Ms. Boria's class is FULL of great questions! I'll try to answer them!
I didn't eat any of the creepy foods, though I was willing! I just wasn't able to amke it back down there. Some of the other teachers ate seahorses. One gagged and spat it out, the other threw up and another said it was good, especially the eyeballs!
The Great Wall was GREAT! I made it all the way to the top of the summit (The only woman in our group who did!) so I treated myself to an "I climbed the Great WAll T-shirt." It was amazing! I have lots of pictures to show you.
I didn't see the frozen Mao because the line was WAY too long. I would've had to stand in it all day!
The teenagers in the big cities dress just like you do. Some of them are really fashionable though. There are two McDonald's near our hotel. The stuff they serve isn't at all the what you get in the US - no Big Macs or Quarter Pounders. Everyone really seems to love the fries though. I'm not sure what the other stuff is that they serve in there!
I saw beautiful art work at the museums in Shanghai and Beijing. This morning we went to a calligraphy class at Beijing University and the artist demonstrated his techniques. His work is so beautiful, I bought some prints that I'll show to you.
We visited a school here in Beijing. It was specially for students who wanted to learn English. In fact, I hope to be able to fix it so you guys cna blog and email each other. The school was a lot like US schools the way they look. They had nice technology like we do. I observed in one of the classes and i couldn't believe how well-behaved the students were. At the beginning of class, the teacher said, "Class, rise," and they all did. She said "Good morning, class," and they said, "Good morning, Ms. Shei." Then she said, "Class will begin. Please sit." And they did. The class was very well organized. They did a lesson on the 5 W's and how to write a news story. The students had to stand to answer a question when called upon. But the teacher joked with them as well too. There wer 45 students in the class, but it only seemed like 20. They don't have bells; they play music, like chimes, in between classes. EAch class is 45 minutes long and the students get 10 minutes between classes. But when the bell rings, they don't all just rush out. It took a few minute to finish up what they were doing and they seemed to act like that was normal. But in the halls, they were pushing each other and joking around like you guys do!
I did not see any cultural rituals except when we visited a Buddhist temple and the people were praying in the Buddhist style.
I did not see a shark in the open air market. And I didn't eat any crickets. Or roaches!
Hi, John!
Gas was about $3 a liter if I remember correctly. But I haven't seen many gas stations. People are restricted on how often they can drive their cars. Only four days a week. Plus I'm told it costs a fortune to license the, so it keeps people from driving. There are tons and tons and tons of bicycles and motor scooters. The people all drive like crazy people, weaving in and out of each other. And they don't seem to know how lanes are supposed to work.
I went to Pearl Tower and it was very cool. I have pictures to show you.
Most of the people I've met and the students at school are polite, but not formal. At the toursit places and national monuments, people were very rude. Pushing and shoving to get in line or take a picture. I guess that's what happens when you have 15 million people in one city! Also, the vendors in the street are something else! They holler at you to try to get you to buy their stuff. A couple even grabbed me to keep me from walking away! (BTW, there are TONS of knock-offs here. You can buy 2"rolexes" for $5 or a "Gucci" bag for 40 yuan.
The only martial arts I saw were people doing Tai Chi in the park. Some practiced with swords. Also the Beijing Opera is not really and opera. Its more of a demonstration of martial arts and aerobatics in super fancy costumes.
The people are bottle water crazy. Supposedly, the water has bacteria and you shouldn't drink it out of the tap. They also drink beer and wine with meals, but most often tea. Jasmine tea is very popular here. Of course the kids drink Coke too.
The money is the yuan. 100 yuan is about $14.76. I'll bring some back to show you.
The public bathrooms are disgusting like the ones I told you about in Greece. And you have to bring your own paper. We are always hoping we'll get a "western" toilet. The ones in the hotel
are like ours though.
The weather has been beautiful. Its autumn and the leaves are changing colors. Hotter than I expected, but very comfortable.
I didn't ask how much teachers get paid. They only teach 3 classes four days a week. So they get a LOT of time for planning!
No, Charles, the only black people I've seen have been tourists. Black people aren't native to China and they weren't brought there by anyone either, so. . .
Well, did I answer all your questions! I sure tried! It was great to see how interested you all are! Hope all is going well for you! Tomorrow I go to Seoul Korea. Hope to get more great questions!
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3 comments:
Ms.Thomely, Everyone misses you a lot!! Your third period will be so happy to see you!! Are the cities clean? What do the houses look like? or do more people live in apartments? How much is an average salary in the cities? What are some common jobs? Have you learned many symbols? Do they have wrestling like the US? Are they promoting bio diesel fuel? How many characters do the Chinese have? Do you have a translator?
How long is tbe Great Wall and how long did it take them to build the Wall? What model cars to you see the most of? What are their prisons like? What do the teachers wear? Any Mao jackets? Are the parents strict? Do they wear name brand clothes like South Pole, Nike a Hot Topic....Are the clothes cheap? WHat are the school hours? Do they go to school all year around and does everyone go to college? How about health care? Have fun on your way to Korea! Can't wait to hear from you again! Ms. Boria's 1st period P.S. what is the population of men vs women P.S.S. Do they have pets?
Hi Ms. Thomley, Did you buy any knock offs? What is the legal drinking age? What is the legal driving age? What is the legal system like? What type of food are you eating if not seahorses? Rice? Is the Chinese food really really healthy? DO you see young Chinese children working? What is the drop out rate in China? Can they drop out? How old do you have to be to get a job? Are there any private schools or only government run? DO the kids have ipods and watch american shows? When you went to the Buddhist? Have you seen illegal food products such as tiger paw? Do the students have to wear uniforms at school? Is the atmosphere depressing? Are the people hopeful? Do the kids have different types of hair styles? What type of music do the kids listen to? What do they think about Americans? Do many speak English? What type of candy do they have? Have you seen Pizza Hut? Can they have guns? What kind of activities do they have for kids? Do their schools have mascots and sports?
Bring us back some cheap knock offs!! We miss you! Ms.Boria's 3rd period!
Hi Ms.Thomely, Thank-you for answering all our questions! What are Buddhist praying styles? Post more pictures please! Have you seen any sparrows? Have you seen a private home? Are the newspapers in Chinese or English? Have you seen any really strong traditions? Have you seen any factories like comic book factories? What would the typical student's classes be? Are the marriages arranged still? What do the police cars look like? Are the schools set up like ours with boys and girls going to school together? Are there any festivals going on? Do they have narrow roads? Do they have archery classes? What do you mean by fashionable? Do they listen to American music or traditional Chinese? Do you see many military people? Good Luck in Korea! Write soon and send pictures!! Mrs. Boria's 4th period
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