Ni hao ma!Hi everyone ... well, today we had another wonderful day in China. The weather started out a little cool and cloudy, but the sun ended up burning all of the fog off and we had another terrific day. Today we climbed Laoshan, the famous mountain in Qingdao. The mountain range was incredibly beautiful, as I'm sure you'll see by all of the pics. We spent a few hours hiking up (there were a ton of tourists walking as well, but we were the only Americans, so again many of our students posed with locals and tourists alike -- the blondes, brunettes and red heads certainly do stand out in a crowd!)
While on Laoshan, William (our guide in Qingdao) treated Mrs. Carter and myself to a traditional green tea ceremony. William is a tea expert, so he made sure that we both were given tea that fit our satisfaction (and, yes, Mom, I do like tea now! :) )
After Laoshan, we visited a pagoda right on the shore of Qingdao. I can honestly say that the view was reminiscent of a European coastline ... one would never guess that we were in China. The students, of course, had fun climbing the rocks along the water -- I suppose climbing a mountain wasn't enough for them in one day.
After our sightseeing, we went back to the hotel and William -- the expert guide that he is -- (having recognized that we truly enjoyed our lunch yesterday at the posh restaurant, "Top Restaurant") booked our dinner there again! So we changed and put on some cleaner and dressier clothes, and enjoyed a dinner of steamed rolls, fish, fresh mushrooms, squid, rice, and clams. And the mushrooms were picked by William on our way up Laoshan (there were vendors all along the road).
Tomorrow (Monday) we are up early (5:30am) to start our long, 6 hour bus ride to Jining and our sister school. We are so excited to finally meet with the host families and develop friendships! I will write more tomorrow when I can (I'm not sure if I'll be able to post right away, though).
Just to close, I know now it's almost 10am in the states, so I would like to wish my family -- Mom, Dad, Kristina, Kevin, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Ed, Auntie Ang, and Eddie (and the rest of my family who could not come today!) -- Happy Easter!! Love you lots! :)
Wanan :)
Happy Easter to all of you too! It sounds like you had a terrific Easter day! What wonderful pictures and pretty countryside. I bet the hike was a hit with everyone. I would have loved that. And to be treated to a wonderful dinner afterwards was probably welcome by all. I love the pictures of Adrianne. I can imagine how some of our kids do stand out because of hair color. It looks like the last picture was some sort of "carnival" type game. What was it? Was it at the end of your hike? Tell Adrianne I got her comment on my blog and I think given the choice of seeing a bobcat in our backyard or being in China, China wins hands down. Have a great day tomorrow!
ReplyDeletewow i am jealous. Seeing these pictures really makes me want to travel the world some day like my dad did (he has been to Greenland, Australia several times, Egypt, Several places in South America, and more). To see another culture and really a whole different climate and really a whole different "world" is an experience i want to see someday. Well, i assume by the look of these pics you guys are all enjoying the trip. Have fun! And Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteHey Jen! Kristina told me about your blog and I thought I'd read up on your adventures. It sounds like you are having an amazing time so far and truly immersing yourself (and all of the students) in the culture. I look forward to reading more about your trip! Have safe travels. Amy B.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone for watching and reading along! I love that people are interested in the blog (and on the adventures of the students and myself!) And, yes, Cole I completely agree with your desire to see more of the world! This trip has made me want to see more of it too -- being in China makes teaching about it that much more important to me! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy your week!
this all sounds so much fun... that rock people r sitting looks like a giant fish or whale haha
ReplyDelete-Brooke Coffey