home

= 2017 Trip =

Thursday, June 1: After long flight, with short transit in Chicago, we finally arrived in Shanghai. The weather was fine, somewhat foggy but didn't need to wear masks. Dinner was at the school cafeteria. Due to long travel, everyone was kind of quiet at the dinner table. Then, we walked to a nearby supermarket, Carrefour, for a quick stop. On the way back, students were using their survival skills to find the way back and they got it.

Friday, June 2: We woke up to a beautiful day--humidity and smog were mostly gone. Dumplings and boiled eggs for breakfast In the school cafeteria. We started the day by taking a bus to the financial center and taking a high-speed elevator up to the top of what is referred to as the "bottle opener" since the second tallest building in Shanghai has a large square opening in the middle of the top of the building. We took a group photo in front of a green screen (yes, next to the actual panoramic view), bought some funny trinkets and stuffed animals and then went down. We walked along a promenade and then ate lunch in a nearby mall. Everyone chose to eat in different restaurants, each specializing in some kind of udon soup or dim sum. In the afternoon, we took a riverboat along the Huang Pu river and glided past the older part of the city on one side and the newer part, with the "Bottle Opener" and Pearl Tower (the iconic television antenna with its gigantic orbs), on the other. We finished the day with a large buffet (shrimp, pork, beef, and several other dishes) in the school cafeteria, meant to officially welcome us to Shanghai and the school. The faculty and students of the exchange families ate with us. And Dan Sadicario gave a stirring speech that had everyone moved, almost to the point of tears. Almost.

Weekend:
 * Jamerson: On Friday after the party I went back to my buddies house and we went through some pictures. We then went and got full body massages from blind people. On Saturday we went ice skating (she is a figure skater). We got lunch and ice cream and then went to a temple at the center of Shanghai we took the subway back home. Then I went to shanghai's oldest slaughter house (it's a park with a Starbucks now). Then my buddy and I went to see Wonder Woman! On Sunday I went to Disneyland with Kelly, Wendy, and my buddy!
 * Grace: I had a great weekend!!! On Friday, Suzy took me to see Pirates of the Caribbean and then we went home and slept. We woke up and went to breakfast with her mom and dad, and then we drove to Hang Zhou. We went to a tea farm and walked around. We had lunch and dinner there, and at night we saw a water show from our hotel. We took a night walk by the West Lake and went to bed. We woke up in the morning and had breakfast at the hotel, which was really good. We then went to the West Lake and took one of the boats on the river. We then went to a famous temple and then drove back to Shanghai. We went to the Huang Pu river and saw the lights at night; we went to both sides. I then went back to the dorms. It was a great weekend, and I really like my host family!!
 * Nick: Saturday, 6/3 Woke up, had a great Chinese breakfast with dumplings and fruit. Runze took me to the ice skating rink in one of the malls, after which we had lunch. He got tired and had some work to do, so we took a bus back home., Runze's parents invited me to go on a little trip with them to Fudan University. We rented some bikes and rode around the campus, taking pictures along the way. Soon, we started biking to Runze's grandparents' apartment where we had dinner. Afterwards, we walked back home. Sunday, 6/4 Woke up, went to this . Had this good tofu soup and fried dough. Afterwards, Runze and I headed back to the apartment for a bit. His parents came back soon after. Runze had homework to do, so his parents took me to the Shanghai . Stayed there for a few hours, went to the bank, had a fantastic lunch of beef noodles, then headed back to the apartment for a couple hours. We went back to his grandparents' place for dinner, after which they took me back to SFLS.

Monday, June 5: Monday began with a breakfast of pork-stuffed buns followed by our first class of the week: an introduction to Shanghai history and culture. The second of the two morning classes was a review the basics of the language. Lunch was a light mix of chicken in a brown sauce, steamed spinach, and other items. Some students went to KFC to 'mix up' the menu with some comfort food. In the afternoon, we tried our hand (and patience) at the art of paper cutting. Armed with small razor blades and scissors, we cut around the black ink of animals and other figures. The process was very meditative, and we had great discussions as we slowly made our way. As rain began to fall, we moved on to gym class for our last period of the day. This was our first class with regular students from the school, so some of the girls played ping pong with the local students while the rest of us played badminton. We went back to the dorm, and some had a 'snack party' where we tried a dozen or so of the Chinese treats that we had picked up in stores and from host families. After some rest and a surprisingly American dinner in the school cafeteria (tomatoes and eggs, french fries, chicken nuggets, spinach), we left for Era: An Intersection of Time, the Chinese acrobatic show. The show was exciting, like Cirque Du Solei (sp?) but without the clowns and only the stunts. Despite an early night, we were all exhausted and tucked in for an early sleep.

Tuesday, June 6: The day began with a course on calligraphy. After reviewing basic characters and their evolution, kids were given brushes and ink and taught how to make the unique curves and twists and flicks that give the art its spirit and beauty. We ate a light lunch in the cafeteria, and, since we had a two hour break between classes, walked to the park as a group. The park was mainly inhabited by older people, some sitting and conversing, some practicing choreography with swords, and some exercising on what seemed to be various no-weight nautilus pulleys. We then walked to FamilyMart to get snacks and such. The favorites seem to be a starburst-like candy called Hi-Chew and a series of FamilyMart's own line of teas that come in small-milk containers and are infused with various flowers and fruit. Mrs. Childs took us through backstreets, through a great scene of local, common life, on our way back to the school. The afternoon class was spent in the gym for a brief taste of Tai Chi and then some ping pong. After dinner at the school, we walked through immense crowds to the bund where we were treated to the iconic view of the illuminated buildings of the Shanghai financial district at night. The crowds were relatively light because of the slight drizzle, yet we still struggled to find a spot to take a picture as the entire boardwalk was filled with people. On our way back to the subway, we stopped at Innisfree where the girls excitedly stocked up on face masks. We ended the night with a long, sleepy trek back to the dorms; Shanghai has 21 subway lines; we took four to get home.



Wednesday, June 7: We boarded a small bus with some of the male exchange students and recent graduate Caroline Dong and began the long journey to to Suzhou. On the way we ate donuts and sweet croissants for breakfast. When there, we walked by many shops and stinky tofu on the way to a very large and special garden, constructed in the Ming Dynasty by a wealthy lord during feudalism times. We got to admire the beautiful vegetation, stone paths, iconic tiled roofs, and delicate wood work within the houses placed throughout the property. We stopped at what we thought was going to be a good restaurant but turned out to be more of the Chinese equivalent of a "greesy spoon." We then took the bus over to Guan Quin where we shopped around for silks and other items. We finished the tour by walking through a garden from the Jing Dynasty, constructed circa 400 BC. After a long drive back home (our first group experience of rush hour traffic in Shanghai), the kids ate pizza at the mall and then took Nick to a sort-of-surprise birthday party. Nick got a shirt, a birthday hat, a birthday card/notebook with notes from all the students and teachers/chaperones and a birthday cake. A variety of Chinese snacks and drinks were consumed as the everyone sang and danced into Nick's 15th year.

Thursday June 8: Some kids woke up early with Mrs. Childs to go jog in the park. At this point, we were all getting a bit tired of breakfast in the cafeteria, so some ate just the dumplings and some ate nothing at all. School began with a class on music appreciation; we were shown videos that covered a wide survey of instruments, singing, and dancing, from the origins and most traditional to the modern evolution of each form. So You Think You Can Dance China Edition is fascinating! The kids were taught a song that was sung as a duet by a famous Chinese singe along with Celine Dion. We ate lunch at school, but, because of our waning taste for the cafeteria food, we had a second lunch of Subway at the mall where we also got dragon fruit and mango smoothies. In the afternoon everyone went with their exchange buddies to sit in on the actual classes attended by the Shanghai Foreign Language students. Many of us enjoyed a lively debate in English class over animal rights. We finished up the day with a culture class on clothing, followed by a class that taught us how to conduct a tea ceremony. After dinner, we went out to a game shop that has all sorts of board games and card games to play in various rooms set up to lounge in. Tired and a bit goofy, we had a great time playing various card games. This also showed how much the group has bonded and come together at this point.



Friday, June 9 School’s out! No more classes till August! We drove on a bus to the Shanghai Art Museum, a beautifully marbled museum about half the size of the St. Louis Art Museum but incredibly rich with art, history and culture. We saw clothes (both ritual and casual) from the last four centuries and areas spanning from Shanghai to Mongolia. There was one outfit made out of Salmon skin! Wooden masks for ritual and theater, boats, tea sets, jade, landscape paintings, paintings of birds, pottery, sculpture, iron axes, wine vessels and food pots. It was interesting to see that much of the art was created during the Ming dynasty while Europe was having its own cultural boom we call the Renaissance. Afterwards, we drove over to the People’s Square, a shopping district known for its beautiful its tall, multi-storied pavilions with white surface, black supports and gold trim. A long, zig zagging bridge cuts through the center of the district as a huge collection of coy fish swims around below. The kids did the brunt of their Shanghai gift shopping here, but more interesting was all the food stops sprinkled throughout--soups steamed, dumplings sizzled, moon cakes were squeezed into form, tofu bubbled in the deep fryer, skewers of chicken were dipped in sweet barbecue sauce. With our new found treasures, we rode back to the dorms where kids left with their exchange buddies for the weekend

Weekend:

Monday, June 12 Off to Beijing! We hopped on a sleeper train, put on our complimentary slippers. Some sat and talked before going off to bed, some explored the train. Once there, we took a bus through the lovely Beijing traffic, threw down our bags in the hotel ("Forbidden City Days Inn" which makes "Days Inn" sound so much cooler than it is), and slouched towards our first of many buffet breakfasts across the street. First stop was a Buddhist monastery that held the largest Buddha in China. We then took a nice lunch break at a restaurant that performed a shadow puppet story (a second screen revealed a behind the screen of how the magic was being created) while we ate. After lunch, we glided on rickshaws through the city's Hutong district--a beautiful river and shops outlining a large community of single-story homes over 200 years old and still lived in today. Unlike Shanghai, you really felt a sense of an old world here. In the middle of our rickshaw roll, we stopped to paint shrimp using the brushes and ink used for calligraphy. Next stop was the "Summer Palace" or palace of the empress's (who they refer to as "The Dragon Lady"). This was the largest (and possibly most beautiful and maintained) park or garden of the trip. For dinner, we finally got to try, as a group, the famous Peking duck. In the evening, we saw a Kung Fu show.

Tuesday, June 13 After another round at the breakfast buffet, we took a long ride on the bus to...The Great Wall. We were given two hours to hike. Some took their time and enjoyed walking past about three battlements (the iconic 'look-out towers'), some chose to go all out and get to the highest point, six battlements from where we started. Exhausted and elated, we had lunch at the base (KFC and Subway!). The afternoon was a more casual trek through Ming's Tomb and an evening of shopping and eating along Wangfujing Street--a pedestrian-only shopping center with a famous side street known for the iconic street food of China. Yes, there were scorpions; only the Donovan twins ate them.

Wednesday, June 14 Our last day of adventure. We had been blessed with great weather (mid-70s) all trip, but this day was hot and sunny which made walking through Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City a bit laborious. But there is no denying the grand feng shui of both the minimalist Square and the cycle of crossing into each section of the Forbidden City. Tired (both from a sunny day and a long trip coming to an end), we walked up to the "Temple of Heaven." But the excitement of bargaining in the Silk Market woke us up and made for a good, final bonding experience.

Thursday, June 15 Buffet and long plane ride. Good to be back.

2015 Trip

Thursday, June 18 We left the hotel at 8:45am and arrived at the airport at 9:32am. It took us about one hour to get to the gate. While we were waiting for the big bird, which was delayed, the kids got snacks.

We arrived at San Francisco at 9:20am and it was 10:46am when all of us came to the gate for our flight to St. Louis.

Wednesday, June 17 We visited Tiananman Square and the forbidden city in the morning, had a nice lunch.

Then we headed to the Silk market at 2pm. It began to rain heavily at about 3pm. When we tried to leave the market for the Temple of Heaven, it was still raining. We waited for 15 minutes, we decided to go on the bus heading for the Temple, although some of the students were tired and wanted to directly go back to the hotel. Because of the heavy rain, the traffic was really bad and when we arrived at the Temple, we passed the time to go to the Temple. So we just walked in the park and tried to find good angles for pictures.

Tuesday, June 16 The highlight of our Beijing trip, the Great Wall.

After the Great Wall, we bought our lunch from KFC and had lunch on the bus to Ming Tombs. We visited one of the tombs, then we headed to the Sacred way. "In the front part of the imperial necropolises, there usually is a Sacred Way (or Divine Road) which means the road leading to heaven. The Emperor, known as the Son of the Heaven, who came from Heaven to his country through the Sacred Way, also deservedly would return to Heaven through this road." (travelchinaguide.com)



Monday, June 15 We arrived at Beijing in the morning. We didn't see the blue sky, but the weather was good. We first visited Hutong on rickshaw ride. The students enjoyed the rickshaw ride. We learned some basic facts about the traditional Beijing house style, siheyuan. After visiting Hutong, we went to Gulou to have a Chinese painting class. Drawing bamboo on rice paper with brush was not that easy.

In the early afternoon, we had our first banquet style lunch. We were too hungry to take pictures. Although it was a little crowded for 13 people to sit around one table, we enjoyed many dished together.

We went to Summer palace.

Red theater for the Gongfu performance. It was not as good as the acrobatic show in Shanghai and some of us were really tired and almost fell asleep during the show.

Weekend, June 13-14

Abbie, Mary Beth, Mia and Skyler

On Friday, we all (us + buddies) went to see Jurassic World. The animation was awesome, but the plot of the movie was very bad. Chris Pratt was amazing though. Abbie says that she is going to marry him. On Saturday we all went together to eat brunch. Mary Beth and Abbie got ice cream before meeting the rest of us at Pancake Day. Hannah also was with us. We had American styled breakfast foods like waffles and salad. Afterwards we made little cakes and cookies at a special store. Skyler and Mia made Mahjong pieces and Mary Beth and Abbie made little cookies. They were both delicious! Later, we walked around the area until we decided to go to a mall. Abbie, Mia, and Mary Beth got flash tattoos! On Sunday, we met again for pottery along with all the rest of the MICDS students (minus Ben and Caroline). That was fun! Afterwards we had lunch at the restaurant next door; the food was so good! Then we went to a place called “Escape Room.” It was a room full of mirrors and your goal was to escape. It was fun, but it only lasted about 5 minutes. When we finished that, we got ice cream and went to a supermarket to buy food for the train ride. We all are going to miss our buddies. Abbie’s buddy started crying when they had to say goodbye.

Ben, Kevin, Justin, Annie, Caroline, Hannah

On Friday, we stared off by visiting the Yu Garden. At the Yu Garden, we saw many interesting buildings and we did lots of shopping at the markets. Kevin did much for the bargaining for the group. We bought things like Beats Pills, coins, and many other survivors. On Friday night, we each went home with our host family. On Friday night, Kevin and Justin went together to eat Thai food. Ben took a two hour drive to the home town of his host family. Annie and Caroline went out to dinner at a Spanish restaurant with one of Caroline’s family friends. At Hannah’s exchange house, she ate a home cooked meal and tried Chinese sausage. On Saturday, Hannah had brunch with the other girls and their exchange families. In the afternoon, they went to the Hershey’s store at the mall. For dinner, Hannah made homemade dumplings. They hung out at the Hershey’s cafe. Caroline had lunch at the Oriental Pearl Tower. Annie went to KFC for breakfast and then went to the Pearl Tower at night. Kevin went to a park in the morning and then later he went with Justin and Daniel to play basketball and later have roasted for dinner. Justin went bowling with Daniel. Ben went to two old traditional towns in a different province and later had dinner with his exchange family at their grandparent’s house. On Sunday morning Hannah, Annie, Kevin and Justin, went to a place to make pottery. They thought that making pottery was very fun and they learned how to make clay ceramics on a pottery spinner. Then they all painted cups. Their exchange buddies will bring the things that they made to America in October. Caroline rested on much of Sunday, then went shopping. Ben stopped at another old town, then drove back to Shanghai. For lunch he had Mr. Pizza. During the late afternoon, we all gathered at the dorms to pack for the train ride to Beijing. Many of the girls had lots of packing to do and had to make room for many of the things that they bought. The boys did not have as much packing to do. Around 6, we headed over the train station. Two of the teachers from the Shanghai Foreign Language School came with us to the train station. Once we were there, we waited for about an hour to board the train. Our first impressions of the train were that it was nicer than we expected and each room has two sets of bunk beds. The rooms are very crammed.

Back during the week, we took many different classes. Our favorite classes were the folk music and the other hands on classes. We liked the folk music class because music is easily understood by many different cultures and we learned a lot. Another class that we liked was calligraphy. This was another hands on class and the teacher taught us about each character and we got to create something to take home. We did not like to classes where the teachers were talking. Many of the students could not really understand what was going on because it was taught in Chinese. A class that we did not like was the Chinese food one. During that we were taught about foods, but we did not really understand what was being said. Kevin was our translator, but was a bit frustrated because he did not always know what was going on (Kevin did a great job! I didn't realize that there were some words he didn't understand since he was translating well. ---from Ms. Chang). Another class that was not enjoyed by the majority of the group was paper cutting. Paper cutting was too long and very hard for us to do. It took a lot of patience.

Friday, June 12 In the morning, half of the students didn't go to the school cafeteria for breakfast. They missed American food. We had another city tour day. First stop, Yuyuan Garden. "Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. It was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age." (www.travelchinaguide.com)



Thursday, June 11 Another day of classes. We enjoyed the Guzheng class. After learning the basic skills of playing the instrument, we were able to play a short piece of music together.

Wednesday, June 10 We went to Suzhou, one of the paradise cites in China. We got on the bus at 7:30 and had breakfast on the bus. Around 9:30, we arrived at Tiger Hill.

[[image:micds-chinese-exchange/IMG_0343.JPG width="394" height="298"]]
After Tiger Hill, we went to the famous place for shopping and eating out in Suzhou, Guanqianjie.

We visited one of the four most famous gardens in China, Lingering Garden, which originally was a private garden. "Possessing typical Qing style, it is well-known for the exquisite beauty of its magnificent halls, and the various sizes, shapes, and colors of the buildings. In 1997, it was recorded on the list of the world heritage by UESCO." (www.travelchinaguide.com)

[[image:IMG_0415.JPG width="393" height="297"]] [[image:IMG_0403.JPG width="394" height="296"]]
Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Our first class was a survey about Shanghai. We learned about the history, the population, the economy and development of the city, the biggest city in China.

Our second class today was math with the SFLS students, and it was very different.Whenever someone answered a question, they had to stand up. There were about 40 students in the class. Each desk had one boy and one girl. (As we are discussing, we are eating ice tea ice cubes that have a hint of soap in them.) There were no clocks in the classrooms either. The teacher lectured a lot and there is no air conditioning in any of the classes. The teaching style doesn’t always acknowledge everyone, because there are so many people. The lecture moved pretty and it seemed like some students didn’t understand the material. Also, the students in the back didn’t pay attention and we saw one kid reading an English book.

After lunch, Abbie, Mary Beth, Mia and Skyler played soccer in the basketball court.

The class in the afternoon was paper cutting. Everyone tried to cut one piece. It was not easy even for the simplest one. Paper cutting is a traditional Chinese artwork. Different regions of China have different cutting styles. It is still well used for the special celebration occasions, such as wedding, New Year and anniversaries. People put the finished artwork on windows or doors.

= =

We went to the nearby mall for dinner and shopping.

Monday, June 6, 2015 This was our first day in school. We had Chinese calligraphy in the afternoon. In the evening, we left the campus and went to see a fantastic acrobatic performance.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Everyone came back to the dorm, excited, ready to share their stories.

Saturday morning, Hannah, Caroline, Annie, Justin, Kevin, and Ben all woke up around 8 am and had breakfast. Annie’s host family took her out to morning tea and she tried new foods. Hannah’s host mom made her a fried egg and bought American bread from the market for her breakfast. Ben’s host family fed him dumplings, soup, and hardboiled egg. Kevin had toast, ham, egg, and milk. Justin had rice, dumplings, toasted, and an egg. Caroline had porridge (soup), youtiao (fried bread), and rice. After breakfast, Hannah, Caroline, Annie, Justin, Kevin, and Ben spent the beautiful, sunny morning exploring the streets of Shanghai. Annie took a trip to Suzhou and stayed in a hotel. In order to attract tourists, the hotel allows the guests to buy carrots which they could feed to bunnies which were in a pin outside the hotel lobby. After eating breakfast with her host family, Hannah went to Yu Garden (which the kids will take a field trip to on Friday) with her exchange partner, Elaine. After experiencing the market life and bargaining of Yu Garden, Hannah and Elaine took the underground train to one of the Raffle City malls in Shanghai. In the mall, they walk went into countless stores, many of which can be found in St. Louis malls. Hannah found that the Shanghai mall had Converse, Sephora, MAC, H&M, Hollister, and many more. After shopping, Elaine took Hannah to the Shanghai National History Museum. The museum recently opened and contains multiple animal exhibits. The exhibits contained information of animals like dinosaurs, fish, bears, birds, and many more. Tired from their day of shopping and exploring, Hannah and Elaine took the public bus home and took a nap. Meanwhile, Caroline and Stacy spent their day touring the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition. The museum contained exhibits explaining the fascinating history of Shanghai. Hungry from a morning of learning, Stacy and Caroline headed to the mall to grab some lunch. After lunch, the girls headed back to Stacy's apartment to grab their bathing suits and drove to the Shanghai public pool, a very popular activity the people of Shanghai enjoy doing on their weekends.

Friday, June 5, 2015 The first Chinese breakfast in SFLS. (Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to rotate the pictures in Wikispaces.) After the breakfast, we went to Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC), which was completed in August 28, 2008, being the second tallest skyscraper in mainland China. Having 101 floors with a height of 492 meters (about 1,614 feet), it ranked the top in the heights of roof and usable floor by the time when it was built, announced by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)” (TravelGuiceChina.com) Outside of Shanghai World Financial Center. After spending 3 hours in 正大广场, Super Brand Mall, which is one of the largest shopping malls in Asia, shopping, walking around and having lunch, we boarded the Cruise on Huangpu River. In the mall, we split up into 3 small groups, and met back at 2 pm to board the 3 pm cruise.



Thursday, June 4,2015

After traveling more than 24 hours, we finally arrived at the Shanghai Foreign Language School. One of the teachers, Thomas, brought us some KFC takeout for a quick dinner. Now (10:09pm in Shanghai) in the hallway where I can get a Wifi signal, a few girls are preparing for bed, and all the boys have dropped into a deep sleep about an hour ago (without locking their door!). We are going to tour Shanghai tomorrow, starting bright and early at 8:30 am.

BTW, I got my Chinese SIM Card right at the airport and my local number is 15669920536.

备注 1.如果在机场买电话卡，要上海本地的号或者直接买带国际长途的. 2.2015年建行的单次取款上限是2500.一天内可取至少两次. 工行收$5手续费，单次上限是$5000. 3.2015年在龙之梦吃饭最贵一顿是50元/人. 火车上自带晚餐和早餐. 4.胡同游导游每人十元，车夫每人十元.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Our final full-day in China started at the Lama Temple. A former palace, the residence was turned into a Buddhist temple partially to appease Tibetan subjects. The highlight of the temple is an eighty foot tall Future Buddha made from one sandalwood tree. The tree was harvested in India and transported to China over a span of three years. Since our visit was on the third day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the temple was packed with people praying for well-being.

Next, we took a rickshaw tour of a Hutong district. Hutongs are a traditional Chinese neighborhood built of one-story brick homes along narrow alleys. In fact, Hutong means narrow ally. Owned by the government, the individual homes vary in size, depending on the rank of the family. The larger homes can be identified by their larger doors and higher thresholds. The highlight of the tour was a visit with a local family who taught us how to make dumplings from scratch. Whether it was our doing or not, the dumplings were delicious.

We then hopped back on the bus and drove to the Summer Palace. Built along a massive man-made lake, the palace was an escape from the city heat as well as a center of power for Empress Cixi, perhaps the most powerful woman in Chinese history. Serving as dowager empress for over forty years, Cixi even imprisoned one of the young emperors in a small palace located along the lake.

After a shopping blow-out excursion, we returned to the hotel for our final night in China.

== We ran into PasCal Gentil who won two Olympic Medals in Taikundo and kids were excited to get pictures with him.==

Tuesday, June 11
The day started with a 2 hour drive to the Badaling Great Wall. Built by the Ming to secure their northern border, the Badaling is one of the best preserved of the various walls. Its popularity is further enhanced by Mao’s love of this section of the wall. After a steep climb while navigating between throngs of other tourists, we enjoyed fantastic views of the wall and valleys below.

Next, we visited the Ming Tombs. Of the 13 Ming tombs located outside Beijing, we visited the underground palace. Comprised of 6 cavernous rooms dug at least three floors underground, the tomb is another justifiably popular tourist spot. Although tradition states that no photos should be taken in the tomb to avoid bad spirits, this tradition appears to be broken more often than not.

Monday, June 10
Despite a long night on the train, we hit the ground running in Beijing. Unable to check into our hotel until the afternoon, we set off for Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The size and grandeur of these sites is hard to capture in photographs. Seeing them first hand was a real treat. In order to protect the Emperor from harmful spirits, the palace is laid out as a series of courtyards, each one breath-taking in its size. Although we did not see all 9,999.5 rooms, we were overwhelmed by the palace.

Next stop was the Temple of Heaven. Built over 600 hundred years ago for the Ming Emperors to pray and give thanks for good harvests, the Temple was only used twice a year. Regardless of its infrequent use, you clearly see that good relations with the gods were seen as important to maintain the dynasty’s mandate of heaven.

Finally, we checked into our hotel and settled in for some well-earned rest. A wonderful Kungfu Performance in Red Theater

Sunday, June 9 We wrapped up our tour of Shanghai with a mixture of history and shopping. First, we visited the location of the birth of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. While the room in which the delegates met was small and unimpressive, the museum was quite interesting, emphasizing the importance of foreign aggression in the founding of the party. Next, we walked down the street to the home of Zhou Enlai. Once again, the story was phrased in terms of foreign intervention and domestic collaborators. This narrative was particularly interesting in light of the clear colonial influence in the surrounding city. After a fun shopping excursion, it was back to the dorm to pack and leave for the train depot.

The overnight train to Beijing was a new experience for all, albeit a less than restful night. = = = Saturday, June 8 = Today, rather than taking a Chinese college entrance exam, we decided to play hooky and see more of Shanghai. The first stop was Jing’an Temple. First built in 247 AD, the temple was destroyed during the turbulence of the mid-nineteenth century. Rebuilt by the Qing in the 1880s, the temple is spectacular. Surrounded by modern Shanghai, it is possible to gaze up at a dragon on the temple’s roof and see a Hugo Boss advertisement on an adjoining high rise. Students were even able to, reluctantly, review some of their freshman history class, seeing the story of the first Buddha leaving his palace as a young man and witnessing old age, sickness and death depicted on one of the shrine’s carvings.

Next, we made our way to People’s Square. Unfortunately, our guide book was dated and the Shanghai Art Museum moved a few months ago. Intrepid travelers that we are, we split into various groups to enjoy shopping, the Shanghai Museum or a return to the dorm.

Finally, it was off to a farewell dinner. After a great meal and serenades by our Chinese buddies, the students left for their final home visit. =

= Friday, June 7 = Today, the skies opened up and it rained most of the day. Despite the poor weather, we toured Shanghai. The first stop was the Shanghai Museum. The students spent an hour and a half wandering through various exhibits, from bronze to porcelain to calligraphy and more. After lunch and more shopping, we took a very wet tour of the Yu Garden. Like the Lingering Garden in Suzhou, we saw the four elements of a traditional Chinese garden: rock, water, building and plant. The center-piece of the Yu Garden is called the Exquisite Jade Stone. One of the four most beautiful lake stones in China, this stone is renowned for its many holes. In fact, if one were to burn incense under the stone, the smoke would emerge from 72 different holes in the approximately 10 foot high stone.

= Thursday, June 6 =

Thursday was spent in the classroom. During the morning, we participated in two Chinese classes with Japanese students. During a lunch break, we found a laundry mat and played a pick-up game of soccer. In the afternoon, we learned to play one of two traditional Chinese stringed instruments, Guqins and Guzhengs. First, we learned to play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. Then, we were challenged to play and sing a traditional Chinese song, “Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao”. It was a great deal of fun.

The evening highlight was a trip to the Bund. We successfully navigated the Shanghai metro, making two line changes. The Bund is located on the bank of the Huangpu River, directly across from the new financial district. Built by British colonialists as their center of power, the architecture is grand. The river walk, which gives terrific night views of each bank, the modern and colonial, was crowded with sight-seers. Once again, the students were mobbed by tourists wanting to be photographed with such beautiful young people. After a quick snack at McDonald’s, it was back on the metro.

= Wednesday, June 5 = == It is a lovely day today, around 70 degrees. We drove 2 hours to Suzhou to view Tiger Hill and the Lingering Garden. Tiger Hill is the burial ground of the Emperor Wudi. Built 2,500 years ago, the hill's approximate 50 acres is full of buildings, ponds, rock gardens and pagodas. One of the rocks, the 1000 Person Rock, is a monument to the workers who built the tomb. After completion, the workers were all executed in order to keep the exact location of the tomb a secret. On the top of the hill is an impressive tower that is the most famous monument in Suzhou.==

==After shopping and lunch, only a few dared to taste the eel, we were off to Lingering Garden. Built 300 years ago, Lingering Garden is one of the 4 most beautiful gardens in China. Here, the students enjoyed the 4 major components of a Chinese garden: green plants, rocks, water and buildings. In order to acquire stones with beautiful shapes etched by water erosion, the Chinese dove up to 70 meters to the mined the limestone rocks from the bottom of lakes, often diving as deep as 70 meters to acquire rocks, the most famous of which was over 15 feet tall.==

{ #1 leaning tower in China, the 2nd in the world}


= Tuesday, June 4 (Day 5) = == We attend two Chinese classes with Japanese students followed by a paper-cutting class in the morning. After lunch, we have a basketball game with SFLS students. It is a nice way to make some friends. ==

[ Cheer-leading for our team] [ MICDS VS SFLS ]


= Monday, June 3 = ==**It was rainy in Hangzhou yet sunny in Shanghai over the past weekend. Students went with their buddies to their temporary campus this morning. While entering the campus, we notice that 4-5 students in school uniform lined up both sides by the gate. They take a bow and say "good morning, teachers" when any teachers enter school.**==

==**Our students follow their buddies to classes and experienced a day of school at SFLS. School finishes at 4pm. After dinner at the school cafeteria, we went to the Shanghai Acrobat Show "ERA" in the evening. The show is spectacular: traditional acrobat with sound effect and stage performance. One of them is that 7 motorcycles running inside a globe without hitting each other.**==

Lauren
== Saturday morning, we went to the Jing An temple in Shanghai. it was so cool because it was completely of gold, white jade, and ancient wood. we then went shopping where my host family bought me a shirt and a pair of shorts. we went out to eat before meeting up with Gina, Tyler, Corey, Geneva, and Lindsey and their buddies at KTV. we sang a lot and had a lot of fun together. then Tyler and his buddy left and the rest of us went out to dinner. my buddy and I went home and listened to music and played on the computer before going to sleep. Sunday morning, HuaHua, her family and I, visited an ancient chinese town and bought a lot of little trinkets. we ate on the riverside and it was really an enjoyable experience for me. we then left and went to the mall. we sat at Starbucks for half an hour and talked a lot. then we met Gina and Lindsey with their buddies and did some shopping underground in the subway tunnels. we bought a lot of stuff for cheap then caught the subway so Gina and I could see a movie with our buddies. we met up with Corey and his buddy there and saw Star Trek. it was amazing and then HuaHua and I went back to her house and played on the computer before sleeping that night and waking up for school in the morning. ==

Gina
== Friday night, after the welcoming banquet, grace and I took the subway to her house. before turning in for the night, we walked around Laya plaza, a big shopping mall with indoor and outdoor stores. Saturday morning was spent with Lindsey, Corey, tyler, and Geneva (their respective buddies being Cindy, mike, Eric, and Cheryl). we met at the Shanghai Science and Technology museum. it was very similar to the science center, but much much larger, much more crowded, and in Chinese. the surrounding area is like a park, but with much more cement. people were flying kites and playing with their kids (it was Children's Day) and snapping photos of some awesome sculptures and floral arrangements. we ate lunch and shopped around the subway station directly below the museum. this was were I discovered how good my buddy grace is at bartering! I hope I picked up a few tips while with her. afterwards, we met with Lauren and her buddy HuaHua to sing karaoke. the karaoke was not in a bar, but rather small and well furnished rooms that took up an entire floor of a skyscraper. we wrapped up with dinner at a Hot Pot, a restaurant where you order a flavored soup at boiling temperatures and cook your own meat and vegetables in it (the soup doesn't actually get eaten). it was a unique experience and an AMAZING ONE. == == Sunday was a day spent with HuaHua and Lauren. I did not wake up until late in the day; Grace and I had a lazy morning. grace took all of us, plus Lindsey and Cindy shopping in underground subway tunnels. I don't know exactly how everything got down there: most shops were legitimate and non barter-able. Lindsey and Cindy left early. we finished our shopping now that Lauren got what she had been looking to buy, and met Corey and Mike and a movie theater in another luxury "name brand-only" mall to see Star Trek. I loved being able to read some of the Chinese subtitles. Lauren and I read the characters we recognized out loud. all in all, a fantastic weekend. --Gina Carr ==

Max
== My buddy and I had a very fun time over the weekend. We went home after the banquet and went to bed because we had a big day tomorrow. The next day went first the the Chinese Pavilion, also known as the art museum. It was very cool. we then went to the Saudi Arabian Pavilion where we say a 3D movie. We then went to the Science and Technology Museum, which was also very cool. after our day, we went to Rudy's grandparents house where we made traditional dumplings. After dinner, we went to Depung Park where we saw Shanghai all lit up. It was very cool. Then next day we went to the temple where there was lots of shopping. We got gifts for the family, and met up with Harry and his buddy. Later that evening we went to a Korean Barbecue restaurant, that was very tasty. I enjoyed my weekend very much! ==

Lindsay
== Friday night after the banquet, I went back to Sidney's house and had more dinner with her family. Her mother made a vegetable and rice mix that Sidney her mother, father and I ate together. After I went straight to bed because I was still very tired from traveling. On Saturday, we woke up, stopped by McDonald's and met up with a group of students at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. the museum was huge and there were hundreds of people waiting in line to get in because it was national children's day in china. we saw an IMAX movie inside and looked around for a few hours until we went shopping. While shopping one of the buddies, grace, was amazing at bargaining for fake purses, shoes, etc. and it was very fun. That night a group of us went out to dinner at a place that reminded me of the melting pot because we each poked our own food in soup. In Sunday my host family treated me to a traditional Chinese breakfast, we saw the bund area and went to a movie. it was a very nice weekend and my family was very kind! ==

Abby,
== after the welcoming ceremony my buddy took me back to her house where her family and I cooked a traditional Chinese dinner. then I went to sleep. the next day we went shopping with some of my buddies friends. they knew small little shopping in alleys that had some very cute items. after that we went to a party city and did karaoke for three hours. while there we met up with 2 more of her friends and sang for a while. after that we went back shopping and then everyone went back to my buddies house and made home made dumplings. they were really really good. the next day my buddy and her family took me to a theme park and we stayed there for a few hours. we then went to an ancient city called zhu jia jiao. there we did more shopping. after that we went back home and went to bed. the next day I went to school with my buddy. school there is 9 hours. it was a long day. after that I took a cab back to the dorm and we all went at saw a circus act that was really really cool. after that we all went back to the dorm. ==

= Sunday, June 2 = ==**We traveled to the Lingyin Temple. Build one thousand years ago, the temple honored the various monks who had traveled east to collect Buddhist manuscripts from India. To get to the temple, we followed a wooded path next to a mountain stream. Along the way, we cut off the path to explore an extensive cave complex. The caves and cliff faces contained several hundred carvings depicting various Buddhist stories and monks. It was a fantastic sight.**==

==**The temple complex was centered on three main temples built up the side of the mountain. Between the temples, pilgrims could burn incense as they prayed. The sights and smells of the experience were truly unique.**==

= Saturday, June 1 = ==**While the students enjoyed their weekends with their host families, the teachers experienced a brief trip to Hangzhou. Built on the banks of the West Lake, Hangzhou is renown for its beauty. In fact, Hangzhou is traditionally believed to rival heaven.**==

==**Over the centuries, various dynasties had built numerous causeways and islands in the lake. Along the pathways, we enjoyed viewed pagodas, water gardens and fish ponds. Since the Chinese were celebrating Children's Day, the banks of the lake were crowded with families and thanks to the street vender's brisk sale of bird whistles, the air was full of the sound of Orioles.**==

**Next, we traveled into the heart of the city to see a place built in the mid-nineteenth century. While the architecture was spectacular, the interior rock gardens were the highlight of the palace.**


= Friday, May 31 = =Despite the rain, we toured Shanghai and met our exchange buddies. First, we went to the Shanghai World Financial Center. From the street, the building disappeared into the clouds. From the top (423 meters), we saw lots of clouds but had a good time taking photos with other tourists – the kids were a big hit. Next was a trip to the largest shopping mall in Shanghai for lunch. Meals ranged from traditional American fair to local Chinese cuisine. After lunch, we took a ride on the Haungpu River. From the water, we got a great view of the old and new sections of the city, as well as many coal barges. After a brief rest, it was off to our welcoming dinner. All of the students met their buddies and then departed for a weekend stay with their host families. Monday morning is a return to school and classes.=

**Details for 2011 China Trip can be found under the tab "2011 China Trip" to the right column.**
= = = 外国语大学附属外国语学校 (Shanghai Foreign Language School, SFLS) = 上海市虹口区中山北一路295号 电话号码: 65423105



Reference website: http://www.crossculturaladventures.com/

中文wiki: http://chinese.wikispaces.micds.org/

7. 书法用品和读本到 福州路 买.
= = =2015= BTW, I got my Chinese SIM Card right at the airport and my local number is 15669920536.
 * 备注 **
 * 1.如果在机场买电话卡，要上海本地的号或者直接买带国际长途的. **
 * 2.2015年建行的单次取款上限是2500.一天内可取至少两次. 工行收$5手续费，单次上限是$5000. **
 * 3.2015年在龙之梦吃饭最贵一顿是50元/人. 火车上自带晚餐和早餐. **
 * 4.胡同游导游每人十元，车夫每人十元 **

16. 自费参观杭州的【灵隐寺】500罗汉，估价.
reference: page 20 --> http://www.chinaprograms.org/wp-content/uploads/Comprehensive%20Survey%20%282011%29.pdf
 * 建议SFLS 安排小组座谈 【上海外国语大学】讲中美主题，比如：中美关系，中美教育，中国的女性社会等等，最好是先知道学生们的历史课上了什么？
 * 课外学生座谈会：邀请SLFS全校学生参与座谈会 Q & A, 可结合小组座谈 【上海外国语大学】

2012 阿根廷旅游
 2017 Trip Thursday, June 1 After long flight, with short transit in Chicago, we finally arrived in Shanghai. The weather was fine, somewhat foggy but didn't need to wear masks. Dinner was at the school cafeteria. Due to long travel, everyone was kind of quiet at the dinner table. Then, we walked to a nearby supermarket, Carrour, for a quick stop. On the way back, students were using their survival skills to find the way back and they got it. Friday, June 2 We woke up to a beautiful day--humidity and smog were mostly gone. Dumplings and boiled eggs for breakfast In the school cafeteria. We started the day by taking a bus to the finanicial center and taking a high-speed elevator up to the top of what is referred to as the "bottle opener" since the second tallest building in Shanghai has a large sqare opening in the middle of the top of the building. We took a group photo in front of a green screen (yes, next to the actaul panoramic view), bought som funny trinkets and stuffed animals and then went down. We walked along a promenade and then ate lunch in a nearby mall. Everyone chose to eat in different restaurants, each specializing in some kind of udon soup or dim sum. In the afternoon, we took a riverboat along the Huang Pu river and glided past the older part of the city on one side and the newer part, with the "Bottle Opener" and Pearl Tower (the iconic television antenna with its gigantic orbs), on the other. We finished the day with a large buffet (shrimp, pork, beef, and several other dishes) in the school cafeteria, meant to officially welcome us to Shanghai and the school. The faculty and students of the exchange families ate with us. And Dan Sadicario gave a stirring speech that had everyone moved, almost to the point of tears. Almost. Weekend Jamerson On Friday after the party I went back to my buddies house and we went through some pictures. We then went and got full body massages from blind people. On Saturday we went ice skating (she is a figure skater). We got lunch and ice cream and then went to a temple at the center of Shanghai we took the subway back home. Then I went to shanghai's oldest slaughter house (it's a park with a Starbucks now). Then my buddy and I went to see Wonder Woman! On Sunday I went to Disneyland with Kelly, Wendy, and my buddy! Grace I had a great weekend!!! On Friday, Suzy took me to see Pirates of the Caribbean and then we went home and slept. We woke up and went to breakfast with her mom and dad, and then we drove to Hang Zhou. We went to a tea farm and walked around. We had lunch and dinner there, and at night we saw a water show from our hotel. We took a night walk by the West Lake and went to bed. We woke up in the morning and had breakfast at the hotel, which was really good. We then went to the West Lake and took one of the boats on the river. We then went to a famous temple and then drove back to Shanghai. We went to the Huang Pu river and saw the lights at night; we went to both sides. I then went back to the dorms. It was a great weekend, and I really like my host family!! Nick Saturday, 6/3 Woke up, had a great Chinese breakfast with dumplings and fruit. Runze took me to the ice skating rink in one of the malls, after which we had lunch. He got tired and had some work to do, so we took a bus back home. , Runze's parents invited me to go on a little trip with them to Fudan University. We rented some bikes and rode around the campus, taking pictures along the way. Soon, we started biking to Runze's grandparents' apartment where we had dinner. Afterwards, we walked back home. Sunday, 6/4 Woke up, went to this. Had this good tofu soup and fried dough. Afterwards, Runze and I headed back to the apartment for a bit. His parents came back soon after. Runze had homework to do, so his parents took me to the Shanghai. Stayed there for a few hours, went to the bank, had a fantastic lunch of beef noodles, then headed back to the apartment for a couple hours. We went back to his grandparents' place for dinner, after which they took me back to SFLS. Monday, June 5 Monday began with a breakfast of pork-stuffed buns followed by our first class of the week: an introduction to Shanghai history and culture. The second of the two morning classes was a review the basics of the language. Lunch was a light mix of chicken in a brown sauce, steamed spinach, and other items. Some students went to KFC to 'mix up' the menu with some comfort food. In the afternoon, we tried our hand (and patience) at the art of paper cutting. Armed with small razor blades and scissors, we cut around the black ink of animals and other figures. The process was very meditative, and we had great discussions as we slowly made our way. As rain began to fall, we moved on to gym class for our last period of the day. This was our first class with regular students from the school, so some of the girls played ping pong with the local students while the rest of us played badminton. We went back to the dorm, and some had a 'snack party' where we tried a dozen or so of the Chinese treats that we had picked up in stores and from host families. After some rest and a surprisingly American dinner in the school cafeteria (tomatoes and eggs, french fries, chicken nuggets, spinach), we left for Era: An Intersection of Time, the Chinese acrobatic show. The show was exciting, like Cirque Du Solei (sp?) but without the clowns and only the stunts. Despite an early night, we were all exhausted and tucked in for an early sleep. Tuesday, June 6 The day began with a course on calligraphy. After reviewing basic characters and their evolution, kids were given brushes and ink and taught how to make the unique curves and twists and flicks that give the art its spirit and beauty. We ate a light lunch in the cafeteria, and, since we had a two hour break between classes, walked to the park as a group. The park was mainly inhabited by older people, some sitting and conversing, some practicing choreography with swords, and some exercising on what seemed to be various no-weight nautilus pulleys. We then walked to FamilyMart to get snacks and such. The favorites seem to be a starburst-like candy called Hi-Chew and a series of FamilyMart's own line of teas that come in small-milk containers and are infused with various flowers and fruit. Mrs. Childs took us through backstreets, through a great scene of local, common life, on our way back to the school. The afternoon class was spent in the gym for a brief taste of Tai Chi and then some ping pong. After dinner at the school, we walked through immense crowds to the bund where we were treated to the iconic view of the illuminated buildings of the Shanghai financial district at night. The crowds were relatively light because of the slight drizzle, yet we still struggled to find a spot to take a picture as the entire boardwalk was filled with people. On our way back to the subway, we stopped at Innisfree where the girls excitedly stocked up on face masks. We ended the night with a long, sleepy trek back to the dorms; Shanghai has 21 subway lines; we took four to get home. Wednesday, June 7 We boarded a small bus with some of the male exchange students and recent graduate Caroline Dong and began the long journey to to Suzhou. On the way we ate donuts and sweet croissants for breakfast. When there, we walked by many shops and stinky tofu on the way to a very large and special garden, constructed in the Ming Dynasty by a wealthy lord during feudalism times. We got to admire the beautiful vegetation, stone paths, iconic tiled roofs, and delicate wood work within the houses placed throughout the property. We stopped at what we thought was going to be a good restaurant but turned out to be more of the Chinese equivalent of a "greesy spoon." We then took the bus over to Guan Quin where we shopped around for silks and other items. We finished the tour by walking through a garden from the Jing Dynasty, constructed circa 400 BC. After a long drive back home (our first group experience of rush hour traffic in Shanghai), the kids ate pizza at the mall and then took Nick to a sort-of-surprise birthday party. Nick got a shirt, a birthday hat, a birthday card/notebook with notes from all the students and teachers/chaperones and a birthday cake. A variety of Chinese snacks and drinks were consumed as the everyone sang and danced into Nick's 15th year. Thursday June 8 Some kids woke up early with Mrs. Childs to go jog in the park. At this point, we were all getting a bit tired of breakfast in the cafeteria, so some ate just the dumplings and some ate nothing at all. School began with a class on music appreciation; we were shown videos that covered a wide survey of instruments, singing, and dancing, from the origins and most traditional to the modern evolution of each form. So You Think You Can Dance China Edition is fascinating! The kids were taught a song that was sung as a duet by a famous Chinese singe along with Celine Dion. We ate lunch at school, but, because of our waning taste for the cafeteria food, we had a second lunch of Subway at the mall where we also got dragon fruit and mango smoothies. In the afternoon everyone went with their exchange buddies to sit in on the actual classes attended by the Shanghai Foreign Language students. Many of us enjoyed a lively debate in English class over animal rights. We finished up the day with a culture class on clothing, followed by a class that taught us how to conduct a tea ceremony. After dinner, we went out to a game shop that has all sorts of board games and card games to play in various rooms set up to lounge in. Tired and a bit goofy, we had a great time playing various card games. This also showed how much the group has bonded and come together at this point. Friday, June 9 School’s out! No more classes till August! We drove on a bus to the Shanghai Art Museum, a beautifully marbled museum about half the size of the St. Louis Art Museum but incredibly rich with art, history and culture. We saw clothes (both ritual and casual) from the last four centuries and areas spanning from Shanghai to Mongolia. There was one outfit made out of Salmon skin! Wooden masks for ritual and theater, boats, tea sets, jade, landscape paintings, paintings of birds, pottery, sculpture, iron axes, wine vessels and food pots. It was interesting to see that much of the art was created during the Ming dynasty while Europe was having its own cultural boom we call the Renaissance. Afterwards, we drove over to the People’s Square, a shopping district known for its beautiful its tall, multi-storied pavilions with white surface, black supports and gold trim. A long, zig zagging bridge cuts through the center of the district as a huge collection of coy fish swims around below. The kids did the brunt of their Shanghai gift shopping here, but more interesting was all the food stops sprinkled throughout--soups steamed, dumplings sizzled, moon cakes were squeezed into form, tofu bubbled in the deep fryer, skewers of chicken were dipped in sweet barbecue sauce. With our new found treasures, we rode back to the dorms where kids left with their exchange buddies for the weekend  In the middle of our rickshaw roll, we stopped to paint shrimp using the brushes and ink used for calligraphy.