[LAST POST of 2018 Exchange] One Last Time

Kelby

Alright. Last one. For our last full day in Shanghai we had a wonderful time.

Our day began with a nice continental breakfast in the lobby of our hotel. From there, the Sisterhood went upstairs, got dressed, and set out for the day. I was particularly excited because my father’s employee’s (Mingjia) parents (try saying that five times fast) said they would take us to some cool new sites.

The first place they took us to was Yu Yuan, an old garden with traditional Chinese architecture, multitudes of flowers, and ponds stocked with giant carp. From there we walked around the area surrounding the garden as it was filled with shops and markets. Mingjia’s parents bought us all Dairy Queen. We then went to lunch and feasted on fish, pork, green beans, tofu, and tea.

Once we finished our lunch, we were then taken to a shopping district with small gimmicks and local snacks. Liz, Iona, and I all bought shelled coconut, which was essentially a bubble with milk in it. Extremely filling, extremely worth it.

The Bund and Pearl Tower were next on our list. The Bund is a long walking strip which runs along the river that separates the business district from the rest of the city. Mingjia’s mother took lots of pictures of us on the Bund, and we even got a picture of the famous skyline Shanghai has. After pictures were taken, we crossed the river and headed up the Pearl Tower.

The view was unlike anything I had ever seen. The day turned into night, and the entire city was truly awake. The buildings meant for companies flashed with lights and further portrayed a presence of life. A sea of apartments covered every crack and crevice of the city’s floor, as you can barely make out the cars swimming through the streets. The city was not simply awake by then, but it was alive.

We were exhausted by the time we exited the elevator taking us down, so Mingjia’s parents bout us dumplings. We got in the car, went back to the hotel, ate our dumplings, and prepared for bed.

Seeing this is my last blog, these are the types of days I will miss. Days like this are filled with adventure, friends who become family, food flavored by love (as someone we met here once said), and a feeling of action.

China has not simply been a destination, nor a vacation, but opportunity for global education. Seeing that tomorrow is our last day, I hope to obtain as much knowledge as I can before returning home. Until our return, all I can say is, “One last time.”

[VLOG#33] Shanghai Day 2

Iona

(Video only)

Shanghai Day 1

Iona

Kelbs described our first day in Shanghai well in her quote “We took to the streets and started singing Shakira”. The energy and excitement the Sisterhood had to be in Shanghai was palpable all throughout the day. I loved my time in Hangzhou, but I felt so thrilled to be on my feet- out exploring a new city again! I hadn’t realised how much I had missed the hotel breakfasts and flexibility to plan our day how we’d like. Our mission for the morning was to get Kelbs to a restaurant which was forty five mins away from the hotel to meet one of Kelbs’ family friend. The walk was great to start off our morning in Shanghai, and Liz, Mrs. Waterman, and I continued walking around while Kelbs and her family friend ate brunch at the restaurant. After an hour and a half, we met up again and made our way along a street with tiny shops. So many times we were tempted to buy gifts but we quite actually have close to no space left in our suitcases... Liz’s checked bag is already 2 lbs over the weight limit so we have some repacking and shuffling to do before we leave.

After we visited the sculpture park and ventured through an architecturally interesting neighbourhood, we hopped on the metro and made our way to the Shanghai Museum. We had heard a lot about this destination, and it was a great time! Kelbs, Liz, and I split up from Mrs. Waterman to go see minority clothing, traditional furniture, jade jewellery, and old currency. After we finished, we had some time to spend so we walked back to near our hotel and walked into a small hairdresser shop for inexpensive haircuts! Liz got a much shorter do, Kelbs got a trim plus layers that frame her face, and I went much shorter :). After that journey, we all went out for some hotpot which was absolutely delicious and just what we were craving.

We met Mrs. Waterman back at the hotel at 6:15pm, and all headed out to go see an acrobat show! It was amazing to see the talent of the group, and all the craziness that was involved in their show. It was a rather comical experience, there was a lot of humour in some of the acts and their bodies were so flexible and strong! Refer to the vlog footage for an idea of the crazy things that were performed :).

We took a taxi back to the hotel and said goodnight for the day, ending the day on a satisfied and excited note.

From Hangzhou to Shanghai

Ms Waterman
(teacher)

Today was a bittersweet day as we left Hangzhou after one full month and traveled to Shanghai for the last leg of our two-month adventure. We traveled by fast train just after noon, so the girls spent the morning with their host families. When all of the host families met at HangGao to say goodbye, our friends Sunny (a member of the Exchange from 2016!) and Dana (the Exchange teacher from 2017) were there, too. We were thrilled to meet Dana’s son, Happy, because we have heard so much about him, but we were so sad to say goodbye to our wonderfully generous and fun-loving host families.

We arrived at the Hangzhou East train station with plenty of time before our train, and I can say confidently that our experience there was the smoothest thus far! We had no ticket problems, we knew exactly where to go to board our train (unlike Chengdu), we made it down the stairs/escalator without people pushing and shoving (unlike Xi’an and Kunming), and we boarded our train car without any problems. Even though everything was smooth, it must have been very funny to watch the four of us trying to wrangle our now-enormous suitcases through the train station. Liz, Iona, and Kelby all have a small rolling suitcase in addition to their large suitcases, and I have a small duffel bag which I had mostly balanced on top of my rolling suitcase. Kelby got some funny videos of us, so we were able to laugh at ourselves after we boarded the train and stowed our bags.

And the Countdown Begins ...

Iona

And the countdown begins, we have had such an amazing time here in Hangzhou and we are desperately trying to take advantage of the winding down days! Yesterday after school, Liz, Kelbs, Sunny, and I met Mrs. Waterman and Dana in the English office at 5:30pm to go out for dinner and shopping together. Before this though, we had a ten hour long school day and it was productive for most of us; finding the time and place to make progress on our school work has been difficult but, VPN willing, we have been managing just fine. Coming home in a matter of days has been both exciting but also stressful as we still have to make a dent in our homework, strive to see all that Hangzhou has to offer (#striveforgreatness), and pack our rooms into our suitcases. I have just started the packing process and am finding it incredibly difficult to find the most efficient approach, wish me luck! When it comes down to it though, the Sisterhood will be just fine and everything that needs to get done will get done, though some good blessings and best wishes our way would still be appreciated :).

So on top of the tasks still left to do, we have been living life to the fullest and experiencing Hangzhou’s night life; Dana and Sunny showed us around Hefang St where we were able to satisfy most if not all of our gift buying! Very pleased with how the evening was spent, loads of walking and time with friends. The street had shops inside traditional style built houses which added a historic element to the experience, so cool to walk down the street. There were copious amounts of snacks inside the many different food stores so getting an evening snack was not a problem. Liz, Kelbs, Mrs. Waterman, Sunny, and I all bought gifts for loved ones and we are very happy now! The next challenge is to find a way to fit all this into our suitcases... I started out with one suitcase and one backpack and now I have two suitcases and a giant backpack and so many pounds of luggage...

Wish me luck!

[VLOG#32] Yellow Mountain Excursion

Iona

(Video only)

Nanbei Hu

Ms Waterman
(teacher)

Since Kelby and I returned to Hangzhou at 10:00 PM on Sunday night after spending the day at HuangShan (Yellow Mountain), I was a little tired on Monday morning for the day trip we took with the Senior 1 (grade 10) class. It's a good thing I had some longjing tea (caffeine!) to wake me up!

The trip was their spring outing and the destination was the Nanbei (North South) Lake. The lake is about one hour away from the city. The weather was sunny and warm again and it was great to spend the day outside. The kids spent the day with their host siblings' classes and I stayed with the teachers. I loved watching the kids travel in their class groups - each class carried a large red flag with yellow writing with the name of the high school and the class number (#1-12). There were also a few students who carried an even larger flag with the name of the school written in a creative design that students at the school designed a few years ago. The whole scene reminded me a little of how a military is organized in small groups. Each morning at school, the students in this same Senior 1 grade run laps of the school at break time in similar organized formation: one student leading at the front, the rest of the 48 students jogging in time in a crowd behind the lead student, and one student at the back of the group to mark the end of one class before the next class begins. While I like the idea of giving students 20 minutes for a break between classes (we do the same thing at DS!), I'm not sure I like the mandatory running. I like to run, yes, but the set up seems a little too militaristic for me.

Let’s Go!

Kelby

It’s confirmed. My host family does not sleep. This past weekend was a true testimony to such a statement.

Henry’s mother is a force to be reckoned with. I never knew a woman less than five feet tall could conquer the world in the way that she has. With every corner we turn we seem to be making a new friend. Anyway, this force I speak of willed me, Mrs. Waterman, and Henry to a mountain range (Yellow Mountains) three hours from Hangzhou. Saturday afternoon, we hop in the Jeep, drive to the mountains, and mentally prepare ourselves for the day ahead of us. That is where our journey begins.

Our day began at six o’clock on Sunday morning. I struggle out of my bed, tiredly moving myself towards the bathroom to wash up and get ready. Seeing that we were in the mountains, I had to dress warm. I pack my bag, go downstairs for some breakfast (the hotel had Coco Puffs), and then meet Henry’s mother in the lobby to go for our hike. We check out of our hotel, walk to the bus, drive up the mountain, and head towards the lift that will take us to the summit.

China Banquet May 3 ... Ms Viz's final one (very sad face!)

Mr Viz
(blogmaster)

The 16th Annual China Exchange Banquet is coming soon! Be sure to mark your calendars for May 3 at 6:30pm, and please note that ticket purchases should be finalized by Monday, April 30. See the ad at the top of the blog, and click it for details and the ticket order form.  Or, click here.

This Banquet will be a "sweet and sour" one because with her retirement, it will be Ms Viz's final one (but not as a participant, I'm sure!!). If you've had anything to do with the China Exchange over it's last 16 years, this would be a great opportunity to come and reminisce. That's why it's particularly important this year to get those tickets purchased, and numbers finalized, ASAP.

And if you can't make it, but would love to show your support for this amazing program, please note that you can still send in the ticket form with something entered on the Contribution line!

Hope to see you there!

Canals for Days

Ms Waterman
(teacher)

In the past two days, we have spent time at the Grand Canal in two different ways and in beautiful weather!

When we were in Beijing a few weeks ago (actually, it was almost a month ago- wow!), we saw the Grand Canal as we toured the hutongs of the old city. Our guide told us that we would see the canal again when we arrived in Hangzhou because the man-made canal connects the two old cities and measures about 1,500 km in length. The fact that it is man-made is incredible but the size of the project didn’t really strike me until I stumbled upon the canal on one of my afternoon walks. In Hangzhou, the Grand Canal stretches for miles and miles as it winds its way through the city from north to south. It is over one hundred meters wide in Hangzhou and used to be heavily used for trade. Now it is mostly quiet, but I have seen many large barges transporting cargo southward.

I have walked along the canal at least 5 times in the past 2 weeks and I have found it to be a wonderful place to walk in the spring. Most of the paths that follow the river on both sides of the canal are shaded by flowering trees (on windy days, I’ve walked through showers of pollen and tree seeds) and lead past bridges, apartment complexes, small playgrounds, and parks with pergolas covered in lilac vines. Unlike so much of the city sidewalks, these paths are quiet and calm and I never worry that I will be run over by a bike, scooter, or car. Needless to say, I’ve really enjoyed these walks!

Happy Qing Ming Jie from the Sisterhood!

Iona

The students at Hanggao get a 5 day break from school, so we had Thurs-Mon open to adventure. While it is tradition to get together with family members and honour the ancestors, the Sisterhood had no tombs to visit so we went shopping on Thursday. We all (plus Caroline) met up at the school gate early in the morning with Sunny (Hanggao’s exchange student from two years ago!) and she took us down Silk Street. It was so fun to catch up with her and get some insight into what her life is like after her trip to America. She has decided to devote a lot of her school career into studying for the SATs and is preparing to take the TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) in order to make herself a serious candidate for American schools. All the best to her!

Chinese Universities

Elizabeth (Liz)

Hey all!

One of the big things I was curious about before coming to China was the University system. I knew what was the college process which as some of you may know in China they take the Gao Kao which determines your major and which university you can get into. But everything that came after that was a mystery. Luckily for us, my host parents are both professors at Zhejiang University of Technology, which is the number two university in Zhejiang Province, and my host mom offered to show us around.