Yearning for Home

"When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home” Thornton Wilder

I could not wait to get back home, particularly when I was stuck in Chicago. I attempted to keep updating the blog via text message while there because the internet was not available. With a night in my own bed behind me, let me see though, if I can capture the final 24 hours of my China adventure.

The flight from Shanghai left the airport there almost two hours late. We were held up, sitting on the airplane, by bad weather in Shanghai. It had rained several times during our stay though the weather did break the day we ascended to the 100^th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center. The storm at the airport abated just enough to allow us to rise shakily into the air and on our way back to the USA. Our initial flight plan called for a parabola over Russia, Alaska, and Canada before landing in Chicago. The plan was drastically changed though. Instead of following a mostly land-based route, our plane flew straight out over the Pacific Ocean on a Northeast heading. We guessed at the reason for the change from the flight path the video on our seatback was showing. I guessed that the delay on the ground necessitated the change to a faster route. My seatmates felt that the recent shooting at an airliner by the South Korean Army was the actual reason. Whatever the cause, we crossed the ocean directly.

The flight passed without incident. It took almost 14 hours to complete. We gained back the day we had lost in our flight to China. According to the itinerary, we landed 45 minutes after we took off due to the crossing of time zones. Because of the delay in Shanghai, several of us worried about catching our connecting flight as we left the airplane. After collecting our luggage, we had to go through Customs. That behind us, we re-checked our bags and hustled from Terminal 5 where International flights land at Chicago-O’Haire to Terminal 1 where United Domestic flights departed. Arriving at Terminal 1, I found out the flight to Charlotte had been delayed, giving me the time to get to the Gate and board without being late.

Once on board, I stowed my laptop bag and fastened my seatbelt for the two-hour flight to Charlotte. The rest of the passengers found their seats and the airplane door was closed. The Captain apologized for the delay and said that he did not know why we had been delayed, but that he was hopeful to get skyward quickly. Moments later, he was back on the intercom apologizing because our flight had been cancelled as the plane was being pushed away from the gate. He pulled our plane back in while the Flight Attendant told us that we would have to report to Customer Service for a new flight. I was dumb-founded. There seemed no reason to cancel our flight. The reason given was that the runway was backed up. We would have been 31^st in line to take-off.

I called my best friend and partner, Rene, for help. She took up the task of trying to get her husband home and wound up spending hours on the phone with the airline. She found out there were no more flights to Charlotte that night. Meanwhile, I was standing in line at Customer Service. No fewer than 800 people were in front of me. I found out that almost every flight had been cancelled. The line stretched down the hallway and out of the Terminal. I could not see the Customer Service desk from my place in line.

I was resigned to waiting it out when an alarm began sounding throughout the terminal. An announcement proclaimed a “Tornado Warning.” We were herded down into the tunnels between the terminals where we would stay for almost two hours waiting for the storm to pass. We received reports that as many as three tornados had touched down near the airport. While I waited out the storm, Rene found me a hotel, no easy task with so many stranded passengers. When the all-clear sounded, I went outside to wait on the hotel shuttle. After standing in the rain for a while, the van finally appeared.

In the van, I began visualizing the cozy bed, spending some catching up on emails, possible posting a blog entry, reading a little bit, and perhaps turning on the television and hearing English. I noticed many trees down. Turning into the hotel parking lot, I was confused to see it darkened inside. The hotel had lost power during the storm. Without power, they had to check us in by writing our name on a sheet of copy paper and walking us to our rooms by candlelight. With no other options, I climbed in the bed after being left in a pitch-black room.

Checking-in by candlelight

The next morning the power was still out. I was disappointed to learn that they could not provide any breakfast because of the power situation. Rather than wait in the dark hotel until my afternoon flight, I jumped back on the shuttle and returned to the airport where I breakfasted on a McDonald’s Sausage biscuit while answering emails.

At 2PM, I found myself back on a plane, holding my breath until the plane began taxi-ing down the runway. It wasn’t until we were in the air that I finally felt the relief of going home. Our flight landed earlier than expected. Rene was on-time based on the schedule, but later than I arrived. As I stood waiting on the sidewalk talking to her on the phone, she repeatedly apologized for being late. I laughed and said that it was really just in keeping with the theme of the trip. I was completely unconcerned though because I was back in North Carolina, minutes away from returning home.

The trip was absolutely phenomenal! I loved everything I encountered. Nothing I encountered though caused such an emotional response as seeing my wife and family after being away. Perhaps Mr. Wilder was correct; we want to be traveling when we are at home and we want to be at home when we are traveling. For myself, I cannot wait for the opportunity to share all that I encountered with our staff and students.

Thank you for joining me for this journey. You are invited to stay with me as I travel through this year. I have posted pictures from the trip on Facebook. You may see them here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.196324300417501

I hope you have a wonderful summer and that you also have an opportunity to chase an adventure (or be chased by it!)    

I am sitting on the plane in Chicago hoping to take-off for Charlotte shortly. My adventure may be finally winding down. Thanks for joining me for the journey.

After being checked in at the hotel last night with paper & pencil, I was escorted to my room and issued a candle. I slept well in the dark and caught the shuttle back to the airport where I have a 2PM flight and hope to be home today! 5 of 6 flights on this trip have been cancelled or delayed. The question must be: "is the journey worth the hurdles?" My answer: "Absolutely!"

The fun continues! After being pulled off of the plane to Charlotte when the flight was cancelled, a Tornado Watch forced us into the tunnels between terminals. After sitting out the Tornado Watch, I waited in the rain for the hotel shuttle. We arrived at the hotel to find the power wasn't working and we could not check in. I could be fussing and stamping my feet. Instead I am laughing through each new development as I continue on this journey that seems not to end.

While waiting in line, a tornado watch was issued and everyone had to squeeze down into the tunnels between the terminals. While waiting out the storm, my wonderful wife found me a flight tomorrow and a hotel room. She rocks!

Wow! The journey continues! While sitting on the plane waiting to push back from the terminal, the flight was cancelled! We had to unfasten our seatbelts and exit the plane. The line for Customer Service is about 800 people long. I am in the Chicago airport trying to find a way home. Never fear, I will get there! :)

After checking through Customs and running from Terminal 5 to Terminal 1, I have made it onto a very small plane bound for Charlotte and home. I cannot wait to see my family, drink a real Diet Coke, and have a meal that does not involve a Lazy Susan! It has been a great trip!

I just landed in Chicago. It is SO great to be back in the U.S.! Hoping to be home by midnight if we make the connecting flight. We were held up by bad weather in Shanghai.

Love Me Do

Today was our final full day in China. We started our day at the Shanghai World Financial Center. The building has 101 floors and stands over 1600 feet tall. In 2009, the building was recognized by Guinness World Records for having the World’s highest observation deck and having the highest hotel as the Park Hyatt Shanghai occupies Floors 79-93. Standing on a glass floor, I looked down on the cars below. They were so small that they were not even the length of my fingernail when I held my hand out. I look forward to sharing pictures once I return home.

 

We were given an opportunity to spend time on a self-guided walking tour in downtown Shanghai. It was beautiful. The sidewalks were lined with trees. Buildings soared all around and yet, it still managed to feel open.

 

Our next stop took us to a Middle School in Southern Shanghai. The students were very friendly, each wearing their red scarf and listening intently as their teachers spoke. One class had a boy and girl class leader stand and recite a welcome to us in English. Both welcomed us to “our very beautiful, very modern school.” I could not decide if this was their feeling or if they were simply reciting what they had been taught. The building was very clean, if a bit old. It had its own water purification system that the Assistant Principal proudly showed us. The students worked from workbooks with the teachers teaching from the front of the room. Like the school in Beijing, cameras were also mounted in their classrooms so that the teachers and students could be observed. When given the opportunity, the only question the students had was asked by a young lady near the front of the room. She wanted to know if any of the Americans could speak Chinese. Sadly, we could only parrot a few phrases we had learned while here. The Chinese students begin learning English in the first grade.

 

For dinner, we again sat at a round table with a Lazy Susan that was constantly replenished. While I have enjoyed the food, I am looking forward to adding variety again to my diet. It seems that we have had the same meal every day for every meal for the entirety of our trip. I am sure that some dishes were present for some meals that were not for others, but they are running together now.

 

We ended our day with a Riverboat cruise down the center of Shanghai. The buildings come alive at night, lit with neon and splashed with colors. Walkers were everywhere enjoying the night air. We were told that as almost all city residents live in apartments, they are out and about throughout the city more than we might be because they do not have their own yards to enjoy.

Somehow I have wound up using the titles to Beatles’ songs to title each day’s entries. Today I chose “Love me do.” It really does not have anything to do with a person. It has to do with the powerful feeling that consumes me now. I cannot wait to get back home, to the U.S. While here, I have seen policemen on every corner and solders posted throughout the city. I have been unable to access Facebook, Youtube, or Twitter to share pictures or updates with friends and family. Access to my blog was blocked on the second day of my journey because I simply shared that we had visited Tiananmen Square. China is beautiful and the people we have met were awesome, but I have within me a new appreciation for our home and for the freedoms we enjoy. To my country, please allow a sappy, homesick patriot to borrow the words of four Brits and say, “Love, love me do. You know I love you. I'll always be true. So please, love me do.” As a nation and as a people, we have been blessed.

 

It will take weeks to process all that I have experienced. I am so grateful to EF for providing this trip to our State for the State Principal of the Year. It has been amazing. After seeing how hard the Chinese are working to become a global force, I am more convinced that our students must be fully prepared for life in the 21^st Century where they will have to compete with Chinese students (and others around the world) for the best jobs, collaborate with the Chinese on work teams made-up of multiple nationalities, and successfully communicate across cultures and backgrounds.

 

Thank you for sharing this journey with me. Thank you to my colleague who has been posting my blogs each day. (I’ll explain our process after I get back home.) Thank you to our school staff who have taken care of CHS in my absence. Finally, thank you to my family for being so understanding during the chaotic weeks leading up to our school’s first Graduation and my flight to China hours afterward.  

How Do You Do It?

Wow! We did not slow down at all today, doing our best to make-up for lost time yesterday. The morning started with breakfast in the hotel. We had an earnest conversation about whether or not the hotel was serving leftovers from dinner for breakfast. We have noticed that the Chinese serve the same foods regardless of the meal and that this morning’s fare sure resembled last night’s menu at the hotel restaurant. I suppose that helps curb waste and could be considered “green,” but there is something about fried pork over noodles at breakfast that just doesn’t work as well for me.

After breakfast we climbed aboard our bus for a long day. Our local guide joined us. Her English name is Jasmine. John is still with us, though John and Jasmine don’t go together as well as John and Yoko did in Beijing. Jasmine spent the initial ride teaching us about Shanghai. It is the most populated city in China, with 23 million residents, though it occupies 1/3rd the land size of Beijing. It has over 14,000 skyscrapers (more than Chicago and New York combined.) Traffic is almost at a standstill with the number of cars they have on the road. To combat the problem (aggravated by a lack of land), they have built 9 subway systems, interstates that are completely bridges over land and water alike, and 11 tunnels under the river. Watching our various bus drivers combat traffic has alternated between being funny and being scary in the extreme.

Our first stop today was the Jade Buddha Temple. I cannot wait to make it home to be able to post pictures as it was breathtaking. We watched as Buddhists lit incense in the burners in the courtyard and began praying/chanting in each of the four cardinal directions while holding the incense aloft. It was odd to be touring/taking pictures while worshippers were kneeling to pray. They did not notice our presence and seemed to be able to pray/worship without being distracted. Jasmine shared that they need the money raised by the tourists to support the various Temples and Monasteries and willingly made the trade-off of tourists walking by parishioners in the act of worship. We did observe the monks going through a ceremony. Afterwards we found out that the ceremony was carried out daily to bless the trinkets/souvenirs sold in the Temple. The Buddhists believe that souvenirs bought in the Temple brought good luck and harmony. Many Chinese people were in the Temple and seemed to be buying many souvenirs to take back home with them.

As we rode to our next stop, Jasmine shared that the cities visited on our trip were perfect because they really gave you an overview of Chinese history. She said, “If you want to know Chinese history 2,000 years ago, go to Xi’an, our Ancient Capital, home to many dynasties. If you want to know Chinese history 500 years ago, go to Beijing, our current capital, home to the last two dynasties. If you want to know Chinese history over the last 100 years, go to Shanghai where you will experience modern China, a very modern city and their finance and fashion capital.”

After a trip through traffic, we arrived at the Yu Yuan Gardens, a gorgeous garden. The garden was built by a retired politician who made Shanghai his retirement home. The reception areas featured furniture from the Qing Dynasty, known for being very ornate and detailed. It featured multiple ponds and walkways. Along the top of the brick fence ran a dragon that encircled the garden. At the time the garden was built, only the emperor was allowed to use the symbols of the dragon. The builder got around this by having a three-toed dragon. Everyone knew that dragons had five toes, so his must be a fake dragon, sparing him from the emperor’s wrath for using his symbol. At one time, a hill in the garden was the highest point in all of Shanghai. Today that hill is dwarfed by every one of the 14,000+ skyscrapers and most of the buildings not tall enough to classified a skyscraper.

Leaving the Garden, we entered a popular shopping district, much to the delight of several of companions. Many did their part to aid the local economy. The Chinese seem to love haggling so prices are rarely posted and never firm. It becomes a game to purchase anything. You always walk away wondering if you paid more than you had to.

We next visited a Thai restaurant. Eating food from Thailand in China was an interesting experience. The food was certainly Thai, but was served Chinese-style with a large Lazy Susan in the middle of the table and plate after plate placed on it to be served family-style.

Our next stop took us to the Knock-off District, easily the largest shopping mall I have ever been in. It was filled with stores, each selling name-brand merchandise at suspiciously low prices. We were told as we exited the bus, “Remember, nothing here is real, regardless of the tag.” While walking through, I looked at a pair of Ugg boots, a favorite of my step-daughter. The tag on the back of the boot was sewn on upside down. I am pretty confident that those were not Ugg boots at all! Though I did not by anything, it was fun trying to spot the mistakes in the manufacturing.

Our final stop for the night was a Chinese Acrobat show. It absolutely defied description as acrobats tossed each other in to the air, bent their bodies into shapes that I would have thought impossible to get into, and generally made me grimace in pain for them. We found out that Shanghai has several acrobatic schools and that children begin to study there as early as five years old.

We have one more full day in Shanghai before our flights take us back home. I am looking forward to another fun-filled and fact-filled as I continue to discover much about this remarkable land and her people. After another vey full day, arriving back at the hotel after 9:30PM, I can’t help but wonder how frequent travelers do it. I am starting to feel tired and certainly a bit homesick for my family and my country. What an amazing opportunity I have been given and one I deeply appreciate, but in the end, as Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home!”

Not a Second Time

Today was a day of delays from start to finish. We left our hotel in Xi’an at 8AM for the hour-long drive to the airport, needing to arrive by 9AM for our 11AM flight to Shanghai. We arrived at the airport right on time, found the needed ATMs to replenish our dwindling resources, checked our baggage in, and headed to the Security Checkpoint. For the second time on this trip, I was pulled out of line to stand on a box and be “wanded.” The female agent did not miss an inch of my body as she checked me for contraband. I am not sure what caused me to be chosen, but it was over pretty quickly and we were on our way.

Arriving at our gate, we received the first of many messages concerning our flight. Our plane was delayed due to the weather somewhere else. Later it was delayed due to aircraft maintenance. Then it was delayed due to heavy air traffic. Finally, at 2:30PM, our 11AM flight began to board. We had passed the time reading, napping, and looking at the pictures we had taken while here.

It was a relief to finally be in our seats on the “China Eastern” flight. Everyone was seated with their “carry-on luggage stowed away under the seat in front of them or in the overhead compartments, their seatbelts fastened, and their seats in the upright position.” The passengers on the flight were ready to go. The Flight Attendants had found their seats. We heard the voice of the Captain. However, rather than the “Welcome Aboard” speech we anticipated, he shared with us that we would be sitting on the plane for some 50 minutes before taking off.

I do not know what this delay was caused by. However, when it comes to flying, safety is paramount, so I didn’t complain. In fact, no one in our group had complained all day about the delays that kept mounting. One secret to successful travel must be an attitude of patience.

After waiting the 50 minutes, our plane finally climbed skyward. Ahead was a 2 hour flight to Shanghai, our final destination for this trip. The flight experienced some turbulence due to weather, but was otherwise unremarkable. Our pilot proved my previous assetion wrong when he gently touched the airplane down in Shanghai. We exited the plane and found our baggage.

Our awesome Tour Guide, John, led us to our bus and we began the drive into the city proper. He spent the hour it took teaching us about the city. It is the largest city in China based on population with almost 23 million residents, but occupies only 1/3^rd the land that Beijing does. The lack of land has forced the city ever upward. John said that New York city has over 4,000 buildings with 20 or more floors, while Shanghai has over 14,000, including the world’s third tallest building, The World Financial Center, at 100 floors tall. We are planning to visit it tomorrow.

We arrived at our hotel at about 7PM. We quickly received our room keys and headed for the elevators. Here we found our final delay of the day. The Hotel is extremely nice and was hosting an important banquet. They had closed some elevators to only be used by the banquet attendees, leaving only two to take care of the 34 of us and our luggage. Being the Southern Gentleman my mother had instructed me to be from an early age, I deferred to all of our female companions and then to all of the older gentlemen. After almost 30 minutes, my roommate and I were finally on our way up. The room is the nicest we have had.

We visited no sites today and saw little of China outside of the Xi’an airport, but perhaps we needed a slower day to catch our breath and prepare for the whirlwind our final days in this country will be. Regardless of the Beatle’s song title at the top of this blog, asking that we have a flight delay, “Not a Second Time,” we did. However, as before, it all worked out and our journey continues.

Flying

Last night we arrived in Xi’an about midnight, a full 10 hours later than expected. Our original flight had been cancelled with no explanation given. Unlike American airline companies, we were not automatically scheduled onto another flight. Instead the Tour Group Company, EF, had to work hard in the background to find seats for us on another flight. They did. This flight was late in arriving and late in leaving. We flew on an airline called China Eastern Air. The accommodations onboard were typical, but hearing the pre-flight speech from the Flight Attendant in another language completely reminded me that we were not at home, and in fact, were on the other side of the world. I slept through most of the flight, but was quickly awakened by the landing. I only have this one flight to go on, but I am not sure if they call their wheels first making contact with the ground “touching down,” like I am used to. Instead we slammed to the ground in a landing that jarred our teeth. They say that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. This was a good landing.

We got into our rooms about 1:15AM. We are staying in the beautiful Xi’an Hotel. We met the bus this morning about 8AM, ready for another full day. I was surprised by how large the city is. We knew it would be the smallest city we would visit and that colored my expectations. Like Beijing, apartment buildings fill the city with skyscrapers. Some 8.3 million people live here in what is referred to as the “Ancient Capital.” It served as the capital for eleven different dynasties, including the first Chinese dynasty, the Qing (pronounced Ching.) The first emperor of the Qing Dynasty was responsible for building the Great Wall and the 8th Wonder of the World, The Terracotta Warriors.

The Terracotta Warriors were our first destination. In 1975, a farmer was digging a well. He unearthed a soldier’s head made of terracotta. Local politicians heard of his discovery and sent our archaeologists to discover the source of this head. American archaeologists were also invited in. All told, more than 7,000 life-sized terracotta warriors and horses were found. The first Emperor had them created to guard his tomb. He expected that after he died, the army that he had buried would protect him in the afterlife. They were lined up in battle formation, seemingly ready to march out of their underground home to protect their emperor. After his death, a peasant revolution brought about the end of the dynasty. In the war that followed, enemies broke in to the Terracotta Warriors home and broke them up ad burned the timbers supporting the roof. They were found almost 2,000 years later when the farmer began digging. Many have been repaired and now stand again in their places of honor. Most are still buried and are being painstakingly unearthed by the archaeologists who continue the work. It is estimated that it will take generations to finish.

The rest of our day included a “Dumpling Banquet,” a visit to an Art Museum where we were able to practice writing in Chinese symbols, a visit to the City Walls, and a stop at a Buddhist Temple. It has been a full day.

I have taken hundreds of pictures to share, but can no longer access my blog to post any. Once I used the name Tiananmen Square, it became blocked. I can also not access Facebook or Twitter. It can be easy to forget that I am in a Communist country until things like being blocked from certain sites by the government quickly remind me that this is not home. I am loving the journey and have walked around in constant amazement. I will keep emailing my entries to a colleague who is posting them for me. I look forward to processing this whirlwind of information over the coming months and appreciate the opportunity to share the journey with you.

With a Little Help from My Friends

Today was a great day! We started our day at the Temple of Heaven. Twice a year the Temple was used by the emperors to pray in for a good harvest. It is surrounded by a beautiful park. The park was filled with Senior Citizens who were exercising, playing cards, knitting, chatting with their friends, and having a great time. We went into the wooded area and practiced Tai Chi with a Master Teacher. Though none in our group were able to stretch as low as he did, we did have a great time. Later we visited the Temple. It was beautiful.

Before leaving the Temple we found out that our noon flight to Xi’an was cancelled. Rather than panic, our amazing Tour Guide John began adding stops to our agenda while his company worked on getting us a flight. We went to a well-known Tea House and were able to participate in a Tea Ceremony. The hostess taught us about the four most popular teas in China and their health benefits.

We had lunch in a Four Star Hotel. Every lunch and dinner has involved a large round table topped by a large glass Lazy Susan. Throughout the meal they keep bringing plates of food to the table. The patrons spin the Lazy Susan and serve themselves. We have become masters of chopsticks.

After lunch we visited the Olympic Park. We saw the Water Cube building where the pools were housed for the Olympics. We also saw the “Bird’s Nest” where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies were held for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There were still vendors selling Olympic souvenirs around the complex. From there we went to a shopping district surrounding a lake. We rented tandem bicycles and went weaving in and out of traffic just like the locals. (I am quite sure that they would not agree that we were riding as well as them.) The ride included several near brushes with cars, rickshaws, and pedestrians.

From the Olympic Park we traveled to the Art District known as 758. The District was filled with Art Galleries. The Art ranged the gamut in form and subject. Leaving there, we finally arrived at the Airport for our new flight. As of this moment, the flight is 30 minutes late and could be cancelled again. Our group does not want to miss visiting Xi’an. That is the location of the Terracotta Warriors.

Although the original flight was cancelled, we wound up having a better day than planned because we were able to do so many things that were not on our original schedule. “With a Little Help from our Friends,” we were able to turn lemons into lemonade. I hope you are having a great start to your summer. I will post pictures when I return.

The Long and Winding Road

Today was a “bucket-list” day. Having the opportunity to walk along the Great Wall of China has to be one of those opportunities on the list of many to accomplish before their journey ends. However, as majestic as that was, it was not the highlight of the day. The highlight was walking into a Chinese School and observing students hard at work. Even though we are halfway around the world, what I experienced in the school gave me much to feel thankful for.

Students here live in a world where their parents are allowed just one child. According to our guides, this policy manifests itself in two ways: either the student feels inordinate pressure to succeed because they are the focus of the family’s efforts, or in rare occasions, the child is spoiled to a great extent. Our pre-trip coursework related the long hours that many students put into their studies seven days a week. I included a link to a film documenting the long work hours and pressure they feel in a previous blog post.

We observed a teacher who was teaching an English course. While the expectation was that the students work on their English speaking and reading skills, it was interesting that the content of the lesson was on cleaning their room and not relying too heavily on their parents to take care of them. In making a point, the teacher shared with the class that her mother-in-law lived with her family and took care of her daughter. This seems to be somewhat common.

Walking through the school, I was surprised to see security cameras in the front of every classroom so that the room could be monitored while the children were working and the teacher was teaching. I cannot imagine having cameras to monitor our teachers. The Principal shared with me that it was primarily for their National Exams to show that the students did not cheat.

It was interesting to me that both the Principal and Assistant Principal had each spent a year in America. As I travel, I am finding this to be common outside of the USA. I am not sure why we do not travel more though I suppose financial pressures have a lot to do with it.

After leaving the school, we traveled about two hours by bus to the Great Wall. At the base of the stairs was a Subway. After several days of eating entirely native food, I could not resist and bought a Turkey Breast sandwich. I put it in my backpack and began the climb along with my colleagues. We climbed over 2,700 steps to the top. I was drenched in perspiration and proud of myself when I reached the top. The view was spectacular though the constant haze/smog prevented seeing off into the distance.

We walked along the wall and at the top of one of the watchtowers, stopped to enjoy our Subway sandwiches. I wonder what the builders would think about our being on their wall eating our decidedly American lunch, taking pictures, and sharing stories. The Great Wall is over 3,500 miles long. I am not sure if The Beatles were referring to it in their song, “The Long and Winding Road,” but they might have been. We also learned that astronauts cannot see the Great Wall from the moon. I took a lot of pictures that I will post when I return home.

We do not have access to Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube here. My blog is frequently blocked and has been since my post about visiting Tiananmen Square. As you may have read, I did not post anything controversial, just that we had visited. My theory is that their filters catch the reference and just block it.

Tomorrow we will practice Tai Chi with the locals in the Temple of Heaven and then head to the airport for our flight to Xi’an. I am looking forward to the experience of flying inside the country.

Thank you for coming along on the journey. I will continue to post as I am able to access the blog.

John and Yoko

After using “Hard Day’s Night” for the title of yesterday’s blog entry, I really thought all of my vague Beatle’s references were behind me. Then I met our Tour Guides. Le Jeun is an employee of EF (Education First.) EF provided this trip to the State of North Carolina to give to the State Principal of the Year. They conduct Professional Development tours as well as student tours. Le Jeun explained that Le is his family name. Unlike Americans, their family names are written before their personal name. Here my name would be Jackson Rob. In their English classes they are encouraged to take an English name. Jeun (pronounced Jew-un) sounded similarly to John and his name was chosen. He lives in Beijing and is a Professional Tour Guide. He met us at the airport and will be with us throughout our trip.

For today’s excursions we had an additional guide, an expert on Chinese History with a major in English. In her University classes she was also encouraged to take an English name and so she chose Yoko. Later she would find out that was a Japanese name, but it had already stuck. So this morning as we boarded the Tour Bus for Tiananmen Square, we found out that we would be spending the day with John and Yoko. It might be a sign that I may have to just keep the Beatles themes going.

My tour mates include 34 educators from across the country. Two are fellow North Carolinians. One is the Dean of Academics for a Multi-Denominational Private School in New Bern, NC. The other works with VIF (Visiting International Faculty) in Raleigh. The group is mainly comprised of teachers from multiple grade levels and subject areas.

John and Yoko spent the bus ride over to Tiananmen Square telling us the history of the Square. Both are native Chinese and I was not surprised to find the events we associate with Tiananmen Square were not mentioned at all. As we approached the square, pedestrian traffic was funneled through a security checkpoint. All persons of Asian descent (including the Chinese) were forced to go through a metal detector and had their bags scanned. Americans were allowed to walk-through a side gate. We were not scanned at all. I found it interesting that this happened on multiple occasions. While I appreciated being able to move quickly through gates, it just struck me that they continued to scan their citizens while waving us right on through.

Tiananmen Square was dominated by the picture of Chairman Mao on one side and by his mausoleum on the other. It is capable of holding 1 million people and is described as the largest urban square in the world. A line stretched all the way around his mausoleum as Chinese people who had traveled from across the country stood in line for the opportunity to pay their respect. In the middle of the square stood a tower marking their version of the Tomb of the Unknown soldiers. Both soldiers and students stood guard over it. Two long digital screens went down one side with pictures from around the country playing on them. They had been installed during the Olympics.

Next on the itinerary was a visit to the Forbidden City. Home to Emperors from two dynasties, the Forbidden City is the largest palace complex in the world. Construction began in 1406 by Emperor Yongle during the Ming Dynasty. It is absolutely awe-inspiring to behold. What was once reserved for only the Emperor now belongs to the people.

Following our stay in the Forbidden City, we dined on traditional Chinese fare. We sat at a large round table, dominated by a glass “Lazy-Susan” that had a 4’ diameter. The servers began bringing dishes and continued to do so for quite a while. We learned that most of the Chinese food that we eat in the United States is more accurately described as Cantonese and is not available here.

Sitting on a man-made island looking at a man-made hill over a man-made lake in The Summer Palace

Our final stop was the Summer Palace. John and Yoko related to us stories of the Dragon Lady, a former low-level concubine who wound up being the power behind the throne for many years as first her son and then a series of nephews became emperors while they were still very young. The Summer Palace is the largest (2.9 million square meters) and best-preserved garden of the Qing Dynasty. While there we took a boat across a large lake that had been hand-dug by workers for the Emperor. The dirt that was removed was piled up in one area to build a hill upon which to build the main structure.

Our dinner featured Peking Duck. It was served in a Tea House. Puppeteers and a musical group playing traditional instruments along with a keyboardist entertained us as we ate. We learned that the Chinese had called the city Peking, but never. Westerners had tried to find a name that was close in sound, but that could be written in English and created the name Peking. The name has since reverted to the actual name of Beijing. The name Peking is still attached to the Peking Opera and the Peking University.

I really enjoyed touring sites of places I have read about, studied, and seen on the news. I am more excited about tomorrow however. We will begin our day in a Chinese High School. We will have the opportunity to visit classrooms and speak with students. This will be the best part of the trip. Following our visit to the school, we will travel out to the Great Wall of China. It is hard to believe that I am here.

Since arriving, I have been unable to access the school’s Facebook page or Twitter account as the government blocks both. I will post pictures from my trip on the school’s Facebook page upon my return home. I hope that you are enjoying a great start to your summer and look forward to updating you more tomorrow.

Morning Arrives

What seemed like an eternal day ended last night. It still seems odd to think about that my day started early Sunday morning in Marvin and ended late Monday night in Beijing. I understand the opposite will occur on the flight back as my flight plan calls for me to land in Chicago 45 minutes after taking off from Shanghai.

The hotel room is very nice. Our hotel's name roughly translates to "Temple of Heaven." The Tian Tan Hotel. We are on the seventh floor with our room overlooking the city.

Last night after video-conferencing with the CHS staff via Skype (8PM here is 8AM there), we went for a quick walk around the area.

There is a lot of neon lighting on most buildings we have encountered.

Our Guide says that this roughly translates to "Love the Army, Love the Peoples."

I am off to breakfast and a full day of sightseeing including "The Forbidden City." I hope your day is full as well.

A Long Day’s Night

The trip to China began with a 6AM wake-up call on Sunday morning. A 90-minute flight to Washington, DC from Charlotte was the precursor to a flight spanning 14 hours over portions of the polar ice cap. Rain in Syracuse kept us on the runway in DC for about 40 minutes. The delay ended when the plane was re-routed to fly directly North from Washington before arcing over Canada and the Arctic Ocean. The almost perfect parabola brought us across Russia and into Bejing, China.

The flight was fairly routine. The Flight Attendant did threaten one female passenger with calling the police if she did not sit down while the “Fasten Seatbelt” sign was on, but even that ended quickly.

The airport in Beijing is monstrous. The walk from our gate to Baggage Claim took almost 20 minutes. After finding the suitcase my wife had lovingly helped me pack while I was preparing for graduation, I walked outside into a muggy, hot day. I quickly found the EF Tour Group and soon we were on a wonderful Charter Bus for the ride across the city to our hotel. The Grand Soluxe Tian Tan Hotel. It is really nice. My roommate works in a private school near Wilmington, NC.

We had a traditional Chinese dinner with several courses all served simultaneously on the largest Lazy Susan I have seen. We served ourselves as the food cycled by. Forks went untouched in the center of the table as we each tried to master eating with Chopsticks.

We are preparing for bed. In my head, it is Sunday night because it has just turned dark a couple of hours ago. In actuality, it is late Monday night; a long day's night has come at last! For my fellow passengers and I the sun did not set as we flew around the world. (China is exactly 12 hours behind our time in North Carolina.) Tomorrow we will be visiting places I have heard about all my life, The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, and Tiananmen Square. I will try to post pictures in the blog. Have a great week!  

Arrival

We have arrived in Beijing to find it is the late evening on Monday. We have lost a day because we left very early on Sunday morning and did not see nighttime for the whole flight. The group is tired after the long flight, but excited about our trip.

Technology is awesome! I am texting to my blog where it automatically posts. We have been sitting on the runway in DC for about 15 minutes because of a thunderstorm in Syracuse. It blows my mind to think about all of the communication going on to get us in the air. Then too, the thought of a North Carolinian sitting in Washington, DC, waiting to go to Beijing, China, held up by weather in New York really shows how small the world is becoming!

The Journey begins! I have landed in Washington,DC and will soon board another plane for a 14 hour flight to Beijing, China. I am really excited and grateful to the Tour Company for providing this trip to the state for the State Principal of the Year. Thanks www.eftours.com

Around the World to Examine What we do Around the Corner

Tomorrow morning I will begin a journey to China and into an opportunity to examine my beliefs about education. High School Reform has only recently stopped being the leading topic in education, only being surpassed by concerns about the budget. It remains, though, as a crucial need. Too many students are not graduating from high school. I sincerely believe that one drop-out is one too many.

The Chinese Education System pushes students into 16 hours of studying each day, seven days a week. PBS captured this in a video series: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/china-prep/video-full-episode/2722/. Take a look at “Part 3: Grueling Schedule for Teachers and Students” Imagine asking our students to simply consider this way of life. That would be a passionate conversation to say the least.

As I watched the PBS video detailing the lives of Chinese students in their senior year, I struggled to comprehend a system where parents worry that exercise might take away from time or energy that could be spent studying; "Don't waste too much energy in the morning" a dad told his daughter after she happily reported jogging for five minutes.

The students reported studying for 16 hours a day. It seemed that no matter how early the students that were followed arrived for school, there were always other students who were already there, hard at work on their studies. Rules banning laptops, phones, dating, and sports at lunch keep students focused strictly on their studies. One student emphatically stated that he wanted to be the #1 scholar. His advisor fussed at him and cautioned him to only focus on getting into the best two Universities.

Throughout the videos, I was comparing these students to the seniors in our building and to my own children. Would I want this? As appealing as a class of compliant, driven students might seem to a teacher, would we want to give-up rich conversations, fuller lives, and the energy of an American High School? I am not advocating for a loose focus on Academics; our school is very successful, earning the State's Highest Academic Designation, "Honor School of Excellence." However, we also have Championship Ball teams, an award winning Band Program, a large Drama Department, clubs based around student interest, etc. The concept of the Comprehensive American High School is at odds with the Chinese system.

The clash of these two ideologies in my head as we travel will be troubling and exciting. I want the best for our kids, but is this the best?

The journey begins early on a Sunday morning following a Saturday evening Graduation, our school’s very first. During the Commencement Exercises, we will celebrate our students’ successes. I wonder what out Chinese counter-parts would think of them.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

This is a map of where we will be visiting during the 10 days in China: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=212486542522359423219.00049905cb32e1c5d7ead&z=4