(Randy Hoover - 2004 D-S China Exchange teacher currently on leave, living in Kunming)
Hi all,
The group hasn’t been able to get internet access long enough to upload their blog posts yet, so I’m sending this quick update and a few photos from Kunming, where I just had the pleasure of spending a few hours with them before they had to catch their overnight sleeper train to Dali. Everyone is in good humor and enjoying their adventure!
After meeting at Kunming’s new Changshui Airport, we had a relaxing stroll around Green Lake Park (sort of a miniature version of Hangzhou’s West Lake), where people of all ages were enjoying ethnic dancing, flowers blooming and New Year decorations everywhere. They commented that Kunming’s 70-degree sunshine was a welcome relief from the chilly temps they experienced in Beijing and Guilin. We had dinner near the lake at a traditional Yunnan restaurant, an old house with courtyard similar to the Yin Yu Tang house at Peabody-Essex Museum. Then a brief view of the downtown shopping area on our ride to the train station.
The time passed quickly, and we all wished they could have stayed longer. Things I was impressed with: Brandon and Patty are going out of their way to get some artful perspectives with their cameras; Deanna is working hard to learn and apply her Mandarin skills; Michael is the group’s comic relief, and his blond hair and 6-foot-plus frame really stand out in a Chinese crowd; Ms. Moy has a nice rapport with the kids as the friendly overseer. All seem poised to really grow from this transformative experience.
Hopefully their hotel in Dali will have wi-fi so they can send their impressions soon. And I can’t wait to see their photos!
--Randy Hoover
2004 D-S China Exchange teacher
DSMS world geography teacher,
currently on leave, teaching high school and working as a musician in Kunming
www.flickr.com/photos/samburu
The time passed quickly, and we all wished they could have stayed longer. Things I was impressed with: Brandon and Patty are going out of their way to get some artful perspectives with their cameras; Deanna is working hard to learn and apply her Mandarin skills; Michael is the group’s comic relief, and his blond hair and 6-foot-plus frame really stand out in a Chinese crowd; Ms. Moy has a nice rapport with the kids as the friendly overseer. All seem poised to really grow from this transformative experience.
Hopefully their hotel in Dali will have wi-fi so they can send their impressions soon. And I can’t wait to see their photos!
--Randy Hoover
2004 D-S China Exchange teacher
DSMS world geography teacher,
currently on leave, teaching high school and working as a musician in Kunming
www.flickr.com/photos/samburu
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