Author: Patrick Woo
Date written: April 27, 1998
Location of writing: Longshan, in China
Type of writing: Itinerary
We were woken up by the wake up calls that the teachers gave to every room in which the students were in. The phones were incredibly loud, and it was not fun to hear them ringing through every room. After the loud noise, Mrs. Jenneskens knocked on the door and we were up! Breakfast went by rather quickly, and before we knew it, we were walking to a nearby monastery. We spent some time climbing a tower, and we viewed the entire countryside. We also looked in a room where a group of men were working on a wood carving. We left the monastery quickly, and walked back to the Longshan hotel. We went by a bus to a small village named Siu Hing Tin. Lots of villagers watched us as we left the bus and unloaded our bikes. We were off! We biked down a long road, and came across a dirt path that was leading down to what looked like a Hydroelectric plant. We went down the path, and after we parked our bikes, we sat down and had some lunch.
Names of authors: Nathaniel Root/Yoon-shik Park
Date of writing: April 27 1998
Location of writing: Longshan
Type of writing: Interview with monk
Today I, (Nathaniel Root) and Yoon-Shik Park walked to the largest temple in --------. There we took it upon ourselves to ask a monk about his life in ---- questions. First we asked his name which we cannot print here for we don’t have Chinese characters in our font. Next we asked what he did before he was a monk, but he said he had been ten when he became a monk. Do you have any daily rituals? We asked. Yes he did, he said. He has to pray every day. Do you have a private God that you worship? Or a main god that you follow of the many? Yes, many of the monks here worship the Buddha. He is the main god of the heavens. How many monks are living in this temple? 22 monks are living in this temple. We sleep in rooms that have bunk beds. What did you do in your free time, do you visit family? No, because most of my family lives in the North. He never leaves the temple in his free time either. How old is he now? I am 52 years old; I have been a monk for 42 years.
As an ending, we summed up the life of a monk. Working in the temple comsumes all free time. They have ground routine for every day. But personally I could never be a monk.
Signing off,
Nathaniel Root
Yoon-Shik Park
Authors: Ya-Chin Chang (HKIS 7th grade students)
Date of writing: April 27, 1998
Location of writing: About 20 km from Long Shan
Type of writing: Itinerary from 12:00 to dinner
After lunch, we visited a hydroelectric plant. At the plant we noticed that it was much dirtier and unmodernised than the hydroelectric plants in America. Done observing the plant, the whole biking group returned to the bikes to set off. As if on cue (terrible luck) it began to drizzle, then rain, THEN POUR. It felt like hail pattering against our ponchos.Biking for 20 or so minutes, it began to pour so hard that our shoes began to get heavy because of the water caught inside. To end our state of wetness, Mrs. Jenneskens led us through a village and into a barn, away from the relentless rain. Waiting for the "skies" to calm down, we went out in pairs exploring the time. village. In 20 minutes we were back on our bikes, heading for the bottom of the reservoir.
With a good amount of time left until meeting, we stopped and explored a particular village in the hills. It was stacked and almost hanging off the hill. You could see the rice paddies, step by step, row by row. The village was explored in a matter of minutes. Barns and pig pens were scattered through out the village. Unfortunately the villagers objected to us taking their pictures. We "troopers" left to meet Mrs. Lewis.
Continuing on the painful journey, we arrived at a larger town to stop and get out of the rain. Before taking off for the hotel, Mrs. Jenneskens had a mishap, she nearly fell through a cement slab and into a rural Chinese "hole" toilet. During the fall, a chimney fell on top of her legs. Tearing or spraining her ankle severely. Sadly she cannot bike anymore.
The day became a disaster, the rain came down like the Niagara falls. We biked for 20 more kilometers, and FINALLY returned to the Longshan hotel. Resting/dying, we recuperated - are junk, drank, showered, had "fun" - and went to dinner.
Moderator:
Technology Coordinator
Hong Kong International School (M.S. Div.)
Hong Kong, China
Fax: 852-2899-0809
