepare breakfast. Some days I can even help make it, which is consistently one of the highlights of each day for me. It may not sound too exciting or look that fun to most, but I can assure you, I love every bit of it. The smells are absolutely magnificent. Also I find the way the make it very intriguing, compared to the way my family will prepare their meals.
As soon as we finish eating, we went off to the boardwalk to meet with a couple other students whom I'd spend the rest of my day with, due to Leo's English competition 4 hours away from home. After wishing leo good luck we toured around the Oceanside, going out to the end of the pier, visiting landmarks, and buying lots of fake merchandise. I even tried bargaining for a belt and it worked. Well the bargaining did, but sadly the belt was too big. That and it was so cheaply made that it broke about an hour after I bought it.
After an amazing power nap, the entire Chinese exchange class went to a hotel restaurant to celebrate one of the host’s birthday. The food was amazing. I had a couple of dumplings, some beef from the hot pot, and 5 or 6 pudding cups. All in all, a great dinner, but the night was still young. Everyone seemed very excited for what was coming next. After dinner we walked a few blocks over to a karaoke place, called “Grammys” to end off the night.
We Climbed Lao Shan Mountain
April 7, 2017
E'Sachi's POV:
Today began with me waking up to a lovely breakfast, which was an egg, soup, and a coffee bun. by my host mother. If you asked me a few days ago, if I enjoyed breakfast with my host family, I would have looked at you and laughed. However, I realized that I needed to stay open-minded and immerse myself in the Chinese culture. Afterward, my host father drove me to Qingdao 58 and I attended a class with the Chinese student, Skye. I went to one of his classes yesterday, so I was pretty familiar with his classmates. Today, I went to Skye's politics class, and I sat to my new friends I had made yesterday; their names were Ryan and DJ (I gave Ryan his English name☺️). The whole class period was spent writing notes to one another. I asked them what their aspirations were and told them how much I adored them. Man, did they blush! They truly do love a compliment.
After class was over, the experience I have been dreading finally arrived: I would have to climb the Lao Shan mountain. Initially, the itinerary said that we would have a tour of the mountain, so I naively thought that maybe we wouldn't have to climb or hike the mountain. It is clear to say that I was absolutely, positively WRONG! I think the initial plan was to hike a little and come back to the bus to eat lunch, which wouldn't have been so bad, but that wasn't what happened. After some last minute readjustments, the final plan was to hike the entire and have lunch at the top, however, this was unbeknownst to us, so I was not prepared for what was about to come.
We took a bus to the entrance,and we began our hike. As a girl who feast on the most unhealthiest foods, and who exercises very little, I quickly realized that I am not cut out for hiking. After two flights of stairs, I was winded and couldn't muster one breath. From the very beginning, I lagged behind the whole group and at some points, I just wanted to turn around and wait for the group to return on their way down. However, the CHEX groups' encouragement and high spirits inspired me to put some pep in my step and to get to the top of mountain.
I continued my long and arduous journey to the top of the mountain, taking a mini break after each step. I vividly remember Mrs. O'Hare and I stopped for a moment to catch our breath, and I began to hear music. However, the music wasn't ahead of me, which I would have hoped for it to have been. The music was playing to the far right of me, suggesting that I was no where near the group, and then suddenly I belted at the top of my lungs, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!" I was not a happy camper.
Finally, after another 20 minutes or so, I reached the group and we had lunch. I don't think I could explain in words the amount of joy I felt. Although, we didn't go to the top of the mountain, we were pretty darn close and I was proud of CHEX 2017 for our accomplishments. However, there was one thought that consumed my mind for the rest of the evening: if Lao Shan mountain was this difficult, how difficult is the Great Wall going to be?
Nathan's POV:
The lunch at the end of our ascent up the mountain was much needed, many on the verge of some form of hiking mutiny. We ate at tables in a shaded pavilion - the sun was strong above the thick fog covering the lower mountain. My lunch, however, was cut brutally short by a swarm of bees, which I can only imagined were unleashed by the Daoist gods to punish us for blasting Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" on a sacred mountain. I left a potato chip and part of Sofia's apple as a gift to the gods and to divert the bees - which didn't do much to help with either of its intentions. Instead, I retreated away from the pavilion; there was no way I was even going to begin with dealing with those bees.
After our slow lunch, hastened a little by my impatience to leave the bee infested pavilion as quickly as possible, we began to climb back down the mountain by a different route than the one we'd used to climb up. After a slightly frustrating wrong turn and 10 minutes of backtracking up awfully steep stone steps, we reached a steady incline downwards. The countless steps made my legs feel wobbly and infinitely tired, Katie gripping onto the back of my backpack to steady herself as well as me. We passed through a tiny village which housed the top of a gondola line, but we didn't get on - just pushed on past the gondola station a little sourly, all searching desperately for a bathroom (even if it was a squatty pottie).
There were so many beautiful views that I had to stop myself from taking photos so that i wouldn't use up all my storage - the mist shrouding the mountains and dividing the ground from the summits, creating a dazzling effect of surrealism, really make you think how Daoism could very easily have been founded here. The climb was long and required lots of rests and stubbornness, but it was truly worth it.
When we reached the foot of the mountain, we were greeted by a local stray dog - a furry little guy we named Muffin. None of us could tell what breed he was, but he was clearly used to people - he had no collar but rubbed against and licked us, enjoying being petted and scratched. He followed us all the way to the tour bus, showing surprising dexterity on the stone steps that made up the path on the mountain. He was rather underfed - I could easily feel his ribs as I scratched him - but incredibly cute. It seemed as though Muffin was released from the mist as a sign from the Daoist gods, maybe to make up for the plague of bees.
Leaving on the bus was very hard; both the beautiful sights and little Muffin would be sorely missed. As we slowly drove away, we all looked back to watch Muffin trotting happily back into the mist - joining the disappearing mountain like a cute and furry little divine being resuming its position on a grand throne. China, and especially today, has been full of emotions - whatever ancient Chinese entities inhabited that mountain, they made it their professional job to play with our minds. Muffin has joined the many things in China I'll be forced to leave behind, and will miss very very dearly.
Today began with me waking up to a lovely breakfast, which was an egg, soup, and a coffee bun. by my host mother. If you asked me a few days ago, if I enjoyed breakfast with my host family, I would have looked at you and laughed. However, I realized that I needed to stay open-minded and immerse myself in the Chinese culture. Afterward, my host father drove me to Qingdao 58 and I attended a class with the Chinese student, Skye. I went to one of his classes yesterday, so I was pretty familiar with his classmates. Today, I went to Skye's politics class, and I sat to my new friends I had made yesterday; their names were Ryan and DJ (I gave Ryan his English name☺️). The whole class period was spent writing notes to one another. I asked them what their aspirations were and told them how much I adored them. Man, did they blush! They truly do love a compliment.
After class was over, the experience I have been dreading finally arrived: I would have to climb the Lao Shan mountain. Initially, the itinerary said that we would have a tour of the mountain, so I naively thought that maybe we wouldn't have to climb or hike the mountain. It is clear to say that I was absolutely, positively WRONG! I think the initial plan was to hike a little and come back to the bus to eat lunch, which wouldn't have been so bad, but that wasn't what happened. After some last minute readjustments, the final plan was to hike the entire and have lunch at the top, however, this was unbeknownst to us, so I was not prepared for what was about to come.
We took a bus to the entrance,and we began our hike. As a girl who feast on the most unhealthiest foods, and who exercises very little, I quickly realized that I am not cut out for hiking. After two flights of stairs, I was winded and couldn't muster one breath. From the very beginning, I lagged behind the whole group and at some points, I just wanted to turn around and wait for the group to return on their way down. However, the CHEX groups' encouragement and high spirits inspired me to put some pep in my step and to get to the top of mountain.
I continued my long and arduous journey to the top of the mountain, taking a mini break after each step. I vividly remember Mrs. O'Hare and I stopped for a moment to catch our breath, and I began to hear music. However, the music wasn't ahead of me, which I would have hoped for it to have been. The music was playing to the far right of me, suggesting that I was no where near the group, and then suddenly I belted at the top of my lungs, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!" I was not a happy camper.
Finally, after another 20 minutes or so, I reached the group and we had lunch. I don't think I could explain in words the amount of joy I felt. Although, we didn't go to the top of the mountain, we were pretty darn close and I was proud of CHEX 2017 for our accomplishments. However, there was one thought that consumed my mind for the rest of the evening: if Lao Shan mountain was this difficult, how difficult is the Great Wall going to be?
Nathan's POV:
The lunch at the end of our ascent up the mountain was much needed, many on the verge of some form of hiking mutiny. We ate at tables in a shaded pavilion - the sun was strong above the thick fog covering the lower mountain. My lunch, however, was cut brutally short by a swarm of bees, which I can only imagined were unleashed by the Daoist gods to punish us for blasting Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" on a sacred mountain. I left a potato chip and part of Sofia's apple as a gift to the gods and to divert the bees - which didn't do much to help with either of its intentions. Instead, I retreated away from the pavilion; there was no way I was even going to begin with dealing with those bees.
After our slow lunch, hastened a little by my impatience to leave the bee infested pavilion as quickly as possible, we began to climb back down the mountain by a different route than the one we'd used to climb up. After a slightly frustrating wrong turn and 10 minutes of backtracking up awfully steep stone steps, we reached a steady incline downwards. The countless steps made my legs feel wobbly and infinitely tired, Katie gripping onto the back of my backpack to steady herself as well as me. We passed through a tiny village which housed the top of a gondola line, but we didn't get on - just pushed on past the gondola station a little sourly, all searching desperately for a bathroom (even if it was a squatty pottie).
There were so many beautiful views that I had to stop myself from taking photos so that i wouldn't use up all my storage - the mist shrouding the mountains and dividing the ground from the summits, creating a dazzling effect of surrealism, really make you think how Daoism could very easily have been founded here. The climb was long and required lots of rests and stubbornness, but it was truly worth it.
When we reached the foot of the mountain, we were greeted by a local stray dog - a furry little guy we named Muffin. None of us could tell what breed he was, but he was clearly used to people - he had no collar but rubbed against and licked us, enjoying being petted and scratched. He followed us all the way to the tour bus, showing surprising dexterity on the stone steps that made up the path on the mountain. He was rather underfed - I could easily feel his ribs as I scratched him - but incredibly cute. It seemed as though Muffin was released from the mist as a sign from the Daoist gods, maybe to make up for the plague of bees.
Leaving on the bus was very hard; both the beautiful sights and little Muffin would be sorely missed. As we slowly drove away, we all looked back to watch Muffin trotting happily back into the mist - joining the disappearing mountain like a cute and furry little divine being resuming its position on a grand throne. China, and especially today, has been full of emotions - whatever ancient Chinese entities inhabited that mountain, they made it their professional job to play with our minds. Muffin has joined the many things in China I'll be forced to leave behind, and will miss very very dearly.
We Shadowed A Student
April 6. 2017
Sofia's POV:
Today, I woke up bright and early at 5:30am. Like everyday, I had a feeling it was going to be amazing. I was right. Once we got to Qingdao #58 had shadowing first period. David (my host) had a Mandarin class which for us in America is English. I couldn't understand what the teacher was saying, so I observed. Every student was attentive and writing their passages. Unlike America the students stay in one classroom all day. The environment was different from school back home, and in some ways the same. After sitting through about 45 minutes of the class the students have a 10 minutes break. During this 10 minute break David walked me back to a room similar to the "Qingdao Chillzone" we had when the Chinese students visited us. A place where we can relax, journal, and keep our things. Before we shadowed we met Blue Wave (great name) in this room. He gave us a speech and it was really sweet. Shortly after Blue Waves speech all of the American students attended a lesson taught by Alice on Chinese holidays. Chinese holidays are so unique and different to us, so it was really cool and interesting to learn about this. One holiday that was particularly interesting was the "Night of Sevens". Mostly because it was in the most recent version of Karate Kid, but mostly because it was really interesting. This holiday is the Chinese version of Valentine's Day. This holiday was created because of the story of forbidden love. After our lesson with Alice we all met on the enormous soccer field. All the Americans were handed blue and white balloons. At the bottom of the balloons were endangered animals or species. Me, being a vegetarian, and having a love for animals thought this was really cool to see that people care all around the world. This is the part where everyone was confused. We all lined up with a group of 3 Chinese students as other Chinese students ran passed us in unison- and when I say unison, I mean legitimate unison, sort of military style. Left, right, left, right, almost completely in sync. As they ran passed us the groups of Americans and Chinese students joined in the back. I was told we were going to run a lap, so I was worried I would be slow, but I only ran about 20 or 30 yards ahead. Once stopped, we handed our balloons to the Chinese students in the front. Unlike an assembly in the US, everything was silent and everyone was paying attention or at least pretending too. After this asssembly we headed to a Canadian exchange class to play a game. The game was a mix of a scavenger hunt and Bingo. Each American student was paired up with Chinese students and on a Bingo bored there are tasks you must complete across, down, or diagonal. Just like bingo. Me, Tony, and Victor won 4th place. No big deal or anything. The price for 1st place winner (Marley), was a stuffed animal. 2nd and 3rd place winners received a white chocolate Dove bar. 4th-7th place winners received a notebook. The notebook is really cool; it has had the school emblem on the cover.. Finally before lunch we hung out, journaled, and had a discussion on Chinese classroom behaviors/ environment. The first half of the day was a success.
Will's POV:
After our brief chat we walked out to the field and had a tai qi lesson from the gym teacher. Mr. Banas busted out his tai qi clothing just for the occasion . We learned many different moves from the gym teacher and I have to say that it's very calming to just go through the motions despite falling over every few seconds. We also played this tai qi game where you attempt to make your opponent lose balance, I was awful at it.
After tai qi we had some free time, so everyone hung out on the playground area and used some of the equipment. Andrew, Aidan and I walked over to the ping pong tables ( they had a bunch of them outside ) and asked some of the students playing if we could join in, they were totally fine with it so we faced off against the Chinese students and I got stomped on by everyone ( including the Americans ) I guess that ping pong is not my specialty.
When we finally moved on to our next " activity" we were given our phones back and what do you know, my phone was broken. It wouldn't turn on at all and when I charged it for a good 20 minutes nothing happened, which was pretty frustrating since the next thing we did was sit in the meeting room for 20 minutes until we were allowed to leave. Now I'm not saying that we were doing work or some activity, we just sat there and played music and stuff for 20 minutes which, with my newfound lack of phone felt like 20 hours.
However there is a silver lining to this cloud. I got my phone fixed a few days later and on the same day my phone broke my dream since Wednesday had come true. Me and my host mom went to a music store that was literally across the street from the Qing Dao no 58 High School, and I bought a bamboo flute. Granted I can't make a single note the music lesson from Wednesday inspired me to get one, and now I do and it was amazing. I was going to get lessons too, however the teacher wasn't at the store that day so we weren't able to.
For dinner that night me and my host mom went out to a restaurant ( just the 2 of us ) and ate dumplings with pork, fish, and beef as well as something that translate to " seasoned spine" that I assumed was an animal spine. You were supposed to eat them like ribs. I would likely never be able to eat the spine of an animal again so I ate it. And honestly they weren't that bad, I guess that goes to show that just because it's not something you've heard anyone do doesn't mean it's bad. Trying new things is one of the most important aspects of this trip.
Today, I woke up bright and early at 5:30am. Like everyday, I had a feeling it was going to be amazing. I was right. Once we got to Qingdao #58 had shadowing first period. David (my host) had a Mandarin class which for us in America is English. I couldn't understand what the teacher was saying, so I observed. Every student was attentive and writing their passages. Unlike America the students stay in one classroom all day. The environment was different from school back home, and in some ways the same. After sitting through about 45 minutes of the class the students have a 10 minutes break. During this 10 minute break David walked me back to a room similar to the "Qingdao Chillzone" we had when the Chinese students visited us. A place where we can relax, journal, and keep our things. Before we shadowed we met Blue Wave (great name) in this room. He gave us a speech and it was really sweet. Shortly after Blue Waves speech all of the American students attended a lesson taught by Alice on Chinese holidays. Chinese holidays are so unique and different to us, so it was really cool and interesting to learn about this. One holiday that was particularly interesting was the "Night of Sevens". Mostly because it was in the most recent version of Karate Kid, but mostly because it was really interesting. This holiday is the Chinese version of Valentine's Day. This holiday was created because of the story of forbidden love. After our lesson with Alice we all met on the enormous soccer field. All the Americans were handed blue and white balloons. At the bottom of the balloons were endangered animals or species. Me, being a vegetarian, and having a love for animals thought this was really cool to see that people care all around the world. This is the part where everyone was confused. We all lined up with a group of 3 Chinese students as other Chinese students ran passed us in unison- and when I say unison, I mean legitimate unison, sort of military style. Left, right, left, right, almost completely in sync. As they ran passed us the groups of Americans and Chinese students joined in the back. I was told we were going to run a lap, so I was worried I would be slow, but I only ran about 20 or 30 yards ahead. Once stopped, we handed our balloons to the Chinese students in the front. Unlike an assembly in the US, everything was silent and everyone was paying attention or at least pretending too. After this asssembly we headed to a Canadian exchange class to play a game. The game was a mix of a scavenger hunt and Bingo. Each American student was paired up with Chinese students and on a Bingo bored there are tasks you must complete across, down, or diagonal. Just like bingo. Me, Tony, and Victor won 4th place. No big deal or anything. The price for 1st place winner (Marley), was a stuffed animal. 2nd and 3rd place winners received a white chocolate Dove bar. 4th-7th place winners received a notebook. The notebook is really cool; it has had the school emblem on the cover.. Finally before lunch we hung out, journaled, and had a discussion on Chinese classroom behaviors/ environment. The first half of the day was a success.
Will's POV:
After our brief chat we walked out to the field and had a tai qi lesson from the gym teacher. Mr. Banas busted out his tai qi clothing just for the occasion . We learned many different moves from the gym teacher and I have to say that it's very calming to just go through the motions despite falling over every few seconds. We also played this tai qi game where you attempt to make your opponent lose balance, I was awful at it.
After tai qi we had some free time, so everyone hung out on the playground area and used some of the equipment. Andrew, Aidan and I walked over to the ping pong tables ( they had a bunch of them outside ) and asked some of the students playing if we could join in, they were totally fine with it so we faced off against the Chinese students and I got stomped on by everyone ( including the Americans ) I guess that ping pong is not my specialty.
When we finally moved on to our next " activity" we were given our phones back and what do you know, my phone was broken. It wouldn't turn on at all and when I charged it for a good 20 minutes nothing happened, which was pretty frustrating since the next thing we did was sit in the meeting room for 20 minutes until we were allowed to leave. Now I'm not saying that we were doing work or some activity, we just sat there and played music and stuff for 20 minutes which, with my newfound lack of phone felt like 20 hours.
However there is a silver lining to this cloud. I got my phone fixed a few days later and on the same day my phone broke my dream since Wednesday had come true. Me and my host mom went to a music store that was literally across the street from the Qing Dao no 58 High School, and I bought a bamboo flute. Granted I can't make a single note the music lesson from Wednesday inspired me to get one, and now I do and it was amazing. I was going to get lessons too, however the teacher wasn't at the store that day so we weren't able to.
For dinner that night me and my host mom went out to a restaurant ( just the 2 of us ) and ate dumplings with pork, fish, and beef as well as something that translate to " seasoned spine" that I assumed was an animal spine. You were supposed to eat them like ribs. I would likely never be able to eat the spine of an animal again so I ate it. And honestly they weren't that bad, I guess that goes to show that just because it's not something you've heard anyone do doesn't mean it's bad. Trying new things is one of the most important aspects of this trip.
Our First School Day
April 5, 2017
Sophie's POV:
Even though we all seemed to be up bright and early each day, today felt harder. It was rainy and cold and my bed seemed so much more appealing, yet when i smelled fresh scallion pancakes and fried rice i immediately got dressed and sat down to breakfast. My typical silent breakfast, as they all point at things that they want me to try, trying to politely decline. We grabbed our bags and were out the door quickly for her father to drive us to school. The usual 7 o'clock rush was filled with non stop honking and reckless driving but only 10 minutes later we arrived at the front of the school. Stella briskly took me to the meeting area as she had to go to class. We all met and debriefed together a little to then be introduced to the head master and be given gifts. Alice then toured us around the school and brought us to our first activity of calligraphy!! It was incredibley awesome except, mum - as you would know my art capabilities, it was not good. We then went over to ping pong, which became very intense for about 5 minutes and then we got bored and talked and lounged on the tables. Finally we were taken into a private room where we were given really amazing school food and we all sat around a large circular table and talked. It was nice to see everyone together and be able to talk about funny stories and our experiences so far. We began to feel left out of the school environment since we were separated from all of the students, so we adventured into the large cafeteria. WOW! it was incredibly over whelming when you walk in and think it's small... but we looked left and it seemed to keep going on as everyone laughed and awkwardly waved at us. We circled the room and then sat down with a couple of girls and we politely introduced ourselves. They quickly left as they were done and needed to go back to class. We then got up and walked slowly back to the meeting area. None of us seemed eager to go back and sit in a room so we walked the long way and waved at every person in sight. Not much success in making new friends but luckily we found Jessica.
"JESSICA!!!!" We all yelled and ran over and hugged her. Finally feeling reassured that we had at least one chinese friend! She took us into her cafeteria and we found more of our hosts in the lunchroom. Our enthusiasm was buzzing as we got to show off our hosts and embarres them as they showed us their friends. We were all then slowly dispersing and going off to see our students classrooms and their friends. After seeing Skye's classroom, which involved A LOT of stairs, we headed back to our meeting room where we were able to relax and talk among ourselves. We drank pepsi, did some homework, listened to music and talked about all of our jokes we've made so far (which is a lot). It was a great start to our first day at school!
Aidan's POV:
We were greeted with applause from the students of the English class. They, just like most of the other students we encountered, were very excited and welcoming towards are group. Both the teachers and the students were very eager to show off their skill in English with a game they had prepared. The game tested ability to understand the English language, as the first group of two would watch a clip from a movie, then reenact it for another group who had not seen the clip, and so on, until the final group would have to reenact the scene as best they could. We were surprised by the groups strength in English. While they did often make the entire class laugh with their mistakes, they were able to beat our team of fluent English speakers. We moved on to another English class, where we played another game to test their English, where we would pass around a ball to one another, saying a fact about ourselves, and asking a question about another person. Here we learned a lot about the students who went to this school, like a shared love for Harry Potter, basketball, and a hatred of social studies. We talked about our favorite books, movies, and the differences in our schools. It was cool to understand the school on a more personal level, and male friends with people we otherwise wouldn't have noticed. China is cool. We went to their auditorium to have a music lesson of traditional Chinese instruments. We listened to and got the chance to play many instruments with history as old as 2000 years. These instruments are still very popular in China today, and help the younger generation connect with ancient Chinese stories. When we played then, we sounded considerably worse then the students did, and they tried hard to be patient with us, but at the same time they were very excited that we were taking part in this unique part of Chinese culture. School had ended, and my host student, Kerr, and his father brought me back to their apartment. There, our dinner was already being made. My host mother is very good at cooking, and she was making dumplings, soup, beef, rice, vegetables, and soup for us. My host father had visited his mother that day, and he brought home steamed bread in the shape of doves. A food, he said, that was home made, and couldn't be bought in a store. My family is always very excited when I enjoy their food, so I tried to eat as much as I could, while talking to my host father about our ancestries, pollution in Beijing, the president of Taiwan, and Donald Trumps meeting with Yi Jinping, which he was very hopeful would turn out well. Kerr excused himself from the table to watch the highlights to the nba games he missed from that morning, and I joined him. The broadcast was all in Chinese, which I can't understand at all, but it was fun to try to follow along, and talk with Kerr about basketball, which we both enjoy equally. Interacting with people in China has been very enjoyable, and I look forward to continuing this in the future.
Even though we all seemed to be up bright and early each day, today felt harder. It was rainy and cold and my bed seemed so much more appealing, yet when i smelled fresh scallion pancakes and fried rice i immediately got dressed and sat down to breakfast. My typical silent breakfast, as they all point at things that they want me to try, trying to politely decline. We grabbed our bags and were out the door quickly for her father to drive us to school. The usual 7 o'clock rush was filled with non stop honking and reckless driving but only 10 minutes later we arrived at the front of the school. Stella briskly took me to the meeting area as she had to go to class. We all met and debriefed together a little to then be introduced to the head master and be given gifts. Alice then toured us around the school and brought us to our first activity of calligraphy!! It was incredibley awesome except, mum - as you would know my art capabilities, it was not good. We then went over to ping pong, which became very intense for about 5 minutes and then we got bored and talked and lounged on the tables. Finally we were taken into a private room where we were given really amazing school food and we all sat around a large circular table and talked. It was nice to see everyone together and be able to talk about funny stories and our experiences so far. We began to feel left out of the school environment since we were separated from all of the students, so we adventured into the large cafeteria. WOW! it was incredibly over whelming when you walk in and think it's small... but we looked left and it seemed to keep going on as everyone laughed and awkwardly waved at us. We circled the room and then sat down with a couple of girls and we politely introduced ourselves. They quickly left as they were done and needed to go back to class. We then got up and walked slowly back to the meeting area. None of us seemed eager to go back and sit in a room so we walked the long way and waved at every person in sight. Not much success in making new friends but luckily we found Jessica.
"JESSICA!!!!" We all yelled and ran over and hugged her. Finally feeling reassured that we had at least one chinese friend! She took us into her cafeteria and we found more of our hosts in the lunchroom. Our enthusiasm was buzzing as we got to show off our hosts and embarres them as they showed us their friends. We were all then slowly dispersing and going off to see our students classrooms and their friends. After seeing Skye's classroom, which involved A LOT of stairs, we headed back to our meeting room where we were able to relax and talk among ourselves. We drank pepsi, did some homework, listened to music and talked about all of our jokes we've made so far (which is a lot). It was a great start to our first day at school!
Aidan's POV:
We were greeted with applause from the students of the English class. They, just like most of the other students we encountered, were very excited and welcoming towards are group. Both the teachers and the students were very eager to show off their skill in English with a game they had prepared. The game tested ability to understand the English language, as the first group of two would watch a clip from a movie, then reenact it for another group who had not seen the clip, and so on, until the final group would have to reenact the scene as best they could. We were surprised by the groups strength in English. While they did often make the entire class laugh with their mistakes, they were able to beat our team of fluent English speakers. We moved on to another English class, where we played another game to test their English, where we would pass around a ball to one another, saying a fact about ourselves, and asking a question about another person. Here we learned a lot about the students who went to this school, like a shared love for Harry Potter, basketball, and a hatred of social studies. We talked about our favorite books, movies, and the differences in our schools. It was cool to understand the school on a more personal level, and male friends with people we otherwise wouldn't have noticed. China is cool. We went to their auditorium to have a music lesson of traditional Chinese instruments. We listened to and got the chance to play many instruments with history as old as 2000 years. These instruments are still very popular in China today, and help the younger generation connect with ancient Chinese stories. When we played then, we sounded considerably worse then the students did, and they tried hard to be patient with us, but at the same time they were very excited that we were taking part in this unique part of Chinese culture. School had ended, and my host student, Kerr, and his father brought me back to their apartment. There, our dinner was already being made. My host mother is very good at cooking, and she was making dumplings, soup, beef, rice, vegetables, and soup for us. My host father had visited his mother that day, and he brought home steamed bread in the shape of doves. A food, he said, that was home made, and couldn't be bought in a store. My family is always very excited when I enjoy their food, so I tried to eat as much as I could, while talking to my host father about our ancestries, pollution in Beijing, the president of Taiwan, and Donald Trumps meeting with Yi Jinping, which he was very hopeful would turn out well. Kerr excused himself from the table to watch the highlights to the nba games he missed from that morning, and I joined him. The broadcast was all in Chinese, which I can't understand at all, but it was fun to try to follow along, and talk with Kerr about basketball, which we both enjoy equally. Interacting with people in China has been very enjoyable, and I look forward to continuing this in the future.
Another Day in China
April 4, 2017
Katie POV:
7:00 AM: I woke to the sound of the streets of Qingdao, China. Who needs an alarm clock when the voices from the local market, and honks from busy drivers storm through your window? Though the everyday citizen may grow frustrated by these everyday disturbances, I find this one of the many reasons I love Qingdao; it is always moving. Much like the city, the Chex squad is always busy, our schedule is heavily packed with as many adventures possible for one day.
8:00AM: Yuki (my host) Yuki’s mom, and I set off in a taxi headed for an ice skating rink. If I’ve learned anything from this trip it is, to go with the flow. Seeing that I cannot ice skate even if my life depended on it, I would normally dread having to go ice skating. After a short coffee refueling at a local bookstore, we headed next door to the ice rink. When we got on the ice, I realized I was not alone. Americans were dropping like flies all over the rink, with the exception of Vivi who looked as though she was an ice skating olympic gold medalist compared to the rest of us. Nathan and Andrew decided today would be the best day to put use to their shorts that they packed. Nathan and Andrew also left the ice rink with bloody knees.
12:00 PM: Two words; Hot. Pot. It pretty much describes itself, a boiling hot pot of water where you cook your food and run the risk of eating uncooked meat. Luckily no one did! Andrew ate the lining of a pig’s stomach while Livie made the brain of a shrimp explode, luckily Sofia (the vegetarian/animal lover of the group) wasn’t at lunch to witness any of this. After lunch we walked around Qingdao, and found ourselves wandering into a “party” as one of Chinese students called it. The “party” was a room that had karaoke, xbox, games, and most importantly of course… WIFI!!
8:00 PM: As I finalize my blog post for the day I listen to the sound of the streets of Qingdao. The busy roads that woke me this morning, put me to sleep tonight. Goodnight Qingdao, and Good morning Darien.
Vivi's POV:
When I woke up this morning I could hear my host mom shuffling around the kitchen and I knew she was preparing a mini feast for breakfast. There were many different assortments of things including fruits, dumplings, steamed buns, nuts, oatmeal, and many different drinks. I am having the most wonderful time with my host family, they are pretty much treating me like royalty with so many different choices of foods for each meal. Each morning my host mother and I eat breakfast together and just chat about various things. I absolutely love the time I've spent with my host family and the way they have made me feel at home.
After breakfast my host sister Claudia and I drove to a "teen center" that has so many different activities to do. We meet up with the group to go ice skating which was rather interesting. There was a mini speaker which we played some classic American pop songs, and the kids in the rink were all looking at us. Needless to say, they didn't know what to think of the crazy group of kids all dancing and singing on the ice! Most of the squad were not great skaters, but it was so much fun to all skate together and slowly wobble our way across the ice. Then, after having fun skating, we all split up for lunch to go try different types of Chinese food. I went with a few other people to try this thing called hot pot which is like the American version of fondue. It was very cool because we walked into the restaurant and they lead us to a private room where we all sat down together. Once seated we were hand and a black and red cloth apron to put on (we all looked incredible 💁). We tried all different kinds of meets and vegetables, but the weirdest one was the inside lining of the pigs stomach. It was a good taste but an interesting texture, unlike anything I have ever tried before. In addition, we also had sheep, beef, pork, noddles, and all different types of vegetables.
We are all having the most amazing time in Qingdao with all of eachother as well as the Chinese students. All of us have grown so close, and we have the most amazing time together. I can't wait to make more terrific memories, with even more terrific people, in an even more terrific place! Qingdao we ❤️ you and can't wait to see what the next day holds!
7:00 AM: I woke to the sound of the streets of Qingdao, China. Who needs an alarm clock when the voices from the local market, and honks from busy drivers storm through your window? Though the everyday citizen may grow frustrated by these everyday disturbances, I find this one of the many reasons I love Qingdao; it is always moving. Much like the city, the Chex squad is always busy, our schedule is heavily packed with as many adventures possible for one day.
8:00AM: Yuki (my host) Yuki’s mom, and I set off in a taxi headed for an ice skating rink. If I’ve learned anything from this trip it is, to go with the flow. Seeing that I cannot ice skate even if my life depended on it, I would normally dread having to go ice skating. After a short coffee refueling at a local bookstore, we headed next door to the ice rink. When we got on the ice, I realized I was not alone. Americans were dropping like flies all over the rink, with the exception of Vivi who looked as though she was an ice skating olympic gold medalist compared to the rest of us. Nathan and Andrew decided today would be the best day to put use to their shorts that they packed. Nathan and Andrew also left the ice rink with bloody knees.
12:00 PM: Two words; Hot. Pot. It pretty much describes itself, a boiling hot pot of water where you cook your food and run the risk of eating uncooked meat. Luckily no one did! Andrew ate the lining of a pig’s stomach while Livie made the brain of a shrimp explode, luckily Sofia (the vegetarian/animal lover of the group) wasn’t at lunch to witness any of this. After lunch we walked around Qingdao, and found ourselves wandering into a “party” as one of Chinese students called it. The “party” was a room that had karaoke, xbox, games, and most importantly of course… WIFI!!
8:00 PM: As I finalize my blog post for the day I listen to the sound of the streets of Qingdao. The busy roads that woke me this morning, put me to sleep tonight. Goodnight Qingdao, and Good morning Darien.
Vivi's POV:
When I woke up this morning I could hear my host mom shuffling around the kitchen and I knew she was preparing a mini feast for breakfast. There were many different assortments of things including fruits, dumplings, steamed buns, nuts, oatmeal, and many different drinks. I am having the most wonderful time with my host family, they are pretty much treating me like royalty with so many different choices of foods for each meal. Each morning my host mother and I eat breakfast together and just chat about various things. I absolutely love the time I've spent with my host family and the way they have made me feel at home.
After breakfast my host sister Claudia and I drove to a "teen center" that has so many different activities to do. We meet up with the group to go ice skating which was rather interesting. There was a mini speaker which we played some classic American pop songs, and the kids in the rink were all looking at us. Needless to say, they didn't know what to think of the crazy group of kids all dancing and singing on the ice! Most of the squad were not great skaters, but it was so much fun to all skate together and slowly wobble our way across the ice. Then, after having fun skating, we all split up for lunch to go try different types of Chinese food. I went with a few other people to try this thing called hot pot which is like the American version of fondue. It was very cool because we walked into the restaurant and they lead us to a private room where we all sat down together. Once seated we were hand and a black and red cloth apron to put on (we all looked incredible 💁). We tried all different kinds of meets and vegetables, but the weirdest one was the inside lining of the pigs stomach. It was a good taste but an interesting texture, unlike anything I have ever tried before. In addition, we also had sheep, beef, pork, noddles, and all different types of vegetables.
We are all having the most amazing time in Qingdao with all of eachother as well as the Chinese students. All of us have grown so close, and we have the most amazing time together. I can't wait to make more terrific memories, with even more terrific people, in an even more terrific place! Qingdao we ❤️ you and can't wait to see what the next day holds!
Our First Group Activity
April 3, 2017
Ali’s POV:
Even after our exhausting first day, I woke up very early (4 am!!) due to the time change back home. Right when I got up I sat down to a full Chinese breakfast that consisted of rice, eggs, traditional Chinese bread, and some strawberries. Waking up in a new home was finally starting to feel normal even after just 2 nights of sleep! After breakfast, Sally (my host sister) took me on the subway which was by far the cleanest subway I had ever been on. We traveled about 10 stops to Zhongshan Park where we met up with all the American and Qingdao students and teachers. I was beyond excited because I hadn’t seen everyone since we got off the plane on Saturday. After making sure everyone had made it there safely, we started walking through the beautiful park. The park was nothing like any of the ones in America. Their were statues, all different types of flowers, and even crowds of people dancing! At one point, a Chinese women played music for us and showed all the American students how to dance. People that were walking by all stopped and crowded around to see and take videos of the crazy Americans! After getting asked to take countless of pictures with random people, we finally managed to walk all the way to the beach. Even though it was very windy and cold many people bought ice creams and popsicles and walked down the rocks towards the ocean. It reminded me a lot like a typical summer day at home with the big crowds of people sitting on the sand and playing by the ocean. By the time we had finished walking all around the park and beach, we were starving! We took the subway all the way to a very nice buffet style restaurant. We all sat at a long rectangle table and got up whenever we felt like it to serve ourselves food. The amount of food they offered was crazy! Some choices included noodles, dumplings, sushi, fruit, vegetables, and all different kinds of meat. After most of us had finished our lunch we went up to the ice cream cart and had the most delicious ice cream I had ever tasted. Following our afternoon activities, Sally and her family took me to her grandparents home. I was greeted by her aunts, uncles, and grandparents and a delicious, home cooked, Chinese dinner. There were soup dumplings, some type of noodles, and a bunch of different types of meat. Even though none of the family spoke English, it didn’t matter at all because we were still able to communicate. After our lovely meal we went back home and due to my lack of sleep the night before, I passed out right away. Just the second day in Qingdao and we already feel like it’s our home.
Caroline's POV:
After lunch, we left the mall for a short walk to may fourth square and the park around it. Mr. Banas taught us that the sculpture was created to celebrate the feeling of having a country identity when the Shandong province was given back to china after being occupied by Germans. The park was very close to the mall, so after a 5 minute walk, we found ourselves surrounded by kites, the shoreline, skyscrapers facing the opposite direction, and in the center, the massive red sculpture. The sculpture was surrounded by hundreds of people, many of which were flying colorful kites being sold on every street corner. It was amazing to see one of the most famous monuments in Qingdao and to finally feel like we were seeing the heart of Qingdao. The group moved closer to take pictures in front of the monument, and after we took pictures, a few students bought kites to fly in the warm weather. Our host students taught us the best method to fly them without much wind, which was to run fast while spinning the string. Although it worked well flying them, we looked pretty funny doing it. Not to mention, any time we go to a crowded place as a group, people flock to us to take pictures, almost like we are celebrities. Marley became good friends with some children we met at the park, and she hugged them goodbye when we left!
After we finished up in the park, some pairs had to leave to go home, but a pretty big group of us went back to the mall where we ate to go in the enormous ball pit they had. Yes, I did say BALL PIT. This mall also happened to have a skating rink too, but we didn't end up going there. After seeing the ball pit when we first came to the mall for lunch, we were all too intrigued not to go back and play in it. There were tons of people in the pit while we were, but that did not stop us from having an amazing time! Along with having plastic ball-fights and jumping in and out of the sea of plastic, there were also humongous slides that we took turns going down into the pit. The giant ball pit was so much fun, and was something that we would never see in the United States.
Once our 30 minutes in the pit were up, we all got out and went our separate ways as pairs around 4:45. Skye and i decided to go home for a little while and then get dinner around 6:15. Skye called us a taxi and we took it home, which was my first time in a taxi in Qingdao. After the 20 minute ride, we returned home to Skye's apartment for some time to rest after our long walk in the morning before dinner.
Around 6:15, Skye and i went to get dinner on our own because his dad was not home and his mom wanted us to eat out. We decided to have hot pot for dinner, so Skye brought me to a mall very close to his house to go to a restaurant for hot pot. The malls in china are very different to the malls in the US because along with having clothes and shoes, they have grocery stores in them and tons of restaurants and other types of stores. For the hot pot we went to, you picked out what you wanted inside of it and the cooks cooked it for you and brought it out, I chose mostly vegetables and some noodles, while Skye had more of a mix of meat, veggies, and noodles. After we picked our food, they cooked it very quickly and brought it to each of us in our own bowls. Despite the fact that I was nervous about trying all completely new foods, I am pleasantly surprised every time i eat by how delicious everything is. Our meal was so delicious and filling. After dinner, Skye and I went to the supermarket that was in the mall to pick up some ice cream to take home, but I ended up being too full to eat it that night. Once we get home every night, both of us go our separate ways and shower or do work for a little while, then his family and i reconvenes in his TV room to watch something on TV and eat snacks, although I am usually too full to eat anything else. Tonight, we decided to watch a movie, but I was falling asleep about 10 minutes into it because I was so tired and I decided to go to bed. Everyday, as I spend more time in Qingdao, I am embracing the culture and customs even more, and I am more than excited for the rest of the next two weeks!
Even after our exhausting first day, I woke up very early (4 am!!) due to the time change back home. Right when I got up I sat down to a full Chinese breakfast that consisted of rice, eggs, traditional Chinese bread, and some strawberries. Waking up in a new home was finally starting to feel normal even after just 2 nights of sleep! After breakfast, Sally (my host sister) took me on the subway which was by far the cleanest subway I had ever been on. We traveled about 10 stops to Zhongshan Park where we met up with all the American and Qingdao students and teachers. I was beyond excited because I hadn’t seen everyone since we got off the plane on Saturday. After making sure everyone had made it there safely, we started walking through the beautiful park. The park was nothing like any of the ones in America. Their were statues, all different types of flowers, and even crowds of people dancing! At one point, a Chinese women played music for us and showed all the American students how to dance. People that were walking by all stopped and crowded around to see and take videos of the crazy Americans! After getting asked to take countless of pictures with random people, we finally managed to walk all the way to the beach. Even though it was very windy and cold many people bought ice creams and popsicles and walked down the rocks towards the ocean. It reminded me a lot like a typical summer day at home with the big crowds of people sitting on the sand and playing by the ocean. By the time we had finished walking all around the park and beach, we were starving! We took the subway all the way to a very nice buffet style restaurant. We all sat at a long rectangle table and got up whenever we felt like it to serve ourselves food. The amount of food they offered was crazy! Some choices included noodles, dumplings, sushi, fruit, vegetables, and all different kinds of meat. After most of us had finished our lunch we went up to the ice cream cart and had the most delicious ice cream I had ever tasted. Following our afternoon activities, Sally and her family took me to her grandparents home. I was greeted by her aunts, uncles, and grandparents and a delicious, home cooked, Chinese dinner. There were soup dumplings, some type of noodles, and a bunch of different types of meat. Even though none of the family spoke English, it didn’t matter at all because we were still able to communicate. After our lovely meal we went back home and due to my lack of sleep the night before, I passed out right away. Just the second day in Qingdao and we already feel like it’s our home.
Caroline's POV:
After lunch, we left the mall for a short walk to may fourth square and the park around it. Mr. Banas taught us that the sculpture was created to celebrate the feeling of having a country identity when the Shandong province was given back to china after being occupied by Germans. The park was very close to the mall, so after a 5 minute walk, we found ourselves surrounded by kites, the shoreline, skyscrapers facing the opposite direction, and in the center, the massive red sculpture. The sculpture was surrounded by hundreds of people, many of which were flying colorful kites being sold on every street corner. It was amazing to see one of the most famous monuments in Qingdao and to finally feel like we were seeing the heart of Qingdao. The group moved closer to take pictures in front of the monument, and after we took pictures, a few students bought kites to fly in the warm weather. Our host students taught us the best method to fly them without much wind, which was to run fast while spinning the string. Although it worked well flying them, we looked pretty funny doing it. Not to mention, any time we go to a crowded place as a group, people flock to us to take pictures, almost like we are celebrities. Marley became good friends with some children we met at the park, and she hugged them goodbye when we left!
After we finished up in the park, some pairs had to leave to go home, but a pretty big group of us went back to the mall where we ate to go in the enormous ball pit they had. Yes, I did say BALL PIT. This mall also happened to have a skating rink too, but we didn't end up going there. After seeing the ball pit when we first came to the mall for lunch, we were all too intrigued not to go back and play in it. There were tons of people in the pit while we were, but that did not stop us from having an amazing time! Along with having plastic ball-fights and jumping in and out of the sea of plastic, there were also humongous slides that we took turns going down into the pit. The giant ball pit was so much fun, and was something that we would never see in the United States.
Once our 30 minutes in the pit were up, we all got out and went our separate ways as pairs around 4:45. Skye and i decided to go home for a little while and then get dinner around 6:15. Skye called us a taxi and we took it home, which was my first time in a taxi in Qingdao. After the 20 minute ride, we returned home to Skye's apartment for some time to rest after our long walk in the morning before dinner.
Around 6:15, Skye and i went to get dinner on our own because his dad was not home and his mom wanted us to eat out. We decided to have hot pot for dinner, so Skye brought me to a mall very close to his house to go to a restaurant for hot pot. The malls in china are very different to the malls in the US because along with having clothes and shoes, they have grocery stores in them and tons of restaurants and other types of stores. For the hot pot we went to, you picked out what you wanted inside of it and the cooks cooked it for you and brought it out, I chose mostly vegetables and some noodles, while Skye had more of a mix of meat, veggies, and noodles. After we picked our food, they cooked it very quickly and brought it to each of us in our own bowls. Despite the fact that I was nervous about trying all completely new foods, I am pleasantly surprised every time i eat by how delicious everything is. Our meal was so delicious and filling. After dinner, Skye and I went to the supermarket that was in the mall to pick up some ice cream to take home, but I ended up being too full to eat it that night. Once we get home every night, both of us go our separate ways and shower or do work for a little while, then his family and i reconvenes in his TV room to watch something on TV and eat snacks, although I am usually too full to eat anything else. Tonight, we decided to watch a movie, but I was falling asleep about 10 minutes into it because I was so tired and I decided to go to bed. Everyday, as I spend more time in Qingdao, I am embracing the culture and customs even more, and I am more than excited for the rest of the next two weeks!
First Day in Qingdao
April 2, 2017
Hayley's POV:
Our first day in Qingdao! As I woke up this morning from a "deep sleep", I was filled with nerves and excitement. I didn't know what to expect for breakfast or for the rest of the day. Little did I know that my house mom had made me sunny side up eggs, with toast and Chinese bacon! It was delicious and reminded me of a breakfast my mom would make at home. After a bit of a lazy morning we ventured out to the mall and I got the opportunity to ride the public bus, where I was very up close and personal with the people of Qingdao. I was also greeted with the non-stop feeling of people staring at me which was a bit unsettling. We had planned to meet a bunch of American and Chinese students at Starbucks and once I saw Livie and Caroline my nerves immediately settled and I was happy to be all together again. This was the CLEANEST mall I think I have ever been too. We got some Starbucks and then continued to walk around the mall. We later met up with Suki and Katie to find Katie had already spent all of her Yuen on a laptop charger. After joining up with the rest of the group Andrew and Leo lead us to a little roller coaster, designed for 5 year olds, but that small fact didn't stop us as we had our turn. We were all laughing as we looked up and around at all of the people watching us- there were even a few moments where I caught people taking pictures of Nathan and Marley because of their bright blonde and red hair. We quickly realized our group had become the "spectators " afternoon entertainment. We finished the ride with stomachs that were gurgling, and swiftly transitioned to feasting on dumplings! The group sat down and were immediately served continuous platters of fresh, hot food. Marley and I both cringed as they put cooked bamboo down on the table, but Sophie seemed up for the challenge. As we tried it I was a little less indulged yet Sophie came to love! Little did we know that at the other side of the table, Andrew was already on his 10th dumpling which later became 30. After a nice lunch we then proceeded to do some KTV (karaoke) where we sung and lounged around. A day, which started in nerves, had come to and end filled with excitement and adventure!
Marley's POV:
Many dumplings later our group headed to a venue that we were told we would do karaoke. When we got there, I was shocked. The karaoke place was so cool and larger than I imagined, a man showed us towards our room that was basically a large hotel room with couches, microphones, a bathroom, and a stage. All the Americans were so excited because we had never really seen anything like it. Karaoke was awesome and a good experience to connect with each other and the amazing hosts from Qingdao. When the karaoke ended and while I said my goodbyes to the other American students, I noticed it was easier to leave them than it was last night. I am starting to feel really comfortable in my host family’s house and enjoying every second spent. I tried not to fall asleep when we got to Jessica’s (my host sister) house but I did nap for about an hour. Although I slept well last night the time change is making me very exhausted. After taking a rest, my host family taught me how to make dumplings! My host mom is an amazing cook and made the dumplings quickly, but I was not so good. Although my dumplings did not look pretty, it was a great and fun experience. My host family is very funny and although my host dad can not speak English, we still laugh together as I struggle to pick up the skill that looks so easy when done by most host mom. When we finish making the dumplings, we sit down together and make dinner. One of my biggest fears going into this trip was that I wouldn't eat a lot because of the difference of foods in china and America, but that is not the case at all. My host mom is an amazing cook and I look forward to every single meal. Tonight we ate our delicious dumplings and we also had fried shrimp, a green vegetable we aren't able to translate the name of, sasauge, and cantaloupe. My host mother also made delicious garlic sauce to go with the dumplings and was very surprised that I loved garlic, because Jessica and many other kids in China think the taste is too strong. That really surprised me and is just a small difference of many that china and America have. After dinner, we sat and played uno together. It was lots of fun and brought me closer to my host family, then I headed for bed. All my fear has vanished and now I am just excited to be here and apart of this amazing experience. I believe this first day spent mainly with our host families but also with each other helped all the students in CHEX to adapt to China and their hosts.
Our first day in Qingdao! As I woke up this morning from a "deep sleep", I was filled with nerves and excitement. I didn't know what to expect for breakfast or for the rest of the day. Little did I know that my house mom had made me sunny side up eggs, with toast and Chinese bacon! It was delicious and reminded me of a breakfast my mom would make at home. After a bit of a lazy morning we ventured out to the mall and I got the opportunity to ride the public bus, where I was very up close and personal with the people of Qingdao. I was also greeted with the non-stop feeling of people staring at me which was a bit unsettling. We had planned to meet a bunch of American and Chinese students at Starbucks and once I saw Livie and Caroline my nerves immediately settled and I was happy to be all together again. This was the CLEANEST mall I think I have ever been too. We got some Starbucks and then continued to walk around the mall. We later met up with Suki and Katie to find Katie had already spent all of her Yuen on a laptop charger. After joining up with the rest of the group Andrew and Leo lead us to a little roller coaster, designed for 5 year olds, but that small fact didn't stop us as we had our turn. We were all laughing as we looked up and around at all of the people watching us- there were even a few moments where I caught people taking pictures of Nathan and Marley because of their bright blonde and red hair. We quickly realized our group had become the "spectators " afternoon entertainment. We finished the ride with stomachs that were gurgling, and swiftly transitioned to feasting on dumplings! The group sat down and were immediately served continuous platters of fresh, hot food. Marley and I both cringed as they put cooked bamboo down on the table, but Sophie seemed up for the challenge. As we tried it I was a little less indulged yet Sophie came to love! Little did we know that at the other side of the table, Andrew was already on his 10th dumpling which later became 30. After a nice lunch we then proceeded to do some KTV (karaoke) where we sung and lounged around. A day, which started in nerves, had come to and end filled with excitement and adventure!
Marley's POV:
Many dumplings later our group headed to a venue that we were told we would do karaoke. When we got there, I was shocked. The karaoke place was so cool and larger than I imagined, a man showed us towards our room that was basically a large hotel room with couches, microphones, a bathroom, and a stage. All the Americans were so excited because we had never really seen anything like it. Karaoke was awesome and a good experience to connect with each other and the amazing hosts from Qingdao. When the karaoke ended and while I said my goodbyes to the other American students, I noticed it was easier to leave them than it was last night. I am starting to feel really comfortable in my host family’s house and enjoying every second spent. I tried not to fall asleep when we got to Jessica’s (my host sister) house but I did nap for about an hour. Although I slept well last night the time change is making me very exhausted. After taking a rest, my host family taught me how to make dumplings! My host mom is an amazing cook and made the dumplings quickly, but I was not so good. Although my dumplings did not look pretty, it was a great and fun experience. My host family is very funny and although my host dad can not speak English, we still laugh together as I struggle to pick up the skill that looks so easy when done by most host mom. When we finish making the dumplings, we sit down together and make dinner. One of my biggest fears going into this trip was that I wouldn't eat a lot because of the difference of foods in china and America, but that is not the case at all. My host mom is an amazing cook and I look forward to every single meal. Tonight we ate our delicious dumplings and we also had fried shrimp, a green vegetable we aren't able to translate the name of, sasauge, and cantaloupe. My host mother also made delicious garlic sauce to go with the dumplings and was very surprised that I loved garlic, because Jessica and many other kids in China think the taste is too strong. That really surprised me and is just a small difference of many that china and America have. After dinner, we sat and played uno together. It was lots of fun and brought me closer to my host family, then I headed for bed. All my fear has vanished and now I am just excited to be here and apart of this amazing experience. I believe this first day spent mainly with our host families but also with each other helped all the students in CHEX to adapt to China and their hosts.
Arrival in Qingdao
April 1, 2017
Olivia POV:
After a long day of traveling, we finally arrived in the beautiful city of Qingdao. From the airport, we met a few of the students and teachers from the Qingdao No. 58 school, and we rode on a bus back to the school to meet our host families. During this ride, all of us were filled with excitement to reunite with the rest of the Qingdao students that traveled to DHS in September. When we got all of our luggage, the DHS students separated from each other and took off to their home stays. My host sister and her mom drove me home back to their apartment about 30 minutes away from the school. Although I was extremely tired, I wanted to talk with my host family and give them the gifts that I brought for them. My host mom made me a delicious dinner which consisted of dumplings, salad, and noodles. At first, I felt a little bit uncomfortable being in an unfamiliar home, but I think it is important to embrace this experience and the overwhelming aspects that come along with it. It was helpful to be able to text with the other CHEX members via WeChat and to get to see what they were doing with their host families upon their arrival to their house as well. This morning, I woke up very early, however I feel pretty energized and awake after the long day of travels to get to China.
Andrew POV:
Yesterday was incredible to say the least, and though I don't quite know when I started due to the time difference, it was an unforgettable experience. I guess I'll start off with getting off the second plane.
I woke up and there I was, in Qingdao. The group got off the plane and made our way to baggage claim. As we picked up our luggage, we could see a group of 2 students and 2 teachers waving to us and holding up signs welcoming us. After picking up the checked luggage we were greeted with great big hugs and smiles. They led us to a big brown bus that had a retro look to it and off we went to meet the rest of the hosts. Waiting at the school was Leo, my host student, and his parents. All 3 of them greeted me with a hug. Also, being the gracious hosts they are, they offered to take my bags to their car and offered to get food . I am one who definitely loves to eat so the second we left the school we went straight to the mall to get dinner. After looking through our options at the mall, we decided to go to a small family style restaurant. I loved it all.
I still don't even know what most of it was but the food tasted great. They started me off with tons of rice, a personal favorite of mine. In fact, it was by far the best rice I've ever had. Though very few, there were some food that I knew. I had a lot of pork, a lot of eggs, and an enormous amount soup. I loved it so much I had it for breakfast the next morning.
When we got home, I wanted to stay awake and talk to them about my trip but I was way too tired and went to bed. They showed me my room and I was astonished. It was more than I ever expected. I had a comfy bed, a big room, and a balcony with a tremendous view of the city. About 30 minutes later I was lying in bed and just couldn't stop thinking about how lucky I was and how it couldn’t get better than this. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a knock at the door. I was Leo, my host student, with a 10 o’clock snack. I was wrong; it did get better.
After a long day of traveling, we finally arrived in the beautiful city of Qingdao. From the airport, we met a few of the students and teachers from the Qingdao No. 58 school, and we rode on a bus back to the school to meet our host families. During this ride, all of us were filled with excitement to reunite with the rest of the Qingdao students that traveled to DHS in September. When we got all of our luggage, the DHS students separated from each other and took off to their home stays. My host sister and her mom drove me home back to their apartment about 30 minutes away from the school. Although I was extremely tired, I wanted to talk with my host family and give them the gifts that I brought for them. My host mom made me a delicious dinner which consisted of dumplings, salad, and noodles. At first, I felt a little bit uncomfortable being in an unfamiliar home, but I think it is important to embrace this experience and the overwhelming aspects that come along with it. It was helpful to be able to text with the other CHEX members via WeChat and to get to see what they were doing with their host families upon their arrival to their house as well. This morning, I woke up very early, however I feel pretty energized and awake after the long day of travels to get to China.
Andrew POV:
Yesterday was incredible to say the least, and though I don't quite know when I started due to the time difference, it was an unforgettable experience. I guess I'll start off with getting off the second plane.
I woke up and there I was, in Qingdao. The group got off the plane and made our way to baggage claim. As we picked up our luggage, we could see a group of 2 students and 2 teachers waving to us and holding up signs welcoming us. After picking up the checked luggage we were greeted with great big hugs and smiles. They led us to a big brown bus that had a retro look to it and off we went to meet the rest of the hosts. Waiting at the school was Leo, my host student, and his parents. All 3 of them greeted me with a hug. Also, being the gracious hosts they are, they offered to take my bags to their car and offered to get food . I am one who definitely loves to eat so the second we left the school we went straight to the mall to get dinner. After looking through our options at the mall, we decided to go to a small family style restaurant. I loved it all.
I still don't even know what most of it was but the food tasted great. They started me off with tons of rice, a personal favorite of mine. In fact, it was by far the best rice I've ever had. Though very few, there were some food that I knew. I had a lot of pork, a lot of eggs, and an enormous amount soup. I loved it so much I had it for breakfast the next morning.
When we got home, I wanted to stay awake and talk to them about my trip but I was way too tired and went to bed. They showed me my room and I was astonished. It was more than I ever expected. I had a comfy bed, a big room, and a balcony with a tremendous view of the city. About 30 minutes later I was lying in bed and just couldn't stop thinking about how lucky I was and how it couldn’t get better than this. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a knock at the door. I was Leo, my host student, with a 10 o’clock snack. I was wrong; it did get better.
Our Travels to Beijing
March 31, 2017
E'Sachi's POV:
The time has finally come. The moment we have all been waiting for. We were about to embark on one of the most amazing trips of our lives. At 7:00 a.m. we all assembled at DHS' main entrance to say our farewells--tears were shed, laughter was shared, and excitement was in the air (with a hint of fear).
We departed DHS and our spirits were high. We all were in disbelief that this was truly happening. As the tears stopped and the singing started, we shared some bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches (courtesy of Mr. Van Ingen). There may have been a little sleeping in the mix!
We finally arrived at Newark International Airport, and it hit us. We were truly on our way to see our foreign friends. We checked our luggage (after some last minute reshuffling ;) everyone met the weight requirement...thank God) and we went through security. Some of us faced some devastating tragedies: Vivi and I had our PRECIOUS Nutella (life blood) and Bath and Body Works products confiscated, but we didn't let this incident faze us. Our lives were about to be changed.
We made it to our gate and we dispersed in groups to do some final errands. Vivi, Caroline, Katie and I were on the hunt for food. We were starving and definitely needed to find something to nourish our bodies. After this break, the whole group returned to the gate, and it was finally time to board the flight!
Nathan's POV:
The plane ride to China (a whopping 13 hours) was a battle between excitement and exhaustion. To make good use of our time, Sofia and I planned a strict movie-then-homework schedule, which fell apart after the first movie with a rather unsuccessful nap (resulting in a persistent headache). To make up for lost time, we both suffered through 2 grueling hours of schoolwork before taking a break for lunch. Everyone got excited as we passed over Canada, Greenland, the North Pole, and Russia, crowding around windows to view icy mountains poking through the clouds far below.
The trip through the North Pole was made more exciting by the sun never setting; we were far enough north that we could see the sun begin to set, linger for most of the flight just above the horizon, and rise again to greet us in China. Not only was this perpetual sunshine a symbol of just how exhaustingly long our day was, it was also a sign of new beginnings in China - the same sun sets as we leave home and rises as we reach our destination, a new day begins without the first one really ending.
Passing through the Beijing airport to take our connecting flight was a blur - I couldn't get any glimpses of the city, and we collectively became more and more tired with every step. The airport was set up so that we had to go up and down the same flight of steps in a circle (and it was a long staircase), sweating in the surprising heat. Trying to make sense of a lot of the signs and directions, all in mandarin, foreshadowed me opening a magazine on the Qingdao plane to discover I'm now effectively illiterate.
At last, we boarded the plane to Qingdao - the final step of the first step of our trip. Sofia and Ali, initially eager to watch a movie from Sofia's laptop, instantly fell asleep - so quickly that I thought Sofia had fainted - each leaning on one of my shoulders. The journey has really begun, and if the inability to sleep in vehicles has rendered me the shoulder to sleep on, then so be it. If I can't read anything, then I might as well make myself useful and become a good pillow.