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Starting out this trip, I knew only a little about the other students on it. Now, with the trip almost over, I know more than I could imagine about my 15 fellow travelers. With well over 70 hours spent traveling, and many of those hours spent playing cards or having group sing-a-longs (sorry about that, Mr. Kraft!), we have all bonded together. Whether it be egging each other up the many steps of the Great Wall or simply experimenting with the food together, we’ve truly had an awesome experience here. Tonight we had the privilege of taking a private boat out for the night where as a whole group we were able to spend one last night together chatting and playing cards. I think we all felt as though circling the island of Hong Kong was the perfect way to end the trip. All in all I can honestly say that this has been one of the best experiences of my life with 15 amazing people.
Our final view of Hong Kong at night before docking and heading off to our last dinner in China.
The whole group on deck as we sail back through Victoria Harbor to our disembarking point at Causeway Bay.
Jenna checking out the nighttime skyline of Hong Kong.
Jenna, Joe and Mel having their picture taken with Hong Kong Island in the background. The large structures on the promontory on the right are part of Ocean Park, Hong Kong's well-known amusement park.
Jenna, Mel and Kyle taking it easy while cruising around the island of Hong Kong.
One measure of the population density of Hong Kong is the enormous size of its cemeteries. This is a shot from the yacht of the Catholic cemetery in Hong Kong. Given that the population of Hong Kong is only 10% Christian and that Hong Kong was most recently occupied by the mainly Protestant British, the size of this cemetery can give some idea of the great number of people who have lived and died in Hong Kong.
While the students were playing on the deck above Mr. Kraft and Ms. Bailey were engaged in conversation with Mr. Ling, Carol's dad, who came along to help us communicate with the Cantonese-speaking yacht crew.
We are finishing our stay in China in the tropical city of Hong Kong. Eighteen days in an unfamiliar country was a different but once in a life time opportunity that we all embraced with open arms. Many members in our group have never even met or knew the name of some of the other group members. Once we overcame the differences of each other’s personalities, there wasn’t a meal or bus ride where we weren’t laughing and regretting not having known each other sooner. I don’t think that our China experience would have been the same if we did not come together as a group. During our stay in this foreign country we have traveled to five different cities, one region, and one island all in a two and a half week period. Mr. Kraft observed “that we have traveled on almost every form of transportation,” including mag-lev, gondola, and rickshaw. The only forms of transportation we haven’t traveled on are a seg-way, skateboard, or hang glider. Despite the close quarters, we all brought out the best in each other and became closer. During our stay in Beijing our tour guide’s name was Frank, or in Sara Bellin’s terms “Frankie Fresh”. Towards the end of our stay in Beijing he referred to our group as a family. Everyone just laughed because he was a little nutty, but I saw it as a pivotal point during our trip because it demonstrated to us how close we have become even though we are all so different. A group of individuals is how we started, a family is how we ended.
Our final evening included a two-hour sunset cruise through Victoria Harbor and around the island of Hong Kong, a great way to see the entire island and finish out the trip with some last-minute bonding time. Here is a picture of the entire group (minus Justin, who had to settle for a Mercedes instead of a yacht due to an extreme susceptibility to seasickness) enjoying the ride on the top deck. (Public thanks to David Kwan for arranging this free yacht cruise for our group.)
David Kwan is an old friend of mine and a new friend for Peddie, a Hong Kong businessman-turned-educator who had a great roundtable discussion with our students about the changing Chinese economy and the interactions between China's political system and its economic realities. Our conversation dealt especially with the question of whether China's incredible rate of economic growth might be sustainable in the long term, and what factors might limit China's growth in the future. Despite David's expertise in these areas, though, the students prefer to refer to him as "the yacht guy" due to his generous offer to set us up with a private boat so that we could spend our last evening cruising around Hong Kong at sunset. David is one of the founders of Foundation Programs and the Glimpses of China summer program. He is a Cambridge-educated businessman whose career included management consulting in Singapore with Booz, Allen and Hamilton, the development of the consumer products business in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China for The Walt Disney Company in Asia, and Vice President of Citibank Hong Kong in charge of emerging local corporate business. He has worked and traveled all over the world, and currently lives in both Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Our group posing with the Hong Kong parents, our hosts for an incredible hotpot dinner at The Kowloon Club in Hong Kong.
We ate lunch on a giant boat just off the coast of Hong Kong that had been turned into a permanently-anchored restaurant called the "Jumbo Floating Restaurant." Dim sum, mmmmm!
Group photo at the beach with the South China Sea in the background. Sara isn't there because she is back at the hotel sick (don't worry; she's better now).
Carolyn, Kara and Hope posing together at the beach.
Playing in the South China Sea at a Hong Kong beach.
Jenna at The Peak, with a very smoggy Hong Kong in the background. This is a relatively good air day for Hong Kong, and Hong Kong is one of the less polluted cities we visited. China is certainly going to need to deal with its air quality sooner rather than later.
Group photo at "The Peak," the highest point on Hong Kong Island.
Our students posing in front of the ruins of the Church of St. Paul (Sao Paolo) in Macau. Only a facade remains, but the sculptures and architecture are striking.
Mr. Kraft looking dapper as he leans on an old Portuguese cannon at the old fort that used to protect the harbor in Macau. Interestingly, these cannons now point toward buildings because the old harbor has been dredged and a major commercial neighborhood has been built in its place.
Our group walking towards a very unusual statue in Macau, a former Portuguese colony that is now a Special Administrative Region of China. Like Macau, this statue is a blend of East and West; it depicts the Buddhist goddess Guan Yin, however she seems to be dressed like a Catholic nun, or perhaps the Virgin Mary. Religious syncretism at its finest.
During my first visit to China, I have been shocked, awed, and occasionally concerned upon seeing how quickly this country has developed in recent years. Just looking out the window while driving around Beijing or Shanghai, the rapid growth and changes that have taken place in the last several years are truly astounding. Entire schools with multiple buildings and facilities have evolved from just one building in no time. Fifty story apartment buildings are slammed up against their predecessors, two story apartments in a small community. In Shanghai, it takes forty five minutes to get from the outer limits of the city to our destination. These parts of the city haven't even developed yet, rather are set as the boundaries on a city that anticipates being home to 100 million. Despite the fact that this growth may be unsustainable and that China will soon face several serious problems such as pollution, water and electricty shortages, and extreme social stratification as a result of this growth, I still feel that it is truly impossible for any society to compete with the Chinese. The tenacity, determination, hard work, and dedication it takes to survive and be successful in China, especially in the larger cities, has evidently shaped its culture and people. When the Chinese speak of the future or demonstrate the technologies they hope to incorporate into their society, they are talking about the next one or two years before the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai rather than the next twenty. The Chinese are certain that they will become the world's next superpower in the very near future. It is not a question of whether, rather how soon. Even more interesting is how deeply rooted this sentiment is in Chinese culture and society. Chinese students go to school from 7:30 AM to 5:20 PM with almost no break. When we asked our EFZ partners why they always made the "peace sign" in photos, they responded with "no, that means "v" for "victory"". With every cultural demonstration we see, another piece of the Chinese mindset becomes clear to me, all of which show me that the Chinese have been preparing to become the "middle kingdom" and the number one in the world throughout their history. China is taking off, and I am truly fortunate to have the opportunity to see it now as it develops and to have this small glimpse of the future. There is so much more that we could not have seen in such a short time, and it is clear that I must return. I can only hope that i am fortunate enough to come again, to learn more about the Chinese culture, and to improve my language skills enough to become a part of the spectacular society that is China. Anyone who has had the opportunity to witness this country and society evolve, if even for a short time, cannot help but realize that we must join with China if we are to succeed or even to keep up. [Editor's Note: The picture depicts Helene showing off a painting she's just purchased from the artist who invited us into his home during our hutong tour in Beijing.]
One of our most intrepid climbing groups after returning from their conquest of the Dragon's Back.
A Peddie student rejoicing at the top of the Dragon's Back.
Peddie students climbing the Dragon's Back on their way up to South Peak at Huashan.
The Dragon's Back, a point in the climb where there are sheer cliffs on both sides. You can see where it gets its name.
Peddie students climbing between North Peak and South Peak at Huashan.
Our Huashan experience was well-timed to coincide with the arrival of the cherry blossoms, which grow out of sheer cliffs in unexpected and beautiful ways.
The view looking down from top of North Peak. We started in the valley far below, farther than you can see in this picture. (Full disclosure: To get as high as possible in a limited amount of time, we took a gondola partway up before we started climbing.)
Most of our group posing at the top of Huashan's North Peak after an exhilirating experience climbing Huashan, one of China's most famous mountains.
Our tour guide's summary of Xi'an was: "If you love history, Xi'an will be your heaven." Mr. Kraft and Helene are clearly in heaven as they pose in front of some Terra Cotta Warriors at one of the excavation sites in Xi'an.
Some of our group posing in front of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors at Xi'an.
Group picture with the Wong family, our hosts for an incredible Peking Duck dinner in Beijing. Stanton's mom and dad are in the back, while his brother is in the foreground. The Wongs brought generous gifts for everyone in our group. Thank you!
Semester Year Abroad in Beijing students telling our students about the year they've spent in Beijing as part of the SYA program.
Our group posing in front of The Bird's Nest, the main venue for the Beijing Olympics in August.
Helene, Joe, Sara, Carolyn, Kara, CJ and Mr. Kraft posing in front of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
Emperor Kraft having delusions of grandeur in Beijing.
The whole group together inside the Forbidden City.
Helene, Sara and CJ posing in front of the famous Mao picture on Tiananmen.
Another group photo, this one in Tiananmen Square.
This is the "after" picture from the overnight train to Beijing, a group photo in front of the national theater and meeting place of the National People's Congress.
The whole group hanging out on the overnight train to Beijing before heading off to their own compartments for bed. A good time was had by all.
A new batch of pictures from Mr. Gao's camera should allow me to fill in some gaps before moving on to the last few days of the trip. This picture shows the faculty compartment on the overnight train to Beijing, which was the same as the compartments the students shared and surprisingly comfortable.
During my first visit to China, I have been shocked, awed, and occasionally concerned upon seeing how quickly this country has developed in recent years. Just looking out the window while driving around Beijing or Shanghai, the rapid growth and changes that have taken place in the last several years are truly astounding. Entire schools with multiple buildings and facilities have evolved from just one building in no time. Fifty story apartment buildings are slammed up against their predecessors, two story apartments in a small community. In Shanghai, it takes forty five minutes to get from the outer limits of the city to our destination. These parts of the city haven't even developed yet, rather are set as the boundaries on a city that anticipates being home to 100 million. Despite the fact that this growth may be unsustainable and that China will soon face several serious problems such as pollution, water and electricty shortages, and extreme social stratification as a result of this growth, I still feel that it is truly impossible for any society to compete with the Chinese. The tenacity, determination, hard work, and dedication it takes to survive and be successful in China, especially in the larger cities, has evidently shaped its culture and people. When the Chinese speak of the future or demonstrate the technologies they hope to incorporate into their society, they are talking about the next one or two years before the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai rather than the next twenty. The Chinese are certain that they will become the world's next superpower in the very near future. It is not a question of whether, rather how soon. Even more interesting is how deeply rooted this sentiment is in Chinese culture and society. Chinese students go to school from 7:30 AM to 5:20 PM with almost no break. When we asked our EFZ partners why they always made the "peace sign" in photos, they responded with "no, that means "v" for "victory"". With every cultural demonstration we see, another piece of the Chinese mindset becomes clear to me, all of which show me that the Chinese have been preparing to become the "middle kingdom" and the number one in the world throughout their history. China is taking off, and I am truly fortunate to have the opportunity to see it now as it develops and to have this small glimpse of the future. There is so much more that we could not have seen in such a short time, and it is clear that I must return. I can only hope that i am fortunate enough to come again, to learn more about the Chinese culture, and to improve my language skills enough to become a part of the spectacular society that is China. Anyone who has had the opportunity to witness this country and society evolve, if even for a short time, cannot help but realize that we must join with China if we are to succeed or even to keep up. [Editor's Note: The picture depicts Helene showing off a painting she's just purchased from the artist who invited us into his home during our hutong tour in Beijing.]
Outside of Xi'an lies Huashan, one of the most famous mountains in China and the subject of a great deal of Chinese art and literature. Climbing Huashan is a part of Chinese culture and a highlight in the lives of many Chinese people; of course Mr. Gao decided that we should have this Chinese cultural experience too. Check back tomorrow for the details of our incredible mountain-climbing expedition. In the mean time, we're off to Macau to see the former Portuguese colony, which is now a Chinese vacation destination and gamblers' paradise that has been called the "Chinese Las Vegas". Mr. Green, what percentage of the endowment are we authorized to bet at the mahjong tables? (Don't worry, I'm very good.) [Editor's Note: We're not really going gambling; they have historical and cultural sights too. I really could have run up the endowment, though...]
