Update from Teryn

China is the most economically stable country in the world and everyone knows that. However, what most people don't know is that their fashion sense is one of the best in the world as well. In the two weeks that I have been in China, I have seen more fashion trends than I ever did in America. Some of the outfits range from calm, cool, and casual to straight out Lady Gaga. The people in China have a similar taste to our own: ombré hair, ripped jeans, bomber jackets, and popular sneakers like Adidas and Nikes. They also have unique trends like purple hair, long trench coats, platform sneakers, and shorts with leggings. Some people dress traditionally and still sell silk shirts and dresses and some people dress more modern with skinny jeans and wear Louis Vuitton or MCM. For the most part, their trends are rather interesting.

One unique thing you'll see is people wear a variety of different clothes, that don't seem to fit the setting. For example, while we were climbing Mountain Taishan and riding bikes on the City Wall, there were women with tight jeans, high heels, designer bags, and full faces of makeup. While it was raining and felt like less than 50 degrees, there were people with shorts and sandals. Lastly, while we were in school some kids actually wore regular clothes instead of their uniforms. I figure that this represents how they try to show their personality whenever and wherever possible.

The citizens of China are not afraid to express themselves through their clothing. In America, a lot of our fashion choices are similar to one another and we all tend to look alike. After visiting China, I noticed that no matter where you are the fashion choices are always different! I was rather shocked when I saw how modern their sense of style was despite their long history of strictly traditional practices. There was a time in Chinese history where women weren't allowed to wear anything but their traditional long robes. Therefore, it is satisfying to see how the fashion industry has taken over and inspires people to show who they are and what they like through articles of clothing. They also inspire people like myself to be different and give my wardrobe an update as well!

Update from Imane

Before leaving America, my emotions treaded between excitement and confusion. Little did I know these emotions would soon transform and enter the boundaries of bewilderment and cautionary. As the plane took off a part of me understood that the new country I would be traveling to would behold new experiences and most of all change. But I would not expect to have my comfortability stripped and my guard up.

Being a senior, I spent my four years wondering what an excursion to China would be like. Students who traveled to and returned from China often depicted vivid images of beautiful castle like mansions and monstrous buildings in which the most famous emperors resided in, leaving nothing for my imagination to play with. In my subconscious, China would be full of color and gorgeous temples in which I would find a deeper meaning to life in. And for lack of better judgement I believed in this.

The first night in Beijing I was amazed by the bright buildings and speeding cars that filled streets at a stroke past midnight. As we drove to the hotel, I perceived China as a " Chinese New York City". The second night, after being placed in an entirely new families home in Zibo, my perception of China changed dramatically. With the roaming scruffy dogs, old men with rotting teeth, fruit stands that laid low on the ground, horrible smelling squat toilets, rock hard beds and the crevice that was considered a shower, I was astounded at what was hidden from me. The stories that I were previously told, reflected nothing like what I was experiencing. Letting reality replace my imagination, I had to compel myself to understand that China was much more and sometimes much less than what I had expected.

 

Although China is nothing like what I had expected I am grateful for the once in a lifetime experience to encounter so many different parts of one country. I have learned that judging a city by its appearance does not always appropriately gauge experience. And although my imagination and reality are different, somehow my reality is priceless.  

Update from Jaylin

Being an American is a privilege, some people would call it being spoiled. In America, you can eat what you want when you want where ever you want. If you have to use the bathroom, you can always find a bathroom supplied with toilets and toilet paper. If you go on vacation or stay over a friends house you would expect a semi soft bed with a mattress. When you have to brush your teeth, you use the tap water from the sink. When traveling to other countries you have to realize that everything is not the same. You sometimes have to step out of your comfort zone and try new things.

My first dinner with my host family was pretty interesting. The day we arrived to Zibo was my host sister, Qiao Qiao's birthday. When we got into the car, she said ''Later we are going to play with my friends''. When I think of the word play I associate it with playing on a play ground with a whole bunch of kids. I soon realized that her version of play mean't that we were going out with her friends to a birthday dinner. My host mom dropped Qiao Qiao and I off in front of a traditional Chinese market street. 

As soon as Qiao Qiao and I stepped out of the car I could see a group of girls staring and chatting in a circle. Once they spotted Qiao Qiao they ran over to us yelling in Chinese. Once they approached us, they started having conversations in Chinese. I listened and tried to understand but they were speaking to fast that I could only pick up a few words here and there. Qiao Qiao told me that we were walking to a restaurant that was about five minutes away.

As we entered the restaurant, Qiao Qiao's friends started asking me several questions (luckily they were speaking English). As our conversations progressed, more and more of her friends started coming in and I realized I was now the center of attention. We all sat at a spinning table in a private room. The waiter asked every one what they would like to drink. I told her that I would like a "Shui Bi", Sprite. Everyone at the table also asked for a Sprite. As we waited for the food to come out, Qiao and her friends were chatting back and forth across the table in Chinese. Unfortunately, I could only pick out a few words from their conversations. Finally the waiters brought the food out. There were tons of different dishes. For example fish, fruit covered in a sweet sauce, chicken in different sauces, rice, shrimp, octopus, etc. As I watched all the different trays spin around in the table I became nervous. Ever since I was child, I have always been a picky eater. Everyone at the table kept telling me to try everything, I could not say no so I did. Sadly, I didn't like at least fifty percent of the dishes but I was proud of myself for eating different foods that I never would have imagined to try. This one dinner was only the beginning of a new food tasting journey. 

Update from Sashyana

I was never athletic. Of course the idea has come across me a few times. But every time I tried I felt misplaced. After a year of high school, I finally worked up the urge to just give it a shot. Volleyball try outs was disappointing. I learned that I lacked a lot of athletic ability such as upper body weight, strength, speed, and good stamina. Despite these hardships I managed to barely make the team. There were 3 sets of tryouts, I had made it through 2 until I sprained my ankle. Because of this, I couldn't attend the last tryouts which made me eligible for a replacement. I told myself I would never play another sport again; until my junior year of high school when I joined track. 

Track out of all sports! Anyone can learn to catch or hit a ball, but it takes self training to run. Unlike most sports track is an individual sport. It is unique because it teaches you to push yourself. But with each different track and field event comes great athletic skills. Sprinting and striding, leaping and jumping, throwing, and striving for raw athletic improvement seem simple to a lot of people - until they’ve tried it, day in and day out. I am very proud of myself for having done so. 

However because senior comes with new journeys, I wasn't sure about joining track. Climbing Mount Tai was a life changing experience. In the beginning I was filled with excitement. I couldn't wait to tell all my friends back at home that I had climbed a mountain! As we started to climb this anticipation grew. Mount Tai was a roaring 9,000 feet high with a climate drop of 9 degrees Celsius. The first stairs were a breeze. However, by the eighth flight I found myself gasping for air. I was experiencing internal pain after realizing I was only on the eighth flight out of 200+. With every step I felt my quads ripping apart. After every flight I felt a clash of hot and cold breeze from the drastic weather change. We were segregated into little groups. Looking at the groups ahead made climbing feel almost impossible. Since I took more pit stops than others this set me back further. I was defeated, but the lively energy from the Northern China civilians motivated me to keep pushing forward. 

Finally, after what seemed like forever I reached the top of Mount Tai and felt renewed. I had done the unthinkable! joining track helped me build my confidence that lead me to experience and succeed this new journey. 

Update from Esmerelda

Part one. Today was a great day. I got up at 5:00 in the morning by my self which never happens at my home, then my host told me we were going to her school for the Model UN activities that lasted 2 and a half hours. After that fact my host family hosted a party for me which ended up being a barbecue with the extended family. It was so cool because while we were eating the family got up one by one and preformed a little song. When we were finished my host and I when to the hamics and just relaxed.

Part two 

I had an amazing opportunity to bargain prices at the Chinese market. I had a grate time trying to speak chines to the sellers to get them to lower the prices. There was even this kind man that true helping me with chines and sold me a nice box of chopsticks with a beautiful panda print on them, it was so nice that I doughty it at the original prices. There was a time bring this that I thought I spent to much money but then I thought I'm using yuan not American dollars and when I put it in a currency converter I realized I only spent 18 u.s dollars and I felt better because I don't like spending a lot of money. I had a fantastic time and wish to do it again.

Update from Amelia

March 24, 2016

We started out the day with saying goodbye to our hosts. It was sad because we had known them for five days and they treated us with the utmost kindness. They brought us into their lives and showed everyday  life, which gave us an idea of Chinese customs.  It was an unforgettable experience. 

We parted ways at 5:30 am which was especially hard because we were not fully awake and the sun was not up. So we rode away in darkness :( 

The rest of the morning was not very exciting. We rode to the airport and boarded to xi'an where we ate lunch in the airport. Afterward we rode in a bus to the city wall. 

The city wall is shaped like a square so there's a city encircled by it. We rode on bikes on the wall, some people went all the way around, some people only made it halfway and decided to turn back. We only had an hour to ride in the cool breeze, but it was extremely fun after the plane ride. 

After that we went on the bus again to get some calligraphy lessons. The woman taught us the eight basic strokes and showed us some paintings. There was one that stood out to me: a rode with walls on either side. No matter where you stand in the room looking at it, you stay in the middle of the road. 

After that we rode to the goose pagoda. The goose pagoda is not actually shaped like a goose, it is just a majestic pagoda with golden Buddhas. There was a place where you could pray and kneel down to this great Buddha. You could also blow incense. 

There were a few buildings and we were allowed to walk around  for about forty minutes. Afterward we boarded the bus again to eat a dumpling banquet. There were fourteen different dumplings, all of them different than American Chinese dumplings, and all of them unique. There was a purple sweet potato dumpling, a spicy orange dumpling, and many more. After we ate we saw a show of Chinese dancers. There were tall ladies who danced in elaborate dresses, and tall fighter men who wore traditional clothes. 

The show was based on the Tang Dynasty and between performances we were read excerpts explaining the aspects of the culture. The show lasted a little over an hour, all of us were extremely exhausted. We rode about twenty minutes to the hotel and fell asleep. It had been a long day. 

Erika F blog 03-22-16

The family I stay with is very nice, they have a beautiful apartment. They thought I was very beautiful and immediately welcomed me into their home with overflowing generosity and hospitality. Within an hour of my arrival, we went to a nearby mountain and hiked to the top. Along the way lots of people followed us and asked to take pictures of me, which was a little nerve racking and very different from America. Some of the people would just come up right to my face and take pictures or touch my hair. There's very little to no sense of personal space. 

The food is fantastic, different and unfamiliar tastes, but they're all delicious. I didn't ask what anything was and quite honestly I'm glad I didn't, I feel like it would be less enjoyable if I knew. One dish last night had celery and I was so happy when I first tasted it because it was like an instant reminder of home. The mom is an exceptional cook and I have no problem cleaning my plate at every meal. The smog is terrible, Kathy (my host student), says their sky is almost always white. My first day here it felt as if you couldn't inhale like you can back home. I feel like the saying "you never truly miss something until it's gone" has never more so applied to my life than throughout this trip. I never thought that out of everything, the things I'd miss most would be a blue sky and not worrying about the air I breathe. I miss English very much, but I enjoy the challenge speaking and understanding Chinese presents. However it's extremely hard for me to have to focus on every single thing anyone says; it seems so alien to me that these people are able to speak and understand such a difficult language with ease. These people are very different socially too, much more friendly. 

I think that one of the greatest and most interesting differences between China and America is the influences of their history throughout their daily modern life. On streets and in the music you see bits and pieces of their past history intertwined with modern culture. Personally, I feel China has one of the most impressive histories and enriched cultures that still stand with much prevalence today. While I am excited to return home, I will miss my time is China and I know I will forever be influenced by the experience I've created and the people who've come along in it. 

Update from Anna G - 03-22-16
Day 3:Today was our first official day in school and it was extremely fun. The activities done was first a campus tour and then we had done some cultural experiences. There were three groups where one group did erhu which is a two string Chinese violin. It was a great time hearing all the kinds in this group trying to play a song. We also learned to do traditional pottery and carving paintings. 

We also had gone to the entrance ceremony where we were introduce to the school. It was amazing to see about 4,000 kids lined up in straight lines outside the schools yard. Around 2-3:30 students are allowed to leave class to go home to have lunch. Everyone meets up with their friends and go out to eat or go home to take a short nap. Their is more freedom in China's children then in America. Students are walking around so calmly or are driving home on their electric scooters which are so fun to ride. After cultural experiences and lunch breaks we all went to the schools gymnasium where we learned Kong fu. Kong Fu was so much fun due to the fact we kept falling, doing the moves wrong and making our teacher laugh so much because we did the Kong fu moves funny or how he tried to communicate with us to say we were doing it wrong but he couldn't speak English. It was hilarious. 

We also played badminton with other Chinese students which they were really good since they practice it all the time at school, they were basically professionals! We were supposed to play ping pong also but we ended up having a great time playing a version of duck duck goose and tag with all CGS students, our Kong fu masters and other Chinese students. Not only that but we also taught them to sing a small part of Justin Bieber. By the end of our break after all that running around we finally made the dumplings that we always enjoy back home at CGS. It was a great time. Who would've taught we will all bond together so well even with the language and age differences. 

Update from Mady--now with viewable photos!!

The family I stay with is very nice, they have a beautiful apartment. They thought I was very beautiful and immediately welcomed me into their home with overflowing generosity and hospitality. Within an hour of my arrival, we went to a nearby mountain and hiked to the top. Along the way lots of people followed us and asked to take pictures of me, which was a little nerve racking and very different from America. Some of the people would just come up right to my face and take pictures or touch my hair. There's very little to no sense of personal space. 

The food is fantastic, different and unfamiliar tastes, but they're all delicious. I didn't ask what anything was and quite honestly I'm glad I didn't, I feel like it would be less enjoyable if I knew. One dish last night had celery and I was so happy when I first tasted it because it was like an instant reminder of home. The mom is an exceptional cook and I have no problem cleaning my plate at every meal. The smog is terrible, Kathy (my host student), says their sky is almost always white. My first day here it felt as if you couldn't inhale like you can back home. I feel like the saying "you never truly miss something until it's gone" has never more so applied to my life than throughout this trip. I never thought that out of everything, the things I'd miss most would be a blue sky and not worrying about the air I breathe. 

I miss English very much, but I enjoy the challenge speaking and understanding Chinese presents. However it's extremely hard for me to have to focus on every single thing anyone says; it seems so alien to me that these people are able to speak and understand such a difficult language with ease. These people are very different socially too, much more friendly. 

I think that one of the greatest and most interesting differences between China and America is the influences of their history throughout their daily modern life. On streets and in the music you see bits and pieces of their past history intertwined with modern culture. Personally, I feel China has one of the most impressive histories and enriched cultures that still stand with much prevalence today. While I am excited to return home, I will miss my time is China and I know I will forever be influenced by the experience I've created and the people who've come along in it. 

Photos from Ms. Fortuna

Today we climbed a sacred mountain, a journey taken by 42 emperors. 

Some of the photos are from this. 

Mt Tiashan.

. 

Update from Marisa

At first I was so nervous to stay with my homestay. With the language barrier and cultural different cultural differences, I knew this would be hard. 

But it turned out completely opposite. As much as I don't know alot of chinese and she doesn't speak much English we have so much fun together. She is very friendly and full of energy and excitement, I also think she is very pretty. 

My host family is awesome is friendly. They even told i should feel at home. They were only there the 1st day but it's fine with me. We got out to eat alot and when I mean alot I'm not joking. But me and my host went to the park with other people that hosted and played a game chinese tag/ and duck duck goose it is very fun and makes america tag look very slow. When I'm not with my homestay it's very fun as well. We learned kungfu, traditional chinese dumpling making, shot bows and arrows and played a traditional chinese instrument. All of those activities were so much fun. We were able to indulge into a chinese culture that was never taught to us before.

Even though many of our instructors didn't undersand English we still had fun activities. It is very fun talking or playing charades with non english speaking people. It's one of the funniest things ever. China is very different from America because of it's long and interesting but I love China because of that.

Update from Robbie

Today we went to a model UN meeting with our sister school in Zibo. The meeting was well coordinated, however most of the students were not informed about how the process would go, and were confused. I myself was one of these students, but still managed to have a good time. I received the best delegate award, although out of all 28 votes, I was the only delegate to vote no to signing the document. I did this because they did not address my country (Mexico), thus promoting no reforms for me. 

Afterwards, I had lunch and tried some interesting street candy, made of fruit and sweet rice. We then met up with our class again and went to the Ceramic museum, where we observed beautiful works of art done entirely in glass. I bought a gorgeous necklace as we left. After a quick nap, we returned to the school and witnessed a performance by the school, demonstrating tea making, sword and fan dancing, fashion, and archery. Since then, I've eaten dinner and am so tired.

We participate in Model UN! (Surprise!)

Last week, two days before lift-off, our sister-school in Zibo revealed to our chaperones that, during our stay, they would be hosting a Model UN conference, and that our students would be participating.  !!  That caused a little bit of panic on our end, as the normal preparation time for this is several weeks if not longer, but Ms. Bilodeau, our stalwart history teacher, said, "No, no! Our students can do it!"

And do it they did!  Below are two photos of the event, with a message from Ms. Fortuna saying that CGS is proudly holding its own at the conference!

Update from Hunter

Staying with a new family is one of the most fun yet nerve wrecking things on the trip to China. 
There are so many factors involved; the food, the home, and especially the language barrier. It is hard to eat when you feel so full you may burst. When your homestay offers pineapple and sunflower seeds, you have to eat them. And when you ask the name of the fish that they have in the tank next to you, they might say it's name is "晚饭” which takes you about 5 minutes to realize that means dinner. But that is the fun part! 

It is so interesting to see a live so different than yours, and to experience a day through someone else's eyes. Because after the fish encounter, you can go see an ancient limestone cave and go to a very interesting restaurant that serves snails and ice cream on white bread. That is all part of the Chinese experience. 

Of the most difficult things, the language barrier probably takes the award. It is hard to not hear English for a day, and to be immersed in very quick, very advanced Mandarin. When you go out with your host and his friends, the Chinese is very fast and you can only pull out a few words. But in China, the friends talk to you in English, and give you the chance to practice your conversational Chinese. Everyone is so nice, and so friendly. 

When you go back to your homestay's apartment with his friends, they even want you to play poker with them. But if you are a little tired, it is ok to go to sleep. That is one of the easiest parts of the whole thing. With the jet lag, hours in planes and busses, and no stopping point, sleeping for the night comes very easy. 

And when you get homesick, or miss your friends and teachers very much, you realize you can always see them the next day at school. When this happened to me, I just asked myself, "When are you ever going to do what you are doing right now again?", and the feeling washes away.

Day 1, from Ethan

The trip to China can be described as long, tedious, and exhausting. But, it was in a way still fun and definitely worth it.  

On March 17th at around 11am we got on the bus that would take us to JFK. Once we got to the airport we checked our bags, got our plane tickets, and then went through security, which took around 30 min. This meant that we had a couple hours to spare just waiting for the plane. We bought some extremely expensive airport snacks and water to prepare for the flight.

Once we boarded the plane, we had to find our seats. The plane was huge and had 2 floors which made it somewhat hard. When we finally made it to our seats, we started encountering Chinese.

Soon enough, we were 34,000 ft in the air trying to look out the windows at the country we were leaving behind. The flight attendants came around with food, which consisted of beef, rice, bread, and yogurt. They were very strict and made us shut our windows and we weren't allowed to go on our phones, even in airplane mode.  

For the next couple hours I mostly watched movies, ate, and thought about starting homework. Just after 3 hours, it had already felt like we had been on the plane for an eternity. We tried to pass the time by sleeping. Luckily in my row, there were no strangers so I didn't have to worry about bothering them. I was sitting with Maddy and Erika and at first we thought sleeping would be a breeze. We quickly realized it wasn't, after trying out multiple sleeping positions. I ended up on the bottom of the pile but it was the most comfortable way we could find. We went in and out of sleep but probably only got around 2 hours total. 

One of the best things about the flight was the beautiful view. The path we took was to go up to the Arctic and come back down to China through Russia. Even though the flight attendants were watching us, we could still peep out the window once in a while. There was usually just snow or clouds, but around 10 hours into the flight, we could see mountains and rivers and even small towns.

When we arrived at the airport, we were completely exhausted. It felt like we had been away from home for months, even though it wasn't even 24 hours. We went through customs, grabbed our bags, and exchanged currency, which took hours. 

But overall, the plane ride gave a little homesickness and a strong desire to be in our own comfy bed. However, it still was very fun to travel and see new things. We are already having a good time and we'll be home soon!

Day 1, from Jack

On the morning of March 17, 30 of us set out on an adventure of a lifetime. 

We had been anticipating this for a while now, and we all arrived at school with a mixture of fears and excitement. The community room was filled with concerned parents feeling uneasy about letting their children go halfway across the world. 

We all said our final goodbyes and boarded the the passenger bus headed for JFK airport in New York.

The flight was set for departure at 4:50, and with a couple of hours to spare we walked around the terminal to find places to eat and drink.

With snacks in one hand and passports in the other, we took the first step on our journey to China.

The plane ride was smooth sailing, but as we all know, there is no such thing as a plane ride without the snoring lady to your left, or a man playing loud music on your right, or a screaming baby in the row ahead.

The ride seemed to take days, as we crammed into the double decker plane with our carry-ons. There, we watched movies like 'Creed' and 'Brooklyn', and played games like battleship and sudoku on the touch screen provided for the passengers. We were also given two meals with noodles, rice, fruit, yogurt, bread, and cookies which we gobbled up.

Once we finally got off of the 13 1/2 hour flight, we did what all others do when traveling to other countries, which was to go through customs, and exchange our American Dollars into yuan. We later ate at a noodle place in the airport. Many laughs were shared with our friends when all of the cooks started to take pictures of us. 

We ended our extremely long day with a 40 minute bus ride to the Jiangxi Grand Hotel. We got our room keys, and headed up to our assigned rooms. After 10 minutes of trying to figure out how to work the foreign elevator, and another 10 minutes of trying to figure out how to turn on the lights, my roommate and I quickly fell asleep. 

Day 1 was complete .

Safe Arrival in Beijing!

Everyone has landed safe and sound!!


The Chaperones Write:

Everything went well. The flight left and landed on time. Occasional peeks out of the window showed interesting landscapes from zillions of Canadian islands, then arctic glaciers, then today some bristly hills and finally thousands of little houses and buildings of Beijing. We have collected bags and are exchanging currency. The airport is sparking clean. The kids are all rather perky, even after the long travels.

Take off!

On a beautiful St. Patty's Day in 2016, 30 intrepid CGS travelers boarded the bus for China.  As of last night, we know they made it easily through security, had a leisurely wait at the gate, and were happily in the air yesterday evening.  It's a loooong flight, so we'll post a notice when we hear that they land!  (Although with flight tracker apps, parents will probably know before we do!!)