Pictures from their last day at the Temple of Heaven and the Art District in Beijing
Monday, June 29, 2015
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Hello China Squad parents
I did not receive a blog from Mr Capen or the kids today, but I was sent some pictures from their day.
These represent their trip to the Great Wall- they hiked to a portion not open to the general public with a guide, and the wall pictures show their views and group together
The rest show them at Qianmen Square, celebrating Ms Jin's birthday at the restaurant, and receiving a lecture from an expert on the Great walls of China
Only two more sleeps until we get our kids back!
Sylvie Rimmer :)
I did not receive a blog from Mr Capen or the kids today, but I was sent some pictures from their day.
These represent their trip to the Great Wall- they hiked to a portion not open to the general public with a guide, and the wall pictures show their views and group together
Only two more sleeps until we get our kids back!
Sylvie Rimmer :)
Friday, June 26, 2015
Amy
Today was probably the happiest and saddest day of my trip. The performance was the culmination of all of our time together, and though we couldn’t understand the lyrics of their songs and vice versa, the feelings we had for each other showed through the language barrier. During lunch, I had given four students farewell letters detailing the highlights I had with them, and in the seven hours between lunch and the performance, two of them also prepared and gave me gifts. I can’t explain their kindness well enough to show the true hearts of these people, but I can say that I literally had to chase one down and sneak money into his bag because he would not accept anything in return. Afterwards, we headed to the hotel to say goodbye. It was the first time I had ever cried while saying goodbye to anyone. For some reason, even though the time we spent with the Mongolian students was only half the time of that which we spent with the WLSA students, it felt like we had known these people all of our lives. I am eager to return to Hohhot as soon as possible to see my friends again.
Today was probably the happiest and saddest day of my trip. The performance was the culmination of all of our time together, and though we couldn’t understand the lyrics of their songs and vice versa, the feelings we had for each other showed through the language barrier. During lunch, I had given four students farewell letters detailing the highlights I had with them, and in the seven hours between lunch and the performance, two of them also prepared and gave me gifts. I can’t explain their kindness well enough to show the true hearts of these people, but I can say that I literally had to chase one down and sneak money into his bag because he would not accept anything in return. Afterwards, we headed to the hotel to say goodbye. It was the first time I had ever cried while saying goodbye to anyone. For some reason, even though the time we spent with the Mongolian students was only half the time of that which we spent with the WLSA students, it felt like we had known these people all of our lives. I am eager to return to Hohhot as soon as possible to see my friends again.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Thursday, June 25th
Today was an eventful day. We started out with morning classes such as Chinese, English, or Math. In English class, many Groton students volunteered to sing popular American songs. Dowey, Roan, Cherian, and Rohan sang the Groton classic “Let Justice Roll” in a glorious round. Amy sang a song she had learnt in elementary school called “Rocky Mountain”. Emma sang (rapped) a traditional American folk song under the name of “Super Bass”.
In the afternoon, we all congregated in a practice room to rehearse for the final recital on Friday. We played many different instruments such as the guitar, the 马头琴 (ma tou qin- a two stringed violin-like instrument adorned with a horse head), and various other traditional Mongolian instruments. Afterwards, Abby performed a dance she had learned earlier today with the Mongolian girls. Watching Abby dance with the students was moving—pun intended (sobs weakly at own joke)! We also watched the students perform various other types of dance, such as C-pop and more contemporary forms.
After dinner, we all went to visit a nearby department store that featured an ice rink, an arcade, a movie theater, and twelve floors of stores. Playing in the arcade with Angel was one of the highlights of our day. Our Mongolian buddies gave many of us traditional Mongolian jewelry, which was a thoroughly pleasant surprise.
-Cherian and Emma
Today was an eventful day. We started out with morning classes such as Chinese, English, or Math. In English class, many Groton students volunteered to sing popular American songs. Dowey, Roan, Cherian, and Rohan sang the Groton classic “Let Justice Roll” in a glorious round. Amy sang a song she had learnt in elementary school called “Rocky Mountain”. Emma sang (rapped) a traditional American folk song under the name of “Super Bass”.
In the afternoon, we all congregated in a practice room to rehearse for the final recital on Friday. We played many different instruments such as the guitar, the 马头琴 (ma tou qin- a two stringed violin-like instrument adorned with a horse head), and various other traditional Mongolian instruments. Afterwards, Abby performed a dance she had learned earlier today with the Mongolian girls. Watching Abby dance with the students was moving—pun intended (sobs weakly at own joke)! We also watched the students perform various other types of dance, such as C-pop and more contemporary forms.
After dinner, we all went to visit a nearby department store that featured an ice rink, an arcade, a movie theater, and twelve floors of stores. Playing in the arcade with Angel was one of the highlights of our day. Our Mongolian buddies gave many of us traditional Mongolian jewelry, which was a thoroughly pleasant surprise.
-Cherian and Emma
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Today we had a later start, and walked to school for our first free period. We really enjoyed hearing the students play their instruments, such as a cello-like instrument called the ma-tou-qin (horse head violin), and other interesting instruments. They were so good at their instruments; they had practiced quite a lot. It was so nice that they were willing to play for us, and no one was too shy to play us some great music. We then went to our respective classes, and while the classes were all in Chinese and hard to understand, it felt like a true immersion experience. Our classes were so welcoming, clapping when we entered and listening intently to our introductions. We made plenty of new friends. Our Mongolian buddies were so welcoming, and invited us to spend time with them and their friends. During our free period in the afternoon, it was quite fun to play cards and talk with them in their dorm rooms. They took us to buy food, and we had a great time talking to them. After class we went to dinner with our new friends, then went back to the dorm. We are very excited for our second day at the Mongolian school.
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