More pictures from Monday June 25th

Pictures here include-

The sword factory we visited today, a real hit with the guys in the group!

The morning edition of the local paper with our Band on the front page.

The late edition of the day of the concert paper- the Louyang Daily- with our band also prominently displayed on the front page.

Pictures from Monday June 25th

Shaolin Temple Buddhas inside the temple, our first stop this morning.

The mighty Pagoda Forest which was really incredible.

Kung Fu demonstration, holding up man with knives-YEOW!

Halfway to Christmas in China

Ni hao. Goodness knows how you really spell that in Chinese... that means "hello" by the way. China has been amazing, but I'm sure everyone has figured that out by now! It's beautiful, wonderful people, and exquisite food. The sights are breathtaking! Not to mention, our performances were so much fun.

The Chinese people we've encountered were so kind - especially those at the Universities in Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. At Kaifeng, Kevin Mueller, Emma Maupin and I met a 20 year old student named Forrest - "like Run Forrest, Run" (direct quote). He was very interesting and we shared many laughs after he sang Backstreet Boys and The Beatles for us.

I'll focus on today, though. Woke up to a morning of Tai Chi. We did everything from intense tai bo like exercising to relaxing meditation. It was so much fun to see hundreds of men and women up at 6:00 AM to practice tai chi. The dedication in this country is unbelievable. We ate a great breakfast on the rotating tower (the hotel we're in has the 25th floor rotating in a circle, taking 60 minutes to make a full rotation). It happened to be my 18th birthday today, so I was serenaded and presented with a slice of (birthday) cake by Chris Billquist. I've found that everyone in the band has meshed quite well. Everyone can have a good laugh with other random people.

We took a 2 hour bus trip to Shaolin Temple. We were fortunate enough to take golf carts to the Temple. Instead, we would have had to walk 3 km. (I wouldn't have minded except for the 104 degree heat.) The Temple was amazing - there were "seven layers" (a building with a courtyard = one layer) and a Buddha or some sort of monument in each. We saw monks, and they seemed very kind. Didn't talk much, but still interesting to see.

Lunch, of course, was fantastic. I love eating off of a lazy susan with a small plate. The foods are so interesting - I can't pronounce half of the food names. I found a gorgeous horse painting on a silk tapestry (happy birthday to me) and I got to barter the price. As akward as it is (seeing as how we never do it at home), it was really fun. You get to propose ridiculously low prices and watch the vendors' faces drop. Rather humorous actually...

Next was Kung Fu! It was SO AWESOME!!! These young men were incredibly flexible - moreso than our drill teamers! A little boy about 8 years old was fantastic - he was jumping and bending and flipping all over the place. They were breaking metal and sticks on others' appendages. Emma and I were a little scared when they held one Kung Fu student up with knives.

Our last stop before returning to Luoyang was the Sword Shop (it deserves capital letters). The swords were amazing - very well crafted and excellent attention to detail. Of course all the guys were entranced - most of the females stayed inside to avoid the heat. The view was great on the way home - it was mostly farmland, but you could see farmers working in the fields, deep crevices in the land, and huge mountains in the distance.

Our dinner was great - the restaurant we ate in was beautiful and the food, of course, was different from anything I've ever eaten. I ate sea cucumber. It was disgusting - it jiggled. Enough said. But Diana Yu talked me into doing it. We received a painting from a man who was at the concert yesterday at Luoyang; he was so touched by our performance, he went home and painted until early this morning, and rode his bike 45 minutes to give us the painting. It was a beautiful peony - I can't wait to see it in the band room!

After dinner, Kevin Mueller, Liz Chadwick, Diana Yu, Jeffrey Paul LeFevre, Bus B's tour guide Derek, and I got a massage/accupressure. It was very low key (we got to keep all of our clothes on, thank goodness)- they pounded our arms and legs pretty well. We laughed and talked a lot - it was nice to relax after a long day.

China is such an amazing country. I'll never take toilet paper, ice, and cool weather for granted anymore. Oh, and they have squat toilets. Enough said. Everything has a story and some sort of history - I love hearing about it. The locals watch you as you pass - it's like we're famous. I wish I could describe all the wonders I've seen, funny experiences I've witnessed, and people I've met. Especially with the threat of having my piccolo almost burst into flame due to the fireworks seven inches from the poor thing - just to spice things up a bit.

So I think it's safe to say that with TaiChi, monks, more chicken I could ever ask for (which is a good thing!), Kung Fu, swords, and accupressure - I've had an excellent 18th birthday!

Miss and Love you Mom, Jonathan, Dad, Jennifer, Trev, Sean, & Chase!

-Alex White

China= Sooooo Awesome!!!!

First, I really want to thank everyone who supported me and made this trip a possibility. This place is a whole other world. Some of it I suppose is due to the fact that we (everyone in the band) are foreigners but this place is something else. The first thing that got my attention is the weather here. Always hazy! There hasn't been a day where at least a good amount hasn't been thick with either pollution (in more industial areas) or just fog in the mountains near Xiaolin in DengFeng (pronounced: dooeng-fooeng). The next difference is just the cites themselves. Besides half the street devoted entirely to bikes, the buildings are somewhat haphazard and I swear there is no such thing as upkeep in China. Besides basic cleaning, there doesn't seem to be much new paint or rust control. Speaking of which, almost every single bicycle around here is rusty! I don't get it. They just are. And people in the city are different from people in our cities. They don't rush very often and it's rare that someone ever looks like they trying really hard to get somewhere. Mostly people just are sitting in the parks or on the sidewalk. Anywhere and it's so odd because I rarely see someone in America just sitting and enjoying life. Speaking of the people, most everyone is really, really nice. And if they aren't you can tell by the permanent stern look stuck to their face. The case has been for me that anyone who doesn't frown all the time is extremely nice and helpful. No matter if you are on the bus and exchanging waves or hunting through the hotel looking for the pool or spa. Chinese people consistently make an effort to help any person (well at least someone not from china).
Well it's getting late and I don't wanna be sleepy for any part of this trip. There's so much more to say about what's going on but it'll probably be better in person when I get home. Thanks again everyone!!

David Hepfer

Money

Parents-

Your students should be able to add, divide and multiply by 7.5 much better when they return. The yuan is approx. 7.5 to the dollar, so math skills are a good thing!

The band made the front pages of all the local papers today along with many pictures. We are attempting to get a bunch of copies; no so easy, but know we are trying. They were also apparently on the local news, although we missed it. If we can't get copies for everyone, I will at least take pictures of the front pages, so you can see the celebrity status of these outstanding students. BE VERY PROUD, they conducted themselves so well and represented St. Charles in such a great manner.

Did you know that only 3% to 5% of the tourists that come into the Henan Province (the province where Zhengzhou, Kaifeng and Louyang are located) are American? Many of these visitors are Chinese Americans visiting family.

Sue

Restrooms

Some people may wonder about the infamous issue of restrooms in China. It is hard to imagine that a restroom facility visit could be so different from one in the U.S. Even in very modern facilities, in many cases, there are no western toilets as U.S. citizens know them. I am including a picture of a restroom facility for those who are unable to picture what type of toilet is available here. Chinese people have these same facilities in their homes, and all public restrooms have these facilities. Occassionally one gets lucky and there is a token western toilet also. Much bonding has occured over this one issue, especially with the women in the group. I might also add that this issue has seperated the good bladders from the bad.