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.