February 3, 2010
Westridge Teacher Introduction: Andrew
This is Andrew and I am a math teacher at Westridge. I am a native Chinese and I spend the first twenty five years of my life in China. I still keep closed connection with the other side of the Pacific Ocean after I came to the US. Two years ago I was one of the four teachers on the NiHao China trip so this is my second time going there with our students, but still my feeling is as excited as the first time. I am looking forward to meet the global-lab folks in LAX.
Westridge Teacher Introduction: Kam
Ni hao,
My name is Kam, one of the three Westridge teachers leading this China interim trip. I was born and raised in Asia and Canada. I have been teaching Chinese for more than 10 years now. I love to travel. My career in teaching Chinese has taken me all over the world. I started my teaching career at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Before coming to Westridge, I worked as the Chinese Faculty Assistant at the University of Maryland. I had also taught men and women in services at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey. Every time I travel to China, I always learn something new. Now I can climb the Great Wall once again!
Westridge Teacher Introduction: Hilary
Ni Hao,
My name is Hilary and I am a Latin teacher at Westridge School. During my 17 years at Westridge, I have traveled with students throughout California and to several US states for sightseeing, camping and community service. I also have led two student trips to Rome, Pompeii and Florence. This will be my first time to Asia, and I am so excited! I am eager to see the famous sights as well as the out-of-the-way hidden treasures of China. I know the students and I will have the most amazing experience of our lives in China.
Program Co-Director Introduction: Jonathan
First and foremost, get pumped – it’s going to be a great trip! China is an amazing country, and by far one of my favorite places to travel because it is so expansive—not only in terms of its actual area, but also its culture. Your China experience will undoubtedly be unique, safe and exciting.
A little about myself: I grew up a Bostonian, though I currently reside in Chicago. My work is mainly freelance, meaning I wear a bunch of hats: I am an ESL and chess teacher, writer/editor/marketer, and I also study and perform improvisation. I’m currently trying to be published as a cruciverbalist (Google that one!), and I will hopefully be attending graduate school in the Fall (fingers crossed) for an M.A. in International Communication. I’ve traveled to nearly 20 countries throughout Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and started about the same age as all of you…so watch out, travel can be addictive!
My personal China experience began in Fuzhou, Fujian, where I taught English to nearly every age group. I also volunteered at an orphanage on a weekly basis for over a year. During that time I personally fundraised enough
money to support the surgeries necessary to repair the cleft palate of a beautiful baby girl named, Zhu Xi (she has since been adopted by an American family). Suffice to say, China has had an undeniable impact on my life, and
I hope it has an equally inspiring impact on yours too!
My advice to you on this trip: be patient and prepared; practice your Mandarin; trust your classmates; be responsible; enjoy yourself; have an open mind (read: try to understand/relate before forming opinions); take
tons of pictures; try new things (eating weird foods, drinking tea, learning local dialects, etc.); challenge yourself; deepen your experiences by the studying historical/modern contexts; keep a journal; ask questions, questions, questions.
I can’t wait to meet all you!
Jonathan
Program Co-Director Introduction: Lindsay
My name is Lindsay and I am excited to meet and get to know you as we start to prepare for our China visit! The first thing I want to mention is--PACK LIGHT! I know that we are all stoked to get on over to China, and you may have started purchasing items that you will need, but if traveling through China since 2001 has taught me anything--it is don't over pack. China has most of the things you want to buy, and you don't want to drag things around with you, you are going to want to use that free space to buy things to bring home! Think about that as the trip approaches.
I have moved around quite a bit, but I continuously find myself back in Asia. My parents took a university study broad program to China in 2001 and my sister and I went along for the ride. After the extensive travel of a semester, I was loving China and all its quirks. I went to university in Macau and went to China quite often to travel or shop, or just as a change of pace. Macau was beautifully situated in South East Asia so I was able to travel around quite a bit. I left China, only to find myself back in China leading youth groups then teaching at a university. I was in a town called Zhanjiang in Guangdong province and most of the Chinese people I met didn't know where the city was, though it was the 3rd largest city in the province--and we had an airport! I also was able to work with an organization called Joy in Action, and they do work camps with former leprosy colonies, it was amazing! I taught in Thailand for a bit recently, again both academic and corporate settings and then found myself back in the San Francisco area.
Be prepared, we have a high energy trip organized and we want to show you the China we know and love. Try to get rid of any expectations you have because China is interesting and random. Can't wait to meet you all and start our journey together!
Children believe they can fly, that there is nothing to stop their dreams from coming true. Some may call that wishful thinking, or simply being naive. Some call young people idealists, as if it were a stage they need to outgrow. But I feel the world could do with more idealists, that there are never too many dreamers.--Craig
Kielburger
Greetings from Director of China Programs
Michelle with a Tibetan Buddhist nun
I began studying Chinese in preparation for a move to Taiwan with my family when I was twelve years old. I had no idea then how greatly time in Asia would impact the rest of my life. I have now been speaking Mandarin and spending time in Asia for almost thirty years. After graduating from high school in Taipei, I spent a year at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. My graduate work was done in the field of International Education, with fieldwork on the plight of Tibetan refugees in Indian exile communities.
Working extensively in the field of International Education over the past decade, I have planned, led, or administratively supervised high school or gap year programs to China/Tibet, Thailand, India, Mexico, and Morocco. I have also taught social studies courses, including Asian and Global Studies, Chinese Language & Culture, and Tibetan Studies at two high schools in New England.
I have been working with people in China and staff from your school for many months to develop the itinerary for your program which will expose you to fascinating learning opportunities in the capital city of Beijing, in Luoyan, a place with a long Buddhist history, and in the ancient capital Xian, home of China’s first emperor and a city with a continuing Muslim influence .
You will be joined on this program by three Westridge teachers, two Global LAB leaders with intensive experiences in China, and local guides who will meet and work with the group at each of the three cities where you will be spending time.
This spring’s China program will integrate language and cultural learning opportunities with a sampling of ancient traditions, including taichi, kungfu and Chinese cooking. The group will witness the modern and traditional sides of a rapidly changing China. You will connect with local people in various ways including: a school visit and a visit to an orphanage. You will visit some of the world’s most impressive historic ancient monuments in and around Beijing and Xian. The program will be an intense combination of experiences giving you a strong introduction to several facets of life in China in the 21st century as well as glimpses into her political, and social history.
Spending time abroad profoundly affects youth in developing a sense of self-identity as well as your place in the diverse and amazing planet we inhabit. Time in China will develop in each of you a new level of awareness of the challenges and struggles that are faced by all of humanity: political, environmental, and cultural. You are at the perfect stage in your life to go abroad to witness the amazing and the difficult, and then come home to figure out your role in the future of our world.
You never know how time abroad will impact you, but it will - deeply. I went to Taiwan unwillingly as a twelve year-old (moving with my parents), grew to love it dearly, and now go back to Asia eagerly when time allows. Every time that I return, I learn and understand more, and yet each visit raises more questions.
I am eager find out how your experiences in China will influence each of you in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Michelle Bos-Lun
Global Learning Across Borders
Director of China/Tibet Programs
China Itinerary
WESTRIDGE SCHOOL
11-Day Program: Beijing/Luoyang/Xian/Beijing
To download a Word document of the itinerary, click the link below
Download file
Day 01: March 21, 2010, Sunday -- Beijing
Arrive in Beijing, China’s capital. Meet your guide and transfer to your hotel. Engage in introductory language lessons/ review and cultural orientation sessions as we begin to experience life (and probably some jetlag) in China.
Day 02: March 22, Monday -- Beijing
Orientation to the city of Beijing followed by a visit to the Temple of Heaven, where students will take a Taichi class. In the afternoon, visit the giant pandas at the Beijing Zoo. Learn more about the animals by interacting with the animal caregivers at the zoo. Then visit Beijing Olympics venues – Bird’s Nest and Water Cube (outside view). In the evening, enjoy Peking Opera at the Liyuan Theatre.
Day 03: March 23, Tuesday -- Beijing
Today’s highlight is a visit to the renowned Great Wall (Ju Rong Guan section, about 30 miles north of Beijing). This will be followed by a visit to the Ming Tombs and the Sacred Way. We will enjoy a famous Peking Duck meal this evening.
Day 04: March 24, Wednesday -- Beijing
In the morning, stroll on Tian’an Men Square and explore the Forbidden City, the residence of Chinese emperors for more than 500 years. In the afternoon, visit a local school to have a discussion and range of activities with Chinese students who will be eager to connect and speak with Westridge students. At night, enjoy a traditional Chinese acrobatic show.
Day 05: March 25, Thursday -- Beijing/Luoyang
We will visit the Yonghe Lama Temple to begin the day. This visit will help students learn more about religious practice in Tibet and other areas where Tibetan Buddhism is practiced. Most of the monks here are from Inner Mongolia but can speak Mandarin; hopefully some in our group can converse with some of them, aided by our local guide/translator/teachers. After a home-made lunch in a local resident’s home, we will tour the traditional Hutong where local people have lived for generations. In the evening, we will transfer to the railway station for the soft-sleeper train to Luoyang (about 9 1/2 hours); overnight on the train (with four-berth cabin sharing).
Day 06: March 26, Friday – Luoyang
Arrive in Luoyang in the morning. Meet the local guide at the railway station. You will visit the Longmen Grottoes, where you will see over 2,100 statues carved out of the stone cliffs, and over 10,000 carved Buddhist statues. This afternoon, we will visit the White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China.
Day 07: March 27, Saturday -- Luoyang
The morning program brings us to the Shaolin Temple in the mountains of Songshan in Dengfeng – this is the birthplace of Chinese Martial Arts. You will watch a group of Kung Fu students showcase spectacular feats of strength, speed and power. In the afternoon, you will attend a Kung Fu class to learn and practice some of the fundamentals of this ancient martial art. You will be driven back to Luoyang in the afternoon.
Day 08: March 28, Sunday -- Luoyang/Xian
After breakfast we’ll take a motor coach to Xian (about 5 hours). Today’s program features a visit to the ancient City Wall and the Bell Tower, famed landmarks of Xian. The ancient City Wall is the most complete city wall that exists in China and is one of the largest ancient military defense systems in the world. Afterwards you will attend a class to learn how to make Chinese dumplings. At night enjoy the famous Dumpling banquet followed by an evening taking a leisurely walk along the Muslim Quarter to see the night market and street offerings.
Day 09: March 29, Monday -- Xian
We will begin our day with a visit to see the Terracotta Warriors. This site is considered to be one the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. In fact, it is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections. In a workshop, each student will learn-through-doing about the creation of the Terracota soldiers by making a Terracotta warrior. In the afternoon, our group will visit the Starfish Foster Home orphanage to meet and interact with the babies/youth at the facility and a talk to staff about the programs they offer for children in need.
Day 10: March 30, Tuesday -- Xian/Beijing
Enjoy a free morning to explore the city, including the Great Mosque and the Muslim Quarter. After lunch we will fly back to Beijing. The rest of the day is free for shopping or exploring in small groups.
Day 11: March 31, Wednesday -- Beijing/USA
This morning will be open to be spent in small groups either shopping or exploring. Students and teachers/leaders will spread out and explore sites or do some last-minute shopping. We will be back at the hotel by 4pm, and then transfer to the airport for the home bound flight.
February 23, 2010
My China Visa
Hello! This is Lindsay and I wanted to let you know how excited I was to get my passport back from the Chinese Consulate today! This means that our trip really is right around the corner and we will soon be on our way to China. I can't wait to meet you guys at the LAX airport and hope that you will have your passports in hand (if you don't already) very soon. Take care, stay safe and have a beautiful day! See you soon!