January 20, 2012

Today, was another free day for everyone in London and it was also our last day in London. I decided to travel with Bonnie, Aaron, Bobby, Robby, TJ, Eric, and Ka Blia. At first we went to visit the Arsenal futball (soccer) stadium. It is known as the Emirates stadium. We were there for a self-guided tour. We learn about the history of the club and about its stadium. We went to visit the team's locker room, suites, step on the sideline of the pitch, and etc. It was one of my favorite things I did in London.

The interview room

After the stadium, the group and I went to a sport store known as Lily Whites. They were having a sale, so I brought myself a Manchester United light jacket. Some students in the group also brought something as well. After Lily Whites, the group went their separate ways.

Abbey Road

Later on the group met at Bella Italia at 6:30 p.m. We have already ate here two times. Tonight we had pasta and for desert we had ice cream. After supper everyone went their separate ways again. I went to do some last minute souvenir shopping for my family and friends. While some students went back to visit museums. Other students went to the pub and other students going back to the hotel to pack and relax. Tomorrow morning everyone met again at 6 a.m. to leave the London Heathrow Airport.

Kheng & Blong!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Thursday, January 19th 2012

Today was a free day! The class enjoyed this day by venturing out on its own and seeing some of the awesome sights of London! Many of us started out the day at the crack of dawn in order to see as much as possible! Spirits were high, and everyone was excited to have a day on their own. Most of us ventured out to places like Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, House of Parliament, the London Eye, the Tower of London along with the Tower bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and many other areas.

The countdown clock in Trafalgar Square

Covent Garden Market

St. Paul's Cathedral

It was a bit disappointing in some areas because many were under construction. For example, the London Eye was not running, St. Paul's Cathedral was closed off, and Kensington Palace was under construction. We figured out that most of these sites were under construction in order to prepare for the Olympic Games. On a positive note though, it was still awesome to see all of these historic places. Many of the ladies on the trip were excited to see Kensington Palace, which is the home to Prince William and Kate Middleton. It was also the home of Princess Diana before she passed away. In the garden surrounding the Palace, there were also Princess Diana memorials, which were nice, but a bit disappointing. Our tour guide, John, had stated that very few people are interested in seeing her memorial because of its lack of grandeur. He hoped that a new one would be built sometime in the future.

Later in the evening we all reconvened as a group at The Albert, which is a popular historic pub that is famous for its fish and chips. Fish and chips is a popular dish that many English enjoy. We were not disappointed! It was delicious! Again, spirits were high because everyone was excited to head to the musical, Wicked. Many were dressed up and looking sharp for this fabulous performance. Some of the students had seen Wicked before. Others had not, but all around the consensus was that the performance was phenomenal.

Earlier in the evening many of us considered doing another Pub Crawl that night, but jet lag got the best of us and we soon retired to our beds. All in all, it was a fantastic day!

See you soon!

Sondra & Kablia

Stratford Upon Avon

We started the day off with a 2 hour bus ride to the birthplace of famous poet William Shakespeare, the town of Stratford upon Avon. It was a great way to see England outside of London, for we got to drive through the adorable countryside. We started the visit at the cottage of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife. Though it is called a cottage, it was actually quite large for its title. There were well-versed tour guides in some of the rooms who could help us to better envision life in the cottage at the time of Shakespeare.

We journeyed to the center of town to Shakespeare's childhood home. Judging by the decor and size of Shakespeare's home, we could judge that he appeared to be quite well off. Being in his past home was an amazing experience because the style was truly authentic and we were walking on floors that he had once walked on himself! Workers in his home were very knowledgeable; there was even an actress in one of the rooms who could recite a scene from any of Shakespeare's plays! She gave some of us a sample from the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet.

Shakespeare's Home

We were given some free time in the center of town to shop, explore, and eat lunch on our own. We were shocked to find that such a historical town had so much modern life! The surrounding buildings were all the same style as Shakespeare's, though they had some modern touches. Some of the surrounding pubs and shops were around in Shakespeare's time, though they have been updated and are still running today! We were able to walk by Garrick's, the pub where the first case of the plague was discovered in the year of Shakespeare's birth. We then traveled to the Gilde Church, which is the center of town and is connected to what could have been Shakespeare's school. There were some school boys from the school running around town, who were very eager to jump in our photos of the church! When we went to take a group picture outside the school, our tour guide John ran across the street in order to fit us all in the photo. A large truck came down the street and stopped for us to take our photo! We all laughed, knowing that drivers in the States would never have been so nice!

Right across from the church was the area where Shakespeare lived as an adult, but that has since been destroyed. In the 1700s, the man who lived in the home complained to the city about people always looking in, asking to be exempt from taxes because of it. When the city declined, he decided to tear down the house. We then went to the church where Shakespeare and his wife Anne are buried. Surrounding the church was a very old graveyard, and we were shocked at how beautiful it was. Shakespeare and his relatives, however, were actually buried inside of the church.

Our group walked down to the river Avon, taking a break for group bonding and photos while waiting for our bus.

We returned to London, and went on a pub crawl as a class. Pubs are a part of London's history and culture, so we wanted to experience it for ourselves!

A few students looked up some famous pubs that were close together, and we had a goal of hitting up seven of them throughout the night. We ended up going to about three of them before we all got tired and went back to the hotel. A few of us tried the British drink Pimms, which is the staple drink at the Wimbledon tournament. Being as it was a Wednesday night, the pubs were a little empty before the 25 of us walked in, but we enjoyed eachothers' company. It was overall a great last day as a group before our free days in London!
Lots of love from London,
Jane and Madison

Tuesday, Jan. 18

First full day in London - Tuesday, January 18

After our 30 some hours of traveling, we finally arrived in London!! After we got settled into our hotel, we went to an Italian restaurant and had our first pizza in two weeks..and it was absolutely delicious. Our first full day in London was filled with sightseeing. We first went to Kensington Park and we were able to see the palace where William and Kate stay at when they visit London. Then we got to the King Albert Statue; it is unique because there are no weapons on the statue, instead it represents peace and accomplishments. There are statues on each corner representing the north, south, east and west areas of the world. It was a painted black to avoid bombing in WWII but has been restored, with rich colors of gold and white. 

 Then we sped through and saw parliament, Westminister Abbey, London eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, and St. Paul's Cathedral. This was a little disappointing because we weren't able to get off the bus and take pictures. However, we were able to tour Wimbledon and it was amazing. We visited Centre court and the now famous court 18, where the longest match in history was played. Considering the winter months, the grass was green and in excellent conditions considering the circumstances. It was amazing to be in the place where champions were made  and where they claimed one of the biggest titles in tennis. 

Center Court - #1

 After Wimbledon, we were fortunate enough to visit the 2012 Olympic site. All of the Olympic stadiums that will hold events were finished and have been finished since this past summer.  Even though the stadiums are finished, there is still construction being done, but it's mostly on the landscaping. On the site, there is an unfinished sculpture where you can get a bird's eye view of all of the Olympic site and its surroundings. The main stadium where they hold the track and field events and the opening and closing ceremonies is smaller than the Bird's Nest in Beijing, considering the budget. "The Crown" as we like to call it, due to its style and architecture, is still a magnificent building in the east of London. 

Olympic Park

This structure uses the Olympic rings and will be used as an observation platform

After our long day of sightseeing, we ended it with an amazing meal at a local pub, Bangers and Mash. We had sausage, mashed potatoes, peas, and apple pie. It was awesome to finally eat food that we were familiar with! We had a fantastic day of sightseeing; every building is cute and adorable (some were even pink). The weather was fantastic and it was a great first start to our time in London. 

See you in four days!

Prince Albert's statue

Tara McGuigan and Emma All Runner

Tai Chi movie

A movie of our Tai Chi in a Beijing Park:

Hong Kong

Day 13:

            This morning we met up with our tour guide Albert who took us on a tour of the Island of Hong Kong.  We started out the day by driving up some really narrow, windy roads to the top of a mountain that they call Victoria Peak.  We took some great pictures here and had time for our stomachs to settle from that crazy drive!  After that we spent some time at Stanley Market where we all got some great deals.  Albert advised us not to bargain as much with these vendors like we did in China.  It was a relief to not have to spend so much time arguing over prices.  We ended our tour by hopping on a small ferryboat to get to our restaurant for lunch.  It was called the Jumbo Floating restaurant.  A section of Rush Hour 3 and one of the James Bond movies were filmed here.

13 fun facts about Hong Kong:

·      People of Hong Kong don’t get Social Security—they call it Yo Yo, meaning you are on your own

·      Couples can have as many children as they wish

·      Hong Kong is made up of many islands but only one island is actually called Hong Kong

·      Their version of women’s basketball is called Netball which is a combination of basketball and handball

·      There are a lot of nice cars (Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, Lamborghini)

·      Gas is more expensive than in the U.S. and is sold by the Liter

·      You pay a 110% tax when buying a car

·      It has a Hard Rock Café

·      The tallest building is in the Batman movie

·      They drive on the left side of the road

·      They were a British Colony until 1997 at which time they were given to China and China has given them 50 years to establish their own government and economy

·      Scaffolding is made of bamboo…even for the high-rises they are building

·      They have only ever won 1 gold medal in the Olympics

Chelsea & Emily

Some photos:

Fans at the netball tournament

Views from Victoria Peak

More views from Victoria Peak

Stanley Market in Hong Kong

Jumbo Floating restaurant

China reflections

Blog for January 13:

As we prepare to leave mainland China and depart for Hong Kong, we wanted to reflect on our experiences and impressions of the cities we visited on the mainland.  We met some wonderful people and our guides were excellent.  Everyone became very attached to the service and generosity of Little Aaron and we know we’ll miss him.  As we leave our new friends, we’re eager to meet new people and find out what Hong Kong has in store for us.

Overall, the people we met in China were very gracious – they were very polite and accommodating to travelers (except people from Japan – we noticed some strong stereotypes and prejudice regarding people from Japan).  The Chinese were always looking for ways to help us and make our experience a positive one. 

Here are some observations we thought were interesting:

·      The “one child” policy.  We were all anxious to share our family stories and a natural question of new friends seems to be “do you have any siblings?”   We learned quickly that almost everyone we met from China is an only child.  Unless people have a great deal of money to pay the fines for a second child, they need to limit children to one. 

·      Gender – the exception to the “one child” policy comes if a couple has a girl for their first born.  If the couple live outside of the city, they are able to try for a second child to hope they get a boy.  If they don’t get a boy, they’re done and must be “content” with their girls.  It’s also against the law to find out the sex of a child before birth – the thought with this law is to prevent abortions and/or abandonment of a girl.  About 50% of women quit their job and stay home when they have a child.  While things are more equivalent than in the past, there are still strong gender roles – the female stays home when she has a child and the man is expected to work and provide for his family, etc.

·      We found there to be a general intolerance for homosexuality .

·      Traditions.  While many of the traditional customs and dress have been westernized, the people we talked to still remember their traditions and heritage, and we found they have a great deal of pride in their country.  Superstitions were also prevalent – for instance, the lucky number in China is 8 and real estate for an apartment on the 8^th floor or the 18^th, 28^th, etc. or a room containing the letter 8, is more expensive.  The number 4 is considered unlucky – most hotels don’t have a number 4 and if they do, that floor is usually a “massage” parlor with a “happy ending”. 

·      Finally, hearing about marriage customs was fascinating – Little Aaron was married a few years ago and when he was married he followed many traditions.  He arrived at his fiance’s house and to get in the door, he had to drink a concoction of everything that his future mother-in-law had in her kitchen (eggs, rice, fish, vinegar, etc.) and then take many preplanned pouches containing money and give them to all the males in the woman’s family.  When he entered his fiance’s bedroom, she was lying on her bed (dressed in untraditional white as white is usually reserved for funerals) without shoes and he had to search for her shoes (the shoes were red).  Once he found her shoes, he put them on her and carried her out of the house.  Their first night together, their bed was filled with various nuts so they could have a fruitful start to their marriage.

·      We learned that growing up in China does not mean that one buys in to the communist ideals and philosophy and that having a different opinion is tolerated much more so than in the past.  This applies to different religions as well.  We were told the majority of the people are Buddhist yet there is no “official” religion – there is much more diversity (Christians, Muslims, etc.)

·      Freedoms.  While they told us things are better, the government still has a watchful eye on the people of China.  We were not able to access our blog, facebook, videos, etc. – called the “Great Firewall of China”.  Travel out of China is difficult for them – Little Aaron had never been out of China.  Approximately 85% of the money they earn goes back to the government. 

·      Sport, recreation and leisure.  While we loved walking through parks and seeing the locals dancing, singing, and doing Tai Chi (our class in the park was truly a highlight for us!), exercise was difficult.  The pollution is an obstacle to anything outside (we were told a day outside in Beijing is like smoking 7 cigarettes!), as is the traffic – there is an enormous amount of cars, bikes, people - and pedestrian crossings mean nothing to drivers.  We had a workout room in most of our hotels in China, however, it was frustrating having to wait for someone from the hotel staff to come and unlock the room and machine that one wanted to use.  An Olympic hero seems easily forgotten and certainly not financially set for life.  The elderly population seems very physically active and we saw many groups playing Mahjong in groups outside.  Gambling, drug use and pornography are illegal and can get one into a lot of trouble. 

·      While the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube in the Olympic Park are beautiful facilities, we were concerned about the upkeep and maintenance.  For fairly new facilities, we were surprised at the wear and tear of the buildings. 

·      We were encouraged to learn Physical Education was part of each student’s academic grade!

·      Hotel facilities.  Overall, we were happy with the hotels we stayed at (although Wifi was fairly nonexistent).  Pretty much without exception, people from China love rock hard beds!!

·      Food.  Lots of rice, assorted vegetables, assorted meats and tea.  NO desserts or diet coke!

We don’t have time to cover all that we have learned about China – obviously, our interactions in 2 weeks were somewhat limited but we are grateful for the experiences and exposure to such a different culture! 

We’ll leave you with a farewell song that Little Aaron sang on the bus on our last night about people parting ways. 

Shanghai

We began the day with a walking tour of the boardwalk along the Huangpu River. Here we had a chance to learn about the history behind some of the surrounding buildings and take some spectacular pictures of downtown Shanghai. In the area we explored, there were 15 banks, but one building’s architectural feature made it stand out from the rest. It was supported by twelve marble pillars and of those twelve a couple were created from one solid piece of marble, making it one of only around 6 buildings in the world that have that feature. There were also some amazing statues and differing artworks on the boardwalk including one the group (Adyn) determined resembled a man furiously making a bed. Real symbolization???

After taking in the sights around the boardwalk, we headed to a place of beauty and serenity. This place was the Yu Gardens. Rocks were shipped in from all over the world to fill the landscape that is also home to flowers grass, plants, ponds, and trees, some that are over 100 years old! Walking through the gardens was very peaceful and provided us the opportunity to get some great photos.
We ate an interesting lunch next to the silk museum before going to the exhibit. The term interesting is used because a lot of the food was in question as to what it was. There were some great dumplings, rice, and steamed vegetable but not a lot of meat which I think everyone was hoping for.
We later visited a silk museum learning about how silk is made and different ways it can be used. We learned about the farming process, how silk is extracted, and how it is made into thread to make quilts and a variety of clothing. They even explained to us that after they are done with the worm it is common for them to be eaten as they provide a good source of protein, but after seeing the worms I think there was a common feeling of nausea after hearing that part. They had a large selection of silk clothing and a majority of the men on the trip went straight for the silk boxers.
We switched gears and headed to Nanjing Road. People were everywhere! Stores like Nike and Rolex, restaurants including local cuisine and McDonalds, and people selling everything from shoes to real estate were all part of the experience. By now we all are experts at the various techniques of declining their sales pitch: look down and walk faster, ignore them and talk with other classmates, or just say “No, I already have that and I don’t want it!” Many other local people were very friendly and interested in where we were from and what we were in Shanghai for. Overall I think we all are impressed with their English. Our Chinese speaking ability is another story. Before heading to the hotel we got the opportunity of a lifetime. Shanghai is home to the fastest train in the world, Maglev. At a top speed of 431 km per hour, riding on Maglev was a blast! At one point the train passes the other one headed in the opposite direction only feet away. For one second we could see a dark blur pass by our windows making a loud sound and slightly rattling our train. All of us jumped; one of us screamed. This was an unforgettable experience. The day was filled with exciting new experiences we can’t wait to share in more detail with you all when we get back!

Zai Jian!

Adyn Clausen and Jake Klem

More photos:

Shanghai

Getting ready for the New Year's celebrations

431 km/h = around 277 mph!

A snapshot of the passing train

Rob & Bob's blog 8

Note that we checked into Hong Kong this afternoon and we can now access the blog... as well as Facebook again!

January 10-11, 2012 Blog Entry

This morning was our last in Xi’an before traveling to Shanghai. We had the morning and early afternoon to enjoy a few of the finer attractions of Xi’an, including the Muslim Quarter of the city where the Great Mosque is located and finished up by visiting a local museum.

The day started with a wonderful breakfast spread at our hotel, followed by a rush to bet packed and load the bus to enjoy the city for as long as possible.  First we went to the Muslim Quarter and visited the Great Mosque. This was a unique experience to visit an ancient worshipping place for the people of this city. It was interesting to visit with our tour guide about the perception of Muslims in China and some of the parallels and comparisons we made about our own culture. 

The mosque was in traditional architecture and was absolutely gorgeous. The park that surrounded the mosque was equally as beautiful, many of us wished we could have been visiting during the summer to see the plants in bloom and many of the fountains and ponds in working condition.  

We then traveled to the Shaanxi Museum where we had the opportunity to move around freely and take in thousands of priceless Chinese relics. After a brief opportunity to explore we circled the wagons to head to the airport to leave for our next destination, Shanghai.

Little Aaron & Big Aaron leading us into the Shaanxi Museum

We had Hot Pot for dinner tonight!

Yum - Hot Pot!

Everyone got his or her own little burner with spicy water and plain water and we then enjoyed cooking our own vegetables and meats!  It was very tasty!

You could tell there was a lot of excitement in the group to get to our next city, especially one that has the reputation of being the “Paris of the East”. Upon arrival we stopped for dinner at a local restaurant and just checked into the hotel for the night. 

Our first full day of Shanghai was a little different than our other days in China. We traveled to visit a small river town called Wuzhen. This town had a different feel than the other Chinese cities as it was smaller, working class type of town so it seemed very similar to the Midwest towns many of us come from. 

Wuzhen fishing village

After an afternoon of taking in the beautiful scenery and bartering in the local markets we traveled back to Shanghai for dinner and a boat tour on the river to see the beautiful night skyline the city provided. This is when we truly saw why the city has earned its title of “Paris of the East”. The night sky was filled with skyscrapers and unique, new wave architecture, lined with beautiful multi-colored lights. 

"Paris of the East"

It really was something that many of us have never experienced outside of Las Vegas or New York City. At the conclusion of the day you could tell the group was exhausted after the long day of traveling and sight seeing, so the night was fairly uneventful as many of us simply fell asleep. Can’t wait to see what our next few days have in store for us!

What we miss from home…

It feels like a month ago when our class was hiking on the Great Wall or visiting the Shaanxi Museum.  Throughout the trip everyone has had to make “sacrifices” during every day experiences.  As we ride the bus to visit our next stop you can hear the stomachs turning for hunger when we drive by a McDonalds or KFC (or “Kung Fu Chicken” as our guide says it’s known as in China).  We have talked during free time with each other and feel that it’s the little things that we miss the most and that we take advantage of when at home.  It has been a great experience with the culture difference but it would be nice to have a large glass of milk with dinner rather than only three options, coke, sprite, or beer.  The girls are complaining their legs hurt from all the squatting they have to do when using the restrooms or sleeping in your own bed rather than a bed that feels like a bag of rocks.  The trip has been an experience we will always remember and even though we may feel a little home sick or miss a nice home cooked meal, the “sacrifices” we are making are all worth it.  Before we know it we will be arriving home to Minnesota, we are all very excited for the rest of the trip and the many new experiences we will have.  Thanks for catching up with the blog and hope you enjoyed.

Much love, Bob n Rob