From Mrs. Chang and Ms. Seide,
Hello from Hangzhou! We are writing to you to let you know a little bit about what we are doing here in Hangzhou. We are finishing up our second day here and we're having a great time.
East meets West for dinner.
After flying for over 15 hours, we arrived on Sunday at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Vicki, an English teacher from Hangzhou No. 14 School, picked us up and for another 3 hours on the highway, brought us to our sister school in Hangzhou. The students met their homestay brothers and sisters. Everyone was tired from all the traveling so we all went home early to get some rest.
Waiting for our flight to Shanghai
The following day, students gathered at the campus for a tour. Hangzhou No. 14 school has over 3000 students in grades 10 through 12. The school was celebrating their 110th year in existence with music and cultural festivities, sports activities and competitions. Our kids were amazed by the size of the campus.
Campus Tour of Hangzhou No. 14 Secondary School
They had a chance to try their hand at ping pong and also got to view many of the school's highlights including a small museum with inventions that the students had patented.
Ping Pong Try-Out
That afternoon, we enjoyed a school-wide talent show/celebration in which all of the classes performed one musical act. The acts ranged from ballet to hip hop to more inventive modern improv type acts. Our East-West students and teachers were very impressed with the organization and collaboration that the Hangzhou students exhibited.
Hangzhou No. 14 Secondary School Talent Show
Today, we woke up early to attend the Sports Day Opening Ceremony. The event began at 7AM. Each class from both campuses which amounts to about sixty classes, marched around the track in celebration of Sports Day. They each performed for about 2 minutes cheering on their own teams to show their class spirit.
We will keep you updated with what we do next!
We have had a great time over the last few days.
On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to visit an elementary school and sit in on a fifth grade class. The teacher discussed the meaning behind names and even had our students volunteer their knowledge of the origins of their names (both in Chinese and in English).
After Chinese language class, we joined an art class and learned about the history and process of shadow puppetry.
Our students were able to experiment with the shadow puppets using the art room's very own shadow puppet theatre set.
Our students trying their hand at shadow puppetry.
Lastly, we were able to join a gym class outside in the school's courtyard. The Chinese students were extremely excited to have us.
On Thursday, students met the challenge of a Hangzhou City scavenger hunt. Students were presented with three tasks. First, they had to find a specific bookstore located on a certain road.
David and Vivian navigating through the city
They had to buy a Chinese book and a postcard. Second, they had to find a post office and mail their postcards after purchasing stamps. The third task was to order lunch on your own after reviewing a menu. All of these tasks were of course in Chinese and without the help of a teacher. Ms. Seide and I kept track of points and let the students find their way on their own. Everybody won! The kids felt very accomplished knowing they could use their Chinese to navigate the city.
Visiting a Pizza Hut in China
Yesterday, we visited Suzhou Garden and Mudo Ancient Town. Students learned about the ancient history of China through a day-long tour.
We will see you on Wednesday!
