Safe Returns and Lasting Memories

Well we've been back in the States for a few days and all are starting to get over the jetlag. What a trip it was. With 40 students and 6 faculty there are many lasting memories. Once again we would like to thank our host schools, Shenzhen Senior High School, the Chengdu Experimental Foreign Languages School, and Beijing Huijia Private School. At Huijia we spent the last morning visiting 7th grade classes, where our students spoke about our school and helped students with their spoken English. In return, the 7th graders taught our kids how to write their names using Chinese calligraphy. It was a fitting end to an incredible experience. All that is left is for the kids to produce their digital stories as lasting mementos of our trip.

A Final Word From Chengdu

Monday, March 3

This morning we all met again after the weekend. The students spent the weekend with their host families. Everyone shared stories on the bus about restaurants, museums, karaoke, foot massages and more.

We visited Szechwan University this morning and learned that it was started in 1911 by a group of educators from the US and Canada. We visited two museums on the campus that were opened especially for us. We looked at 2,500 year-old pottery, spun prayer wheels, and looked at 4” long shoes that belonged to women who had had their feet bound in infancy. The practice ended in 1910. Our guide explained that it was the fashion to bind women’s feet because it made them look delicate and their short poulting gait was particularly appealing. They also told us that it was believed at the time that a woman with large feet could never find a husband. For some reason everyone looked at my size 10 feet!

Then it was off to lunch at a restaurant famous for Chengdu snacks, where we inhaled plates of noodles as thick as a pencil with spicy sauce, rice porridge, dumplings served under a veil of whole-studded batter, a different kind of dumpling, bowls of tea and fried squares of something delicious that was scarfed up before we got the name of it.

After lunch we visited a temple that was begun in 1720 A.D. The walkways were lined with huge ceramic pots filled with 5’ tall twisted bonsai of flowering quince, cherry and crab just coming into bloom. Further inside the monastery there was an enclosed garden with hundreds of ancient bonsai.

Then it was back on the bus and back to school. Every two weeks for one hour the school has “English Corner” where students meet and speak to one another in English. We were the honored guests and we spread ourselves out in the courtyard and students (about 200 of them!) gathered around us and we had conversations! It was great! We were rock stars! Everyone was so enthusiastic and animated! It was a proud moment for me. I felt like I was looking at our kids in a new way—suddenly they were self-assured, confident travelers in a very different culture, and they were only too happy to be ambassadors for Gould, and quite possibly leaning into being citizens of the world.

After English Corner everyone put on the uniforms the school gave them and we went to a restaurant with teachers and host students for a wonderful farewell banquet. The food was delicious, the company was comfortable after a week together, and great fun was had.

Lorenzo and I are so proud of David, Samantha, Gigi, Jacob, Alice, PJ, Ellen (Buster), Jess, Meghan, Elise, Abram and Oran; they’ve tried “it” whatever “it” was—new food, new friends, endless, endless, endless stairs, new frontiers in plumbing, and everything in-between. It was all good, and we would travel with them again—anywhere!

- Jan Baker

The Chengdu Chronicles

A quick 3 hour flight from Beijing to Chengdu on Air China. We were greeted at the airport by Mr. Lee and Angela, representatives of the Chengdu Experimental Foreign Language School, and 12 students and their parents. They were holding bouquets of flowers and panda toys for our students. Our students were introduced to their host families and off they went in different directions for the night.

Day One

The next morning the students were brought to school by their host families at 7:15. The Chengdu Foreign Language School is a five day boarding school—the students live in dormitories from Monday to Friday and go home after class on Friday at 7:30 P.M. Our host students who live within 20 minutes of school stayed with their parents all week allowing our students to have true home stays. On our first morning the students attended classes with their hosts while Lorenzo and I taught two classes.

Chinese students at this school study English for 2 hours a day and they were excited to share their conversational skills with us.

Each classroom consists of 62 students and they sit at their desks from 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM with a break for lunch, a one hour nap in their dorms, and sports. The teachers move through each classroom every 40 minutes for different subjects.

After two classes the entire school—4000 students plus 500 teachers and administrators—met in the huge central courtyard for an all-school meeting. The students stand at attention in rows during the meeting. Mr. Wen, the Head of the School, gave a brief welcome speech to us under a huge red banner stretched across the front of the main school building which bore the names of both schools. Our students were given school uniforms, gifts were exchanged, and Mr. Baker gave a brief speech which was translated by CDEFLS students.

After the speech we boarded a bus and went for lunch. Our accompanying teachers Yang Zhaohui (Clark) and Yang Quin (Judy) made our selections for us. We were each served a huge bowl of steaming broth and plates and plates of different foods to place in the broth—Noodles, pieces of beef, garlic cloves, greens, chilies, mushrooms, whatever you wanted. Our students are very skilled with chopsticks!

After lunch we went to the Panda Research Center. It was located in a beautiful park and the pandas roam about their naturalistic enclosures. We were there at feeding time. Workers bring huge arm loads of bamboo to the pandas. They each eat 80 lbs. of bamboo a day, but they receive very little nutrition from their sole food source and must conserve energy and so do not move around much. When we returned to school the host families were again waiting for us and it was off to restaurants in Chengdu.

Day Two

This morning we boarded the bus for a trip Lishan, home of the Great Buddha carved out of a sandstone cliff, the Buddha was begun in 730 AD by a monk who was troubled by the number of boatmen who disappeared in the treacherous currents at the confluence of two rivers. The Buddha took 90 years to carve from the mountain. We hiked to the top of the Buddha and then descended a very steep set of stairs carved into the cliff with 25 switchbacks. At the base we could look out at the rivers and look up at Buddha whose huge image along with some later dredging has made the waters safer and more navigable. During the 4 hour round trip we were able to see some of the countryside outside Chengdu. Every tiny plot of land is planted with vegetables. Oranges were ripening on trees. The land is terraced for growing and at this time of year winter crops of broccoli, cabbage, radishes, bok choy and mustard greens are being harvested and warm weather crops are being planted. Great expanses of fields are yellow with mustard flowers. Everywhere we go there are street sweepers. They sweep the edges of the road with the brooms made of bamboo handles and branch heads. Sometimes the heads are fuzzy cloth but mostly they are long graceful branches tied into the handle. We passed a tea plantation where thousand upon thousands of tea bushes were growing upon terraced hills.

Day Three

Today we boarded the bus and ascended from the bowl that holds Chengdu up the rim of the bowl to the mountains. During our 1.5 hour drive through the mountains, many snow covered, revealed themselves through the haze. As we grew closer the air was clearer. The landscape here looks like a traditional Chinese painting. Mountains loom in the distance some of the trees are deciduous and others still hold their leaves in this moderate climate. Our students are becoming fine travelers. They watch and listen and are open to new foods and new ideas. We hiked up a mountain to a Taoist temple and on our return we had lunch at a farm. The farm grew trees and our meal was served out of doors and the food included many mountain specialties and wild-gathered foods. We noticed at the tree farm two topiaries each made of six mature trees which had been trained into the shape of a very large pagoda. After lunch we went to a massive irrigation system that was built 2,300 years ago. It provides the water for the city of Chengdu and its ingenious system which includes a mountain that was cut in half and an island that was built by hand and an ingenious system of diversion.

The students will spend the weekend with their host families and will no doubt experience hot pot, a lip-numbing caldron of boiling oil filled with hot peppers which is heated at your table by a gas burner built into the table into which you cook various foods. When Lorenzo and I had hot pot with our accompanying teachers, we cooked seaweed, noodles, mushrooms, duck tongues, duck feet, pork sausages, live catfish, lotus slices, potatoes and parts of the inside of a chicken which we could not identify and perhaps the strangest of all Vienna sausages—who knew?!

- Jan Baker

Noodles Anyone?

Today (Friday, February 29, 2008) we spent the day exploring “Splendid China” and “China Folk Cultural Villages,” two places the people in Shenzhen hold dear. We had the chance to see replicas of many historic Chinese sites as well as quintessential examples of the many different cultures that have influenced the Chinese way of life.

Lunch was wonderful, of course, and most enjoyed noodles or rice. It was a real treat to watch the chef making noodles as we anticipated our meal. Everyone is enjoying the warm weather. The kids are off for a weekend with their host families. We’ll post again after our Monday adventure.

- Jim McLaughlin & Denise Manning

Havin’ a Ball

Here we are enjoying our second full day in Shenzhen. We had a tour of the school’s science facilities before traveling to East Shenzhen to visit the beach and a very interesting theme park of sorts. We spent about 45 minutes or so on the beach where some of us had the chance to go bare foot in the waves. We thought the water was nice. The Chinese people thought the water was cold. After a futile attempt at describing the water temperature of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine, we drove a few blocks to the theme park. A cable car took us to the top of a mountain where we had lunch on a deck overlooking the town and the beach where we had just been. We then took a bus down the backside of the mountain to a section of the park called Tea Stream Valley and let the students explore for a while before we headed back to Shenzhen.


I’m going to back track to yesterday, Wednesday, when we had a tour of the performing arts
facilities in the late afternoon after the students were in class. The chorus and the dance troupe in their perspective rehearsal spaces treated us to performances. (I was honored to be asked to play in return and happy to oblige.) We then got to hear the school’s orchestra in a rehearsal. All three groups were very impressive.




Please enjoy the photos included in this blog. Two of the photos will introduce our fearless guides. These three amazing young ladies have been accompanying us on our trips and taking very good care of us all.

Pictured with Denise are Lilly
and Lisa. Pictured with me are Lilly and Grace. Everyone is healthy and happy. Blog again soon.

- Jim McLaughlin

Hello from Chengdu!!

"All is well in Chengdu. We were met at the airport by students from the school who had flowers and panda bear toys for us. Yesterday we went to visit the pandas, and right now we are on the way to visit the giant Buddha! Excited to hear that the Juniors got so much snow for their Four Point!"

- Lorenzo Baker

Gould continues to receive telephone updates from the crew in Chengdu, which is currently without internet access, and will post them as they come in.

One World, One Dream

We spoke with the Bakers today as they were traveling back from seeing the 80 meter Buddha at Le Shan. Unfortunately the group has no internet access in Chengdu—thus the lack of blog entries. we do k now that they were picked up at the airport by their host families, and at this point they have settled into their hosts’ homes.

As far as the Beijing group is concerned, we hit the road again today to visit the Beijing Exhibition Hall, where a wonderful series of models and diagrams depict the history and architecture of the city. The Olympic models captured our interest—the Water Cube, the Bird’s Nest, and the other stadiums and venues are very cleverly designed, for example the shooting arena is built in the shape of a rifle, and the roof of the velodrome looks like a bike helmet. Later in the day, when we drove out to the Olympic site, we saw that almost everything is still under construction, which is o.k. because the official countdown clock at the exhibition hall said there are 162 days, 10 hours, 23 minutes and 42 seconds left until the opening ceremonies, and everyone we ask says “of course everything will be ready.”

Wangfujing Street was our lunch stop—I think many in the group went off to eat some American fast food with their hosts. It was only a matter of time and I think our kids did well resisting the temptation of KFC and McDonalds during the first week in China. There were shopping opportunities in the main shopping district and I think their hosts may have helped them find a few more treasures. Having our hosts travel with us each day will make tomorrow easier as the Gouldies go “home” for the weekend. There are 2000 students at this school and after morning classes and lunch on Friday the place clears out with the help of 40 (!) school buses, taxis, and parents. All will return on Sunday night and it will be fun to hear their stories from the weekend.

Shenzhen or Bust !!

Well, here we are in beautiful Shenzhen. We left Beijing 11:15 a.m. yesterday (30-40 degress and no vegetation) and arrived in Shenzhen at 2:30 p.m. (60-70 degrees and palm trees). We proceeded immediately to the school where we were greeted by the headmaster and the host families and were treated to a delicious bowl of noodles and vegetables. We think the mushrooms had feet.

The students then departed with very little trepidation to their perspective home stays and had dinner and a good night’s sleep. By the time we arrived this morning, the kids were already engaged in classes and looking very nice in their new school uniforms. They attended two classes, participated in a school wide exercise break, attended two more classes and are now preparing for lunch. This afternoon, we will have a tour of what they call the art troupes in the school. This consists of the chorus, the symphony, and the dance program. The school has many interesting plans for us in the next few days.

Everyone is happy and well and enjoying this grand adventure. The photos included in this blog are just a few of many, and we hope they give you a sense of the kids experience thus far. We’ll blog again soon.

This just in from Chengdu; internet access is limited. The bloggers report that they are working out the kinks and that the group is well, have settled nicely into their homestays and are enjoying the experience!!

- Jim McLaughlin & Denise Manning

A change of Seasons… Feb. 27th in Beijing

The morning started in the Huijia School’s Canteen where we munched on a boiled egg, some noodles, and a steamed roll. With the change in weather and a trip to the Summer Palace you would never know it was winter here. The temperature must have hit the 50’s and the much ballyhooed Beijing pollution gave way, at least for today, to brilliant blue skies.

Our days at Huijia School have been planned entirely by our host students and today’s plan included the Summer Palace and Beijing University. The Summer Palace was built in the 1700’s by Emperor Qinalong as an escape from the oppressive heat of the capital. It is an exceptionally beautiful park surrounding a huge manmade lake, reportedly expanded by 100,000 workers. The park also boasts a painted corridor reputed to be the longest of its kind in the world. Each painting in the corridor is unique and there are literally thousands of them. At the center of the corridor, on the lake’s northern shore, is the Hall for Dispelling Clouds. Maybe that explains the weather. Rising above that, and I do mean above, is the Buddhist Fragrance Pavilion. While we strolled along leisurely the kids were much quicker. Each was accompanied by their Chinese host and maybe it was the promise of Suzhou Shopping Street that made them hustle.

The trip to the Palace was followed by lunch at a hotpot restaurant and then on to the University. Beijing University is generally considered to be the #1 University in China, although Xinhua University also makes that claim from time to time. Sounds a bit like Harvard and Yale. We were greeted at the gate by a former Huijia, and current Beijing physics student. He walked us through the campus, pointing out the sites, including the largest academic library in Asia and a small park that used to be a royal park during the Ting Dynasty-- the last imperial dynasty to rule China. One of the highlights was a quick trip to the sports complex, complete with a turf soccer field and an immense outdoor climbing wall. Our guide told us that he plays on the physics department soccer team, the second best team in the University. Out of politeness we didn’t ask who was first. After the University it was back to school for dinner and after dinner a presentation of martial arts is planned. Judging by the talk on the bus I think all will be asleep as soon as they can. The days are long, full, and tiring, but the kids are taking it all in stride. As we keep reminding them, they may only do this once in their lives and it will be over before they know it.

Back to School Beijing Style

Feb. 26th. The Shenzhen and Chengdu folks left at 8:00 this morning for the airport while the Beijing group had a leisurely breakfast at 9:00 before heading off to see Mao resting in state in his memorial hall. After a quick look out over Tiananmen Square from the gate we braved the subway up to the Lama Temple-- one of the largest Buddhist temples outside of Tibet. The 80 foot wooden Budda, made from a single piece of sandalwood, had a Guiness book of World Records proclamation posted for the largest inside Buddha. The incense and prayers added much to the ambiance as we took it all in. I forgot to mention our lunch in the Confucius Tea Room prior to our wander through the temple. Tea tasting was superb-- not only the tea itself, but the ritual for drinking. Six cabs later (don't ask...we got there!) we were eating fast food noodles in order to get back to the hotel for our 6:00 pick-up by the Huijia School.
At this point we have all been properly greeted and introduced, and settled into rooms. Classes let out at 9:00pm and I suspect there will be many conversations into the night. Tomorrow we are off to the Summer Palace.

Day 3 Beijing…Imperial Majesty and Communist Grandeur

Day 3 began with a walk through Tian an Men Square, the world’s largest public gathering place. The square and surrounding buildings stand as monuments to the great people’s revolution of 1949. It is also well known, outside of China that is, for the 1989 protests staged here. The protests were quashed with overpowering force by the People’s Army and to this day most Chinese citizens have no clue that the protest ever took place. For many of the citizens present in the square today the highlight was likely the opportunity to have their pictures taken with the American students. While gathering to visit the Forbidden City our kids were treated like celebrities and asked time and again to pose with family members for pictures in the square.

From the square it was off to the Forbidden City. The sheer scale of the “City” is mind boggling. It just goes on and on for what seems to be an eternity. It is quite a contrast to the huge, but utilitarian facades surrounding the Square. Again, the architecture is beautiful, with ornate wood carvings, bright colors and bronze statues. It’s hard to imagine that it has been less than a century that the City has been open to commoners like us. Until the early 1900’s the only ones who were allowed to enter the walls of the City were the Emperor’s family, servants, and invited guests. Now 40 yuan buys anyone admission.

After the Forbidden City it was off to lunch and then an afternoon of shopping in the Silk Market. In contrast to the Dirt Market, the Silk Market is filled with new goods for incredible bargains…if you’re willing to barter. At dinner the talk was all about who got the best deal on a pair of sneakers or silk clothing. The kids also got a lesson in aggressive sales tactics as the vendors will start with flattery “handsome mister, you want a tie” to hook you and then the not so subtle arm grab to keep you. Only the strong survive but we all made it out with our selves and our wallets fairly intact.

The evening ended with Beijing Hotpot, where you cook your own meets, veggies and noodles in boiling water at the table. All seemed quite satisfied with both the food and the experience. Tomorrow the group splits into three for phase two… school visits. Keep posted for the updates from the various cities.

Day 2 Beijing…Shopping for Dirt and a Little Slice of Heaven

Sorry for the delay in posting but yesterday was a very long day and we started early this morning. Yesterday, day 2 in Beijing, we started with a journey on the Beijing bus system. Try moving 40 adolescents on public buses in a country where you can’t read the signs. We would still be circling central Beijing if not for Kelly, Fei, and Tim, three Gould seniors who have been indispensable in helping us get around. Our destination was the famous “Dirt Market”, really a huge flea market with everything from jade to Mao. We did our part for US – China trade relations and had quite an adventure in the process.

After the Dirt Market it was back on the buses and a trip to the Temple of Heaven. This is a well known Beijing landmark where the Emperor would go to pray for a good harvest. As with all things imperial the prayers were accompanied by great ceremony, including sacrifices, music, fasting, and with any luck bountiful harvests in the next year. The architecture is magnificent, with the entire main building constructed without a single nail. Despite the cold the kids were troopers.

The day ended with a trip to the Chinese acrobats. Everyone had their personal favorites but mine was the young boy who could do handstand flips and land back on his hands. Did I mention that he was balancing on a bongo board while doing it? Well that’s all for Day 2.

Saturday at the Great Wall

We awoke this morning to a clear blue sky. After breakfast in the hostel we left for the Great Wall. Our bus took us on the hour and a half ride to the Badaling section of the wall. The traffic was heavy for a Saturday. It is said that Beijing gains 1000 cars per day to its roads.
Our Gould students, Kelly Chen, Fei Shu and Tim Hsu have been indispensable. They have prepared ahead and have helped us with restaurant selections, reservations, directions, everything!
We have already begun to observe the contrasts that make China so exciting- Beijing's famous hutongs- narrow old alleyways that stretch for miles filled with shops and homes-are being razed to make way for modern buildings, yet all around us ancient landmarks are celebrated.
The road from Beijing to the Badaling section of the Wall begins on highways and moves quickly into the mountains. The students were quiet on the bus as we gained elevation; the enormity of the mountains coupled with the nearly equal enormity of human achievement to construct the Wall, which from many vantage points along the drive could be seen as far as the horizon, had an almost spellbinding effect on all of us.

We arrived at Badaling, secured our tickets and started walking the ramps and stairs of stone. We all learned quickly to politely decline the offers for postcards, hats, carved masks, bracelets, scarves and other souvenirs pressed upon us. The climb is steep, the views were spectacular, and everyone helped to raise the Gould name.

Upon our return to Beijing, Fei ordered for us at a duck restaurant. We ate at 5 large tables. The plates of food just kept coming, and some kids think we should embrace the idea of huge lazy susans on our tables at school. We are eating with chopsticks (no option) and doing very well. We started with plates of pickles, candied dates, lotus, dried beef sliced paper thin, duck liver slices and duck feet in mustard sauce.

Next came steamer baskets with thin pancakes, plates of scallion and cucumber slices, sauce, and plates and plates of duck slices with crispy skin. We rolled everything into the pancake and down the hatch. Then came river fish (eyeballs were a favorite with boys) a beef dish, duck soup, and then we finished up with watermelon.

Safely in Beijing

We arrived in Beijing about 7 hours ago now (3:30 AM Bethel Time) and almost immediately experienced Beijing traffic at its best. All are understandably tired, but we've settled into the hostel, and had a wonderful Chinese banquet style dinner. By now most are sound asleep, with visions of the Great Wall (tomorrow's outing) dancing in their heads. Just wanted to let you know that all here, safe, and adjusting.

Patience is a Virtue OR 4526 Miles to Go

This entry was written on Friday (6:16 am Beijing time) or Thursday (5:17 pm Bethel time)…on our Boeing 777.

We’ve passed the halfway point and the second movie is winding to a close—only two more to go!. Lunch was as predicted… beef or chicken mixed with noodles, vegetables, and topped off by a rather dense rectangular brownie. The kids are scattered throughout the cabin in clumps—most are passing the time by sleeping, others are movie watching and I think there is a long running card game in progress. Some have resorted to writing in their journals, knocking off a few entries before we land.

Money was successfully exchanged at Dulles Airport and a fair amount of Dunkin’ Donuts and Wendy’s burgers were consumed. I forgot how hungry you get staying up all night! There seems to be a healthy amount of anticipation for the days to come. At this point we just want to get there. Lorenzo Baker and our three senior guides (Kelly, Fei, and Tim) will meet us at the airport with a large bus for transport to the hostel. They have scouted out our first meal together Friday night, as well as food and transportation for our first full day. Appropriately, the GREAT wall is first on our list. More to come….

Advance Team In Place

Senior Kelly Chen and Lorenzo Baker departed Gould Academy on Tuesday morning at 3:00am bound for Beijing China. Our goal was to some advance work in preparation for the Gould freshmen arriving on Friday 2/22. I can report that things are in order, we are ready for the arrival of students from Gould Academy. Pictured above is Kelly enjoying our first Chinese breakfast! It's 1:18pm on Friday 2/22 and I will be accompanying a bus I have arranged to go pick up the weary travelers departing the Hostel in a half an hour...

Lorenzo Baker~

With Growing Anticipation....

Just so there is no confusion, this was written Tuesday evening and we leave early, early, early Thursday morning. Well, we're almost ready to hit the road. The bags are gathered and now bear the mark of Freshmen 4-Point (yellow duct tape.) All that's left is to pack our toothbrushes, say good bye, and get on the bus. For those with day students, if you are bringing them in at the time of departure you should plan on being here no later than 12:40 AM (that's right) Thursday morning. If you want to bring them earlier then they should be here by 10:00 PM Wednesday evening and they can gather in Ordway. We have some last minute fun planned for those who are killing time and then it will be off to Beijing before you know it.

China in a box...

Eleven months after my initial sojourn into China with my wife, Jan Baker and then Gould Senior Lin Wei, here it is "China in a box"...Passports, Visas, eticket receipts, paper plane tickets for traveling within China, itineraries, transportation plans for student pick up, China cell phones, etc.

Seven hours from this post Kelly Chen and I start our early journey to Beijing to make sure things are in order for our freshmen arrival on Friday 2/22.

Some Useful Links

We've posted a few useful links to help you stay informed. You can see the time and weather in each of the three cities as well as check for flight schedules at flightaware.com. Check them out.

Let the Preparations Begin

This is the first post to the new "Gould in China 2008" blog. Here you can follow the progress of Gould Academy's class of 2011 as we prepare for, and then travel to, China in February and March 2008. Check back for updates that will include packing lists, information about the three cities that we will visit, and highlights of the trip once we are on our way.