It was a delightful surprise to find that I will be sharing many of my meals with students and their families at home.
The Ji twinsare in grade 5. It was in their home that I first experienced the honor of being the guest of a family.
Mr. and Mrs. Ji greeted as we entered their beautiful third floor home. Mr. Ji’s mother lives with them as part of a traditional Chinese family.
Lunch was prepared by Mrs. Ji. The family presented me with gifts made by Grandma Ji. And a colleague of Mr. Ji photographed the event. (One of the photos later appeared in the local newspaper.)
After lunch, I shared photos from Connecticut with the twins.
In Heze Primary School, there is a two hour break at noon and all students and teachers go home for lunch.
On Tuesday afternoon at the school, I visited many of the activities that go on each day after school. Unlike in American schools, all students participate in the activities.
Singing - Students were practicing their musical performances.
Practicing during Curricular Activities
Ping Pong - I tried, but these young students left me in the dust.
I have a lot to learn from these young players.
Painting - Students taught me how to do traditional Chinese painting.
Traditional Chinese Painting
Little Red Riding Hood - Ms. Yang’s activity group performed “Little Red Riding Hood” for me. They performed this famous Chinese tale in English.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf
Paper Cutting - During her paper cutting activity, Li Rui Ying presented me with a paper cutting of two goldfish that had made for me.
Paper Cutting of two goldfish
Clay - Li Ying and his activity group taught me how to make flowers from a clay / plastecene type material.
Making flowers
Dancing - It was a treat to learn a traditional dance with the beautiful Tian Ran.
This morning, I awoke at home at 5:15 AM as usual. I showered, exercised, and had breakfast, just like I do everyday. However, something was different…
I went to China in my dreams. I saw incredible sites. I ate unusual foods. I met incredible people and I was treated like an emperor.
Was it a dream? Or did I really go to China?
By the looks of the pile in the living room I must have gone somewhere.
* * * * * *
My life has changed forever. My heart has been touched by a wonderful group of teachers, school leaders, children and parents. I have new friends. I have a new family. I became part of their lives and they are a big part of mine.
I must now move forward building more bonds between Woodbridge and Heze, connecting more lives, fostering more friendships, and creating more links.
The Connecticut China Connection has become a living entity and I look forward to many years of communication, collaboration, and exchange.
After a long day of travel yesterday, we safely made our way home to Bradley airport. It is sad to see the trip is over but our memories are everlasting. Stay tuned to the blog as we continue to share our experiences.
Mr. Wood, Mr. C., and flat Mr. C. Are now waiting at the airport in Beijing to board the plane. In just thirty minutes we will begin boarding and be on our way to Chicago. We will be late Monday night. Zaijian, Mr. C.
Though Flat Mr. C. has enjoyed his time in China, he wanted some food that reminded him of home. After a long search for the Underground City of Beijing, with no luck, we all walked a long distance to find a Pizza Hut. The pizza was almost as good as home but certainly not as good as Pepe’s pizza of New Haven! In just a short time, Flat Mr. C and Mr. C. look to be enjoying a nice juicy hamburger in Chicago O’Hare airport.
Did you track our flights to China? Well if you didn’t here is your chance to track our flights back to the States. You can use the site I found called Flightstats.com to track the flights again. You can even check flight information by sending a text to Google. You can try to track our flights today using the flight information below. I can’t wait to share all of my experiences with you in person.
Zaijian,
Mr. Crawford
Monday, April 20
Depart: Beijing Capital (PEK), Flight UA 0850, 4:10 PM
Arrive: Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Same Day, Monday, April 20, 4:30 PM
Depart: Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Flight UA 0320 6:00 PM
Arrive: Hartford Bradley (BDL), 9:09 PM
Our whirl wind tour of China is coming to an end today. This afternoon we will begin the long journey back to the States. One last stop for lunch before the trip begins. Late tonight we should be arriving back in Hartford.
Please stay tuned to the blog. Mr. Crawford and Mr. Wood both have many more posts in progress. Even though we are on the way home, we will be writing about our experiences with the schools, with children, with teachers, and much more. We each plan to share our overall impression of the trip and our visions for future work with our sister schools.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure. Each time you read the blog, we were inspired to continue writing.
Shortly after arriving in Binzhou, I was informed that the Director General of Binzhou, Mr. Zhang Mantang, wanted to have a meeting with me. During the meeting we discussed the importance of building a lasting relationship between our two districts and the need for both cultures to communicate in order to form a better understanding of one another. The Director General also wanted me to relay the invitation to Dr. Stella to come to Binzhou and meet with him, the school, and the students.
Near the end of the meeting, I was informed that the Director General was an accomplished and award winning Chinese brush writer. The Director General was very influenced and imitated the style and writing of the late Chairman Mao. After showing me some of his work, he decided he wanted to create one for Beecher Road School. The message he wrote is roughly translated to, “even though we are separated by seas, we are friends.” It is a wonderful and very true message.
Upon arriving at Shoutian Yingcai Primary School, the students told me about the Emperor’s teacher, Shoution, whom the school is named after. Shoutian was a very wise man who taught the Emperor for many years. Throughout the school there are many signs detailing the lessons and wisdom of Shoutian.
This blog includes text in Chinese and in Pinyin (Chinese words written with letters of the alphabet used in English). If you see boxes or question marks instead of letters with inflections or accents, click here for an article that will help you correct the problem.
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