An Experiential Journey

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I just returned from China, and words cannot express how amazing this journey to the Eastern Hemisphere changed my views of the world. I learned so much about China, and I cannot wait to share what I learned with my students at Brookwood Middle School. Out of all the study tours I have had the opportunity to participate in--this one outshines them all. The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, the East Asian Studies Center at Indiana University, and the Freeman Foundation are all incredible organizations that believe teachers can inspire others through their journeys to East Asia. I am so thankful to have been a part of such an amazing team of educators! All I can saw is WOW--what an experiential journey!

Free Study Day!

According to a Chinese proverb, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. My journey to this incredible country was life-changing. We were treated like royalty as we learned about the history and culture of China. I toured the Communism Museum during my free time. I also visited a local bookstore that was seven-stories tall. I was AMAZED to see so many parents with their children in the bookstore. I enjoyed trying to figure out the Shanghai subway system in Chinese. I bought some Chinese children's books to show my students. I had great lunch of Haagen-Daaz ice cream, and walked around the streets of Shanghai the rest of the afternoon.

Zhu-jia-jiao

We visited Zhu-jia-jiao today, which is a "water city" outside of Shanghai. It is a beautiful place to wander through the streets. I helped Noah find pearls for his future daughter, and the group enjoyed sightseeing in the city. We took a boat ride, and saw spectacular views of the town. We also toured Shanghai Museum, where we learned about Chinese history and culture. We had a lovely farewell dinner, where Melanie B gave us beautiful gifts and she told us the "one word" she thinks about when she thinks about all of us. She told me my word was "adventure." A few members of the group sang a song about the trip, and then we all went to a place to sing Karaoke. Songs such as Sweet Home Alabama, Jambalaya, Born to Run, and Just a Gigolo were sung by incredible members of our group. Who knew teachers could be such showstoppers?

On the way to Shanghai

We boarded our China Express flight from Zhongdian to Shanghai, via Kunming. We learned that Al Franken was officially elected to the U.S. Senate today, giving the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority. This made us very excited. We took a Night Cruise in Shanghai, where we saw some of the most beautiful views of Shanghai at night, including the Shanghai Tower and the world's tallest building.