We arrived back in St. Charles this evening (Thursday June 28th) at 7:30 p.m. The flight was pretty much uneventful. When we arrived at St. Charles East High School there was a contingent of family and friends to greet us.
To the people that met us with signs, cheers and hugs--
thank you, thank you, thank you. We were all so tired and exhausted from our trip, but to see everyone there with smiles and waves and the great signs made us all feel so refreshed. Knowing that people went to that amount of trouble was heartwarming, I for one, was very touched.
To Julie Hepfer,who was my right hand gal here in the U.S., thanks for all your help throughout the week keeping people aware of where we were and what we were doing when we could not blog (Thank you also for the lovely basket upon our return, you are so thoughtful!), it helped so much having a contact here in the states!
To Connie Szorc- Thanks for the lovely card. I will place it in our album with all our China trip memorabilia, it meant alot to be remembered by the parents and to know everyone enjoyed the blog!
I will post some final trip pictures tomorrow from the last day of our visit.
Sue
China, what a trip!
Kaifeng, China
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Final Day in China
Well we have been very busy since leaving Louyang.
The sleeper car was an experience we will all remember. We had the best accommodations (in fact there are 108 berths on this sleeper train and we had 96 of them, so we had all accommodations) and few Chinese are able to either purchase or afford this type of travel. Every thing we do requires us to remember this.
Upon arriving in Beijing we had breakfast and then off to the Temple of Heaven. This was beautiful and very interesting. Many elderly Chinese who are retired gather at this temple to exercise, play music, socialize, enjoy life. It is a great slice of Chinese life to see, along with this gorgeous temple.
We then went to a silk factory. I believe most of us had no idea how silk fabric is made. Incredible and amazing is the only way to describe how they take the fine silk threads from a silk worm and spool it, weave it on a loom or open and stretch it onto a form, and create various soft and beautiful items. Impressive!
After lunch we broke into 2 groups, those that wanted to visit a shopping market, and those that wanted to go back to our hotel and shower and rest abit.
We met up again at a restaurant for dinner. The stories from the Marketplace were so fun and many enjoyed their time there. It was an adventure, at least from the stories! It apparently wasn't just the purchasing, but the whole show of what was the Marketplace that made it such a fun time for those that went.
After Dinner we went to the Chinese acrobat show. Everyone was astounded by this show. We were told later that the people in this show start training at 6 to 7 and must step down from performing at 22. They can then be directors, teachers, or show workers in various capacities. If a show like this visits the U.S. and you have a chance to see it, GO! Words can not describe this performance.
It is now Thursday morning and we will visit the Forbidden City today. From that location we will go to the airport for our flight home. We leave at 4:20 p.m. on United flight 850. We are expected to arrive at 4:17 p.m. in O'Hare, so we will arrive earlier than we leave. Good trick, eh? I'm sure we will all be tired, but we will never forget the cities, the sites, the shows, the friends we have met here in China. It has been all we thought it would be and so much more!!!
One more blog to go- detailing our final leg and arrival home.... Sue
The sleeper car was an experience we will all remember. We had the best accommodations (in fact there are 108 berths on this sleeper train and we had 96 of them, so we had all accommodations) and few Chinese are able to either purchase or afford this type of travel. Every thing we do requires us to remember this.
Upon arriving in Beijing we had breakfast and then off to the Temple of Heaven. This was beautiful and very interesting. Many elderly Chinese who are retired gather at this temple to exercise, play music, socialize, enjoy life. It is a great slice of Chinese life to see, along with this gorgeous temple.
We then went to a silk factory. I believe most of us had no idea how silk fabric is made. Incredible and amazing is the only way to describe how they take the fine silk threads from a silk worm and spool it, weave it on a loom or open and stretch it onto a form, and create various soft and beautiful items. Impressive!
After lunch we broke into 2 groups, those that wanted to visit a shopping market, and those that wanted to go back to our hotel and shower and rest abit.
We met up again at a restaurant for dinner. The stories from the Marketplace were so fun and many enjoyed their time there. It was an adventure, at least from the stories! It apparently wasn't just the purchasing, but the whole show of what was the Marketplace that made it such a fun time for those that went.
After Dinner we went to the Chinese acrobat show. Everyone was astounded by this show. We were told later that the people in this show start training at 6 to 7 and must step down from performing at 22. They can then be directors, teachers, or show workers in various capacities. If a show like this visits the U.S. and you have a chance to see it, GO! Words can not describe this performance.
It is now Thursday morning and we will visit the Forbidden City today. From that location we will go to the airport for our flight home. We leave at 4:20 p.m. on United flight 850. We are expected to arrive at 4:17 p.m. in O'Hare, so we will arrive earlier than we leave. Good trick, eh? I'm sure we will all be tired, but we will never forget the cities, the sites, the shows, the friends we have met here in China. It has been all we thought it would be and so much more!!!
One more blog to go- detailing our final leg and arrival home.... Sue
2nd series of pictures from 6/26 & 6/27
Description of pictures above-
Boarding the sleeper car for Beijing.
Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
Silk Factory Tour, Beijing.
Pictures from Tuesday and Wednesday, June 26th and 27th
Descriptions of pictures above-
Largest Buddah in the Longman Grottos.
Home of Cave Dwelling people just outside Louyang.
100 yr. Old woman from Cave Dwellering society in China. She has lived her whole life as a cave dweller and may be the last of her family to continue this tradition.
From Mr. Kull-
BY-Jim Kull
As I write this, we are sitting on the sleeper train from Luoyang to Beijing, near the end of our great adventure. The kindness and friendliness of the Chinese people has been a real highlight of our trip, and the opportunity to interact with the people has been a great experience.
Both the groups played incredibly well, with great energy and enthusiasm. They have been wonderful ambassadors for our school and country. Special thanks have to go to all of the parents who have come on this trip with us, as we have managed to do every set up and tear down efficiently. I have never been prouder of our students and parents, and I wish every one could have gone with us to see their efforts.
We have seen amazing sights, as beautiful as the Summer Palace and Longmen Grottoes, to the poverty of the cave dwelling people, not ten minutes from Luoyang. We look forward to the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City tomorrow.
I will never forget the sight of literally thousands of people at the square in Luoyang, eating with the university students in Kaifeng, and their reactions to our music and culture. All four concerts have been highlights, with the Great Wall especially beautiful and the concert hall in Zhengzou having one of the best sounds of any hall we’ve played in. We have been the recipients of great generosity, with some beautiful gifts we can’t wait for all of you to see. It has been a life changing experience for all of us!
Attention all pizza places in St. Charles: Be ready for us on Thursday night!
As I write this, we are sitting on the sleeper train from Luoyang to Beijing, near the end of our great adventure. The kindness and friendliness of the Chinese people has been a real highlight of our trip, and the opportunity to interact with the people has been a great experience.
Both the groups played incredibly well, with great energy and enthusiasm. They have been wonderful ambassadors for our school and country. Special thanks have to go to all of the parents who have come on this trip with us, as we have managed to do every set up and tear down efficiently. I have never been prouder of our students and parents, and I wish every one could have gone with us to see their efforts.
We have seen amazing sights, as beautiful as the Summer Palace and Longmen Grottoes, to the poverty of the cave dwelling people, not ten minutes from Luoyang. We look forward to the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City tomorrow.
I will never forget the sight of literally thousands of people at the square in Luoyang, eating with the university students in Kaifeng, and their reactions to our music and culture. All four concerts have been highlights, with the Great Wall especially beautiful and the concert hall in Zhengzou having one of the best sounds of any hall we’ve played in. We have been the recipients of great generosity, with some beautiful gifts we can’t wait for all of you to see. It has been a life changing experience for all of us!
Attention all pizza places in St. Charles: Be ready for us on Thursday night!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sleeping on the train
The happy travelers are enroute to Beijing via a sleeper train. Since there isn't an internet connection, the blog posting are postponed until they arrive. They are all doing well!
Julie Hepfer
Julie Hepfer
Monday, June 25, 2007
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.
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