Steve Perrin:
We had a major travel day today. We started the day in
remote Dali and ended it in the capital of Yunnan Province,
Kunming. Along the way we took buses and planes and traveled
back in time in a Bai village along the way. Here to share
his thoughts about the day is Matt from Wilmington.
Matt
We traveled from Dali to Lijiang in a three hour bus ride,
stopped in a very rural Bai village and then flew to Kunming.
After today, we’re going to become a lot more active
in the schools here in Kunming. I thought it might be
interesting today to ask my classmates about their experience
so far. All of the students have a moment where they were
either culturally startled or had a moment that they would
remember forever:
Tiffany really enjoyed the school in
Dali. She was very surprised at the enthusiasm that all
the students had for meeting Americans.
Mariha’s most memorable experience
was at the Yak meadow near Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Her experience there was memorable because she, Silvana,
Stacy, and Nikki dressed up in ethnic costume and got
their picture taken.
Nikki’s most memorable experience
was the structure of the school day as well as the physical
school. The system and the way it was built were very
interesting in her perspective. The educational structure
astounded her because there were about 40-50 kids in each
class and they shared a desk. The building structure was
also interesting because there was a large area for sports,
the class rooms were large and had equipment for what
the subject was to optimize learning.
Stacy’s most memorable experience
was during the ride to Dali from LiJjang. The twisting
roads and expansive green fields were very interesting
to watch, though she did get nauseous.
Aysa’s most memorable experience
was on the bus after hiking in the mountains behind Dahli.
This was her favorite part of the trip because she experienced
Chinese pop music and her new favorite artist, JJ.
Alyssa had a memorable experience as
well. She was touched and pleased to see that all the
teachers that visited us in Vermont were all at the airport
awaiting our arrival in Kunming. The teachers had brought
students to greet us and looked very happy and exited
that we came to see them in their home, and to visit their
schools.
Meagan had a very interesting cultural
awakening because she noticed a lot of small children
running around and playing near or on a crowded street.
He thought that this was very strange because in America
parents seem to have a hard time letting their children
walk to the store by themselves even in a small town and
at a mature age.
Meg really enjoyed the school in Dali.
She liked the fact that the students had activities like
eye exercises and morning exercises. Our school has never
heard of such a thing. Also she remembered the fact that
the students were very eager to meet Americans and had
speeches planned and sang us songs.
Silvana enjoyed lunch at the “hot
pot”. She was amazed by it because the food was
not what you would expect and it was not what a typical
American is used to.
Lizzie really enjoyed the Bai women we
met on our way to Dahli. Lizzie said that it was amazing
to her how this woman after only knowing us for less then
five minutes was telling ancient stories and offered to
cook us dinner. Yes, she offered to cook for 18 strangers
with no hesitation
Gus’s most memorable moment was
visting Tiger Leaping Gorge and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
These natural wonders were surely the highlight of the
trip so far.
Paxton really enjoyed the ancient tea
ceremony. When we went to a tea store in Dali he wanted
to try a tea the owner did a very special ceremony that
involved rinsing off the cups with tea several times and
using two kettles of boiling water.
Jordan also enjoyed the hot pot because
He enjoys spicy food and he found it interesting that
you never know what you are going to eat. The hot pot
was his most memorable moment during the trip so far.
Jordan was also chosen to introduce himself to 2500 students
and teachers from balcony, while being translated. Despite
being nervous, Jordan did a stellar job of presenting
himself and his classmates to the school in Dali.
Today on the way to Dali we stopped at a small Bai village
just outside of Dahli. The village was quite amazing.
The people who lived there farmed and raised their own
livestock for food, and profit. There were a few people
with motorcycles and small cars, but other than that they
lived in a pretty primitive way. There was a small river
that ran through the village at various streets that people
used to wash clothes and food. It was incredible to think
that while the people in this village had been living
this way for generations, we were going to be on an airplane
a few hours after meeting them.
Another common site on the hillsides of
Dali and Lijinag are family grave sites. Here you can
see the markers that show respect for previous generations.
Some old families will have graveplots that are almost
a full acre in area.
Terraced rice paddies are common from the
valley floor right up the hillsides.
We’re walking carefully next to part of the rice
paddies that sustain this village and also create profit
for them. Many students remarked that they have never
been so close to the sources of their food supply
as on this trip.
While waiting for the flight from Lijiang, we enjoyed
the local cuisine one last time at the outside airport
café. The menu today was delicious local rice noodles
served spicy.
