China Trip Day Five - The Tour
We had a wonderful time visiting the classrooms and listening in on English and Music classes. Because the school is so large each student learns music by playing the harmonica - it is amazing how good they play and 70 students per class all in harmony. Our students joined us for some of the classes we were observing after they spent some time in Physics and Chinese Language class. All the teachers welcomed them into the classroom and had them participate including writing Chinese!
The Music Teacher invited us up to the front of the class to sing or play the piano. TJ played some Jazz and then sang a song from the Musical Bye Bye Birdie. All us sang Doe A Deer and our National Anthem. There students wanted to "compete" so some of them came up to sing Chinese Opera and played the piano and even a saxophone. Here a student plays a traditional Chinese instrument.
Some of the students in the class had visited Lake Shore in the past year. We got together for a group photo. They all wanted us to say Hi to their American host family and they missed their American family.
Students liked to stay afterwards to talk to the Clark Family!
Afterwards we went out for a Barbeque with a German themed restaurant. The food was served buffet style but servers in German clothing came over to slice off pieces of BBQ pork, chicken and cow tongue.
FUN FACT - Kenzie and I grabbed a piece of meat that looked like sausage. It tasted delicious and when we asked what it was, they told us it was made with goose tongue!
After lunch we went to their local sculpture park. All the stone was brought into the park and each artist worked on their piece of art - it is amazing what they could make out of granite and marble. It was very cold and the lake in the center was frozen over with ice. Some of us needed hot tea when we got back to school.
Out students went off to their host family and we were taken to a teacher's house for a traditional welcome party. The apartment was beautiful, had it's own garden and sun room and every square inch held cabinets or shelves to maximize space. The teacher's husband was an engineer and designer. Below the ladies are in heaven as this was the Shoe Closet Room!
Tomorrow the Farewell Party. We teach two more lessons today and then we head off to do some shopping. Then we take a train to Tianjin. Everyone is doing fine and really enjoying their "new" family.
