Putting Language to Work

Good Morning and Evening to all!

So far everything is going smoothly.

1.) Yesterday we had our regular Chinese classes from 9 to 12 am. We have two good Chinese teachers here who are getting along with the students very well. The students think the teachers are awesome! We have suggested that after the morning classes, the teachers eat lunch with the students to develop the social Chinese language as well as the academic language.

2.) In the afternoon we went to the Capital Museum which contains exhibits regarding Beijing's history and Chinese culture. We had a great time there to see the treasures.  The students also took an arts and craft class.  The class allowed them to do some traditional ink rubbings and Chinese paintings.

3.) In the evening we went to the most commercial place which is XI DAN located in downtown Bejing. Our kids are amazing!  They went to the huge shopping center and also to the vendors on the street to bargain and purchase all kinds of stuff. All of them got really good deals.  For instance, Lila bought a cute shirt for 19 yuan which is 2 or 3 dollars. They all put their negotiation skills to work.

4.) The most fun activity of the day was when we got back, we had a fabulous, top of the line fashion show in the hallway of our dormitory.  No need to feel left out - we got it all down on tape.

5.) Yesterday Jay and I discussed the many talents of our students. They all have outstanding personalities and also each of them has their own strength.  We are planning to have a talent show which is not only connected to their Chinese language studies, but also highlights their talents.  For example Joseph Boone plays the drums so we want to introduce him to traditional Chinese drums and request that he performs for us.

6.) Internet access is still limited.  Alan Chen continues to look into installing a modem into Jay's dorm room so that the students can continue to send emails back home and continue the blog project.  We only have the one laptop for twelve people to use.  It would be helpful to have more.

So far we are having a blast!  Everything is running according to plan.
Maggie & Jay

We Arrived in China!

Dear Colleagues:

All is good. I am able to access the Internet from the office near the students' classrooms. In fact I can hear the students talk as I am writing to you. Their classes are progressing nicely. The students have about an hour between the time they finish breakfast and attend classes. Today the students used this time to prepare for class. 

Yesterday Maggie and I accompanied the students to change money at the bank on the first floor of our dormitory. 

We took a field trip to Jing Shan Park. This is the highest point in the city. From the Buddhist Temple located on the hill in the park you can view the Forbidden City. The smog made visibility challenging; still, the students were mesmerized. 

I hope all is well back home. More to follow.



Jay

US-China Relations DC Briefing

Hey it's Lyla! 

Today was our second day in D.C. and it was absolutely GREAT but I am totally exhausted as our schedule was non-stop. We visited several think-tanks this morning, went to a delicious Chinese lunch, and met with one of Senator Obama's advisors who told us even more about China. It was really hot all day but early evening it started pouring. We fortunately had gotten back inside before the rain started and had just returned to the hotel from the Chinese Embassy!!!! We got free shirts too and took tons of pictures! It has been a fun experience and we're not even in China yet...... can't wait; we're all really excited!   -- Lyla

Hey it's Daniel!

So far we have met our other members who will be going with us to China. Today we had the chance to meet, listen, and talk to government advisors and officials. I had plenty of my questions answered. I was slightly surprised as I was expecting the classic political diluted truth to my questions. There were plenty of questions answered truthfully or with a good poker face. I had one advisor talk briefly about the outsourcing to China and he kinda slightly offended me when talking about Rochester. I mean come on we're on the rust belt, we're the ones being affected by it...his sentiments were less then reasonable..in any manner first two days on the trip have gone well. Below are some pictures of our group during these hot, but amazing days in DC. -- Daniel