Days 12 and 13 from Changsha

Thursday turned out to be a great day for everyone! The Young Pioneers Assembly was a "Spring Play" type performance that included student announcers, dancing, singing, a slideshow, and speeches by the Director of the school and Senora Becker. The front row seats were occupied by some of the prestigious members of Hunan University's faculty and administration, while the second and third rows were occupied by the Cushman family. We were proud to be their guests of honor! We were not told how many people attended the assembly, but it was standing-room only and even tourists from New Zealand attended the event.
Alana was one of the 3 hosts and was very composed and poised announcing all of the acts in English. It was impressive considering that she had only 1 day to prepare. The Chinese students, wearing colorful and unique costumes, impressed the large audience with their dancing and singing. Our students were equally as impressive singing their 3 songs in English, and as they started to sing the Chinese song, many mwmbwer of the audience joined in. We were proud to see the smiles on the Chinese people's faces as our children sang their song. Mr. Cosgrove reminded some of Beethoven with his skills on the piano. Soon after the assembly, he was asked to stay in China as the full time piano teacher...but he declined the offer.....stating that "the parking situation is much better at Cushman!" (There are 6 parking spots at this school, shared by faculty, staff and parents...and by the PE classes when they are not occupied) The Chinese were a bit disappointed but understood. We all received a great number of compliments regarding our children, and we were very proud of the way they represented our school and our country. They each introduced themselves and said what they liked to do when "they are in Miami." Senora Becker was surprised to find out that she was giving a speech, but when she went up to the podium, she spoke very well about the great friendship we have established between the 2 schools. In her words, "We are looking forward to a great long-term friendship between our schools."

Jim Stamatis, Senora Becker's husband, gave a lecture on "Product Placement" last night at Hunan University. Jim is the Director of Operations at NBC-Telemundo. The Communication Majors at the university packed the auditorium and asked thoughful questions afterwards.
This afternoon, we all attended The Hunan Provincial Museum. The main attraction was a 2,000 year old mummy. Danica, Janna, Ava, Sophia, Mr. Elliot, and Mr. Cosgrove were interviewed by the Hunan TV station, and will be on the news tonight discussing the museum. (The cameras followed our children everywhere)
Many of the children commented on the mummy's wrinkles but gave her credit for being so old!
It's the weekend and our children are off with their host families. The children continue to enjoy spending time with their host families.
The school will be locked up on Saturday and Sunday, so look for the next blog on Monday morning.
Have a great weekend from all of us in Changsha!!!