Found in Fishers

Magic Music Days...or, the wheels on the bus go round & round

What has 24 wheels, 2 door, 78 teenagers and 9 adults? Two motorcoaches headed back to Fishers, IN with a very tired bunch of marching band members. Just after noon on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week I climbed aboard bus #2 for a 20-hour overnight ride to Disney World in Orlando for the Royal Command & Guard's 2009 Disney Performance Tour. I was going to photograph the trip and help as a chaperone. As I write this post our buses are about two hours outside Nashville, TN on the trip back home.

It was a great trip, though I really missed being with Flora and the kids for Thanksgiving. did 4 parks in 4 days: Disney Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. On Friday night, the RCG led the SpectroMagic nighttime parade through the Magic Kingdom. After going "backstage" to assemble, dress and warm up, the band stepped off from the park entrance on Main Street and headed toward Cinderella's Castle, then made the turn through Frontierland. The whole thing lasted maybe 15 minutes for them, but it will be 15 minutes they'll long remember. According to our Disney escorts 60,000 people were on hand to see and hear the RCG. The kids were really excited and more than a few had a bit of a struggle staying in "marching mode". And why not? Flashes were going off by the thousands as they became part of the photographic & video memories for visitors from all over the world.

Thanksgiving night was also neat: The group enjoyed a private dinner at the Coronado Springs Resort. A Disney DJ kept the kids hopping on the dance floor, while Mickey & Minnie made an appearance for about 90 minutes to be photographed with everyone. They also posed for a group photo, dance to YMCA and Thriller, and added quite of bit of the famous Disney "magic" to the night. Say what you will about Disney -- especially those rather significant Disney prices for everything from park tickets to sodas -- but they are incredibly successful in getting everyone -- adults included -- to suspend reality and be a kid again.

I'll be glad to be home; we arrive at 4:30 this afternoon. With both Mark & Liz graduated and out of the band program it was nice to be able to accompany the band and share in the some of the fun. While I didn't get to ride much in the parks I'll be back in June with the family, Flora's sister's family and parents for our 25th anniversary and my brother-in-law's 40th birthday. Make mine an Epcot ticket.

Oh...lest I forget: Say what you will about teenagers, but these young people represented themselves, the RCG, their school and community with real class. Zero problems, lots of compliments about the group from park visitors & other hotel guests, and no one was ever late getting to our meeting locations!

Operation Pointersauras: Happy Birthday Mark!

Today is the big day. It's Mark's 18th birthday and we want to make it a memorable one. Thursday night while thinking about what Mark might want for his birthday, Juan came up with a great idea.

He and Mark have watched numerous Food Network shows like Man vs. Food, Top Ten Places to Pig Out and more. John went on the website to see if one of the top 10 pig out places was close enough to travel to in a weekend and on a whim.

Sure enough, Pointers Pizza in a suburb of St. Louis. We're are on it. The Pointersauras is the world's largest deliverable pizza. Ten pounds of fun! 28 inches! Originally we thought it might be fun to actually enter the contest but we couldn't get there in time. The contest is only at 3:00 and you must register 24 hours prior to eating. If two people can eat 10 pounds of pizza in 1 hour they get $500. Only 16 teams have one so far however since Mark has a concert band competition this morning and won't be back until after noon, we cannot make it to see if anyone is competing but we will definitely go and order the big one!

 It was a long day but well worth it. Twelve hoursti  St. Louis and back in the same day to get the pizza, eat it, and make a quick stop at the Gateway Arch. It was all worth it when we got in the car and Mark said, "Well, I can cross that one off my bucket list." A birthday to remember.

Winter in Chicago

Mark and I left for Chicago on Tuesday about 10:30 AM. The drive up to Chicago was not bad. There was quite a bit of blowing dry snow in Lafayette, but other than that a smooth ride. Took us about 2 and a half hours. My friend Ellen lost out on that window and left an hour later. It took her EIGHT hours to get up north. While in the area, the weather continued to get worse. Icy in Indy and snowy in Chicago. Today, Wednesday, it has been raining all day on the icy snow making it very slippery. Not sure if John and Liz are going to be able to come up north for Christmas, the roads may not allow for travel. Here is a picture of the area. It did end up getting warmer but that was after the ice storm.

Fun in Fishers

This week Liam is spending a mini "vacation" in Fishers. He has planned this for quite a while so that he could avoid daycare during the summer. His request for the week: broccoli, peas, and beans. He just got back from Disney and said he could not wait to get to Fishers to eat some vegetables. Other than that I decided that since I was off work for the week we would do some fun things.
We started our week with a trip to the grocery store. Liam got Pop Tarts, fruit snacks, bologna and broccoli. Then off to the neighborhood pool. It's a good thing we finally have someone willing to go swimming since we pay a hefty price to have access to the pool. By the time the day was over, Liam literally passed out on the couch from exhaustion.

On Tuesday we decided to see "Wall-E" since rain was preventing any outside activities. Mark, Liam and I went to see the movie after having lunch with Liz at her job, Tijuana Flats.  Luckily rain did not prevent a second trip to the pool. At the pool were a couple HSE teachers. Liam had fun playing with their kids. At night, he found Mark's old BayBlade tops and had a blast playing with them while it stormed and the electricity kept going off and on.

Wednesday was the zoo. I had not been to the Indy Zoo yet and thought this week was perfect for the trip. We got their early and had a great time. We saw the koalas that are visiting for a short time. Our favorite part was the dolphin show. Mark and Liam liked petting the goats.  Liam was quite worried at the zoo someone would steal his stroller since it happened once before and was a bit pre-occupied with its location. Guess what we did when we got back...swimming. Peas with dinner tonight, another request from Liam.
Keep checking out the fun we are having in Fishers. We have a couple more days of fun. Oh, and some painting too. I told Liam to bring some painting clothes since we have to get the fence painted this week as well.

5 hours to the region

Slip sliddin' away on I-65.

Saturday afternoon, Mark and I set out to visit the da region. I wanted a chance to see some friends that I haven't seen in months and my friend, Pat, was hosting a tea party. I decided that I wasn't going to leave home until the laundry was done and Mark had his homework finished so that when we got home late Sunday, we could go right to bed. I guess I keep forgetting that it's almost Christmas and December because I never checked the weather forecast before leaving home. When we left, it was raining and spitting ice, but the roads seemed fine and the traffic was moving. But outside of Lafayette, I could feel the car acting up. I took it off cruise control and immediately we found ourselves on the ice rink that's also known as I-65! I could see in my rear view mirror all of the cars that were falling off the road and into the ditch.

It was like some kind of horror movie. The roads were very slick with a thin layer of ice and it was raining. As it continued to rain, the ice kept building up on the highway and there were no salt trucks in sight. I decided that I'd gone too far to turn around, but I wasn't going to push it to Lansing and get in an accident. I made sure there was enough room on the road between me and the car ahead and averaged about 30 mph all the way up north. It took 5 hours to get to Lansing but we arrived safe and sound. I spent the night journaling in my scrapbook and visiting with my sister. We all were working on some little projects together in her living room staying warm and dry. It's so nice to have a place to get away from it all and just relax. Now, I'm looking forward to this weekend and our 3rd annual Christmas shopping day in Indianapolis. We get all our shopping done in one day. And this year the real treat is that mom's coming too. I can't wait! I have more to tell you about the last week. Keep checking.

My final farewell from Hong Kong

Today was our last full day in Hong Kong. The group decided to break up and do a variety of different things since we had a day off from organized events. I decided to hang out with Cathy and Jane. Cathy

Jane and Cathy wait to board our boat for the 2-hour trip to Hong Kong Island.

is a high school AP English teacher from Kansas and Jane is a 3rd grade teacher for at-risk students in Florida. We decided that it would be most appropriate for us to see Hong Kong from boat since the area started out as a fishing community. We took a boat ride along the shore for about 2 hours, checking out the landscape of Hong Kong and Kowloon Islands. What amazing architecture. Lots of money invested in real estate. Following our ride, we walked back to Lan Kwai Fong in search of a non-Chinese lunch. It was another very hot day - even hotter between the skyscapers - but we had fun going in and out of different shops. Our favorite was the Mountain Folkcraft Store. It was full of minority ethnic arts and crafts. I couldn't leave before buying a set of small baskets; they are adorable. I also bought a wooden cookie mold. It has a fish and lotus flower on it. It would have been used to make a bread-like cake as a treat for one's family.

This evening, we decided to view the famous laser light show in Victoria Bay aptly titled, "A Symphony of Lights." For a mere 50 cents we took the ferry across the bay to Kowloon and watched the light show in front of the skyline. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the Hong Kong light show is the

The laser light show "A Symphony of Lights" celebrates the energy, diversity and spirit of Hong Kong.

world's largest permanent show. It was not as exciting as we anticipated, but still fun. We topped the evening off with a final taxi ride home and chocolate sundaes at the hotel restaurant.

Sadly, I am leaving China tomorrow morning. I will say goodbye to my dear Asian friends and to the Fulbright-Hayes group. At the same time, I'm looking forward to being home, sleeping on a soft bed, and ordering a pizza. A special thanks to my blog editor, Juan! Big Brother in China did not allow me direct access to my blog so I had so send my photos to Juan for insertion into the blog. He also cleaned up the blog on the U.S. end as I often blogged half asleep because of my grueling schedule. I hope you continue to check in on the Found in Fishers site as I will be telling you more about the trip and posting plenty of pictures once I return and get back into my real world. Huítóu jiàn.

A view from the top

The Peak is Hong Kong's leading tourist attraction. At the top of The Peak, is Peak Tower, a wok-shaped building that many claim is the most photographed sight in Hong Kong.

After spending the day at Hong Kong University for a series of lectures on education and society in Hong Kong, the group celebrated with dinner at the Peak Overlook. The Peak is the highest part of Hong Kong. Located on Hong Kong Island, it provides the best view of Hong Kong. It was Gail's birthday so the group took the Peak Tram to the highest part of the city where we started the evening with some shopping before dinner.

The view was spectacular. We were able to see a 360-degree view of the city during the day, and again at night. We got to the top of the Peak on a cable-pulled tram that has been operating since 1888. It was facinating to see the beautiful scenery. At the Peak Overlook Restaurant, we enjoyed a delicious non-Chinese-food dinner. I had lamb with baked potato. Gail treated us to birthday cake and champagne. She also had small gifts for us as well. Gail wanted to be sure she purchased the cake as it is tradition in France - where she lived for several years - before returning

The Peak's wok rocks. So do the spectacular views from the rooftop observation aera.

to teach French in the Washington, DC area. The food was great, but the company was the best. We had a wonderful time talking about our adventures during the past five weeks. We also took the time to thank Dick, our leader, and give him a small token of our appreciation.

We have one day left in Hong Kong before we begin the journey home. We are unclear what we are doing for sure on Friday, but keep checking for the details. And Friday will be our first full free day since leaving San Francisco!

The view from The Peak at night. I always thought Chicago's skyline was hard to beat, until I saw this.

Law & Order Hong Kong style

An outgoing student at the Buddhist Sin Tak College. The school motto: To illuminate with wisdom and to manifest with compassion.

Just when I thought this trip couldn't get any better, we spent our first full day in Hong Kong. This day has become one of my favorites. It was very hot and humid, but the experiences were awesome. The day started with a conversation between our group and South China Daily Post Columnist Ben Kwok. It was a great opportunity to hear about the freedom of press in Hong Kong and the rise in media owners in the area. Next was a visit to the Buddhist Sin Tak College.

The Buddhist Sin Tak College is a secondary school in Hong Kong. It is different from any other secondary school we saw so far in China because the classes are all taught in English. It is a full immersion school for students in grades 7 through 12. Students who come from the primary schools to the Buddhist school receive instruction in Cantonese prior to starting secondary school. This school is their first experience receiving instruction in English. Therefore, we were able to observe a wonderful summer program that helps students learn to work with each other and transition to classroom instruction in English. What's really neat is that these summer classes are more manageable than most of the Chinese classes we have seen so far...only about 22 students.

We stopped for lunch on Lan Kwai Fong street. I was far too interested in walking around the area and taking in the sights, so instead of eating, a Starbucks

When the lights go down, the "in crowd" heads to Lan Kwai Fong Street. It's a must for night owls and people watchers.

had to tide me over. Cathy, Jane, and I walked around window shopping and checking out the area. It was very crowded. Lan Kwai Fong Street is a cosmopolitan area. It has narrow streets that are quite hilly. We frequently had to stop to watch traffic driving on the left side of the road. At night it is more of a party atmosphere on Lan Kwai Fong but it does have a wide variety of international cuisine. I guess the foreigners go there for the night life.

The most interesting visit today was at the High Court in Hong Kong. There, we met with a justice from the Court of Appeals. He was very candid as he explained the court systems in Hong Kong. What was really neat for us is that we were able to go to court today and witness a murder trial in action. Law & Order Hong Kong style. I was rather distracted by the judges. There were 4 and they had those funky fake white wigs kinda like George Washington. You should see what a Chinese man looks like with a white powdered wig. But, we were able to listen in to the questioning from the murder trial. The murder occurred in Hong Kong but the accused went to mainland China. It was apparent from the questioning that his physical condition was somewhat compromised when he was returned from the mainland. Something about a 30-pound weight shackled to his leg. Hmmm. I wish we could have stayed.

The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is an efficient underground rail system that covers Hong Kong's major urban areas. Placed into service in 1979, the system carries more than 2.5 million people a day! To put that into some perspective, Chicago's CTA ridership is about 1.2 million people per day.

Our last group stop was at the Bureau of Home Affairs where we learned about youth initiatives. Not wanting to see a hotel room for too long while in Hong Kong, a group of us navigated the subway system over to Temple Street on Kowloon Island. Temple Street is a large street market. Not wanting to take anything less than my suitcase can hold, I bought some additional souvenirs for my family. Our hotel is on Hong Kong Island so our subway journey went under the bay. I am looking forward to Friday. We are thinking of a cruise along the islands. Keep checking.

Spaghetti and Hong Kong

How do you say "spaghetti" in Chinese? I don't have a clue, all I know is that there were no identifiable heads of any sort in the sauce.

Wow...I'm still trying to keep my jaw shut since arriving in Hong Kong so it doesn't look too obvious that I am a first-time tourist. I cannot even explain what I am seeing. It is so amazing. The sea of large and beautiful skyscrapers, the green mountains, the waters, the islands, and SPAGHETTI! After eating such a wide variety of Chinese food for an entire month, I have been craving spaghetti the past few days.

Enough people in our group have heard my request so tonight they graciously allowed me to indulge in this treat as we ate at an Italian restaurant down the street from our hotel. No lazy susans, no heads on the table, and no shiny vegetables. Just a big bowl of lovely spaghetti with cheese melted on top. I can honestly say that I was feeling full for the first time in well over a month. It was a lot of fun as the group discussed the different events of this journey so far and started to talk about what we should do on our free day this Friday.

The next two days are pretty full with a variety of events, but Friday is our free day. Many of us our planning a ferry ride around the islands outside of Hong Kong. It's pretty darn warm here; a big change from the cooler days way up north in Yanji. To get to Hong Kong we first took a two hour plane ride to Beijing, where we

Really...it's there...downtown Hong Kong. If you just squint a bit you can make out the skyline.

switched airlines to take a 4 hour plane ride to Hong Kong. We are going to have to be very careful walking around the city. Cars here drive on the left because of the British influence. This year is the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. Each night we are able to see fireworks in the harbor. Looking forward to that tomorrow.

My last stop: Hong Kong

Today is our last full day in Yanji. We are departing for the Yanji Airport at 6:30 a.m. local to fly to Beijing where we will catch our flight to Hong Kong on July 17. Two gals will be leaving our group as they will not be traveling to Hong Kong. Terri will be visiting friends in China and Kara will be leaving on her honeymoon. They have been such a wonderful addition to our group. Terri is a media specialist from Iowa and Kara a teacher from Atlanta. Conversation with Terri was always great. She is a very knowledgeable person. I got to know Terri on the Great Wall. I will miss her calm personality. Kara is the group's "namer." She creates interesting names for our Chinese experiences. My favorite: BYOP. Bring your own Paper. In China, most public toilets do not have toilet paper so Kara would often reference those using the restroom after her BYOP as needed. Best of luck to Kara and her husband as they travel on their honeymoon. Kara was also the person who helped me perfect the art of squatting.

Today we visited two schools. One was a primary school that taught in Chinese. The other a high school that taught in Korean. We were able to get additional information about how language is taught in China. We concluded those meetings with our farewell luncheon to the people of Yanji, particularly of Yanbian University. The best part was the entertainment. Many people tooks turns singing and reciting poetry. And of course, wine was flowing. Simon, one of our Chinese guests, loves to enjoy wine.

We have made many good friends in Yanji, a smaller community that has allowed that to be successful. As we traveled to each city, we learned something different about each region and gained new friendships. Bright and early tomorrow we will be leaving for Beijing. From Beijing we will be traveling to Hong Kong. I am excited to see how much Western lifestyles have influenced Hong Kong.