Wednesday (Mr. Donnell)

I've just gotten back to the hotel after a delicious dinner with some of the teachers from PS 161, and I wanted to send along a quick note about our day. After a long morning sightseeing-- Tiananmen Square, Mao's Tomb, and the Forbidden City, we regrouped and got ready to depart for our home stays.

We had an exciting group meeting (our guide, David, calls it a "congress") to talk about our anticipations and concerns. The group talked about what made them nervous about the home stay-- mostly communication challenges and knowing how to behave in an unfamiliar home.  They also talked about what excited them-- meeting new people, practicing their Chinese, and the incredible home-cooked food.  There was a nervous energy in the congress, but our students gave words of encouragement to each other and reflected on what an exciting opportunity this is.

Once we arrived at PS 161, our students were welcomed by signs and banners, gifts, and a quick tour of the beautiful campus.  After being officially greeted by the headmistress and some PS 161 teachers, our students were quickly taken to be introduced to their new host siblings-- a few minutes later they could be seen walking around the campus and chatting. At the end of the school day, each of the Poly students headed home with their host sibling.

In the morning, we will all meet up back at school for a day of visiting classes and a hutong tour. I'll send another update tomorrow!

--Mr. Donnell

Tuesday: Summer Palace (Ashley)

Calligraphy at the Summer Palace

Right after lunch, we visited the Summer Palace. It was filled with so much culture, and beautiful architecture. There were people writing in traditional calligraphy on the ground, and tourists flooding the area. We first stepped into a small square, where we were able to learn about the dragon lady and view the rooms surrounding the square.

Then, we went into the Long Corridor, which was decorated with patterns on the ceiling of the building. We went about halfway of the hall, and started our walk up to the very top of the palace, where we would see a 360 view of Beijing.

We ended our journey with a dragon boat ride back to our beginning point of our tour. Visiting the Summer Palace was an experience we will never forget.

Meeting new friends at the Summer Palace

Tuesday: Diaoyutai State Guest House (August)

Today we visited the Diaoyutai State Guest House, a government property for receiving foreign dignitaries and heads of state. Before a sumptuous lunch consisting of 12 different courses served individually, Western Style, we went on a tour of the amazing grounds and opulent buildings, where scintillating golden roof tiles and carved dragons lay above chairs that some of the famous leaders in the world, such as Xi Jingping, Barack Obama, and Vladimir Putin have sat in.

Twelve courses of an excellent compromise between American and Chinese cuisines left everyone feeling stuffed. Lobster, stewed beef, and honey locust beans were just some of the great dishes that formed part of probably the most memorable meal of the trip.

Monday Night: School Year Abroad (Nicole)

So far, visiting School Year Abroad and conversing with the American students was the most memorable experience for me. I felt especially connected with the students because I am going to SYA Spain next fall. It was awesome exchanging stories and tips about life here in Beijing. After our time at the school, we split up into groups and went home with one of the American kids. Tim, our student took, us to his house in the nicer part of the city. My Chinese was put to the test at dinner because the Chinese host family's could not speak a lick of English! Several steamed veggies and dumplings later we said our goodbyes and convened back at the school. It was amazing spending time with SYA students and their Chinese family's.

Quick Observation (Townsend)

Smog: Not as bad as expected.

Monday: Cochlear Implant School (Kate)

Today we drove to visit the Cochlear Implant School. We had the opportunity to interact and play games with the children and young adults who now have the ability to hear thanks to the cochlear implant. When we arrived they preformed some wonderful dances, kazoo songs, and sign language. We also taught them the Macarena and made a Congo line. After taking a tour of their campus we played some games. We were all surprised how talented they were at ping pong and basketball! For lunch we drove to a delicious hot pot restaurant, where we each made our own hotpot. Our next stop is the SYA school. We are all excited to talk to the American students and learn how their year in Beijing is going. After visiting their school, we will have the opportunity to enjoy dinner at some of the students' host families!

Sunday: Rural Village and Ming Tombs (Brenda and Lauren)

Today was a busy day.  First, we had breakfast in our beautiful hotel.  It was so delicious! :) Then, we visited a village and had the opportunity to watch some of the villagers make tofu.  Afterwards, we were able to try some of that tofu, as our lunch consisted of different foods all made from it.  Even our drinks were made from tofu!  At the end of our meal, our wonderful tour guide David brought us some of the most delicious strawberries we had ever tasted.  A couple of us (myself included) bought even more at the market outside of the village.  The market was really cool because not only were we able to practice our Mandarin with the vendors, but we got to buy unique and interesting goods such as gourds and dried fruits.  When everybody was finished, we got back on the bus and drove to see the Ming tombs.  It was so cool to explore the museum and read about the different emperors (like Emperor Yongle) and see all the jade artifacts.  After that, we got to visit yet another market, except this time, we got to practice our bargaining skills.  For dinner, we ate porridge and "Chinese pizza."  Then came the acrobatic show!!  We were so amazed at the tricks and stunts that the performers (who surprisingly weren't much older than us) were able to do.  We all held our breath as they piled on top of each other on a single bike or raced after one another on motorcycles in a gigantic metal ball.  We also sat in the very first row, which made it even cooler.  Then, we drove back to the hotel.  We were ready for bed after such an exciting day.

After an uneventful flight and meeting up with our guide David, we spent the morning and early afternoon at the Great Wall, where we had incredible weather and beautiful views.  We also had a fun surprise as we made our way to the gondola-- we ran into Ryan S., class of 2013. He and I both each did a double-take.

"Mr. Donnell?"
"Ryan?"

Turns out he's on a China tour with his a capella group, the Dartmouth Aires. They played four shows in Beijing yesterday and are on their way to Shanghai tomorrow. Small world, small Poly family.

Poly GIP Beijing 2015 Video

Prior to our big trip, we put together a brief video to introduce ourselves to our friends at PS 161 in Beijing.



Thank you to Morgan for doing all of the work on filming and editing!

Headed to China!

We're on our way to China tonight, and we will do our best to post regularly here with updates, photos, and new discoveries.  Check back during the week.

If we go a while without posting, please don't get nervous!  We may be having trouble accessing the site in Beijing.

Xie xie,
Mr. Donnell