Day 3 from Beijing

One of the highlights of the trip was to visit one of the modern "Seven Wonders of the World": The Great Wall of China; and it did not disappoint. We woke up early and drove almost 2 hours to reach Mutianyu, a renowned section of the wall built during the Ming Dynasty. Some of us hiked up a trail to the wall, while others went up in a ski lift. Seeing the wall for the first time was an amazing experience. It stretches off into the distance in either direction, straddling a mountain ridge, punctuated by watchtowers every couple of hundred feet. The mountains fade away on all sides, definitely one of the most spectacular things anybody could ever see. A group of students and teachers including Roarke, David and Janna, Coach Pablo, Mr.Sayfie, Miss Kagan and Mr. Cosgrove decided to hike along the top of the wall as far as we could within the time we had there. We lost count of the number of steps we climbed and towers we passed through but definitely got our exercise in for the rest of the week! Our journey back down the mountain when it was time to go was much easier than our hard climb up.... A giant toboggan run snakes for a couple of thousand feet down to the village at the bottom and most of us raced down the mountain in our own private sled. Fortunately each was equipped with a brake!

After lunch we visited a Hutong neighborhood, a part of Beijing that houses an old and traditional Chinese community. Hutang neighborhoods consist of old houses built around a central courtyard. We were lucky to be invited into a resident's home where the children listened to an old Chinese woman talk about her everyday life. The children seemed engaged and asked lots of questions. More than a few were shocked to find out that each apartment DID NOT have their own bathroom as more than 20 families shared the PUBLIC bathroom facility. With 7 toilets all together in one room, it was not surprising to learn that these facilities are nicknamed "Chatterboxes" as residents share their news while they do their business.

We're off to Changsha now to visit our friends!!

Day 2 from Beijing Pictures

Cushman in China 2

Day 2 from Beijing

Today can best be summarized by the question; "What didn't we eat?" Apparently if a stick can be pushed through it, it's on the menu! While you are all enjoying Kids' Deli, we have been eating scorpions, mealie worms, honey bees, sea urchins, sea horses, sharks, crickets, 'pig stomach in a cake', snakes, starfish, more snakes, and even more scorpions. Well, some of us have.... Some of us (including David and Mr. Cosgrove managed to resist the temptations of the night market just down the road from our hotel and stuck to kiwis and dragon fruit instead.

We started today in Tiananmen Square - the biggest square in the world. It is still decorated from the Olympics and the Paraolympics (which just finished) and looks beautiful, covered in flags, flowers and secret agents! Cushman students provoked a stir wherever they went as we all look so different from most of the people here. Many times we had to stop and pose for photographs for Chinese tourists. We have a great tour guide who sings to us whenever she can, (she gave us some Chinese opera and some Elvis Presley in the bus today). She led us through the 999 rooms of the Forbidden Palace without losing anyone! The emperor's former home is a magnificent sight to see, the colours of deep blue, green and gold are spectacular. After lunch we visited the Summer Palace which is where the emperor's summer home used to be. It sits high on a hill overlooking a lake. We crossed the lake in a dragon boat! Unfortuntely we lost some people here... Let's just say that Dr. Lutton, Coach Pablo and Mr. Cosgrove need to pay more attention to the guide.

After the lake we visited a factory that harvests pearls from oysters and got a short introduction they're processed . It was here that one of our students was surrounded by female admirers who began to call him "Buddha."

Tomorrow we visit the Great Wall of China - we are all very excited about that.

Day 1 from Beijing Pictures

Cushman in China Day 1

Day 1 from Beijing

We arrived safe and sound in Beijing with all our luggage. It is 8:00 pm and jet lag is setting soon after an adventurous dinner on a revolving table with dead chicken heads.

Now some first impressions from three of our students:

Aloni.......feels tired and is looking forward to seeing the "Water Cube"

Roarke.....is "looking forward to having a latte at the Starbucks downstairs from the hotel."

David......really likes the hotel and thought it was interesting that the AC units on the condos are on the outside...and not the inside.

Mr. Cosgrove hopes that dinner tomorrow will not contain quite so many dead animal faces staring up at him (and he too is looking forward to checking out the Starbucks downstairs ;-)

Until tomorrow friends or mingtian dian!!

Across the world from Newark to Beijing

Follow this link to see the trajectory of our Continental Airlines flight from Newark to Beijing!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/09/15/GR2006091500101.html

"The Great Wall of China Is Under Siege"

Smithsonian Magazine cover story in the August 2008 issue

First elementary school in the US to host Chinese students

In the Spring of 2007, The Cushman School became the first elementary school in the United States to host international exchange students from China. Twelve students and three school representatives from the Affiliated Elementary School of Hunan University of Changsha were guests of Cushman students, parents and teachers.

South Florida's Channel 6 covered the story:
http://www.nbc6.net/news/15047294/detail.html


This invaluable experience allowed the Chinese and American students to learn about each other's cultures, languages, and customs.

As part of the exchange program, a group from the Cushman School will pay our new Chinese friends a visit from September 26th-October 19th.