Update # 2:Chinese lessons and life in Guiyang

Bridge China Families and Friends,

Greetings from Windsor Mountain!
With a student call home Monday evening and a little email update on Wednesday, most of you are up to speed on what has been happening on Bridge China this week. Just to recap, March and Yi have taken over the Chinese language instruction on the program, and--this is new news--March's wife, Amy, has come on board to help March and Yi with the added responsibilities of teaching language classes and arranging all of our supporting cultural activities. I am happy to report that all the students really like how things are going. I'm sure many of you are wondering right now, so, just how is this all working?

Here is the run-down...

Mornings:
Chinese Class at the Hotel. March, Yi, and Amy have converted one of our rooms into a classroom--after removing the beds and finding enough chairs for everyone, they went out and bought all the necessary supplies: white boards, markers, pads, pens, and lapboards to use as mini-desks. Everyone thinks it is cozy and March is able to give everyone proper attention.

Lunch:
Depending on the day, the group either goes to a nearby restaurant, or stays at the hotel for a simple lunch made by the group.

Afternoons:
After a brief post-lunch rest period, the group heads out into the city for fun cultural activities. Yi and Amy bought sports equipment for the group to take to several local parks, where Chinese kids play every afternoon. The group has been having a great time playing badmiton, volleyball, and soccer with their Chinese peers. They are also dancing with the old folks! Everyone is really mixing well, practicing Chinese, and learning about what life in Guiyang is like from all the new people they meet. Also, March, Yi, and Amy have found a wonderful Kung Fu School close to the hotel. They have had two days of class already, and the group absolutely LOVES watching the sifu beat March up all afternoon. March is sifu's favorite new punching bag. March is tough, though, and I'm sure it won't affect his Chinese teaching.

Evenings:
Depending on the evening, the group might have a simple dinner at a nearby restaurant, or, if everyone isn't too tired, they might go out for a fun cultural activity. Karaoke on the first night in Guiyang was a blast! Amy and Yi are also doing night tutoring sessions while March prepares the more formal morning classes.

Specific notes on each student will be sent to you all as soon as we have more telephone time with the leaders. Our calls over this past week have been focused on implementing our new plan for Guiyang. I have to give accolades to the entire group: they are creative, adaptive, and energetic, and March and Yi report that everyone truly feels a deepened ownership over all the different elements of the program--the language. the cultural activites, and all the fun stuff. They have control over their program and they love it. Together they have recreated the spirit that led to our original Windsor Mountain travel programs over 40 years ago: a genuine fascination with everything a new culture has to offer, and the willingness to jump right in and learn by doing!

Early next week the group will take an overnight train to Xi'an to spend a couple of days doing touristy stuff (check your calendars) before transitioning to the family home stay segment of the program in Pengliu Village. Everyone should expect a short email with specific student notes to arrive very soon, and another sizable email update from the Travel Office next Thursday, July 17th. We will also send out a quick note to let you know when the students will call home next--most likely next Thursday or Friday.

A little news on language learning

Bridge China Families and Friends,

Greetings from Windsor Mountain!

As many of you learned during student check-in calls on Monday, there has been a change in the structure of the Guiyang segment of Bridge China.

March and Yi have taken over the language program. Our contact in Guiyang has proven to be unsuitable for the group. This came as a complete surprise to everyone involved: our trip developer Carl Siegel, myself, and especially the person who introduced us to this contact in the first place.

March and Yi are actually better Chinese teachers than the those our contact had originally arranged, so they are taking over. Also, they have a great relationship with the group, and this new situation is working out very well. We lost two mornings of class due to these unexpected circumstances, and those two days will be made up during the family home stay portion of the program in Pengliu.

We appreciate your patience as we work to maintain the highest educational standards for Chinese language instruction on Bridge China 2008!

Bridge China Update: Friday July 5th, 2008

Bridge China Families and Friends,

Greetings from Windsor Mountain!
Bridge China 2008 is rolling strong. After a long journey--about 7,000 miles from the West Coast of the US, and about 6,000 miles from Western Europe (where two of our students live)--the Windsor Mountain group checked in to the Jockey Club Youth Hostel atop Mt. Davis in Hong Kong and went straight to bed for some well-deserved rest. And they needed it, because the next three days were incredibly busy!

Day 1 of Orientation found the group in the busy Wangjiao shopping district, where they were given their first challenge: a timed scavenger hunt, during which they performed fabulously. March and Yi were totally impressed, and happy to find that the group is mature, responsible, and even punctual! This bodes very well for the rest of the program.

On Day 2 the group took the ferry across the Northern Edge of the South China Sea from Hong Kong to Macau, which has the distinction of being both the first and the last European colony in China. First settled by the Portuguese in the 16th century, control of Macau reverted to the People's Republic of China in 1999.

Both Macau and Hong Kong are considered "special administrative districts" by the government of China (the PRC is responsible for defense and foreign relations; Macau and HK make their own civil laws and immigration rules). For our lucky Bridge China students, Macau offered an amazing opportunity to see the one place in the world where East and the West truly meet. Geographically Macau is part of Mainland China, yet the architecture and culture is a unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese. After walking through the center of the city, the group visited ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, enjoyed a wonderful Portuguese dinner, then took the ferry back to Hong Kong for another well earned night's rest. Which they really needed this time, because…

Day 3 was even busier: the group ate Dim Sum for lunch, visited the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Aerospace Museum, took a stroll down Starlight Road (HK's version of the Walk of Fame in Hollywood), and finished off with an excursion into Hong Kong's famous Night Shopping District. It sounds impossible, but March and Yi swear they managed it, and the group had an amazing time.