Day 11 -- The Great Wall

Tickets for the ski lift up to the wall and the toboggan run down from the wall to the parking lot.

Ticket to go on the Great Wall.

Shopping area before we got on the ski lift.

On the ski lift looking forward.

On the ski lift looking back.

On the ski lift looking down on the toboggan run.

View from the ski lift.

View from the starting point of the Mutianyu section of The Great Wall.

Me at the starting point.

Our group at the starting point.  Front row left to right:  Julie, Sarah, me.  Back row left to right:  Shelby, April, Michelle, Jon, Montana, Carrie, and Cara.

Jon stepped out to take the picture and Tonia stepped into the picture.

We didn't just walk on a sloped walkway.  It was all stairs on every slope of the wall.

Tonia, me, Julie, Carrie, and Cara half way up our section of the wall.

I made it to the top of our section of the wall.

Carrie, Tonia, me, Cara, and Julie at the top of our section of the wall.

Looking out a window on the wall.

We climbed out a window to see this section of the wall that is deteriorating.

I was tired when we got back down, but feeling good about accomplishing the climb.

In line for the toboggan run.  It was a blast!!

Day 11

This morning we climbed the Mutianyu section of The Great Wall.  I figured it would be walking on the Great Wall.  I never understood why it was said “climb the Great Wall.”  Now I know.  There are a million stairs you have to climb to “walk” the Great Wall.  Tonia, Carrie, Julie, Cara, and I went together.  In 40 minutes we’d reached the end of the accessible part of the wall where we were visiting.  At the end of the wall was a sign that said we weren’t supposed to go any farther, but we climbed out the window and walked a little ways on the wall that is deteriorating.  There are trees growing in the wall and the edge is just a drop off since the wall has fallen.  We were so tired and thirsty, but it felt great to have reached the end.  The other half of our group walked in the opposite direction as us.  Two of them were able to reach the end of the accessible part in that direction after an hour and a half of climbing stairs.  Michelle had Subway sandwiches waiting for us when we got back to the starting point.  Subway never tasted so good!

The rest of the afternoon and evening we were able to relax at our hotel.  I am really enjoying the time to complete my journal and make sense of all my thoughts about our trip.  I am very saturated and need this time to sort out my thoughts about all that I have experienced.  The leaders are talking about making the next trip 3 weeks and the only way I would want that is if it resulted in more down time.  I wouldn’t want to encounter any more new things.  As it is I don’t want to see any more schools since it has become repetitive.

After my skipping dinner last night, everyone asked how I was doing this morning.  I told them I am an introvert and I really needed that time to myself and that I was ready to do more interacting today.  It was a great day!

Day 10

I went to bed early last night with a slight headache and woke up at 2 am with a worse headache.  I was able to stretch my neck and go back to sleep, but the headache was worse when my alarm went off.  I really didn't want to go to 3e International school today, but I took 4 Tylenol and kept my thoughts to myself.

I really enjoyed my time in the classroom after the headache went away.  It was interesting to see things that cross cultures, like 5-6 year old kids tend to pick same gender playmates.  It was also interesting to see differences, like graphing the level of pollution in the air.  They discussed how pollution is dirt in the air, not a cloud.  The kids in the U.S. wouldn't understand the discussion since they had never experienced that kind of pollution.  I really want a smart board in my classroom like the classrooms here do.  They were able to do calendar, weather, pollution, and multiple other things all in the same space without using up a lot of wall space.

I really do feel saturated in the area of Chinese education.  I'll have to work up my interest for the last school on Monday.  I'd be happy to see the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, and just go back to the U.S.  I am tired of struggling to communicate and/or having the same conversations with different people.

All the Chinese and English teachers that I observed used a calm voice to tell a child why a behavior was not acceptable and what they should do instead.  Even when I couldn't understand their words I could tell that their method was like what I learned based on their behavior.

I found it interesting that students were not told to help their classmates to clean up.  They were invited to begin the next activity and the children still cleaning up could hear what they were doing.  I'd read about that method but this was the first time I saw it obviously practiced.  The second teacher was following up with the students who needed to finish cleaning up.

After the school let out, we went to a shopping area.  I thought this church was beautiful that we walked by.

It was interesting to see the foods available.  Jon and Carrie tried scorpion on a stick.  I tried a fried potato curling around a stick.  It was a like a thick potato chip.  I'm really shopped out so I had no interest in walking through the stores.

We took the Metro back to our hotel and walked through a park on the way from the Metro Station to our hotel.  I liked all the rock in the hillside.

The rest of the group went out for supper tonight but I wasn't hungry so I stayed behind.  I walked to the corner store for fruit, water, and snacks.  I am enjoying some time alone right now.

Day 9 -- 3e International School

3e's sign and mission.

Here they used recycled Kleenex boxes to make a fort.

Typical coat, bag, and shoe cubbies lined their halls.

Each classroom has their own bathroom.

They have their own carpenter who built all their big toys and shelves.

Their school library has a traditional book shelf area and this cozy reading area.

Sandbox

Outside held a variety of areas to play.  They had a play structure next to a sand box, a tire area, a tennis court, a musical area, and water play area.

Each class had a garden area also.

Day 9 -- Jiemin Kindergarten

The classes each have a small gardening plot.

The buildings were bright yellow, blue, and green.

The staff with us in front of their building.  The male on the left is the only BNU student that accompanied us.

The waterfall/pond had 2 turtles in it.

Another maze play area which seems to be popular in China.

Play area shaped like a train.

Great structures for practicing balance on.

Climbing structure.

Punching bag.

Another climbing structure.

Rope tunnel to climb through.

Posts to walk on.

Ceiling decorations.

Wall decorations.

Wall decorations.

Music Room.  It was a large open room for lots of dancing.

A cardboard box train was set up for parents to donate recyclable items to be used in projects at the center.

Each class had a main room with a couple side rooms that the kids could also use whenever they wanted.

Block room attached to main room.

Music and Napping Room attached to main room.

The teacher played the piano while the kids sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" in English and Chinese for us.

A decorated light.

A decorated ceiling panel.

Ceiling decoration in the heart logo of the school.

Glass in the floor with a farm scene below.

This school uses the project approach and made this board after talking about what to do in case of an earth quake.

This class used the project approach and reported on pollution.

Another classroom.

Homemade pool table and sticks.

Girl showing me how the light turns on when she cranks the handle.

Bunk beds seem common in these schools.  I wonder if any of the schools use mats or cots like we do in the U.S.

In this classroom the bunk beds are pushed to the side to make room for the block area during non-nap times.

They do a calendar time like we do.

They have individual wash cloths for each child.  We wouldn't have a big enough bathroom to fit this kind of shelf/hanging system.

Children using the playground.  A boy told me to watch him.  Another trait of children that crosses cultures.

A traditional Chinese toy that they were teaching me to use.  You are supposed to use the stick to keep the ring rolling across the ground.