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Virtual China Itineraries of Xi'an Group #2

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Virtual China Itineraries of Xi'an Group #2
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From: "HKIS Middle School (General Account #1)" 
Virtual China Participants and Observers:
Messages for Wednesday, March 26th, 1996

From: Mrs. Fan's small group (Part of Xi'an Week 2 large group, Mrs.
Street) These messages come from some of the approximately 40 students,
teachers, and parent chaperones who flew to the ancient Chinese capital
city of Xi'an, China on Monday, March 24th. This is their third set of
messages as they study the people and culture in and around Xi'an.
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Author: Cristine Quidore
Date: March 26, 1996
Location: In and around Xi'an, China
Activity: Itinerary for March 26, 1996

We arrived at the Shaanxi History Museum and found that two of our focus
exhibits (Women's clothing and gold/silver) were closed. After a while we
walked to the Big Goose Pagoda, knowing that we had to find a place to eat
lunch. I think that we were all feeling a bit apprehensive, since we knew
that last week's group had been seriously ill from eating around the
pagoda. We roamed for some time before we finally settled on the "New Day"
Restaurant. It was wonderful! Then we went to the Great Mosque. As I
expected, the route to the Mosque through a Muslim village was so much
grander than any temple could ever be, and I was right. The community we
walked through was overflowing with ethnic culture of the Muslims. We met
the young (poor) village children and took their pictures and my heart just
melted for them. They were so cheerful and happy despite the conditions
they were living under. I wondered to myself if I could be so "happy go
lucky" if I was living under those circumstances. To me they were heroes.
Then we walked through a small market where the prices were really good!
Tonight we went to the Tang Dynasty Show and it was an experience to
remember!

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Author: Hoi Ki
Editor: Jonathan Zimmerman
Date: 28/3/96
Location: a school
Activity: Morning Itinerary

Their faces started to fade away as the bus was leaving. My new friends, I
wonder if I'll ever see them again. Today was the first time I've met them
& hope it is not the last. As these thoughts were going through my head, I
recall the time we had spent with them.

As we got to the school, we all got off the bus & went into the main hall.
We listened to some speeches by students & faculty then watch several
dances. We all made some friends & they took us on a tour of their school,
it was really interesting, really different from HKIS. When we finished the
tour & then we had several basketball games & the guys in their school were
really good & the girls were not bad. My friends and I were cheering for
them and we were really excited even though we were not playing. During
dinner, we had a wonderful time talking and playing the games that
practically all the tables were playing. Time flew by and none of us wanted
to leave, today had been the greatest day out of the past week and lots of
wonderful memories is fill within my heart.
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Author: Stephanie Liu
Date: March 28, 1996
Location: Xi'an, China
Activity: Morning Itinerary

Message: It's 7 am. Ring! BR-RING! The phone's loud cry jolts you awake at
the Bell Tower Hotel. From now until breakfast time, usually about 30
minutes later, we can take a shower, change our clothes, or do whatever we
please then go down to the second floor's restaurant for breakfast. Here
they call it "American breakfast."
After breakfast, everyone piled into either the "Red Bus" or the "Yellow
Bus" and we were driven to an enamel factory. We all clicked our cameras
away inside the dark and noisy factory. Steel, clay, and aluminum were
turned bowls of varied size which were then painted in dull and vibrant
colors. They were all done in an incredibly skillful fashion. The almost
finished products were washed and then neatly polished and then separated
into piles. After a brief last look, we were hurried out of the enamel
factory and onto the waiting buses.
We were all late getting to the rural village, which we later found out was
called Chi Wang. The houses were composed of mud-brick and dirt and dust
flew around with every footstep taken. Families of young and old sat
sullenly in their small courtyards. The air reeked of dirt and manure, not
surprisingly for many people of the thousand living in Chi Wang were
farmers, growing what they could on 1 acre of poor soil. Soon small
children noticed and crowded around as if they knew that we'd give them
something, which we did, and quickly, the numbers of children multiplied.
Polaroids were snapped and small candies were handed out until we had to
leave Chi Wang. Some people just wouldn't except no as a n answer if they
wanted their pictures. It was sad to see them though, everyone wanting just
a little like the others had. Even I retreated to the bus to avoid requests
for another Polaroid picture and soon, all of our study tour was off on the
dirt road heading towards the Middle School we were going to visit.
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Author: Sharlene Tan
Date: March 28, 1996
Location: North West Power Institute Middle School , Xi'an, China
Activity: Afternoon Itinerary

Message:
We exited the bus and walked through the school until we reached the hall.
We lined up outside wearing our red sweaters and looked at them with
interest. Many children were gathered outside the entrance greeting us as
we walked in. We sat down inside and their students filled up the rest of
the seats and the speeches began. First, a lady from their school gave a
speech in English welcoming us and introducing the teachers and then our
teachers and parents were made known. Many of the students were shy and
nervous about meeting people from the other school so we talked amongst
ourselves while gifts were given from school to school. The kids in the
North West Power Institute were extremely friendly and said hello to us
even though many of us looked on with shyness. What really surprised us was
how good their English was and how long a little bit of education can go in
life. That morning, we had visited a village where there were many
illiterate children but the kids in the school were village kids but they
had made an extra effort to dress like westerners, dance to different music
and learn enough English just to be able to communicate with us and that is
what makes me feel bad because we take our education for granted and we can
have anything we want while they have to work really hard just to be able
to talk to us , but it also makes me feel proud of all that they have
accomplished.
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