Where Are They Now?

LGUHS

ASOP

FREEMAN

Friday On My Mind

TGIF everybody!

T-minus 5 (and counting)

We’ve reached the final Friday of the journey, with five days to go. Final, Friday, Five - Fabulous! You’ll have the weekend to get ready for your child’s return next Wednesday!

We had some Internet connection issues in China yesterday, thus a delay in photos and reports. But that only means we have more for you today!

So let’s get started with Madison’s report on yesterday’s events:
 

Madison Etman, Freshman, Newfane

We woke up at 7 this morning to the sound that we are beginning to become accustomed to; the lovely sound of the phone ringing. We got up grudgingly and headed to breakfast, thinking about the day ahead of us. The agenda for the day is to visit the Mengniu Dairy, the Zhao Jun Cashmere Factory and to give a performance in the student center of the new campus of the Arts College. On the bus Brendan, Tom’s son, talked to us a lot about politics and economics. It was very interesting. What we were driving through apparently used to be farmland but it is now very brown and looks like a big construction site. Pretty far into the drive, we saw a very low bar across the road. Since our bus was too high, we had to go around it. The only way around the bar was to go off the road, down into a sort of ditch and back up. It seemed to be a bit dangerous. We didn’t have much trouble going down, coming back up was a problem. The bus was lurching to one side and it was a little scary. The driver was having so much trouble that everyone had to get off the bus in order to get up the hill and back on the road. After a few tries, the bus got back onto the road and we were allowed back on the bus. I’m glad we weren’t on the bus when it went up the hill as it looked pretty scary. I still don’t understand the point of the bar. We drove through what was called an “economic zone” where we only saw factories and dormitories for the workers. It looked like a little community (little is a relative term in China, though).

Mengniu is a very large company with 80,000 workers and a market share of 38%, a very high number. It covers about a ten square mile area and there are 11,000 cows. When we got inside, we had to put covers that looked like smurf shoes over our shoes to keep us from tracking in dirt and bacteria. After that, we headed straight to the bathroom. (I seriously think that some of these people have bladder problems.) Strangely, these bathrooms were pretty nice.

There were many connections to other countries at Mengniu. The packaging machines were made by Tetra-Pak, a Swedish company. As an experiment, there are different sections of grass to be fed to the cows. There are different types of grasses from Japan, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, France, Russia, Argentina, Denmark Brazil, Canada and the U.S. We were told that all of the cows were from Australia, as well.

Mengniu is a very advanced factory. When I read the descriptions for different rooms, the first sentence was usually about how the equipment was “the most up to date” or “the most advanced.” When we looked around, we did not see many people. All of the machines were computer operated. After our tour, they gave us free “ice cream.” It was pear-flavored and it was a little……strange. A few people liked it but not many. I didn’t really care for it. I did buy some pretty good yogurt, though. We then got back on the bus and drove for about five minutes to the Zhao Jun Cashmere Factory.

It was very different. We waited another five minutes for the manager to OK our visit. Some people thought that the factory was hiding something. Once we were let in, all we could smell was the acrid odor of soft coal. The factory was much smaller than Mengniu and it was not very clean. It almost looked deserted. Perhaps the demand for cashmere in the U.S. and other countries has fallen off or perhaps they have moved their operations to a place where labor is cheaper. Tom said that he had been here when business was booming and there were hundreds of workers but now there isn’t much production and it is kind of sad. We were told that the women who work here work eight hours per day, six days per week. There are more modern factories in China like Mengniu now and fewer little textile factories like Zhao Jun.

We had hotpot that was quite different than that which we had experienced in Sichuan. Sichuan hotpot was very spicy, whereas here it is saltier. There was a hole in the table where the heat came from and the pot was set over the hole. The pot had two levels. The bottom level, much larger, is where the food is cooked. The top level had a mushroom broth, which was delicious. We were also given a drink called “sour soup,” which was a little strange. It tasted somewhat like sour apple cider. I liked it; not everyone did.

After lunch we went outside where someone from the restaurant gathered everyone for a photo, which apparently was going to be featured on the restaurant’s website.

We then headed off to the new campus of the Arts College. We went to different classes before setting up for our performance; two English classes, both taught by teachers who had been to Vermont and spent time at Leland and Gray; Yue Yanhong, who lived with Rick Jones and Carol Bailey and Zhang Yichi, who lived with Laura and Keith Hazard. We also went to a couple of sculpture classes and to an art gallery. The students were amazing artists! The artwork was beautiful and looked very professional.

We set up for the show after looking around the school. The show was okay; a few mishaps but the audience of around 400 people really seemed to like it. Our bass guitarist, Quinn, was sick so Mr. Kelley and Emmet took his place; Mr. Kelley playing the bass and Emmet playing the Emperor. We mingled with the students a bit after the show, packed up and drove the short distance to dinner, which we had at the school. The food was pretty good.

It was quite a day first to see the two factories and to notice the major differences between them and next to perform for the people we have seen perform for us for many years.

Here’s a quick note from Tom about the long-lasting effects of the Journey East exchange of American students to China and Mongolian visitors to Vermont:

Most of the kids who are with us were 4 or 5 years old when our first student group came here in 2000. They were kindergartners or first graders when they first saw performances by our Chinese and Mongolian friends. Many of these kids sat in awe as they watched the dancers and singers perform back then and decided that they wanted to be a part of this program from a very early age. It is very powerful to be associated with Journey East and to see first-hand the impact it has and hopefully, will continue to have in the future.

With a ten year history of Journey East, many are seeing what Tom envisioned when he developed this program in 2000. It has taken time, but now the connections between Mongolian students and American students are so many and so varied and so far-reaching. The fruits of Tom’s labor are reaping amazing bountiful fruit!

So, Hot Pot. FINALLY!! Someone mentions hot pot. What is hot pot? Well, let’s just take a moment and talk about this amazing Asian dish. Here is a fun hotpot web page. Hotpot is basically a traditional Chinese meal featuring a large pot of boiling broth in which meat, seafood, vegetables, and noodles are cooked. Cool! Er, I mean, hot!

Okay, let’s take a look at some photos of today’s collaboration between our kids and their Mongolian friends . . .
 

All of the magnificent sights the group visits during this journey pale in comparison to the value and long-lasting effect of these collaborative efforts. These are the moments that make the Journey East such a powerful program.

And now, after many hours of working together, the groups took the stage to perform their individual programs. A collaborative presentation will take place later as a final salute to Hohhot.

Here are a mix of photos from the JE and Mongolian performances at the nationalities college:
 

Wow. You can just feel the energy! Looks like everyone is really enjoying the show.

Speaking of shows, a small group of JEers had a unique opportunity to see an old friend, Wurigen, perform with his rock band in a nearby club. This small group was chaperoned by Ron, Bahman, and Diane, Here’s Tom to tell us more:

Bahman and Diane Newton both hosted Wurigen, who was one of the horsehead fiddlers who was here last fall. Wurigen is a great guy and a great musician who has a rock band. He invited Bahman, Diane, Jesse, Emmet, Jonah, Fabian, Julian, Ron and Phoebe to come to the nightclub where his band was playing. The kids, who are either instrumentalists, who played with Wurigen in Vermont, or were hosts, were really psyched to go. The group was well chaperoned.

The kids got the chance to perform and to get a first-hand, up-close look at the Mongolian rock band scene here in Hohhot. As Jesse's essay indicates (below), it was wild scene. The kids loved it and I am glad that they had this opportunity. 
 

Jesse Newton - Special Report

Last night we had a truly new experience by anyone’s standards. We went and played at a Mongolian nightclub.

Wurigen is a Mongolian horse head fiddle player. My family and Emmet Mahdavi’s hosted Wurigen last fall. He also happens to be a very talented piano player, drummer and guitarist. Within 10 minutes of entering my home he had picked up a guitar and proved to be one of the most talented musicians I have ever seen. I actually do remember him saying that he played in a rock band while he was in Vermont. A couple of nights ago he showed up at the hotel and within a short time he invited us to come see his band play. To be honest, I don’t think I thought it would ever happen, but last night, there he was at the hotel ready to take a small group of us to the place where he played.

It was a short walk and in about 10 minutes we arrived at the place. I couldn’t read, much less pronounce the name of the place, but I do remember that there was a carved wooden horse head over the door. The place was more or less empty when we first arrived, only a few patrons scattered around the tables. The moment we sat down we were presented with fruit platters, and popcorn. Tea arrived at the table and soon a band began to play. The music they played was rock, but it was most definitely Mongolian rock. During this first set the place was still fairly deserted and in fact several people left while the music was playing.

When the first band stopped playing I expected Wurigen’s to come next. When Wurigen had invited us to play at the hotel we joked around with idea, but when he got up on the mike and invited the Journey East band to come up and play there was nothing joking about it. Jonah and Julian picked up the guitars that were on the stage, Bahman was on the bass, Fabian was playing the drums and Mr. Kelly had his saxophone. I sang Ophelia first, then the band did an instrumental number and for the last number Phoebe and Emmet came up to sing 5 Years Time. It was pretty crazy. All the songs were extended by solos and extra verses so no one really new what was going, but it sounded good, we pretty much knew what we were doing, it was loud, and it was a nightclub in Inner Mongolia!

The place started to fill up as we played and by the end of 5 Years Time there were a couple of guys dancing! The next band to play did include Wurigen, but it was actually the same one with substitutes. It was a rocking place by then and people were dancing. Several times actually we were pulled onto the dance floor by excited Mongolians. And in fact, when surrounded by a bunch of laughing, enthusiastic, wild Mongolians, even a self-conscious dancer such as myself had a hard time being embarrassed.

After a time though, I think that Wurigen thought it was getting a bit too rowdy because he handed off his guitar and motioned that it was time to go back to the hotel. It was definitely a worthwhile experience. It was a side of China I never thought I’d get to see. We were very lucky that there was a person like Wurigen who was so willing to show us. And it was fun, a lot of fun.

What an opportunity! We now have world renowned rock stars in the group. “Hey, where have you played?” . . . “Uh, I once played a small club in Inner Mongolia!” Pretty cool. Thanks to Bahman, Diane, and Ron for taking the time to go and watch over the kids so that they could have this experience.

Okay, everybody, that’s about it for today. We might get more stuff in today. The group’s Friday is over and they are about to hit the sack. Tomorrow (Saturday) is their last day in Hohhot. It is an emotional day as they will enjoy the final performance and amazing farewell banquet, but they will also experience the sadness of leaving their new (and old) friends and a place they will now forever call “home.”

We’ll leave you today with a series of inspirational signs seen at the factory tour yesterday. Words to live and work by:
 

Live Long
and Prosper!

2010 is the Chinese year of the Tiger. This year’s Chinese new year took place on February 14th. You can find out more here.

A herd of antelopes, a troop of baboons, a school of dolphins, a business of ferrets, a band of gorillas, . . . do you know what a group of tigers is called?

It’s been another big day and it will be a big day tomorrow.

Enjoy your Friday!

TGIF!