July 31st and August 1st - We're Here!

Hello Everyone - are working through some issues with posting to the blog - here are the udpates for yesterday and today.  Pictures will follow.

July 31
Ni Hao!

After 23 hours of travel, 2 plane rides, 5 movies, 3 on-board meals and a lot of caffiene, we've finally arrived in Beijing!!! Once we left our families in St. John's, we surived a quick and painless flight to Toronto. During our 5 hour layover, we stumbled upon an amazing performance space! While practicing Ave Maria and Heal The World, we attracted an audience who asked us if we were the World Youth Choir!

We waited in line with a couple hundred of other passengers and boarded our plane having three sets of three seats the entire way across the plane! Mostof us managed to occupy ourselves or fall asleep on fellow choristers (or an unsuspecting stranger!) and get through the 13 hours. We are all very exhausted from the trip, but finally reaching China we well worth the lack of sleep.

Zai Jain!

With Love,
Erin & Philippa

August 1
After a very long plane ride, we finally landed in Beijing. We went through customs, collected our bags (we had to get a train to the baggage collection because the airport was so big!) and hopped on the bus, exhausted. While some slept (Lisa being one of them) the others were given a short tour of Beijing (or at laest what's between the aiport and our hotel). While on the bus, we got to see both extremes of the Chinese economy, from the extremely poor sitting on their homes, which are now just heaps of rubble on the sides ot the road to the huge sky scrapers with flashing signs, massive TV's and Chanel logo plastered all over them, just step steps away.

After arriving at our hotel, luggage was collected - again, keys were passed our and choristers were relseased to explore their rooms. The rooms are beautiful! We have a view of the city which is even prettier at night when the streets are bsuy and all the signs and lights are flashing. Later on, we were taken out for our first, authentic Chinese dinner. There was rice, noddles, chicken, duck and even squid. Most were nervous at first, but after a few nibbles we quickly dug in. Almost everyone left with an extremely full stomach. We were then brought back to the hotel. Right now, some are in bed, thoroughly inspecting the inside of their eyelids (aka sleeping), some are just too excited to sleep and some are writing choir blogs!

Lisa & Marissa