April 24

And then there were three (days to go) . . .

The group has now returned safely to where this adventure all started: Beijing. They will be reunited with their bags they left behind during their tour of China. Now they will begin to get organized for their return home. Today they are scheduled to visit the Summer Palace and the Great Wall (see links March 30 and below) then a final performance tonight at the school. The Summer Palace is quite a sight. It is over 800 years old and is the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China.

We have a joint report this time. Maura and Nick combine to tell us about their final day in Hohhot.
 

REPORT 22 -- Maura and Nick, APRIL 22,  2002


HOHHOT   Today was the big day to present the collaboration between JE II and the Mongolian Performing Arts students. The day started off with both groups teaching and running parts of our performance: The JE kids and the Mongolian students have become really close friends over the past week-and-a-half and tonight at our farewell, you could really tell we have made a special bond with these students.

Our performance was up first tonight. We did an amazing job. It was great to perform on this huge stage with bright lights and the help of some great crew guys. In our opinion, this was the best performance we have  had so far. Everyone’s energy was up and we were all eager and excited to show the Mongolian kids our work and then present the results of our collaboration. After our show, we rushed off stage, sat in the audience and watched the Mongolian students perform for us. It was powerful and so enthusiastic: Dancers, horse head fiddlers, singers and a full orchestra kept us all intrigued, entertained, and fascinated. This is what these students have worked most of their life for.

The final work on the program was our collaboration and we all got up on stage, mixed in with our new friends and sang the Mongolian “Grasslands” song we have worked so hard to learn. It is a difficult piece! In the end it came out with so much heart and passion: The crowd loved it and they couldn’t believe that these 24 students from a small town in Vermont pulled this song off, but we couldn’t have done it without the  help of our new friends.

Then it was time for some improvisation: Several of our kids joined with  several Chinese-Mongolian kids to do a machine with set rhythms and an improvised pantomime -- both of which were well received for their freshness and very Western approach.

At last, it was time for the dances. We all put our red scarves around our necks, got into the square dance and had a grand ol’ time doing it with lots of yee-has and hollering from Chinese and Americans alike. The Mongolian scarf dance followed and that was the highlight of tonight. It was so much fun being up there doing something that was so different and new to all of us Americans.

After the show we all came back to our hotel for one last chance to cement the friendships we have been forming since April 12. Tears were shed, addresses were exchanged, hugs were given, and cheeks were kissed as our time here in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, came to an end.

Now back to Beijing where this amazing and unforgettable journey will come to a close.


Boy! That says it all. You can feel the energy just reading the report! Here’s what Ann had to say about their performance:

The collaboration went beautifully. Tremendously instructive, rewarding, unforgettable -- it left a lasting impression on our kids and throughout Hohhot. We were even on Inner Mongolia evening news three times and in print media on three different days as well. Off to breakfast, then the Great Wall, then a performance. No dull days here! Ann

For those of you with access to the Brattleboro Reformer newspaper, you can get even more insight into this journey by reading Julia’s article printed in yesterday’s edition. For those of you not able to read the local paper, you can read Julia’s article here.

Assuming the kids were to visit the Great Wall during the arrival in Beijing a month ago, we put several great links to Great Wall sites on March 30th. Here are some of those links:

Hey, did you know the 2008 Summer Olympics are coming to Beijing? The kids may very well see some of the changes taking place around the city in preparation for this enormous event.

While we are at it, let’s check out the weather in Beijing for the next three days -- Okay! Looks perfect!

That’s it for today. We’ve been informed that more reports, and hopefully more photos, are on the way, so we can look forward to those tomorrow. Hey, how are you doing with yesterday’s quiz? Get those answers to me by tomorrow morning and we’ll announce the results on Friday.

So, this is it. Two more days and the group heads home. It will forever remain a toss-up as for whom the trip lasted longest - the kids or the parents!

See you tomorrow!

 
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