tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20958686465414763492024-03-14T01:45:56.902-07:00MHSIS China ExchangeChina Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-9689847059919267122018-06-27T07:58:00.003-07:002018-06-27T07:58:49.436-07:00We're back!After a short hiatus, we have decided to start up the China Exchange Program once again! We've selected 6 students who will participate in the program for the 2018-2019 academic year. Keep your eye out for updates to this website over the summer.China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-70390533508275186082015-04-20T15:53:00.000-07:002015-04-20T15:53:08.571-07:00China Exchange 2015 - At Our Sister School in NanjingThe second part of our journey took place in Nanjing, where our students stay with a host family and experience regular life in China. They follow their host student as they go through their normal routine at Nanjing Foreign Language School. At the school. they take a variety of courses on traditional Chinese arts.<br />
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The main classroom building of the Nanjing Foreign Language School</div>
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Our students giving a presentation and hosting a Q&A session in a middle school English class.</div>
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The art of Chinese papercutting</div>
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<br />China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-60369268384238989452015-04-20T15:40:00.002-07:002015-04-20T15:40:45.531-07:00China Exchange 2015 - A Week of Sightseeing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
THE GREAT WALL (Beijing)</div>
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TIANANMEN SQUARE (Beijing)</div>
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SUN YATSEN'S TOMB (Nanjing)</div>
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WEST LAKE (Hangzhou) </div>
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China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-6960919914636067582015-02-04T10:57:00.001-08:002015-02-04T10:57:49.112-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's our 2014 Cohort promoting a Project Bronx fundraiser for our program! Fact is, this program would not be possible without the generosity of the community. If, like us, you believe that cross-cultural communication is valuable to building perspective and character, and that our students deserve the same kind of access to these opportunities that schools with greater resources can provide, please help us keep this program alive!<br />
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Once upon a time, we had a New Visions grant to begin this program. Our first two cohorts of students paid nothing to go to China. Alas, our program is no longer "new" and has not qualified for such a grant in a while, and the burden of the cost of this trip has largely shifted onto the students themselves. Our students are now responsible for contributing $2000 to the overall cost of the trip--the rest of the money the school tries to raise via donations from our local supporters, more grant-writing, and of course, the year-long fundraising efforts of our own China Exchange students.<br />
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Check out this year's 2015 Cohort of students who are trying to raise funds to make it to China, and find out what their story is! Some of them have been working and saving for over a year, and all of them are working as a team to plan and host school events as well as small-scale bake sales and the like to raise funds for the whole group.<br />
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<b><u>Where does your money go? </u></b><br />
The two-week trip costs between $2500 - $3000 per person. This covers the plane ticket to China, domestic travel within China (one train and one domestic flight), hotel and food for one week (for the other week our students live with a Chinese student as part of a homestay experience), all the touring and sightseeing costs, and visas. New York City requires three chaperones for international travel--that's another significant cost incurred. Our students must contribute $2000 towards these general costs. <b>Anything you donate via this page will be divided equally amongst the students to defray the cost of this personal $2000 contribution. </b><br />
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China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-64313367489163059042015-01-02T06:05:00.000-08:002015-01-02T09:59:08.158-08:00China Exchange Game Night Dec 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Great Game Night this past December! We had a big turnout, including some alums! </div>
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This year's group brought tons of videos games and some new ideas to the table--a treasure hunt that had a few girls running around grabbing stars off the walls like crazy at about 7:30. our other clubs pulled through with some awesome games, as well. Big thanks to Comic Club who hosted 30-sec drawing competitions; Health Club, who organized push-up competitions and hackey sack; Model UN for coordinated Pie-A-Teacher (and several students!); and of course our Mr. Barreto for running the limbo competition. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HESOfLC-MSRbl2Tu49fqZ6CEdkxmlT74HFUnKx61tTJGgBjsXNzjNd62BfE0rQBedvcXZuRNEQqIy9ufmWDdd6IcxuvWM6-jrnbMPXiTTSntW9NRD-dd_-1mb0zQsGBkYd8x1josB57i/s1600/20141219_181913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HESOfLC-MSRbl2Tu49fqZ6CEdkxmlT74HFUnKx61tTJGgBjsXNzjNd62BfE0rQBedvcXZuRNEQqIy9ufmWDdd6IcxuvWM6-jrnbMPXiTTSntW9NRD-dd_-1mb0zQsGBkYd8x1josB57i/s1600/20141219_181913.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pushup competition!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDCUBkAj7l4Sicn9VB30PpxtJ9fBNcRyJquVOO5PDSjuSlWIjtl-b2VcZ29wmpuDaNdhxqXNk37kWwZOCu77LeWC0Tq6VVs-uqIFlG18H5Yti_KZNJJ2lgGZo-l_kZsti1pA0AR5xpPUP/s1600/20141219_184205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDCUBkAj7l4Sicn9VB30PpxtJ9fBNcRyJquVOO5PDSjuSlWIjtl-b2VcZ29wmpuDaNdhxqXNk37kWwZOCu77LeWC0Tq6VVs-uqIFlG18H5Yti_KZNJJ2lgGZo-l_kZsti1pA0AR5xpPUP/s1600/20141219_184205.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Saira in the ladies finals of limbo!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmylyBP7Qtau-JFgOL5haRMPL_ohZ2NzEMjE5Y1q9cEBRVJophwov7fR603uQ1G_nHV8V9gilfRL37FsjWsVq_0R0Jdr-UFGucQKtND_KPvw5ZK6EUTreuIQ0JhWGYA5yFXoYNbjBhdwzl/s1600/20141219_190710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmylyBP7Qtau-JFgOL5haRMPL_ohZ2NzEMjE5Y1q9cEBRVJophwov7fR603uQ1G_nHV8V9gilfRL37FsjWsVq_0R0Jdr-UFGucQKtND_KPvw5ZK6EUTreuIQ0JhWGYA5yFXoYNbjBhdwzl/s1600/20141219_190710.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Mr. Levine getting ready to be pied.</div>
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Kenny getting even readier.</div>
China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-61953020537864423082012-10-29T13:27:00.005-07:002012-10-29T13:29:42.426-07:00Nanjing Journal Reflections<!--StartFragment-->
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The following are travel journal entries written by students the day after we left Nanjing, the city where we were hosted by our Chinese sister school and Chinese students.<br />
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Dear Journal,</div>
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My experience in Nanjing was amazing. In Nanjing I learned to value many things we take for granted in New York. Some things I learned to value were drinking cold water, using a toilet, and eating with a fork. The reason why I say this is because in China you regularly drink a cup of boiling water for dinner and other occasions--not your average cold glass of water. I valued my toilet because in most public places there isn’t our western toilet--theirs a hole in the floor where you just squat. Finally, I wasn't used to eating with chopsticks. In the end I learned how to use chopsticks and got used to the other things as well.</div>
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Well, diary, on my first day in Nanjing School of Foreign Language we met the faculty that aids our program there and we all found out who our host siblings were. My host sibling was Franklin, Jonatan’s host brother was named Peter, Mariama’s host sister was named Esther, Amaris' was Mikay, and Octiz' sister was Violet. That same day we also received presents from the teacher faculty; we received an ancient design bookmark and a school track jacket. Then we observed many different class subjects and at the end of the day we played basketball.</div>
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On our second day we went sight seeing. We visited a Confucian museum in the Confucian temple. Also we visited Sun-Yat-Sen’s memorial, which was on a large hill, and we couldn't take pictures. Then the following day Franklin gave me dumplings for the first time, I really enjoyed the dumplings especially with the sour vinegar. Our third day Franklin and I visited the Nanjing Massacre Museum which showed how many Japanese soldiers invaded Nanjing in 1937 and killed 300,000 women, men, and babies. The next day I went to one of Franklin's father’s friend's farm in which we pet and fed goats and saw what the countryside is like, also we went to pick out strawberries. On my fourth day we had a calligraphy class in which we all learned how to draw our name and at the end of the day we all went to sing at a private karaoke place. The following day we all met up after school was finished and went to Purple Mountain and after that we went to a fancy restaurant to eat. We all had a great time especially since the food was good. The following day we went left to Xi’an by plane!</div>
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Valentin</div>
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Dear Diary,</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
Nan Jing I learned<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how Chinese
people live life. When we arrived on Friday night we were welcomed by all the
host families. After greeting each other we took some photos and then took off
to our houses with our host parents. On our way home I noticed how in Nan Jing
they also pay tolls like in New York. I also realized how there are many
camaras on the road that take pictures of almost everything. When I was
arriving to my host family homes I noticed that we went into a gated area and
then proceeded to their house. The houses around there were nice looking, the
area was very clean, and very quiet. That night when I got home my host family
comforted me with a big room all to myself. Then went to sleep because there
was school in the morning. The next day Peter’s mom had served breakfast. I
noticed that Chinese people treat their guests well by making them comfortable
and giving them a lot of food. </div>
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After breakfast we went to school.
What I noticed from Nanjing Foreign Language School is that it’s big like a
college campus. When Peter introduced me to the class they welcomed me warmly.
Then I observed their English and history class. Their class size is bigger and
the kids treat their teachers with respect. Later on that day we met with the whole
exchange group and then had an presentation. For dinner my host family took me
out to eat spicy food. In Nan Jing we also visited the Confucius Temple, the Sun
Yatsen Memorial and went out for karaoke. We also did some pottery class, art
(characters), Kite-flying, and ping pong. With the kids I went out to the
movies, shopping, restaurant, and the purple mountain.</div>
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Jonatan </div>
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China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-46743889076722842492012-10-29T13:16:00.003-07:002012-10-29T13:16:56.567-07:00We're Back! Let's go, 2013!Time to play catch up!<br />
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Wow we're behind! It's been a long time since we've posted anything here, I'm realizing, but that's because carrying out China Exchange was exceptionally time-consuming last year, especially with new DOE regulations regarding international travel and a great deal of confusion within the system about who exactly our new superintendent was! Paperwork in a public school is definitely no joke. Yikes.<br />
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Anyway, we're still here, and although we may have forgotten to post to our adoring public, China Exchange has been progressing in real life as usual. Our 2013 participants have already begun working towards their fundraising goals and are planning Game Night for December 2013. Over the next month, I'll begin the project of posting old pictures and journal-entries from the 2012 Exchange for your enjoyment. Stay tuned.<br />
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<br />China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-22585260501223069092011-11-25T09:05:00.000-08:002011-11-25T09:05:06.321-08:00China Exchange Game NightThe new group just hosted their first China Exchange Game Night, which is fast becoming a Marble Hill tradition. A good portion of the school came out to play video games, board games, eat, get their limbo on, and hang out. Thanks to Build On and Health Club in particular for coming out and supporting us!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxyW6XpOJL92bQz7mxy_FZwTSJMRJDjyvpS0BkWwIwotEXRSQ6sDBCTIRS6tYnzJSYjy6H4-_4okwzVMpEEFUTOs-NIiSbTogbQqXXS-JWAbKrK-3HC2tslkqykPsOqgnVDzVIlGjNPcN/s1600/IMG_4858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxyW6XpOJL92bQz7mxy_FZwTSJMRJDjyvpS0BkWwIwotEXRSQ6sDBCTIRS6tYnzJSYjy6H4-_4okwzVMpEEFUTOs-NIiSbTogbQqXXS-JWAbKrK-3HC2tslkqykPsOqgnVDzVIlGjNPcN/s320/IMG_4858.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Raffle! Proceeds donated to China Exchange. Thanks Mr. Barreto!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Limbo Competition </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">China Exchange Club</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeLKuxgxIVQhNZvCYHq__49XzCk3Skx_giznZ9X1V4U8SwNEALutdGgldoW7NuWGva6c1rs2g0h0uSNHB1t6eYqTZ5AZnASt_WhPgdP9CkShOl4zKYKhaZBxGkSLRZ1eWVlV7F48rsZ6z/s1600/IMG_4825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeLKuxgxIVQhNZvCYHq__49XzCk3Skx_giznZ9X1V4U8SwNEALutdGgldoW7NuWGva6c1rs2g0h0uSNHB1t6eYqTZ5AZnASt_WhPgdP9CkShOl4zKYKhaZBxGkSLRZ1eWVlV7F48rsZ6z/s320/IMG_4825.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Amaris & Mariama holding the fort down at the China Exchange table</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu60IOrKz9wgOGMxFjcFPmMspcdkJdVBG8Hsw8cThFcNWaTnoLRSJC7WlPSLmfoRsc_P2cgoqF-ND9GngnU185U_QK3RDOmsqVcCj6KWBSQ4bDsCuwmpvTwbVKoUUS-7gCI8vEjQ866Y83/s1600/IMG_4851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu60IOrKz9wgOGMxFjcFPmMspcdkJdVBG8Hsw8cThFcNWaTnoLRSJC7WlPSLmfoRsc_P2cgoqF-ND9GngnU185U_QK3RDOmsqVcCj6KWBSQ4bDsCuwmpvTwbVKoUUS-7gCI8vEjQ866Y83/s320/IMG_4851.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Octiz, Mariama, Ms. Lo, & Ms. M</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Health Club checking students' blood pressure!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAN_E4JV6W2GYCjbusuERf5QIwZ-m97VqrrHWsXLZ1wRqWZ-4OLc4E-BOJ6xZoIIJlJ_0CCcjvnnpCof2oqMB74kQm6lC0rcedA_MrIWy9wrOvBqR_mVl_xeqPI3WmglRaShBsuB6wJQFY/s1600/IMG_4829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAN_E4JV6W2GYCjbusuERf5QIwZ-m97VqrrHWsXLZ1wRqWZ-4OLc4E-BOJ6xZoIIJlJ_0CCcjvnnpCof2oqMB74kQm6lC0rcedA_MrIWy9wrOvBqR_mVl_xeqPI3WmglRaShBsuB6wJQFY/s320/IMG_4829.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Build On </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-7056489732263027442011-11-09T11:16:00.000-08:002011-11-09T11:16:41.706-08:00Fundraising at Parent-Teacher NightThis year's students showed off their sales skills at Parent-Teacher night this October! We made almost $300 in sales and donations. Big thank you to everyone who helped out, donated, or bought!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL3UHT8leVMpaa9SAS6rPbAROXmesogP0-W9W-jC1VtRaaoiZzZ4D3uHnxsWPVEENh7gp2fjn-HssskEtcgCcQ8bJPRllsDAY57RTM-yUsDSJHBJftxC7pOZY6vq7m08YRdC80i4raFh4/s1600/image%25283%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL3UHT8leVMpaa9SAS6rPbAROXmesogP0-W9W-jC1VtRaaoiZzZ4D3uHnxsWPVEENh7gp2fjn-HssskEtcgCcQ8bJPRllsDAY57RTM-yUsDSJHBJftxC7pOZY6vq7m08YRdC80i4raFh4/s320/image%25283%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzNfw7o6ajtp4L5tpqLNMguJW-RsI30nS1_4t_o7MKSwnd2XWzlbPJ1VfuVHU0EkqJWFjjuNZTPql2KogCLBJ4-7c6fw3V3OA9XFxG-qZCVVjONu1Nh90YOy9woB4LrpjKQcul13og1i_/s1600/image%25286%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzNfw7o6ajtp4L5tpqLNMguJW-RsI30nS1_4t_o7MKSwnd2XWzlbPJ1VfuVHU0EkqJWFjjuNZTPql2KogCLBJ4-7c6fw3V3OA9XFxG-qZCVVjONu1Nh90YOy9woB4LrpjKQcul13og1i_/s320/image%25286%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-63777366370813618882011-08-29T11:23:00.001-07:002011-08-29T11:23:42.639-07:00Gaming in China <link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>208</o:Words> <o:Characters>1191</o:Characters> <o:Lines>9</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>1462</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"> an article by Michael Murillo</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A favorite past time nowadays is playing video games. We think of the Nintendo Wii, or the X Box 360, or the Play Station 3. Or some others prefer the Hand-Held like the DS or PSP. We have all this free time to waste so we are all able to play them. New games are always coming out for about $50 each. But in China students don’t spend their money on new video games. Most of them don’t own any systems. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any, but they are very rare to see. There are a lot of fake PSP and other hand helds. But they aren’t interested in buying these things. This doesn’t mean that they don’t play games, they do. They play their video games through the computer. They are huge computer games fans. The most popular game is Cross Fire. It’s an online game where you could play with friends or random people. My brother Peter showed me this game. There are many other games. There are other shooting games and adventure games. There are also other types of games, most games are based on war. Another popular game is a studying game. I don’t know the game itself but Peter, Lucy and Iris told me about it. It seems to be another popular fun game. Another good thing about computer games are that they are free and easy to get. But they have to be careful for viruses. But these students don’t play these games all the time. Maybe for a short period of time in the weekend. Maybe that’s something we could learn from them.</div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-37527632210106250522011-08-29T11:08:00.001-07:002011-08-29T11:08:27.953-07:00Chinese Musican article by Jose Frias<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">The music of China is a very unique part of the culture of China. Cultural music in china usually contains drums, bells, and flutes which come in many different sizes, shapes, and materials. In China i saw drums that were small, big, huge, short, and tall. These drums were also in many shapes such as octagons, circular, and many more shapes. The drums were made of all sorts of materials such as wood, stone, metal, and much more. These weren't as simple as just size, shape, and material they were much more complex in that they were very detailed with many colors and different drawings of animals, flowers, shapes, writings, and they sometimes also had accessories hanging of them. The bells were more simple then the drums were because the bells were just eight bells hanging of wood with spikes, writing, or drawings on them and they weren't as colorful as the drums were. The flutes were more like the bells as well because they were just in different sizes with different pictures and they were all brown. These instruments weren't all about how cool they looked, it was more about what they could with the right person handling them, which was the true beauty behind these instruments.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-6719679833525262902011-08-29T08:36:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:36:34.861-07:00Chinese Politicsan article by Keyla Inoa<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">To most Americans the People’s Republic of China’s Communist government is one that threatens America and jeopardizes Chinese lives for the benefit of their national economy. However, the Chinese people seem to have a different perspective of their own government.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Despite its label as a Communist country, the Chinese government implemented a capitalist economy in 1978. This decision allows for private businesses and a wide range of family incomes to be created, which include those at a poverty level. Currently led by Hu Jintao, China seems to be prosperous and rapidly rising to be one of the world’s largest economies. However, most of its people seem to live in poverty. When riding a train from Xi’an to Nanjing, the Chinese Exchange club students witnessed people who were impoverished. We went to the second class area and found ourselves with people, both children and adults alike, sitting on the floor – this was a twenty-four-hour overnight train. We offered the people fruits that we had available, and while they seemed to take them, they looked around at one another and politely declined. On the other hand, while with our host families, we got to experience another side of China. Our host parents were professionals, with careers as doctors, and editors and police officers. While one may think that they must have an abundance of money, that is not the case. While in a gathering, my host mother asked Monica and I what her social status would be like in the United States, Monica asked, “well, how much do you make a year?” My host mother responded, “twenty-four thousand” and Monica simply said, “You would be poor, like really poor” which brought laughter to the group. (Of course, the cost of living is much lower in China than in the United States, so twenty-four thousand goes a lot further!)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">China, known for its many intellectuals, fails to inform its people of political matters that deal with Taiwan and critical opinion of China. Taiwan claims to be a separate country from mainland China and is in the midst of fighting for its independence. Yet, when presented with this fact Peter, one of the Chinese students, was shocked. He asked Ms. McMurdo for a clarification of the situation. Once Ms. McMurdo’s explanation concluded, Mina, the Chinese teacher, turned to Ms. McMurdo and asked her to not speak of the issue because the students are not taught about it in school. Additionally, the Chinese government continues to censor the information that travels through its people. China censors political speech and information, including on the Internet, which is why when attempting to log onto American websites such as YouTube and Facebook one will find an “error” on their screen.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"></span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">In spite of the fact that most of China’s people live in poverty and are censored, the Chinese people remain loyal to the government. When asked to give her opinion on China’s Communist party Autumn, my host mother, declared her love and appreciation for the government. She stated, “I really like the government. I think Hu Jintao really loves the people, he cares about everybody.” Fearing her response, I decided to challenge her statement and said, “Well, the government seems to be doing certain things such as creating a large amount of pollution that could be deadly to the Chinese people.” She took a pause to collect her thoughts and said “they are trying to fix that.”</span></div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-42192176717813244952011-08-29T08:20:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:20:37.128-07:00In New York<style>
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</style> <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The second part of the exchange club had begun – the New York experience. We were determined to show the Chinese students a good time! Every day was packed with activities that would be enjoyable to foreigners; however, one particular day stands out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">It was the day before the Chinese students were going back to China, the night before Manny, my Chinese sister, was really into American films so I offered to take her out to the movies. We found ourselves in 34</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 7pt;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> and bought two movie tickets to see <i><u>Something Borrowed. </u></i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The movie didn’t start for another two hours so we decided to go shopping first. She wanted to buy makeup for her mother so I took her to Sephora where an employee proceeded to help her. She then said she wanted to buy some shoes for herself and a tie for her father so we went to Macys. After the shopping we went to go see the movie, and while she didn’t understand some of the jokes she seemed to be amused by the leading man.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">After the Movies we headed over to Michael’s barbeque. Almost everyone was there, the six American students, the five Chinese students, some of the parents, Minna, Ms.McMurdo, and Ms.Larson (Ms.Lo was there in spirit). A lot of amazing food was served, and the music was playing. We all gathered in the living room and danced merengue, bachata, salsa, and disco together. We then broke out into different activities, some of us played cards, and some played monkey in the middle, we were all having a blast – but then the idea that the experience was coming to an end rushed in. The Chinese and American students decided to go into Michael’s room and talk, for the last time. We told each other our favorite parts of the experience and how close we felt to one another, we joked around, made a few love matches, and realized how lucky we were to be in the position that we were all in.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Keyla </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-9964847627439788742011-08-29T08:18:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:18:12.706-07:00New York <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>371</o:Words> <o:Characters>2120</o:Characters> <o:Lines>17</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>2603</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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</style> <!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">So we’ve finally arrived to our own city. The Big Apple! Now we only had one week to catch up on or rest and sleeping, oh and homework too. Then the students came to New York. This is where the fun began for the second time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">After we picked them up at the airport we separated. We took Peter to eat, since he was more hungry than tired. We ate the usual, rice, beans, chicken and beef. We let him try both beef and chicken. He surprised us by bringing some more tea that the father always made. Since it was late we didn’t do much, especially with him almost knocking out. This time it was my turn to take care and lookout for Peter. It was funny how we really did grow a bond as brothers. We kept playing jokes and pranks on each other. We kind of figured out the each other’s secret. And we talked like we were brothers. I guess all that time being together and having each other’s back made this possible. We went to go buy some souvenirs. He bought like one or two things the first time. The parents thought it would be good to take them out to a restaurant together. So we all went to Olive Garden. There was two funny things I noticed. One was that my father was sitting on one the end side of the table and I was sitting on the other side. Second was that it was funny seeing the Chinese Students eating. They couldn’t eat their beef because it was hard for them to cut it. They were also a bit more relaxed and laid back than in China. The next few days the teacher took us all out to some sights and to eat at a restaurant. Peter kept asking when we would eat at home again. But to his surprise we took him to visit one of my aunts. There we ate some rice, lentils, and some other style of beef. He loved it. My aunt and uncle were very happy. They then gave him a present. This reminded me of when I went to Peter’s grandparents. I started to realize that I missed them all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;">Another thing was how popular the students were at school. They were always asking about Peter. Even after they left. Peter told me this is how it was when I was in china too. It was fun having him. But he didn’t like going to sleep late or sleeping late either. Then came the last days. We gave him some gifts to take home to the family and his friends and for himself too. He really liked it all. It was the least I could for the same way they took care of me. I miss those guys. We all became one big family, but we were closer back then than now. But we are still close, it’s just that time keeps interfering. I still keep on touch with peter emailing and on QQ</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p>Michael</o:p></span><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-74226835813045491182011-08-29T08:16:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:16:14.893-07:00Home in New York <link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>214</o:Words> <o:Characters>1223</o:Characters> <o:Lines>10</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>1501</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">During the time that Tim, the student i was hosting who stood in my house i was a bit unsure about how things were going to happen. But it all turned out to be great. I say this because while I was hosting I had a lot of time to spend with him and to teach him a little bit about my culture and american culture. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The first night he arrived to the U.S. my parents, my friend, and I took Tim to a Dominican restaurant to show him that we welcome him to our home and to have him eat because my parents weren't really in the mood for cooking. The second day I took Tim to the park in front of my building to play some american basketball with my stepfather,two friends of mine, some random people in the park, and I. From the looks of it I think he really enjoyed basketball at the park because of two reasons, one because basketball is his favorite sport and two because I think he saw the differences of basketball here in America then the one in China. The rest of the time while he was in my home we went out to eat dinner at restaurants and to take the Chinese people out to see and explore New York. During the first week the Chinese people had a trip to Washington D.C. where they visited the Niagara Falls. When they returned we kept them busy every day by visiting restaurants and each others homes to get to know each other more and just have fun while hanging out together. I really enjoyed having Tim staying over at my home, and if i were to ever get another chance to do it I would do it again!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p>Jose</o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-71679667722055358412011-08-29T08:13:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:13:58.099-07:00Overview of Hosting <link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>217</o:Words> <o:Characters>1241</o:Characters> <o:Lines>10</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>1524</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">At the beginning of meeting my host student I was very excited and ready for the new experience. My China trip was still a fresh memory but I was still tired. After a day or two, I noticed Lucy didn’t really want to try new food, or go anywhere. She just wanted to shop. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My family was really welcoming and we worked together to keep Lucy comfortable. I wished her and the Chinese kids would’ve taken more advantage of this experience and would’ve tried all foods, with no excuses and no faces. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I really enjoyed the times everyone spent together, at times we really bonded and many laughs. This experience really made me see the differences between cultures, the aways Lucy and the Chinese kids were raised, and their different personalities compared to us. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hosting someone was really hard and it was nearly impossible to keep up with homework, but I don’t regret the experience. I’m glad that everyone bonded like a family and I think that’s the best thing the American kids wanted. We just wished our host brothers and sisters were more open to new things. I also wished Lucy would’ve been more social with me. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I think it would’ve been nice if we went to trips with the kids like Empire State building and Bronx Zoo. Hopefully the Chinese kids stay in touch! And the Americans’ bond doesn’t change. I enjoyed the things I told Lucy about the city, and learned stuff I didn’t even know. I hope she listened and will never forget what she learned and saw to compare and contrast China and New York. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Alex</div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-1988171655084798822011-08-29T07:59:00.000-07:002011-08-29T07:59:35.966-07:00Educational Exchange at Nanjing Foreign Language AcademyIn a lot of ways, our week in Nanjing was the most transformative and engaging part of the trip--and not just because the teachers got a break from the students! =) During this week, our Marble Hill students stayed with a Chinese host family, allowing them to interact with Chinese life in a way that tourists never really can. Sending them off to their families for the weekend as a little bit like saying goodbye to our kids, though! How weird not to see them for two days...<br />
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Our first morning reunited was fun--it basically entailed the kids comparing notes on what each house had and what they'd eaten for breakfast, and they quickly realized that there's just as much variety among Chinese households as there is among American. After fueling up in the school cafeteria, they were off to classes to see what Chinese school is really like. Let's just say we heard a lot of "the teachers talk the whole time!", "they have way too much homework", and "can we have 10-minute cookie breaks, too?"<br />
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Eventually, we settled into a routine of attending the cultural classes Nanjing Academy prepared for us: Wushu (martial arts), calligraphy, pottery, bamboo dance, and ping pong! We pretty much discovered that Keyla has a secret Chinese gene and is good at everything.<br />
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Of course, we couldn't miss the sightseeing spots in Nanjing either. We hit up...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-ImQC2NMl1IrIiSeB7JRHg4vB8kfHRqMolgB1VKNjb-O-qvtJt-KxARgKgJPFE49hRFvPtGbEF4nkywtGOFXiW1HpPEiUf00bbCRZYAQpRSg_64Ocez7EC0eYqMk2Ht-yPE5K7EXYTnu/s1600/IMG_2636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-ImQC2NMl1IrIiSeB7JRHg4vB8kfHRqMolgB1VKNjb-O-qvtJt-KxARgKgJPFE49hRFvPtGbEF4nkywtGOFXiW1HpPEiUf00bbCRZYAQpRSg_64Ocez7EC0eYqMk2Ht-yPE5K7EXYTnu/s320/IMG_2636.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgvI6TiaCxIKMLif7_Y-YtgX9k-cv3eynJKZLqVb_51TqIcrqaNUoGJbNcyQNgaKoBGWREbe3TVNPtuKpaJT9CYgLU3WW4jzro56D4DHDaL5_5DotQbPFdiGWEx6yOjxz8cUNZA8e3Wrx/s1600/IMG_2649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgvI6TiaCxIKMLif7_Y-YtgX9k-cv3eynJKZLqVb_51TqIcrqaNUoGJbNcyQNgaKoBGWREbe3TVNPtuKpaJT9CYgLU3WW4jzro56D4DHDaL5_5DotQbPFdiGWEx6yOjxz8cUNZA8e3Wrx/s320/IMG_2649.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (where the father of China himself is buried)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTVJ9HA5usVrU9HYq-otYzWTm29hAvBoMps8C6YBH2rckPGWk2aKzFM3rlNY1vy4EZ8q53OekX8bErhxyyEOnV-5PQQkD63IS0mnC0evsMY_vWnunEfv3QYfTSTNpryWg9yaaDgAMEJSv/s1600/IMG_2671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTVJ9HA5usVrU9HYq-otYzWTm29hAvBoMps8C6YBH2rckPGWk2aKzFM3rlNY1vy4EZ8q53OekX8bErhxyyEOnV-5PQQkD63IS0mnC0evsMY_vWnunEfv3QYfTSTNpryWg9yaaDgAMEJSv/s320/IMG_2671.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The Nanjing Massacre Museum </div><div style="text-align: center;">(commemorating the suffering caused by the Japanese attack on Nanjing in 1937)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wbbZlVYVRv8CjUK3b4PLLcihWeqaduAf1Zn16a0FIYqAJW4R3ULe48f9yCMvTTYz0uGQ7EQcw10-QUIGspeaAw1VTSyPuv72iR7PFB75PGg9ZZKvRcnwRLwd5KXL9hlbqexItc38zyiJ/s1600/IMG_3938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wbbZlVYVRv8CjUK3b4PLLcihWeqaduAf1Zn16a0FIYqAJW4R3ULe48f9yCMvTTYz0uGQ7EQcw10-QUIGspeaAw1VTSyPuv72iR7PFB75PGg9ZZKvRcnwRLwd5KXL9hlbqexItc38zyiJ/s320/IMG_3938.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Confucius Temple Area </div><div style="text-align: center;">(there is a temple there, but really, it just seemed like the place to shop and hang out)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We also had our bonding moments with the group, including hot pot, karaoke, and some kind of traditional Nanjing style small dish meal (there were 16 tiny bowls for each of us), during which Tim and Michael raced to see who could eat the most duck blood pudding.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tcEMu7I0GtVDmY42Fj92eKLZVDKtuE-KU4UWZLIFdHYpn5NF-J5WeGmlox9XMmbhdGEu-oClayv9qTyqD2kvI-1YBrBpFjDjK1iLP4raMt0xTh-aP2IptJZlXhexwAFuVuD8DNFQfdLY/s1600/IMG_3943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tcEMu7I0GtVDmY42Fj92eKLZVDKtuE-KU4UWZLIFdHYpn5NF-J5WeGmlox9XMmbhdGEu-oClayv9qTyqD2kvI-1YBrBpFjDjK1iLP4raMt0xTh-aP2IptJZlXhexwAFuVuD8DNFQfdLY/s320/IMG_3943.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's amazing to see that teenagers from such different cultures can bond so quickly! I guess young people share certain qualities and concerns the world round. Throughout our whole experience, Ms Lo and I remained very impressed with our own students' curiosity, patience, and maturity in each new encounter with Chinese culture. They were as adventurous as we could hope them to be and fearless in trying such new things as frog legs and fish eyes. They really understood why we encouraged them to mingle with the Chinese students instead of forming their own little American clique and displayed impressive leadership in doing so. Go Marble Hillians! As for us teachers, this was a rare and wonderful opportunity to see our students grow right before our eyes.<br />
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Ms. M <br />
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China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-11176039436260559472011-08-28T20:19:00.000-07:002011-08-28T20:19:19.320-07:00Life in Nanjing <link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>370</o:Words> <o:Characters>2113</o:Characters> <o:Lines>17</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>2594</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Peter picked me up with his uncle. We went to his grandparents’ house who were preparing a meal for me. Homemade cChinese dumplings! So before the food was ready, Peter and I walked around a bit. I met their 4-month-old dog, Chocolate. During our walk I learned a lot about Peter.. After our walk, our meal was ready. I was glad that for breakfast I shared some noodles from Alex, because I had A LOT of dumplings in my bowl. I also had spicy lamb leg. It was big, but delicious. The family smiled ad said I knew how to use the chopsticks very well. They found out I loved beef and pork. After lunch, we went home. Peter’s mom is a teacher and his dad was in the army and is now a professor for the army. Peter’s mom took me to Sun Yatsen’s coffin and mausoleum. We took lots of pictures and then walked around. I learned more about Peter and what he plans for his future. He admires his grandpa for being a hard worker. When we came back the dad had prepared noodles where were good. Then the dad prepared us tea twenty minutes later. After that we watched some basketball. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On Monday, Peter woke me up at 6am. I got ready quickly, ate breakfast, and brushed my teeth. Breakfast was bread, sausage, egg, apple juice, and ricey water. It was all good. Then we left the house at 6:35. Peter lent me a light jacket because it was kind of chilly. Peter’s dad drove us to school, so we got there early. I met all the students in Peter’s class. They are all so friendly. I ran into Julian and Alex, who came running to say hi. We each went back to class, and Monica and Keyla were in my class as well. We read and observed the class. We got hungry during breaks so a few of our classmates gave me a chocolate cookie, and a cup to drink water from the back of the class. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well the rest of the week was a blast. We went to school and had our own classes. On Tuesday all of us except Jose and Time, went to get some snacks, which were delicious. We had dinner, karaoke, games, and dances. We all boned closer to our host families. Peter’s parents were great, they loved that I ate a lot and drank a lot of tea. I played ping-pong a lot, I got better especially since I don’t play it much. At home we have an independent schedule, from when we left to school, to whatever goes on until it’s time to sleep. On Saturday I went on a motorcycle to a dinner with Peter, Tim, Jose, and John. I was the only one who clapped and talked to the server. I had a great time. The family gave me some gifts. I’m wearing one right now! I wish I could go back with the same people.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Michael<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-67953688407490402132011-08-28T20:17:00.001-07:002011-08-28T20:17:33.401-07:00Homestay in Nanjing <link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>285</o:Words> <o:Characters>1625</o:Characters> <o:Lines>13</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>1995</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">My arrival in Nanjing after a 17 hour train ride, I started to feel nervous to meet my new family, at the train station. I was greeted by my host sister’s cousin and her dad. I went to her home which was really nice, but I awaited my host sister’s arrival from her weekend classes. Dinners at my host home were very good, and always made by Sophia’s grandparents. Sophia’s parents lived in her hometown because their jobs are there. To get to school every morning, I had to get up at 6am every morning, which I wasn’t used to. Me and Sophia would take a really nice and clean train to school, and went to the Nanjing Foreign Language School. The school was huge, and beautiful. The children were very outgoing, kind, and enjoyed my visit there. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My stay with the host student was very different. The lifestyle wasn’t the same as American living. My student was always studying, and we didn’t spend a lot of time together. She was always on her phone, and talking to her friends. The experience was very different from my home and made me take more advantage of my home in New York and my family. Chinese culture and tradition is very beautiful and different from the US and I definitely saw that in my host home.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My last weekend, I went to Sophia’s home town and met her mom, which was a really good experience. She treated my like another daughter. She maid more attention to me than the daughter! Her house was a beautiful 3-story house with spiral staircases. Her parents took me to a mountain nicknamed “Bamboo Sea” and late in a restaurant that served on wild animals. The next day I went to a factory that showed how they make purple clay tea pots and cups, which is really popular in that area. As a souvenir they mom gave me a purple clay teapot. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Overall this experience with my host family was interesting and different. I learned many new things and it was really a once in a lifetime opportunity. I just wished me and my student would’ve bonded more. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Alex </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<!--[endif]--></div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-66061041412098344372011-08-28T20:15:00.000-07:002011-08-28T20:16:29.144-07:00Living in Nanjing<link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Living with my host family has been a great experience for many reasons. One of these reasons is because they make me feel right at home. Another reason is because they like to make me feel as if I don’t need to move a muscle because they try to do everything for me, even when I ask them repeatedly not to do everything for me. Time, my host student, has been like a big brother to me, because he’s always looking out for me and he’s always telling funny jokes. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wKedNqYTf6956n-ypt37Tp9Sj1n-nmolB4PAq5rgzlFlUfPJ0x1f2jEoSba-xfsF7iiRAkr24of5KeDovl0q8jmQiMpNSmR32sGujCLhrrwbTxwt-LHnYCmGu8eelWl1dfUj2hBycr5z/s1600/IMG_2574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wKedNqYTf6956n-ypt37Tp9Sj1n-nmolB4PAq5rgzlFlUfPJ0x1f2jEoSba-xfsF7iiRAkr24of5KeDovl0q8jmQiMpNSmR32sGujCLhrrwbTxwt-LHnYCmGu8eelWl1dfUj2hBycr5z/s320/IMG_2574.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome lunch at Nanjing Foreign Language Academy</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY-JC3oUvxEsMffbIUuUI7P5wPZfhSFe9QWB9_8jcRs3DCfJUA_lLPtbFHq3o4P12jtWlgeScjXqwjZA5NRGL30Z_8lftKwZY6wOoYW_n_fSrCAIF0lH9MLpHbhJ9zwimrVsWO0n6AonE/s1600/IMG_2633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieY-JC3oUvxEsMffbIUuUI7P5wPZfhSFe9QWB9_8jcRs3DCfJUA_lLPtbFHq3o4P12jtWlgeScjXqwjZA5NRGL30Z_8lftKwZY6wOoYW_n_fSrCAIF0lH9MLpHbhJ9zwimrVsWO0n6AonE/s320/IMG_2633.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64W5Wwjl2i-NSI4zjos7Fm3HxS30ok41wDzoIfnwDWmq7lFQzxkhYwViskBCdNhwt2XRVh_jdh3eqTLy-96jBCxCWi6V6KUJnr8ItD_C-Q6wG-l2fzU2sU92_191b4a5GXnLmKD2pSw_2/s1600/IMG_2642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64W5Wwjl2i-NSI4zjos7Fm3HxS30ok41wDzoIfnwDWmq7lFQzxkhYwViskBCdNhwt2XRVh_jdh3eqTLy-96jBCxCWi6V6KUJnr8ItD_C-Q6wG-l2fzU2sU92_191b4a5GXnLmKD2pSw_2/s320/IMG_2642.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting mobbed by adoring fans</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0v49mfPzIUerTl6_uh-0wV0DTlJo89MKkiESklGMnKgVERib4Ed1GJ-lm4Q1g4MMXmbTO_n250uY4f18ySXCbFn-qWwW_CKVAas6VNx9riYbHYWngb_ErsIuh6QPSN9dK3sY-8sUbHAB/s1600/IMG_2720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0v49mfPzIUerTl6_uh-0wV0DTlJo89MKkiESklGMnKgVERib4Ed1GJ-lm4Q1g4MMXmbTO_n250uY4f18ySXCbFn-qWwW_CKVAas6VNx9riYbHYWngb_ErsIuh6QPSN9dK3sY-8sUbHAB/s320/IMG_2720.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning calligraphy</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">During most of the time I have spent with my host family, I’ve been busy finishing my schoolwork and reading a book. These were some of the things I did when I wasn’t at school or being entertained by the family. What the family did to keep me entertained was to take me out to a park to play basketball, or they’d put me to watch movies. During one of the days of the week, the family took us to a restaurant where I met some of my host student’s dad and friends.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The food I’ve received from my host family has been some of the most delicious food I’ve ever tasted. Most of the food that I tasted was new and different from what I’ve eaten before. For example, I tried some kind of lamb which to me tasted a lot like chicken. Another new food I tasted was duck, which is something I’ve fallen in love with. I think that real Chinese food is better than American-Chinese food.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Jose </div>China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-76039977227039940392011-08-28T20:10:00.000-07:002011-08-28T20:10:40.317-07:00A Home in Nanjing<link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">We arrived in Nanjing on a Sunday. There we met our host family, well part of my host family. We got to Nanjing on a train from Xi’an. At the train station, my host sister and mother came to pick me up. As soon as we left, we went to eat pizza hut for lunch. Pizza Hut in China is like an Applebee’s in America, but better. On our ride home I found out many facts about my host sister. Her name is Fanny and she is 15 years old. Her birthday is on August 13<sup>th</sup> and she lives with her grandarents and mother. Her father also lives with them, but only when he comes home from work in another city. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once we arrived at their home, I was greeted by the grandparents. I slept in Fanny’s room while she slept with her mother. The rest of the day went smoothly, I took a nap while Fanny finished some homework and then we watched movies together.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next morning, I went to school with fanny. At her school, school begins at 7:20am and ends at 5:00pm. Each class is 45 minutes long with 10 minute breaks between classes. While in class, the teacher lectures and students are not allowed to ask questions. Teachers back home would really enjoy that. Fanny’s classmates were really friendly. For the rest of the week the school organized specific classes for us: calligraphy, ping pong, martial arts, bamboo dance, kite flying, pottery, etc. Many of these classes were challenging, but fun. We also went sightseeing with the school. We visited Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum, the Nanjing Massacre Museum, and we also toured around the Confucius Temple. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFwtEeALpEw7B16uG_N1UZTX3MldRo9UiYcMhGaAXYij0RrwqgjOxVw3GiXcpV8Glsw6OP_vyZUSI1MHgzmLCrlTGaoLKrPIKqRtZtohj6ousLL7dbFVSetxUm1SStvA96QD2hN8YmwJr/s1600/IMG_3873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFwtEeALpEw7B16uG_N1UZTX3MldRo9UiYcMhGaAXYij0RrwqgjOxVw3GiXcpV8Glsw6OP_vyZUSI1MHgzmLCrlTGaoLKrPIKqRtZtohj6ousLL7dbFVSetxUm1SStvA96QD2hN8YmwJr/s320/IMG_3873.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hsIHryoFLt92x7OG3Cn8sTGgY37XZE15Req2JwP3eZiUOnybmNsZPdYV25OZV1Skyh2z_x-pidFwOESYIuxLAIeLt9hUFLfz5PyzF4ai72Jf6C5ZTLjLffdHBTXy6vaEY75pwBlH_mJ5/s1600/IMG_2602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hsIHryoFLt92x7OG3Cn8sTGgY37XZE15Req2JwP3eZiUOnybmNsZPdYV25OZV1Skyh2z_x-pidFwOESYIuxLAIeLt9hUFLfz5PyzF4ai72Jf6C5ZTLjLffdHBTXy6vaEY75pwBlH_mJ5/s320/IMG_2602.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKnueWAtwNMYSKC9HMgWuFgB9JSknD6wOljY1CATms2VPW6wO3orbEKydz8KkMpFD8zSZFd7FqhXMVhdYhijEyd7V-uxC1Q6dYmTS0-wK4Op0j0XOEadFs8xkPNGAohX-LWW_rRojV9Nx/s1600/IMG_2617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKnueWAtwNMYSKC9HMgWuFgB9JSknD6wOljY1CATms2VPW6wO3orbEKydz8KkMpFD8zSZFd7FqhXMVhdYhijEyd7V-uxC1Q6dYmTS0-wK4Op0j0XOEadFs8xkPNGAohX-LWW_rRojV9Nx/s320/IMG_2617.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnLH4pHJzrEGrbMXI5OrGN1s2ZjjEEAFE25Wm2K9WvOe80theLyPyvjerkCfToyHGI2_7M8EYcQ2QhMyNGRaxk_Bdr-ElZDZBTRhm0uArjyK6BQZt4hMlRJjj1kwFbVYg2fn7EAX1wUnV/s1600/IMG_2623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnLH4pHJzrEGrbMXI5OrGN1s2ZjjEEAFE25Wm2K9WvOe80theLyPyvjerkCfToyHGI2_7M8EYcQ2QhMyNGRaxk_Bdr-ElZDZBTRhm0uArjyK6BQZt4hMlRJjj1kwFbVYg2fn7EAX1wUnV/s320/IMG_2623.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">However, the best part of my time in Nanjing was the time spent with my host family. Although my family spoke little English, I felt welcomed and part of the family. I will never forget one of the last conversations I had with my host sister:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fanny: Only three more days.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Me: Yes, it went by so fast. I wish we had at least a month.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fanny: No</div><div class="MsoNormal">Me: What do you mean no? Why not?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fanny: I wish it was a lifetime!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Monica </div>China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-31929681164936339292011-08-28T20:05:00.000-07:002011-08-28T20:05:06.803-07:00City of Xi'an <link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>357</o:Words> <o:Characters>2040</o:Characters> <o:Lines>17</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>2505</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">The city of Xi’an is definitely a beautiful one. The city has thousands of years of ancient history. The two days we stayed in this city we visited a few different attractions. In our free day we visited the Great Mosque. I really enjoyed visiting this pace because it opened my eyes about the world. Honestly, I really didn’t know there were Chinese Muslims Their mosque was really beautiful, and their architecture had many flowers which shows the impact Islam had. We walked along the markets in the mosque, where some of the poor were begging for money or the people trying to make a few yuan in their small shops, bargaining with the locals and the tourists. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeqMTVSStmdGyfNWYihhEZRhR1MnQG0ojWLf1fUFisLL2dmnx5bUBIljNYOaNwAnRmta1jX2FI-k2KVb2VqRGWLh-YEwya6zkS32Hf2osv5hPRR0q6hOLVGW-_NDJBquQobYcw7v35x7M/s1600/IMG_3725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeqMTVSStmdGyfNWYihhEZRhR1MnQG0ojWLf1fUFisLL2dmnx5bUBIljNYOaNwAnRmta1jX2FI-k2KVb2VqRGWLh-YEwya6zkS32Hf2osv5hPRR0q6hOLVGW-_NDJBquQobYcw7v35x7M/s320/IMG_3725.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByonf0SSLUkbba2tCLyovfucWE9gY2ytHxLmBY9OSuLzDMTwr8G78YoHECIjbMzAL9LmW9iBtsGBgPXX0ntudV6IRz339aIgALWYiO8ekedQnhl-mCpj5HLf5lCSqeW_dJns0FiFlFePX/s1600/IMG_2407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByonf0SSLUkbba2tCLyovfucWE9gY2ytHxLmBY9OSuLzDMTwr8G78YoHECIjbMzAL9LmW9iBtsGBgPXX0ntudV6IRz339aIgALWYiO8ekedQnhl-mCpj5HLf5lCSqeW_dJns0FiFlFePX/s320/IMG_2407.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4IYn0A6kjiF9QkkeV-MBBY6iziIOtRbBXR9yoeTbJMzy4CbZMaCKpDTm87S_tINK6fEGEVKfSkwWSAi_I26HsUu28wK1pImAboWxa1Ou8H83jAf8nosmw3mij6jVIPxmqwLKR5GKNNX6/s1600/IMG_3730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4IYn0A6kjiF9QkkeV-MBBY6iziIOtRbBXR9yoeTbJMzy4CbZMaCKpDTm87S_tINK6fEGEVKfSkwWSAi_I26HsUu28wK1pImAboWxa1Ou8H83jAf8nosmw3mij6jVIPxmqwLKR5GKNNX6/s320/IMG_3730.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5NpWYUbB_pEGvTkiGq5GMXfUjwGOj2tR4_M2B0l4PfiRGxxEtx8VVLN-3lKKDl7CD5ExNw-0EdC1B5Bd0eA9bf0DTvHlLSffUUQtB0ARmuvDHJLTrSHd3z0Jp3OGoGhRbibfUjlpAZBP/s1600/IMG_2412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5NpWYUbB_pEGvTkiGq5GMXfUjwGOj2tR4_M2B0l4PfiRGxxEtx8VVLN-3lKKDl7CD5ExNw-0EdC1B5Bd0eA9bf0DTvHlLSffUUQtB0ARmuvDHJLTrSHd3z0Jp3OGoGhRbibfUjlpAZBP/s320/IMG_2412.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Also in the this day, we visited the ancient drum and bell towers. After we visited Xi’an’s City Wall, the wall that once protected the city like the Great Wall. This wall w rode bicycles on for a while, which was really fun. All of us were racing or helping Michael with his bike. I really felt like I was in China then because bicycling is definitely one of the most essential sources to the Chinese people. They either ride it to get to their job, to school, for leisure, or for whatever reason.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next day in Xi’an, we visited the terracotta soldiers, which I was really excited for because it’s something in our history books. A farmer found these thousands of soldiers in the 1970s. And ever since then, the city build a museum around it. It is believed to have protected a king in the first dynasty, because his mausoleum wasn’t so far from these soldiers. It was supposed to protect him in the “afterlife.” I couldn’t believe that this was an onsite museum, and the restoration of the soldiers looked well done. The idea of what happened to the soldiers and the secrecy of them really interested me. Archeologists determined that someone tried to burn the soldiers because of the ash found, and they were once protected because of the roof pillars. I really enjoyed seeing the soldiers, something also astonishing was how fast the once “countryside’ of Xi’an where the soldiers were found evolved so fast and became more city-like and touristy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Overall, I had a lot of fun visiting the historical sites, and the five star hotel was great. The train ride from Xi’an to Nanjing really opened my eyes also because I was able to see the countryside, and people with small houses that were crumbling and abandoned, lots of garbage, many crops, and people working really hard far away from the city. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Alex </div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-61216777529842255232011-08-28T20:00:00.000-07:002011-08-28T20:00:48.442-07:00Xi'an <link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>302</o:Words> <o:Characters>1724</o:Characters> <o:Lines>14</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>2117</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">We went to the drum tower and saw a performance. Then Jose bought an ancient Chinese instrument (which I quickly learned to<span> </span>play). We walked around then to the bell tower. It was kind of the same. Afterwards we went to the City Wall gates. It was pretty long, so we rented some bikes. At first I was kind of nervous, because it’s been about 6-7 years since I last tried it, and I wasn’t even that good back then. But thanks to the little pride I had left (it was mostly destroyed by Alex and the other girls), I didn’t tell anyone, so I struggled for the first 5 minutes. Alex came back to laugh and make sure I was ok. Then I got it. I felt super awesome. But almost ¾ of the way going, the chain came loose. Thanks to my cousins in Ecuador I remembered something about bicycles chains so I fixed it. But coming back the chain broke twice more. So I found out the chain had a small dent which made it stick, then loose. Alex waited with me while Ms. McMurdo went with the others to drop them off. Ms. Lo then left to tell Ms. McMurdo to pick me up on the tandem bike. She finally returned, but with the passenger seat too small for me to even put my food on the pedals. So Alex had me borrow her bike, and we got back no problem. This was pretty fun. Then we returned to our 5-star hotel until the next day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjEYRE6jmwkm8nO2bYVayXq548sLh6hrmQx5WjE2oA0XQp4DK4rzN8K3s6KTqh8YpUgVUIr-TnAUncgMOv0sDhcSB2EDOe5Kkq2NFQQHCt__bhiQKESCnMZSkUd6GcsPgvID54r2NJpKj/s1600/IMG_2477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjEYRE6jmwkm8nO2bYVayXq548sLh6hrmQx5WjE2oA0XQp4DK4rzN8K3s6KTqh8YpUgVUIr-TnAUncgMOv0sDhcSB2EDOe5Kkq2NFQQHCt__bhiQKESCnMZSkUd6GcsPgvID54r2NJpKj/s320/IMG_2477.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We went to see the terracotta soldiers, and how people make their own new ones to sell. We made our own but couldn’t take it since it takes a week to harden. We then went to the train, and arrived after taking a nap (my picture was taken so I lost the sleep-photo war). Jose and I finished our drafts of our powerpoint so we went to crash with the girls. We had fun and decided to mingle with the locals. That was a failure, so we went back. We laughed some more and then watched a movie, but we all fell asleep, the 6 of us. The way we slept was pretty much organizedish. I had laughed at what some people did at the middle of the night, like calling for some verbs. Next morning we found out our teachers had woken up thinking about breakfast, then Jose and my disappearance!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Michael </div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-67175956197100259662011-08-28T19:56:00.000-07:002011-08-28T19:56:25.550-07:00Ancient Capital of China <link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>172</o:Words> <o:Characters>981</o:Characters> <o:Lines>8</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>1204</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>11.1539</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:UseMarginsForDrawingGridOrigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">During m time in Xi’an I remember visiting a few interesting places. The first day in Xi’an the group and myself went to visit a museum in which I learned a lot about Chinese history. One thing I remember learning is the rule of the first emperor of China, who became emperor at the age of 13. Something very important that this emperor achieved was the unification of China.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The second day in Xi’an the group and I went to visit the city walls of Xi’an, where we all rode bikes. During this time, I decided to try to teach Monica how to ride a bike because she didn’t know how to ride one. Before we all went to the Xi’an wall, we first went to visit a bell tower and a drum tower where I heard a lot of beautiful music. One interesting thing that I saw there was that drums come in different sizes and shapes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoafiEFB3RG_Pqp7Nx3ncuNt65_SzL76cJ1WFepW2WrWjwrglN3Y4NHkDsZZAWWOZ7IFTVHb3Z1RpbniOPMyTRti3QMTgIZjbKtK82-x4ZONeEO4K87DgA77at0Z5_ntiyaHmTTRunwsyn/s1600/IMG_3718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoafiEFB3RG_Pqp7Nx3ncuNt65_SzL76cJ1WFepW2WrWjwrglN3Y4NHkDsZZAWWOZ7IFTVHb3Z1RpbniOPMyTRti3QMTgIZjbKtK82-x4ZONeEO4K87DgA77at0Z5_ntiyaHmTTRunwsyn/s320/IMG_3718.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V7mOJ52IWjRQwwAIwvC4R-jpKf2NcAIjIs_6TMeV6FHANR3aTtcR98eVW7ein9tJIJoKEeLz6tT6VpS6TbHEZ2zG1J_s5xO_-mCWD1Q6gZXyWH6vscAW9aoZcE4Qzeo1sVewBT7DoX5X/s1600/IMG_3763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V7mOJ52IWjRQwwAIwvC4R-jpKf2NcAIjIs_6TMeV6FHANR3aTtcR98eVW7ein9tJIJoKEeLz6tT6VpS6TbHEZ2zG1J_s5xO_-mCWD1Q6gZXyWH6vscAW9aoZcE4Qzeo1sVewBT7DoX5X/s320/IMG_3763.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29ir1hPnN-eLTeWW1HIInWsjdvYu2Zls2TOk00wEwg6C1O8XCpExj3yUbJrG1I7JOy2CDXmpwCnJDEA2uno2EmLsa7Nng_KG0tPo1b9cIaAj5Sln3wE2icF-mtYuP8rUko686-XSHo7em/s1600/IMG_3766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29ir1hPnN-eLTeWW1HIInWsjdvYu2Zls2TOk00wEwg6C1O8XCpExj3yUbJrG1I7JOy2CDXmpwCnJDEA2uno2EmLsa7Nng_KG0tPo1b9cIaAj5Sln3wE2icF-mtYuP8rUko686-XSHo7em/s320/IMG_3766.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSwFEmj-Pv51elrjplUZmSfsQIYbrmJxuzWyXdVsAMYP71eJpepqYLiYonlnechct5EIMs-w-AS1RGprx7nLSAZbfQ3AOjanIQHDx9PlvUsI8RvP7H3wqREEMj8MmdG9gn_iwCI8yvcfj/s1600/IMG_2458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSwFEmj-Pv51elrjplUZmSfsQIYbrmJxuzWyXdVsAMYP71eJpepqYLiYonlnechct5EIMs-w-AS1RGprx7nLSAZbfQ3AOjanIQHDx9PlvUsI8RvP7H3wqREEMj8MmdG9gn_iwCI8yvcfj/s320/IMG_2458.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The last day in Xi’an we went to visit a pottery museum where we were taught how to make miniature terracotta soldiers. After we learned how to make a mini-terracotta soldier we explored the museum and we looked at many sculptures. After the museum we went to visit the actual terracotta soldier museum, which was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Jose </div><!--EndFragment--> China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2095868646541476349.post-60117014001501780902011-08-28T19:49:00.000-07:002011-08-28T19:50:25.809-07:00A Ride Around Xi'an<link href="file://localhost/Users/karenmcmurdo/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">After leaving Beijing we arrived at Xi’an. Xi’an is rich in history and culture. Xi’an is one of the four Great Ancient capitals of China. In Xi’an I learned that China was unified under the Qin Dynasty. The first emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, ordered the construction of the terracotta soldiers. The terracotta soldiers were discovered in the spring of 1974 by farmers diggeing a well. These terracotta soldiers were meant to protect the emperor’s spirit after death. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhULymEa70cWwRYJ6L6x3alZNDivj_bRZ0VsowSyT6hEMyp-vGqvRbzJnwozEFTtj-JwCobpIEbAya-R4eLsgodn2YbUjrWn8K44E7N0Ew7i2chf0z3KkvFtD3O5qakvABu27jeXj71PXp/s1600/IMG_3819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhULymEa70cWwRYJ6L6x3alZNDivj_bRZ0VsowSyT6hEMyp-vGqvRbzJnwozEFTtj-JwCobpIEbAya-R4eLsgodn2YbUjrWn8K44E7N0Ew7i2chf0z3KkvFtD3O5qakvABu27jeXj71PXp/s320/IMG_3819.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglnwMabKMh_0LtoE_FfXxt83W7w3xoCYOuqmp36kPnVO8ZHRGQLmjTxYd4qsqIhO2FFSfr9t2BvsGr1bfH4-U3uLDmfZTlZc9fUhqN1d-2NnxLxvp4IIMlnpmk5PKhklPidXTKut2p07c/s1600/IMG_3847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglnwMabKMh_0LtoE_FfXxt83W7w3xoCYOuqmp36kPnVO8ZHRGQLmjTxYd4qsqIhO2FFSfr9t2BvsGr1bfH4-U3uLDmfZTlZc9fUhqN1d-2NnxLxvp4IIMlnpmk5PKhklPidXTKut2p07c/s320/IMG_3847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dTcvkGDNbNht6ZdqNRMeihfO4kXwcPA0iwv7_6x8kbuZ6SK5msfDxFPxWZ-BK3myOFzkjis2dTcMhz6UAMuuX7m4b7tAYpThNxugoz_myVOAkvnOei_V881Jhd6cKojyuHaEVnbbO_RK/s1600/IMG_3852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dTcvkGDNbNht6ZdqNRMeihfO4kXwcPA0iwv7_6x8kbuZ6SK5msfDxFPxWZ-BK3myOFzkjis2dTcMhz6UAMuuX7m4b7tAYpThNxugoz_myVOAkvnOei_V881Jhd6cKojyuHaEVnbbO_RK/s320/IMG_3852.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">At the site of the terracotta soldiers, we also ate lunch. We had handmade noodles for the first time. Personally, I think handmade noodles are the best. It was interesting to view how they are made.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNRHwgY8tPnkBBw4_Xun4yzeCZ7fYcHVZ4e6JTtCT2JZKcPfsASHaPZMLiPHnjpBceujtDRO2fHNlgpOL7nPOGIaICyKOt91k1R4xeaPImI0JgBjSb-xRR3_2MdCGc2LPwf4ETHMOSTGW/s1600/IMG_3856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNRHwgY8tPnkBBw4_Xun4yzeCZ7fYcHVZ4e6JTtCT2JZKcPfsASHaPZMLiPHnjpBceujtDRO2fHNlgpOL7nPOGIaICyKOt91k1R4xeaPImI0JgBjSb-xRR3_2MdCGc2LPwf4ETHMOSTGW/s320/IMG_3856.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The most memorable moment in Xi’an was our free day, where we explored the city. It is in Xi’an that I saw Muslim Chinese. I always knew there were all types of religions all over the world. However, it was difficult to picture Muslim Chinese until I saw them in the flesh. We went to a mosque which was beautifully constructed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLtQqxFuH4O6ExMgac_sB25Um8XGVdPNbN9duNjW7-qzrbmzau5LvGRtbHbIgEle1BSo1u76d7OdrZK5hxWWhNhWUw4tgv7x8VGg5JFOqIA7hEbH15Mzc6DkT78GfuC_Omv0ROi2Ip_yo/s1600/IMG_3729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLtQqxFuH4O6ExMgac_sB25Um8XGVdPNbN9duNjW7-qzrbmzau5LvGRtbHbIgEle1BSo1u76d7OdrZK5hxWWhNhWUw4tgv7x8VGg5JFOqIA7hEbH15Mzc6DkT78GfuC_Omv0ROi2Ip_yo/s320/IMG_3729.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">After visiting the mosque we rode bikes around the walls of the city. This was the highlight of my trip to Xi’an, because I’d never ridden a bike before. Who else can say they learned how to ride a bike in China?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtVQH_ThHFN6LnLg7GTVbDkkwyBRetB8tshgDoyUOtulJpXuQoSHv_k4WffkKywMiKECQtcZ2mJ-9HMSEQUp7u-o3jHbT1g1V7_s1YoBsyZuCMNYT9S-itLcv_tYGuVv1I88g0Wyhyh2K/s1600/IMG_2464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtVQH_ThHFN6LnLg7GTVbDkkwyBRetB8tshgDoyUOtulJpXuQoSHv_k4WffkKywMiKECQtcZ2mJ-9HMSEQUp7u-o3jHbT1g1V7_s1YoBsyZuCMNYT9S-itLcv_tYGuVv1I88g0Wyhyh2K/s320/IMG_2464.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Monica </div>China Exchangehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649019661756475263noreply@blogger.com0