Dinner

As I'm taking these pictures... I can hear the students screaming...
"I love CHINA" and "This is the best experience of my life!"
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Dinner

I think this picture just about sums up how much fun the students had at dinner tonight! They bridged two cultures together with Chinese pop music and dancing. There was a conga line too! We are watching some great performers and enjoyed a delicious meal.

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Forbidden City & Olympic Park

The Great Wall

Last night I slept in a tent at the base of the Great Wall of China. Today I did a 10k hike on the Great Wall. It was a surreal experience and put into perspective how I look at other parts of the world. We hiked a part of the wall that most people do not get a chance to see. The hike challenged my fear of heights. I could hear my fifth grade students in my head, "Don't be afraid to take a risk. Challenge yourself!" Afterwards I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride. The students on this trip work so well together. It was great to watch their collaborative efforts and excitement, especially when we scaled part of the wall.
We are sitting on the bus and many students and teachers are taking a much needed and well deserved nap. This truly is an experience I will hold onto forever.
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Common language

I've heard the term "international language" applied to many things. I'm not sure if there is exactly one but I witnessed a coming together event that fits the term better than anything I've seen before; cultural boundaries disappeared as people enjoyed playing sports.

After our dragonboat race the students had activity in their veins. We had time before lunch and the resort we were at had a gym, basketball court and grass field. We jumped right into pickup games of badminton, table tennis, frisbee, and basketball.

It was an unscheduled break. No points, no rules and no agenda. Chinese played alongside American. CA partnered with NJ. Photo crew put down played their cameras to play with kids. Smiles decorated every face. There was a tangible peace in the air. This purity of fun comes when people leave everything else behind to play like a kid. This is why I love sport. It is an international language everyone can understand.

Our group of students have bonded in a way we couldn't have planned. Jimbo, the videographer who arrived only one day after the teachers and students, clarified it when he said "I can't even tell which kid is from which state."

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