Found in Fishers

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.

The Korean Ethnic Community of Yanbian

Today was a fabulous day! I'm not sure if it's the smaller community feeling or the people in general but the Yanji area of Yanbian is just amazing. We are grateful to our friends in Yanji for taking care of our

Our group outside the Yanbian College of Foreign Languages.

dear companion, Nancy, who is ill and traveling back home today to Washington, DC. We hope that Nancy is feeling better soon and we are praying that the doctors in the U.S. can find and treat her illness quickly. The people here have jumped right in to take care of us. One young man helped get her to the hospital. A wonderful teacher, Gloria, from Yanbian University, sat with Nancy the entire time at the hospital so that she would not be alone and could translate for her. We have truly been blessed by their kindness and honored to call them our Chinese brothers and sisters. We also said a tearful goodbye to our Chinese guide, Mr. Zhai. He escorted Nancy to Beijing so that she could fly from there directly to DC. He has been our rock and has a great sense of humor; both of which are needed with such a rigorous schedule. How lucky we are that he crossed our path.

This morning we went to the Yanbian College of Foreign Languages. There we met with a variety of teachers and the President of the College of Foreign Languages. They were so forthcoming in helping us understand the Yanbian area and the large ethnic Korean community that resides here. You can see the Korean influence on the streets and through the food that we have been eating, a little spicy (and it included dog). Geez, I hope our two home-bound pooches aren't following this blog! Many of the people we have met are tri-lingual Chinese ethnic Koreans who speak Chinese, Korean, and English. It was very interesting to hear the options students have in this: Attending Chinese or Korean schools, and that they have the option as an ethnic minority to take the college entrance exam in Korean.

At the Yanbian Arts Theatre we watched a traditional Korean flower dance. The ancestors of the Korean ethnic group here migrated from the Korean peninsula from about the late 17th century, mostly peasants fleeing from their oppressive feudal landlords. The Koreans are very fond of music. They sometimes sing and dance to the accompaniment of drums and flutes in the fields or on construction sites.

Tonight's highlight was a traditional Korean song and dance show at the Yanbian Arts Theater. We had marvelous seats to see the beautiful costumes and hear Korean music. Midway through the show we were served rice wine. Sorry, not brave enough. Besides, we toasted so much during lunchtime that more alcohol was not in my picture tonight. I cannot believe we only have one more full day in Yanji. I would love to stay here longer and highly recommend that everyone put Yanji on their places to travel list. Wow!!

A visit to Korea, sort of...

Everybody sing along now: "I'm on the top of the world, looking down on creation, and the only thing that I can see..." is South Korea.

What a day! We went to Korea. Well, sort of. I saw Korea but I didn't get to put my foot in the country. Today was a culture day. We took a 4 hour bus ride south of Yanji to the Changhai Mountains. Along the way I was able to check out the Chinese countryside. What a contrast to city life. As many oxen pulling carts today as bicycles. Once at the mountain we started by going up, thank goodness not by walking...or that was what we thought. We exited bus #1 - the bus that took us to Changhai - then walked to bus #2. Bus #2 took us to a row of four-wheel drive Jeeps. Six of us

"Hot Spring Eggs" are a local favorite. The hot springs have temperatures over 140 degrees!

fit into a jeep that climbed the side of the mountain with such speed I swear I was at Six Flags over Yanji! Our tires screached around each corner as Janie encouraged the driver to go faster. He turned the radio higher and kept going faster. Poor Kara in the second car was fearing for her life with the wild driving and was feeling quite queezy on top of the mountain. I was worried at one point but noticed that none of the green guard rails looked dented...yet.

It was silly of me to think that any Chinese destination would not include steps. As soon as we exited the jeeps we were let off to a set of very steep stone stairs that needed to be climbed to get to the top of the mountain. Not wanting to be a wimp, I climbed away and saw a very breathtaking view of China and Korea. The Changhai Mountains border Korea. It was such a lovely sight. So different from the cities we have seen during the past month. The rock was rather soft. Much of it was pumice. And you couldn't miss the Fulbright group today as each of us was given a hot pink hat to wear so that the guide could keep track of us.

After the mountain we went to the waterfall. The walk through the woods was spectacular. The highlight was a hot spring. "How hot was it?" you ask.

Several of our group looking fetching in their cheap yellow rain gear and striking pink hats. As they say in China: "Eye yah!"

It was so hot that they were boiling eggs in the water to sell to the hikers. The weather was rainy for a brief period of time, otherwise it was a perfect weather day. There was a slight breeze and it was cool outside. It was actually kind of nice to wear a coat for the first time in China. A break from the 98 degrees in the cities. Being north was helpful as well. After a 4 hour ride back, the group agreed to skip dinner tonight. We had some business to attend to with an ill traveler, and then there was Gail, who fell just before boarding the bus and is now icing a fat lip. Hopefully I can report on some tasty meals tomorrow.

It's Friday the 13th and we are in Yanji

We have arrived safely by plane to Yanji. What a change in weather, and no pollution! It's been a couple of days since I was able to update you so let me catch you up.

Li and Zhao welcomed me into their home. They are a young Beijing couple. Both are teachers and have PhDs in biology.

On Wednewsday, July 11, the group had a very informative lecture at the Ministry Of Education in Beijing follwed by a trip to the Capitol Museum. Both were wonderful. That evening was the highlight. We went to the Poly Theatre to see the Taiwan Dance Company called Cloud Gate. It was truly amazing. These talented dancers combined the beautiful music of Asia with modern dance. My favorite was this one dance called "Spring." At the end of the dance, little pink showers of flowers dropped from the ceiling onto the stage. Truly a wonderful way to end the day.

On Thursday we went to the American Embassy. We didn't get to see anyone famous but did learn about the role the Embassy plays in China, specifically with visas and cultural education. That evening I had a home stay. Dr. Huan Zhao and his wife Dr. Xu Feng Li were my hosts. They are both biology teachers at the middle school level. A young couple living in a beautiful flat near the 2nd Ring Road in Beijing. When I arrived at their home they asked what I would like to do with them. My request: Live a night as if I was a Beijing resident. They did just that. We started at their favorite restaurant and had "real"Beijing food. It was really good but they were unable to translate the names for me. I did not particularly like the seafood tofu but I did give it a try. After dinner we walked for about an hour and ended up at this amazing park. We had so much fun talking about schools and teachers. We watched many senior citizens exercising and walking. They got me to get on some of the park equipment as well. It was really fun. I was very tired so it was a treat when I heard we were taking the bus back to their house. That was interesting. I got quite a few stares being the only Westerner on the bus. Chinese people like

Our arrival in Yanji. Given all of our luggage, they had to send a bus for the group. It was like a clown car at the circus trying to get everyone in with all their luggage.

to look at American "big noses." Back at their home we sat together and continued to share stories. When it was time to go to bed I was amazed at how much bigger the home was than I could see. I had my own room and my own bathroom with a shower and a Western toilet! We slept with the windows open and the breeze was refreshing.

I am now in Yanji. Yanji is on the northeastern part of China near South Korea. We had a delicious welcoming banquet. Okay, I didn't taste the rabbit, sea cucumber, quail eggs, cow stomach, or spicy food but I did try some other good food. Tomorrow we are off to the Changbai Mountain. It is about 3.5 hours away and on top we can see Korea. We have fabulous hosts and I am looking forward to this place!

Home, home in Beijing

Those of us back home in Fishers thought it might be helpful to post a brief update regarding our intrepid traveler, who's checked out of her sumptous surroundings and checked into...someone's home. Today...um, that's Thursday night local time in China (remember that whole 12 hour time thing)...Flora is enjoying a homestay for a firsthand taste of what it's like to live in China. Okay, that's not entirely true. No homestay for an American is ever going to be what life is like for your average Chinese, but hopefully it will be close. Perhaps she'll sit down to sup on a skewer of "Cicadas a la Wang" or enjoy a heaping dish of "Deep Fried Duck Head." The real benefit of international travel is that we sheltered Westerners come to realize that our ways are not the only ways. In any event, from the homestay Flora et al will be winging their way Friday night from Beijing to Yanji, a distance of about 600 miles. The group has an 11 p.m. scheduled departure.

Yanji is in northeastern China and has a population of about 400,000...which will be quite a contrast from Beijing and it's 13 million inhabitants. Yanji is also a much more rural area and as such, doesn't get the kind of tourist traffic other destinations in China experience. Yanji also doesn't have the cultural history of other Chinese cities, even though it has been inhabitated since the Neolithic Age or "new" Stone Age - about 8500 BC - or 808 dog years! And we Americans just celebrated our 231st birthday. That helps put things in perspective. Until we next hear from Flora who's currently Found in China, thanks for checking in and don't be a stranger!

Let’s go Outback tonight!

Our focus today was on private English instruction. We started at a the New Oriental School where Chinese students can get help learning English through a summer camp program. Children travel from

Beijing's Wall Street Institute is the largest English language teaching organization in the world. This isn't for the faint of wallet as instruction is somewhat costly for most Chinese.

different parts of China to receive language support for this 2 week session. This is not an inexpensive camp for the students. I was more concerned about the class size. Today there were 96 students in one classroom! Of course, like most Chinese classrooms, the students were very attentive and seriously took notes. I met a sweet young girl who wanted to practice her English with me. We did for awhile. The one thing she asked me for was an English name. More than anything, she wanted an English name. Students who go to many key schools we have observed often get an English name from their teacher. Not so for this gal. Our time together was so limited. I explained to her that I was honored to give her a name but that I wanted to do so with thought knowing a little more about her personality. She agreed and we are going to email each other so I can know her better before suggesting an English name for her. What a touching experience.

Our second stop was at the Wall Street Institute. The Institute is the largest English language teaching organization in the world. This is another privately run English supplemental program. This program starts with computer modules and then class time with a teacher. The classes are no more than 4 students at time. Additionally, they offer a social time with movie nights and an evening when students can come and practice their oral language skills. No one is allowed to speak Chinese in the offices or they are fined (a small fine for office treats at the end of the month). We were able to participate as a group during the talking time where students meet in a lounge and practice their English. I sat with a patent attorney, a financial person, a technical school student studying International Business, and a journalist from the local newspaper. The focus of this program is conversational English. It was a lot of fun exchanging things about our cultures.

Outback, indeed! After days of being "outback" with other squatters, it was time for good old steak-n-potatoes.

Okay...now for the day's real highlight! We had a free evening. The group decided not to have dinner together at a banquet, but rather have free time to do some shopping. Some went to the opera. My roommate, Ginny, and I, decided to have some American food. This was the first real food in 5 days since my stomach has been feeling off. I had a craving for spaghetti but we ended up at Outback Steakhouse. I had a steak and baked potato and Ginny a burger and fries. For an hour we escaped China and felt like we were back home. It was a good break and now we are ready for the next adventure.

Beijing: Day 7

When restaurants serve dog, what does one pick up at the local Pet Smart to replace rover? Why a cricket, of course! And these aren't just your avearge run-of-the-mill crickets. These are monster crickets. And crickets aren't just popular pets in China; they're also considered very lucky. One other piece of trivia: Cricket fighting is popular throughout China...and they eat crickets, too. That'll teach 'em to lose those cricket matches!

Today was full of lectures. This morning we heard more about health issues in China, specifically AIDS and HIV, while the afternoon was spent at the Beijing Foreign Studies University. I won't bore you with those details, I have better things to tell you.

During our lunch break today, we made a group run to the China Post. It was pretty funny to see all of these Americans standing in line to mail things to the states. They have a different system than in the U.S. First, you stand in line and the clerk takes your items and packs them in a box. She then wraps the edges with tape and puts packing straps around the box. After you pay her for that service - which, by the

Locals have a saying about the number of Hutongs in Beijing: "There are 360 large hutongs and as many small hutongs as there are hairs on an ox."

way - is not optional, you get the package weighed. There are three options: Air mail, surface mail, and a combo of air and surface. The combo seemed like the most reasonable way to get my box to America but it was twice as much money as surface mail, so I sent my box surface mail. I hear I should get to Indiana the first week of September...maybe. As soon as I was on the bus I was happy to know that I did not have to lug the stuff around. Then I realized that my souvenirs for some are in that box. Oops. Some people will have to wait to get their special Chinese treat.

Great news today! The teen I met at the Dandelion School, Zhange, passed her high school exam. She also received the highest score at the Dandelion School. The wonderful principal there pulled some strings to allow some of the students to take the high school entrance exam and she passed. I am so proud of her and happy that she sent me an e-mail with the news. She is hoping to get into high school and I would like to see if I can help as well. I will be emailing the principal today.

Let me tell you a little more about a Hutong. Hutongs are like subdivisions...BIG subdivisions. They are laid out so that the houses have only small spaces in

Meet Mr.Wang. He and his wife own a hutong in Beijing, and graciously opened their home to our invading group so that we could see what life is like in a hutong.

between them for protection and they connect to each other. Each separate Hutong is closed in with walls. Inside each are four connected buildings filling in each angle, with a courtyard in the middle. The Hutongs are then closed off from the outside by a wooden gate. Down the streets of the Hutong you will see people riding bicycles, selling rice, or collecting items for recycling. The entire area can also be closed off from the rest of the city if need be by a single gate. In the old days the gate would open at 5 a.m. with a signal from a bell rung from a huge bell tower. At night, before the gate would close, a drum could be heard from the drum tower. Hutongs are being demolished in Beijing to make way for large buildings and apartment complexes, but this one was being saved after some bad publicity about China tearing down the Beijing Hutongs. All for now; it's time to call it a night.

The Great Wall at Mutianyu

It's one thing reading about something like the Great Wall, the but experience of actually standing on it is something entirely different. The Mutianyu section of the wall was built between 550-577 during the Northern Qi Dynasty, and was repaired in 1569.

At the end of the day yesterday I thought I could never be as tired as I was ever again. I was wrong! Today's adventures topped that. After reflecting on the day, I would not have changed anything, but I'm ready to pass out. We started this morning at 7 a.m. traveling by bus to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, Beijing. We drove 2 hours and believe it or not, we were still in Beijing. It's quite a large city. After battling the hawkers we took the cable car up to the bottom portion of the Great Wall. Good thing as we walked over 1000 steps just to get through one side of that portion of the wall. These were not ordinary steps, but high and uneven steps. I don't have any words to explain how I felt standing on the Wall. I was up close and personal to one of the wonders in the history of human civilization. Construction on the Great Wall began in the 7th Century BC. This portion of the wall has fewer tourists so it was nice to stop and look over the sides imagining what life was like for those who built the wall and those charged with protecting the land behind the wall. On the way down, I could not resist purchasing a two-sided handmade quilt. It has vibrant colors and is more like a duvet cover for a twin bed. My bargaining skills are paying off: $15. Now I have to figure out how to pack it. Yikes.

After our trip to the Wall, we stopped at a Hutong in Beijing. Hutongs are neighborhoods, many of which have been torn down to make room for growth. This one in particular is owned by Ms. Wang. She allowed us in her quarterangle to look at all of the rooms and sit down together for lunch. She had 3 pet crickets hanging in cages from the trees. What a hoot! The quarterangle is shaped like a rectangle; most house 40 people. To my Western eyes, it looked like only about 4 could live there by American standards. Oh, and only one toilet for the whole place. Gotta share.

Our final group trip was to the Temple of Heaven, a round temple located in a beautiful park where the emperor once prayed to the heavens. Sacrifices of food,

Here you can see not only the Wall, but the amount of pollution that hangs in the air in and around Beijing. In fact, this section of the wall is 45 miles outside Beijing.

silk, etc. were often offered. It is the only round temple I have seen and it was built without a single nail. Got all of my shirts back from the laundry about a mile away. All my socks and underwear have been washed in my bathroom sink. I am ready for the next couple weeks of the trip.

Pinch me now, I’m in Tiananmen Square

This is the Imperial Garden, located behind the living quarters in the Forbidden City. Most of the trees here are more than 500 years old.

We had a very busy day today packed full of cultural adventures. Our trip started at Tiananmen Square where our tour guide, Vivian explained the history of the open air plaza and how 1 million people could fit on the square. There I was, occupying my own square foot, trying to keep my mouth shut as I looked around in awe. We crossed the street and went into the Forbidden City. I continued to be amazed at the beautiful Chinese architecture, but even more so of the rituals and symbolism. The Forbidden City was built during the Ming Dynasty and has 9999.5 rooms. Nine is a very lucky number for the Chinese and mind you, a room has a different definition that what you think of as a room in the U.S. Also known as the Imperial Palace, the architecture was dictated by a variety of rules and rituals. Look more into the history of society during this time. There are interesting stories about the eunuchs, concubines and other interesting people...10,000 in all living in this 170 acre estate.

Our second stop today was the Hongqiao Market. THE place to buy pearls. I was not able to restrain myself. I did by myself a beautiful string of off-white pearls and a matching bracelet. I had more fun watching them string them, one knot between each pearl. We also went to the Pan Jia Yuan Antique Market. It was an opportunity to buy some additional Chinese souvenirs and arts and crafts from ethnic minorities.

At the Hongqiao Market, the motto should be: "If we don't have it, you don't need it!" Shops and stalls packed with anything and everything. The pearl market is located on the second floor.

The highlight for me tonight was the Peking Opera. It was nothing like I expected! We saw two different shows; the second one was my favorite. The origin of the opera dates back to 1790 when local men would perform...even the female roles. I expected lots of soprano-like singing. There was some unusual Chinese singing but thank goodness the translation was on the marquee on the side wall. But there was

The day's highlight was a performance of "A Pearl on the Rainbow Bridge" at the Peking Opera.

more action than singing. The story I particularly liked was called "A Pearl on the Rainbow Bridge." It is based on a fairy tale in which a young scholar meets a maiden on a bridge. It is love at first sight, but this love was against the rules of heaven. Performers in the Peking Opera start training at a very young age. What a great experience for me. I'm glad it was on our agenda as I'm not sure I would have gone if I was on this trip on my own. Tomorrow's highlight is the Great Wall. I still can't believe I'm in China!

Food in Beijing

Today was rather uneventful. We started out at Beijing Language and Culture University to learn more about the assessments for students who are studying Chinese as a second language. We then heard a great lecture on the Forbidden City in preparation for tomorrow's visit. So I thought this would be a good time to share with you the kinds of food we are exposed to here in China. First of all, let me tell you that I have only been eating rice and toast for three days. My stomach has decided to act up, so I have been staying away from the "local" food in fear that I would get sick on our bus while sitting in Beijing's horrible traffic. Add to that...getting sick on a squat toilet and the whole deal doesn't sound too comfortable. My body does not seem to like this style of food. Add to that the heat, humidity, pollution, and my lack of sleep and you can imagine why I might not be feeling myself.

The always popular cicadas on a stick. Talk about a crunchy treat that's great to eat...not! Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my cicadas in a tree, not on the Webber.

The food throughout China is quite interesting. It is amazing to me what the Chinese will eat. Some I have tasted, others...not! I actually like lotus root; it tastes good to me. I also like this potato dish they make with a sweet and sour sauce. It's kinda crunchy. But I don't like heads on my meat and fish. We have had quite the excitement in our food. Today's menu had fish lips and jellied fish skin. Thank goodness our guide didn't order any of those dishes.

In the meantime - and in the time-honored tradition of Siskel and Ebert - I give two thumbs up to: Fried pumpkin, onion bread, dumplings, green beans with garlic, noodles of any kind, sweet and sour meat of any kind, most veggies. However, I give two thumbs, two arms, and two legs down to: 100-year-old eggs, fish with heads, jellied pork, tree ear mushrooms, squid, seaweed, fish head soup, shrimp with heads on them, pigeon, shark fins. What topped it all off was the food I saw at the market. Scorpions on a stick (legs still moving), cicadas, and some kind of larvae. No thanks. Give me McDonald's.