This morning was an early rise. We awoke to a breakfast buffet and were gone from the hotel by 8:10am. After a 45 minute drive to the Expo, we queued for a good hour, just to get within the complex. Fun times!

Once we were inside, we walked straight to the Canada Pavilion where we were VIP guests for the day - tours and private lounge with Canadian food and water along with it. The Canada Pavilion was full of fun stuff - virtual biking, video shows, rippling electronic water pools and an NFB video about Canadian life.

Afterwards, we performed at the Americas Square and despite a terrible piano and mics and lack of opera boxes, we pulled off a great show. Because of our presence, and the fact that Hey Rosetta! would be performing in the coming days,  today was declared Newfoundland and Labrador Music Day at the Canada Pavilion.

Later, we got the chance to see other pavilions in our shopping groups. Highlights were a wind tunnel at the Latvia Pavilion, snow ball fights outside at the Austria Pavilion and picture taking in the Caribbean Pavilion. Today's only regret would have to be not having enough time to see more countries at the Expo.

Then we had a supper, which included the grad pin presentation ceremony. This year's graduate group included Mrs. Knight, who along with all the other grads will be missed dearly by all her "babies".

After the last lazy susan supper of our trip, we went to an acrobatic show, which we consider the best show we have seen in China. Soon we'll board our plane back home and China will be but a memory.

Goodbye for now, we'll see you all in just over a day!

Patrick & Anna G.

Shanghai!

Today we woke up at 7 a.m., had breakfast and then took an hour bus ride to see the water village.  It was spectacular!  There were three different water streets and we got to take a little boat that fit six people for a twenty-minute cruise.  It was beautiful.  Then we went for lunch where we had a lazy susan lunch again.  But we're not complaining, we're in China!  Anyways, so after lunch we went to the silk factory which was really cool.  It was so soft and we got to see how the silk is made, the silk worms and all.  After the silk museum we came back to the hotel and just chilled out for afternoon.  Some people went shopping or swimming and others had a nap, it was nice.  For supper we actually had ice cream following our dinner, it was wonderful!  Well that was our day today, don't worry parents, only two more days until we get back!

Jacquelyn

Xi'an to Shanghai

Aug. 8

Another early morning - 4am wake up so we could all eat breakfast and make the plane to Shanghai! When we arrived, tired but happy to have landed, we found out the hotel wouldn't be ready until 3:30pm, so we went to McDonald's for lunch and then walked through a crazy busy market to reach a flower garden. So far Shanghai has made us realize how lucky we are to live in NL - less people, cooler climate and not having to climb four flights of stairs to find a bathroom!

Next we went to the hotel, which has 21 floors (the top floor has a pool!) and is super nice, even better when we saw that supper was a buffet with familiar food. This was a welcome change for most of us, even though a lot of the Chinese food has been good, we really loved the Peking duck.

Tomorrow is looking pretty good, especially since we don't have to get up at four! We're excited to see more of Shanghai and maybe do some more shopping! (fingers crossed).

Norah, Marissa & Morgan

Catch Up - Xian

Message to Parents - the blog is now one day behind due to transfers between Xian and Shanghai - we will catch up on Monday.  Kathryn

August 7

Today we saw an art gallery. Art is much more meaningful to me than many of the other things we have seen in China, because the idea of art during a period comes from a collective of people often very different people with different ideas in mind. Seeing the art museum is meaningful for a few reasons:

- arts transcends the language barrier, so I can understand the culture and thoughts of the people easier
- I was able to learn new artistic techniques and broaden my view on how to draw different ideas.

Chinese art is especially important to me, because it's so foreign.

Next we went to see the Wild Goose Pagoda. It's pretty hot today, so after we climbed lots of stairs we bought drinks and ice cream. You can never really appreciate ice cream until you're suffering a Chinese heat wave!! Next we are heading shopping. Since I didn't know we would be able to buy artwork (which I did!!), I didn't bring very much yuan along with me, I wish I had of brought more!

For lunch Nelle's Belles (my shopping group) ate at Pizza Hut (where I spend the rest of my yuan I had with me), then we hit the market place. There were shops with secret rooms full of treasures (knock off purses) and birds that some choristers fanned in the heat. We saw everything from turtles to crickets to Mao alarm clocks being sold.

A lot of us ate supper at Subway. After so much Chinese food, most of our stomachs had shrunk so much that the foot longs now exceeded the capacity of our stomachs! It's an early rise tomorrow to get our flight to Shanghai. I hope it's as nice as Xi'an.

Sarah O.W.
ps Mom & Dad, I can't find calling cards.

The Terraacotta Soldiers, Tea Rooms and Dumplings with a Show!

Aug. 6

We are having an amazing time; Xi'an is absolutely beautiful. The first thing we did was go to a factory where they reproduced the Terracotta Soldiers. They also made porcelain dragons and furniture. After the tour of the factory we were able to purchase these along with many other things. After this we took a half hour bus ride to the actual Terracotta Soldiers site. The ground are beautiful. First of all we had an opportunity to get books signed by the farmer who discovered the soldiers. We then went to pit #1 and saw the thousands of soldiers along with the horses. They were also excavating while we were there as they have not found all of the soldiers yet. We then ate another "lazy susan" meal. We did great, there were french fries too!!!

We then went in groups of three and explored the other pits. They contained objects like chariots, horses, soldiers, and more. Then we all gathered at a tea room. They prepared three traditional teas as part of a beautiful ancient tradition. Our group had dragon leaf, black lychee and chrysanthemum tea. After this we headed back to the hotel. Shortly after we headed to a Tang Dynasty show. We enjoyed the traditional music and dance and than a dumpling dinner. The dumplings were: shark fin, scallop, shrimp, ham, monkey fish, butter, walnut, cabbage, fried pork, boiled pork, chicken, duck, tomato and carrot, fish, pork and veggies, pork and mushrooms and dumpling soup. We had an amazing time and the food was great. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

See you all soon!

xoxo
Ryan, Julie S., Smurph

Xi'an

Aug. 5

Today was an early start for us all. We got up at 4 o'clock to catch our flight. Although a little rocky, it seems short compared to the previous 12 hour flight (though the flight meal was more "interesting"). We arrived at the airport and quickly got on the bus and drove to our hotel. It has beautiful Chinese gardens and peptobismol pink bathrooms.

It didn't take long for us to notice how different Xi'an is from Bejing. Xi'an being the ancient capital is full of well preserved historical sites, such as ancient tombs and the only standing city wall in China, which we visited today. It was much less crowded than the great wall and thankfully, there were far fewer steps. From the top of the wall there was a great view of the surrounding city. Once the sight seeing was done we bought ice cream before going back to the bus. It was a hot day, so we needed it!

After supper some of the choir decided to go to a light show at a large fountain. A group of nine of us wound up in the middle of the fountain surrounded by spraying water and blaring music. Even though we got drenched it was a blast! We hurried back to the hotel as soon as the show was over and got a lot of funny looks on the way.

All in all, it was a very laid back day, since so many people were tired from waking up early. It felt great to have a bit of down time between lunch and sight seeing. Xi'an being much smaller than Beijing has a more laid-back feel to it, so going at a slow pace is a nice change. We all noticed how much construction was going on, you can't go anywhere without a crane or two. But even if it is a growing city, it feels just like what out guide called it: "a big village".

Leah & Virginia

Our Workshop, The Forbidden City and McDonalds!

Well hello there Newfoundland!!

Today was a very eventful day! We had a bit of a sleep in, but then we got right to the sightseeing. First we went to the Forbidden City which was so beautiful it was so big and we had a nice walk through there. Then we had our workshop which went really well. We got some really positive reactions from the audience and then there was this lovely Mongolian choir who sang a few tunes for us. After a quick photo op with the Mongolian choir we left the convention centre and went to Tienanmen Square. It was also really nice. Once we left there we came back to the hotel for a few minutes to get ready for supper and shopping. We got a special treat tonight of McDonald's. After a full week of Chinese food, it really was a treat! After that we hit the mall! We didn't buy too much, but we've still got a few shopping days ahead of us. We hope you're having as much fun at home as we are here in China!

Love of love,

Lauren L. & Anna G.

Shallaway, the Great Wall and a Standing Ovation!

This morning we got to sleep in until 7:00! Yay! After eating breakfast, we went to the Temple of Heaven. It was surrounded by gardens where street vendors sold stuff and people danced to music. The temples were very decorative in great detail. We took a lot of pictures. We sang Ave Maria on the steps and attracted quite a few spectators.

After an hour bus ride, we went to a jade factory where we saw a huge elaborate boat which was carved from one whole piece of jade! We went into the shop that sold real jade jewelry and statues.

After lunch we went to the Great Wall. It was so amazing and exciting to see! We took a group picture at the bottom then we were given two hours to climb as we wished. Some made it to the top (I did!), though others made it only 200 steps. It was hard work in the humid air and heat.

Supper was tasty, again more of the same Chinese food. The concert was EPIC! We performed really well and afterwards they gave us a standing ovation! Everyone wanted pictures with us again. On the bus ride back everyone was chatting a lot, but once we touch the beds we'll all be asleep!

Susan A.

China - Our First Full Day!

Our first full day in Beijing!!! We woke up bright and early at 6am. We had a delicious breakfast in the hotel then headed to the China National Convention Centre where we had a rehearsal in the beautiful room where we had our first performance later that day after having our lunch outside in the park. After our first performance in China, we headed out on foot to see the 2008 Beijing Olympic site including the Bird Nest and the Water Cube. This was really cool seeing where all the athletes set records, competed, etc. Coming from Newfoundland and used to cool weather, it was boiling so a lot of us took a trip into the water fountains coming from the ground and we were then soaked for a good part of the day.

We didn't go to see the Temple of Heaven today, but we will tomorrow! When we left the Olympic site the bus took us to have our second Chinese meal. It was very beautiful and picturesque there. We tried the traditional Peking Duck with mixed opinions. After dinner the bus took us on a short ride to the Red Theatre where we watched the Kung Fu Show! It was very cool and exciting although many people were tired...

Tomorrow we are going to the Great Wall, performing again and the Temple of Heaven!

Megan, Amelia, Niamh & Samantha