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The Countdown Continues . . . T-Minus 5 days!

That’s right folks, five more days (26 days in!). Our JE 2008 gang has definitely left its mark on China, and I think we can all agree that China has left its mark on the group!

What a day they had at the desert yesterday. Wow! Wonder how August (and the others) are feeling now, the day after their camel rides!

We’ve got a few photos, a report from Maggie Bernhard, and some updates from Tom. So, let’s get started (What? No “But first . . .?” Cool.).

The JE gang spent the the first part of their day visiting the Inner Mongolia Provincial Museum in Hohhot. Maggie’s report will share a little more insight on that adventure. Take it away Maggie!
 

Maggie Bernhard, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 4/18/08

Sleeping in till 8 am felt like sleeping till noon on the weekend. It was relaxing and everyone appreciated it. So we were all in a good mood when we piled on to the bus to go to the museum. At the museum I was immediately drawn to the dinosaurs. Walking into the first room I was surrounded by a blue, green light. As I turned, I saw the corny pictures of dinosaurs on the walls. I walked along looking at the odd-looking creatures and wondered why we think that this dinosaur walked a certain way when it really might have walked the total opposite of what we are lead to believe. How would you figure out how a dinosaur walked?

My favorite part of this exhibit was when the dinosaurs started to move. A huge dinosaur head started to move and then the whole scene became alive.

There were lots of other interesting exhibits at the museum. Many about Mongolian history and culture, as well as one about space. They were all very interesting.

After the museum we had lunch. The restaurant was very nice and the food was good. One thing that was particularly odd was when I came out of the bathroom to wash my hands there was a woman standing there. She turned the water on for me and put soap on my hands. While I was washing my hands she got a towel and dried my hands for me. Next, she put lotion on my hands and started talking to me in Chinese. All I could do was say thank you and smile.

After that we ventured on to the Mongolian Gardens. I was kind of disappointed because I was expecting flowers, but it was dry. I could imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer. While were at the gardens we were able to see an abao, which is a pile of stones that was formed by people throwing stones on to it to mark that they had been there, This one looked very touristy to me, but all the same it was a good experience,

Our performance was one of the best! The audience was excited and appreciated our performance, the stage was a little hard to work with and the sound was very boomy but all the same it was a good show. I think that we all had fun! And we are all working together!

Here’s Tom to preview the groups’ performance:

Mike rocked the place when he addressed the crowd in Mongolian. They were floored and very appreciative. They were also taken with Taylor Horn's poetry recitation in Chinese.

Graham has been working on Hoomei, or throat singing, and he and Mike drew a large round of applause when they sang Hoomei during the dance piece with the girls in the three colored sacks.

Maggie had a young beau come up on stage and present her with a bouquet of flowers after the Three Treasures piece. That brought the house down, as you might imagine.

Overall, a very good performance. The kids had a long day, were very tired but are real troopers. The responsiveness of the audience really turned our kids on and they came through so well. [Tom]

Let’s check it out!
 

These guys continue to amaze! Looks like the audience is totally “into” the show!

We continue to enjoy the fantastic photos provided by our photomaster, Tom Connor! He never fails to deliver unique and special photos that truly are worth a thousand words. Thanks Tom.

Before we wrap up today’s activities, I’d like to take a moment to talk about our wonderful music and dance coordinators. We give so much attention to the kids’ performance (and rightly so!), but none of this would be possible without the dedication and efforts of two very special people: Meg Van Dyck and Mike Roberts. Let me introduce them to you now:

Meg Van Dyck is the JE Dance/Movement Director. This is her first year with Journey East. Meg is a professional dancer who has worked as a Modern Dance, Ballet, and Hip Hop Instructor, as well as a choreographer for FLS International in Boston and Theater of Dreams Performance Group in New York City. She has also danced with Sorvino Dance Project in Massachusetts and Dodge Dance Company in New York City. Meg has been very excited to work with Mike to combine live music with movement. Modern dance, principles of choreography, weight-sharing, interpretative hip hop and prop dance are just some of the techniques Meg is teaching the Journey East students, most of whom have had no formal dance training.

Mike Roberts is the JE Musical Director. He is a multitalented musician/songwriter who has lived in both Mongolia and, most recently, in Inner Mongolia (he speaks Mongolian!). Mike says that “this a show that our kids will be proud of and that should really engage our Chinese and Mongolian friends.’ “We really look forward to reconnecting with the students and teachers from Inner Mongolia who were here last Fall and can’t wait to collaborate with them during our stay in Hohhot.”

These two fantastic people have brought so much passion, energy, style, and creativity to this journey’s performance. We can’t thank them enough for all of their time and effort in helping these kids grow, personally and collectively, and guiding them throughout this semester-long endeavor.

So let’s do a huge “tip o’ the hat” (Do any of you remember Smokey Stover comics?) to both Meg and Mike. Come on, now, let’s raise the roof! Yeah, that’s it. Keep it going, Yeah.!

Okay, okay . . . OKAY, that’s enough. Whoa. You all get carried away easily, don’t you? Very nice. Thanks Meg and Mike!

One last photo of Tom presenting the college with a Vermont State flag. Very cool.

Okay, everybody. Things are winding down in Hohhot. Just a couple more days to go. Farewell banquet coming up, which is always a huge event. And then it is off to Shanghai for the return trip home.

Another beautiful day in Vermont. Enjoy!