There are many ways to explore a foreign culture but one of them certainly is to learn about their food. Thanks to our fabulous hosts we have been treated to all sorts of Chinese food from simple street food to the greatest and most expensive delicacies. Some in the group showed more adventurous spirit when it came to unusual types of food than others but I believe it was an experience for all of us. Thankfully our Chinese colleagues were understanding when not everybody heartily digged in to Jumping Fish (Greg's favorites), Sea Cucumber, fried eel or duck tongue. I for one can say I found some new favorite dishes but I am worried I won't be able to find them around here. These sweet dumplings with cinamon filling were a feast to my taste buds!

Another important cultural experience around food is the style of eating it. First of all all the dishes are shared by pushing the turning table around. That gives a great sense of community. The order in which the dishes arrive is different from what we know. There are several sweet dishes served throughout the meal, rice is meant as a filler and usually arrives towards the end of a meal and the last dish typically is fruit. Table manners are different, too. Slurping and spitting out bones is perfectly okay but blowing your nose at the table is a big no-no! In the end, all of us managed the use of chopsticks quite tolerably and some even mastered eating steaks with them.

Food preparation is also interesting to watch. In fact, you can watch it in most cases! In many restaurants the chefs stand behind an open counter and the customer can pick out the ingredients and the dishes laid out in front of them and then you can see how your food is prepared. Some people don't like that too much but I enjoyed the freshness of everything!

First Encounters – A Sea of Somber Faces

When we first arrived at the airport there was a long line of people with signs to notify the travelers of who they represented. No one was smiling, just holding their sign with a straight serious face. I smiled but no one smiled back. When I spotted Regina from Sanda University, her sign read "University of Illinois Extension." I smiled and said "U of I" and she smiled back. We went to baggage claim and I think our bags arrived quicker than I have ever had them arrive anywhere. We had a 45 minute bus drive to Sanda.

Humorous Miscommunications

At Sanda we were each given a key to a dorm room. I was very happy to see a traditional toilet, shower, and sink. I wasn't sure what to expect. There was also a hot and cold water jug with safe drinking water. The room was very cold but when I asked about a thermostat or a source of heat Mister Lu shook his head and said "no". He pointed to a box at the top of the wall and said "air conditioner". I thought "Oh no, I don't need cool air, I need warm air. So I crossed my arms and rubbed my hands up and down my arms and said, "Cold". I was given an extra blanket "comforter" and expressed my gratitude. "Xie-Xie", then he turned on the box and heat started coming out. I was so glad to have heat in the room. I asked Virginia later and she said air conditioner means heat in China.

Jennifer was one of the first people I met. She came into the hall and introduced herself. She spoke English. She said she taught Chinese at the college and would love to teach me while I was there. She said "Where come". I said "Illinois" and she gave me a puzzled look. I then said 'America' and she said "Yes I know. I just want to say where come". I gave a puzzled look and she printed in the air with her finger W-E-L-C-O-M-E. I said, "Oh welcome, yes, thank you." We laughed and gave each other a welcome hug. She said I want to tell you two things. Take care of your health while you are here. Don't go outside with thin clothes. I said "Dress warmly?" She said "yes, dress warmly. It turns cold here and visitors often catch a cold." Next she said "Be careful of our food. It is cooked with a lot of oar." I gave another puzzled look and thought, "cooked with oar". She again spelled in the air "O-I-L". I said "oh yes, oil." She said "we are used to it but you are not." I thanked her for her concern and help. Xie-Xie (thank you) was a word I would use over and over in the next 10 days.

When I thought about Jennifer's accent and how hard it was to understand her at times, I knew that our attempts to speak Chinese must sound just as puzzling or funny to them. I knew this was truly going to be an adventure of a lifetime.

Judy and I needed a plate for an activity we were doing at our presentation. We had a time trying to explain 'plate' to the kitchen help. We made gestures and pointed at bowls but nothing seemed to communicate our desire. At one point, one of the women asked us to write it down on paper. Judy wrote the word plate and drew a picture of it. Then she wrote a Chinese word of which we still do not know what it is. Again we were at an impasse. Then someone came in and held up his hand like a phone to his ear and said come. I followed him thinking who could it be. The kitchen had called the university and told them we needed something and they had called to see what we needed. It was great. Everyone was so helpful. They made us feel like nothing was a burden to them.

I noticed when I tried to speak any Chinese, even if it was just Ni hao, the faces would light up and grin. Everyone seemed to be so happy that we knew even the most basic words of the Chinese language. I think they were very surprised we knew any language and I hope it communicated a mutual respect and interest.

Kong zi shuo: "you peng zi you an fang lai, bu yi le hu?" (Confucius says: "Having friends from afar is great happiness, is it not?") In addition to being able to pronounce the names of the cities we'd visit and say such phrases as "thank you" and "you're welcome", I chose this saying from the ones Virginia shared in January. I anticipated that we might make friends in this far away land. What I did not anticipate was how surprised these new friends and chance encounters in an elevator or shop would be that a foreigner would take the time to try to learn their language.

The first full day in Shanghai, Virginia called on me to speak this phrase at the first meeting of our group with the Vice President of Sanda University. As I gave my best rendition of the saying, the Vice President chimed in so that we both spoke "bu ye le hu?" ("is it not?") in unison. This happened time and time again. Each time I uttered the first portion it was the same reaction, wide smiles and finishing the saying in unison with me. It was the same reaction with Director Wang and his wife of the Zhejiang Province Hydrological Bureau, the beautiful Chinese lady in the train depot, and the principal at Lu Hang Middle School in Pudong. I shook hands with the middle school principal during the saying and she continued to pump my hand vigorously, saying "yes, we are good friends and should remain so." This saying prompted the Deputy Party Secretary of Wenzhou University to try to teach me another Confucius saying about continuing friendships, by "coming and going." No matter the specific situation, all seemed genuinely pleased by the sentiment and my attempt to speak the sentiment in their native language. By the way, the "coming and going" Confucius saying will be the next phrase I intend to learn.

Chinese phrases seemed to bring a smile and surprised looks. Patti was trying on jackets at a shop and asking my opinion. My response of "ma ma hu hu" ("so-so" or "O.K.") evoked a chuckle. Saying "excuse me" or "I'm sorry" ("dui bu qu") to move past a person in a shop or when I spilled a beverage garnered a benevolent "it's all right" ("mei quan xi") response. Telling the shop keeper I wanted a blue ("lan se da") dress for a 13 ("shi san") year old made for successful shopping.

Other times knowing just a little of the language allowed me to identify a tiny piece of what people were saying, enriching the whole experience. One mother was telling her small child about the "plane" ("fei ji") as we walked down the loading ramp. Many times people responded with "Bu ke qi" ("you are welcome") after I had said "thank you" ("xie – xie"). Even knowing the photographer was counting "yi, er, san" ("one, two, three") before taking a picture was exciting.

Of course, not all communication attempts were completely successful. The morning of our first workshop, Patti and I realized we still needed to locate a plate to complete a Terrific Teachable Moments activity. All the English speaking staff were gone from the faculty cafeteria as we tried to use hand motions to ask to borrow a plate. We'd been eating on sectioned trays and drinking tea from plastic glasses without saucers, so nothing served at breakfast required a plate. Our "circular, flat, eating motions" only garnered confused looks. Then one of the cleaning staff motioned that we should write what we needed on a piece of paper. There was a ray of hope that we might finally communicate. I drew a circle to signify the plate and wrote the word "plate" and handed it over. The staff person glanced at the paper and promptly wrote three Chinese characters that were equally as confusing to me as my English word was to her -- a TOTAL COMMUNICATION IMPASS! We did find a saucer in Mr. Lu's office down the hall, and realized we had a very long way to go with our Mandarin.

Perhaps my favorite language encounters were with children and university students. Almost all students we encountered wanted to practice their English. And the Wenzhou student volunteer interpreter, Cathleen (her American name) who showed me the student union was no exception. But knowing a tiny bit of Mandarin allowed her the opportunity to recommend small changes in the way I made a particular sound when I said the Confucius saying to her. The last day we toured an island. During our walk we came upon a school group. We wanted to take their photos and they wanted to take photos with Americans. At the end of the day, while waiting a few minutes for the rest of our group, I encountered the same group of children and teachers. Since we had already taken photos together, I approached a teacher and said, "We are friends" ("wo men zi peng yao"). Then I asked if the children could help me practice counting in Chinese. I started and the children gathered round and counted to at least to 30 (way past my ability). Then the teacher instructed the children to count in English. Finally she suggested they sing action songs. They were so enthusiastic and animated! It was one of the most wonderful encounters of the whole trip!

I spent considerable time with the CD provided by Virginia for the PDO and a computer program that teaches language, to learn as much Mandarin as I could before April 15. Every minute I spent learning our host's words and phrases was well worth it. Showing respect is a very important value in the Chinese culture. I hope that making the effort to learn even a small portion of the language showed respect to such gracious hosts and the Chinese people in general.

During these past two weeks I had many opportunities to practice speaking Mandarin which I began learning 30 years ago when I was a missionary in Taiwan. Before this trip I spent a considerable amount of time using a language computer program to review. My practice came in handy! Most of the university people we worked with these past two weeks speak English very well. However many folks speak only Mandarin and a local dialect. Now I have to say my Mandarin was pretty rusty, but the practice helped. In a pinch I could ask for the location of the nearest rest room or at least give my hosts a good laugh.

The first humorous incident occurred at the little grocery store on the Sanda University campus. The shopkeepers gave me the first opportunity to try out my rusty Mandarin. They were the first folks I had encountered that couldn't speak any English. After a brief conversation with them, I was feeling ever so confident. They were smiling and giggling and telling me how good my Chinese was. I was on top of the world! Then it happened. One of the shopkeepers asked when our group had arrived. I drew a blank! I wracked my brain – "Now what's the word for yesterday? Is it ming tian or is it jin tian?" Finally I blurted out "ho tian". The look on the shopkeepers' faces told me that I given them a really screwy answer. They didn't laugh. They just looked at me as if to say "Honey, what planet did you come from?" When I got back to my room, I pulled out my old Chinese manual. It turns out I had told the shopkeepers we had arrived the day after tomorrow. At least I provided Virginia Kuo with a good laugh.

My Mandarin improved everyday I was there. I started remembering words and phrases. If I didn't totally understand, I could at least get the general idea of a conversation. It was indeed fun to be able to talk to children and ask people about their families and their lives.

At the tea farm, a little girl was yelling hello at us. I finally asked her in Mandarin how old she was. Like children everywhere, she responded by holding up 5 fingers. She was a cutie!

As I sit on the bus headed to Wenzhou for the last leg of our professional development opportunity, I have a rush of feelings and emotions. Before I left, my parents—in fact, most everyone in my life—kept calling it "an experience of a lifetime." Whenever I heard that phrase, I thought…"Well, I guess, but I'm not sure what that really means in relation to the trip."

For me, I probably won't realize the full extent of how this study tour has changed me for quite some time. I am a deep thinker so the true personal impact is going to gradually reveal itself as I go about my daily life back home. Some of the aspects of the experience, though, are already abundantly clear. I write about them now as life messages I don't want to ever forget.

Until being chosen for this study tour, I had just traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, and to Ontario, Canada. Both places were somewhat "familiar" to me because of the proximity to the United States. This trip, however, is over 7,000 miles from home. Being in a land where most every aspect of the culture—language, food, sanitation, dress, driving habits, landscape, etc.—is different from my own can provide challenges and tests for me. Because I took the chance, though, I have learned these things and passed my own personal test:

1. Communication is crucial in cross-cultural relationships. I can still communicate with someone who speaks a different language if we both want to mutually understand each other. Pictures, hand gestures, and other people helping to interpret work wonders!

1. Food can be an amazing adventure. I can find stimulating tastes and visually appealing dishes by trying different foods. As my closest friends can attest, until this trip, I have not been a regular consumer of Asian cooking. Last night's banquet though, for example, featured over 20 beautifully displayed menu items. I have now tasted exotic jelly fish, eel, clam, wrapped chicken, tofu, noodle soup, duck tongue, goose liver, quail eggs, sea cucumber, lotus, watermelon juice, tea soaked hard boiled eggs—and the list goes on and on. Who would have guessed I would have actually liked many of them!

1. Hygiene is just that—PERSONAL. I can learn to manage my personal hygiene even though water is not sometimes safe to drink, bathroom facilities look "slightly" different than they do in my own home, and my shower head doesn't work. I have become pretty skilled at hoarding bottled water whenever I find some and taking a bath in a shower stall by using the lower faucet two feet off the floor.

1. The outfit does not make the person. I have met and interacted with Chinese citizens who were traditionally dressed, wearing urban attire, displaying school uniforms, and peddling local produce. Each interaction was genuine and exhilarating. I have found the people of China to be warm, sincere, friendly, eager to meet and converse, hospitable, and anxious to observe Americans. My clothes aren't important—unless ceremony is involved—but how I meet other people means a lot!

1. "Driving Miss Daisy" doesn't seem to play well in China. I can stay safe (so far) and even type on a bus weaving in and out of traffic lanes, honking frantically at other vehicles, driving extremely fast on the shoulder, and coming within inches of numerous speeding semis. Think my oldest sister driving to work, and you may come close to what it is like on the roads in this land!

1. The world is a beautiful and fantastic place. I can see first-hand beautiful mountains, tea farms, flowers, buildings, centuries old temples, and water buffalo grazing in the water fields. Think National Geographic quality scenery, and you have a good idea of what I am seeing on this wonderful experience!

Everybody: This is to my family who speaks only German. If you can decipher it you are welcome to read it :-)

Hallo Familie:

Ich schreibe Euch ganz kurz auf Deutsch, da ich weiss dass das Lesen auf Englisch ein bisschen muehsam ist. Der Trip laeuft so weit wirklich gut, alle sind happy und wir haben sehr einzigartige Erlebnisse. Dank der Tatsache dass meine Kollegin Virginia von hier stammt und die meisten unserer Gastgeber Freunde von ihr sind, gewinnen wir Einblicke und gelangen zu Orten, die wir als normale Toursten nie erfahren wuerden. Das ist auf jeden Fall eine wunderbare Belohnung fuer die Arbeit, die in diesem Trip steckt. Natuerlich ist eine solche Tour sehr anstrengend, denn wir sind von frueh bis spaet unterwegs und am Abend versuche ich noch die Abrechungen zu machen und den Blog zu fuettern.

Ich hoffe die Bilder gefallen Euch. Ich fasse mich kurz hier, denn ich muss dringend ins Bett. Mehr Geschichten aus China wenn ich zuruck bin! Viele liebe Gruesse, Tina

This time I have to start my narrative of today with the evening. Tonight the group had a very special and unique opportunity to dine at a very famous restaurant that until recently was in-accessible to the public, the Jia Le Yuan Restaurant. It used to serve only the leaders of the communist party and other high ranking officials - since General Mao's time. General Mao himself had been to this restaurant and guesthouse compound over 60 times and all of his successors have been there, too. Somebody in the group commented it was a bit like the Chinese Camp David. Director Wang of the Hydrology Department and his wife had invited us to a banquet there and we were served the most delicious and exquisite food. We were blown away by their kindness and generosity. Chinese hospitality goes way beyond simple friendliness. The way we were honored as guests was very moving. This evening, the place, the food, the atmosphere and the friendship we experienced will always remain one of our fondest memories. We had a hard time finding words that were good enough to express our gratitude to Director Wang!

Earlier in the day the group had split up for the morning and some people went to the Hydrology Department in Hangzhou where Steve A. and Ryan gave presentations about water issues in Illinois and the Road to Success of American Youth. The audience was comprised of mainly young staff of the Hydrology Department and the presentations were well received. The other - smaller - part of the group withstood the rain and went to the Hangzhou Botanical Garden. I am sure Greg - who is our designated photographer - got spectacular pictures although I haven't seen them yet.

After Steve's and Ryan's presentation we had a short meeting with Director Wang and his assistant and they asked us for help with a planned visit to the US in fall. They intend to visit California and Washington D.C. and make a stop on the way in Illinois. We assured them we would be able to set up the right contacts for them and to assist them with organizing their trip. We were glad to find an opportunity to repay some of the hospitality we have experienced since we have arrived.

After a quick lunch the whole group met again and we took a tour to a street in downtown Hangzhou that is lined with - literally - hundreds of silk shops. We first got a silk products 101 introduction and learned about the different qualities of silk and what a buyer needs to look for when purchasing silk. Then we went to find some nice pieces to bring back home.

Our next stop was the Dragon Well Village on top of a mountain close to Hangzhou where they grow the world famous Dragon Well Green Tea. Thanks to Director Wang we were received at the mayor's house and he gave us an introduction into tea growing, the life of the tea farmers and the importance of tea in China. It was a very interesting experience to be invited to a private residence. We sat in the mayors living room of his very nice and modern house and had tea and traditional nut and seeds snacks. He explained to us that tea plants have to grow for two years before they can be harvested and that they can become very old. The best tea is being harvested in spring and it's quality and price depend upon the time of the harvest. He also told us that the tea farmer's life in his village is comparatively good - they earn about 20,000 Yuan per year, which would be between $3,200 and $3,400 (depending upon exchange rate). The home of his family at least was equipped with the latest technology and was very comfortable. After purchasing some tea to take home we visited the actual tea farm and were shown how the tea is being harvested.

This was in short our fabulous second and last day in Hangzhou. Tomorrow morning we will leave for Wenzhou. Our next hosts have already arrived tonight because they will transport us to Wenzhou University by bus. While on the five hour ride I will try to prepare more pictures to put up. I know I am running behind with visuals but it takes a long time to upload them and our days are very long and leave very little time to sit down at the computer. More from us tomorrow!

Today is my first chance to sit down and write about our experiences in China so far. It has been a whirlwind of experiences and it is hard to capture all we have seen and done. If I had to sum it up into one word, the most memorable thing for me here has been the people. From the moment we stepped off the plane in China, we have been greeted by friendly and helpful people-beginning with the customs officers; to our guide, Regina, from Sanda; to all the people we worked with at both Shanghai and Hangzhou. The faculty and administration at Sanda University were very welcoming and gracious hosts. They took great efforts to make our stay at Sanda wonderful. The English teachers who were our helpers for our presentations and guides in the city were amazing-very patient, kind and so friendly! They helped us translate when shopping, which will allow me to come home with some wonderful treasures. And the students...they were so engaged in our presentations, respectful and eager to use their English with us! The time we had with them went by so quickly and I am anxious to see how our connections will grow when we return to the states!

The other thing is the sheer number of people in the cities we have visited. When we were preparing for the trip, I am sure that I read that there were 20 million people in Shanghai. But until you actually see a city of 20 million-it is impossible to imagine it. The crowded streets and the even more crowded roads seem impossible to navigate. Our bus drivers did amazingly well, although a few times I had to close my eyes!

I can't believe we are over half way through our trip-it is going by so quickly. The things I will take with me are numerous and the connections we have made are many.

So much has happened on my trip so far--it is hard to pick the topic upon which I want to reflect in my first blog entry. One of the highlights, though, that I am never forgetting is how it was to teach my workshop and think about the educational process in China.

The topics requested of me by Sanda University were leadership, youth and adult relationships, and coalitions and collaborations--all to be taught in 80 minutes. To kick off my morning, I arrived to the workshop room early and ready to go. I was a little nervous--mostly about whether participants would be able to understand me and relate to the concepts I was planning to share. I had to ask a man in the hallway to help me turn the lights on in the room and to configure my PowerPoint flash drive, but with hand signals and smiles, we were able to communicate. Students were asked to be present in my workshop ten minutes early, and at 9:20 a.m., I had 51 students seated. I brought handouts as instructed for 60 so I breathed a sigh of relief. Then, just before I started, 43 more Sanda students entered the room. (I am thankful Virgina told us in the January orientation to be relaxed and flexible during our teaching sessions--those two tips were EXTREMELY useful as I said good morning to the group of 94!)

It took only a few minutes after starting to teach, though, for me to feel welcome. The students were extremely respectful, attentive, and anxious to learn. We quickly engaged in a comparative discussion about definitions of leadership and how our respective contries view that term relative to teenagers. The students in my session used words like "organized," "communicative," "power," and "strong" when definining leadership. When I mentioned phrases like "cooperative spirit," "strong energy," and "collective group work," students nodded they understood the concepts I was describing. We connected around personal leadership for the good of the group and agreed that a person does not have to be the "leader" to "lead!"

When we discussed youth and adult relationships, students mentioned parents, teachers, and adult friends as types of adults most influential in their lives. That seemed pretty similar to what 4-H members say all of the time back home!

The third topic was the one most concerning to me--as I wasn't sure whether the word "collaboration" translated into Chinese. I tested the water by asking for someone to explain the term, and an extremely bright young man in the back of the room raised his hand and said "a group of people with common interests who come together to do work." It was clear they definitely knew about coalitions and collaborations as many students visibly shook their heads in agreement when he gave his definition.

Since I was extremely relaxed by now and able to operate in my normal interactive teaching mode, I recruited two students in the front of the room who had been very participatory up to this point to be my "helpers" for the next activity. I asked the students to work in small groups of four or five and come up with a list of their common interests. My helpers visited the groups, gathered their responses, delivered them to me, and then I wrote them on the board. (The students got a kick out of me writing their interests on the blackboard for all to see.) Once listed, I asked the students to vote for the one response they liked the most. Music was the most popular interest area. Other popular interests among the group included photography, technology, geography, and fashion design. Boxing made the list followed by lots of laughs--it was fun to see that humor expressed by the group!

Once the voting process was complete, I pointed out that collaborations in the United States discuss interests among group members and choose work based on the most popular interests, the most pressing need, resources available, etc. Decisions are made by the group voting, reaching agreement through consensus, etc. It worked really well to simulate the process prior to explaining it and brought vague concepts to life for them.

When I talked about evaluation of leadership programs, youth and adult relationships, and coalitions and collaborations, the bright young man emerged again and asked me what criteria I would use to evaluate the job I did in my workshop with them. I listed criteria such as speaking in a way they could understand, asking them to help me clarify when needed to improve that understanding, fostering interaction and discussion with them, and sharing our joint perspectives on the three topics included in the workshop. It was a perfect segway to discuss with them how it went, and according to participants who spoke up, my criteria were met.

In general, I found the teaching experience in China extremely enjoyable, gratifying, and personally rewarding. Given I had nobody helping me teach a room full of 94 Sanda University students--all strangers to me at the begininning of my workshop and friends at the end, I was deeply impressed with their warmth, receptiveness, patience, respectful learning attitude, willingness to participate and work at it until we understood each other, and sense of humor. Together, we were all able to practice leadership, build a relationship, and collaborate!

Yet another great day!

We started out pretty early this morning to catch a train from Shanghai to our next station of the trip - Hangzhou. The first nice surprise was the train station - honestly I've never seen a cleaner and more modern train station in my life! The train was equally impressive, new and clean and very comfortable. We actually wished we could fly home in a vehicle like that.

In Hangzhou, we were already expected by Director Wang of the Hydrology department. After a great lunch at our hotel we quickly took off to tour the West Lake. The lake is one of the most important sites in Chinese culture and there are many stories and legends around this lake, its islands and the temples and other artifacts in the area. We took a boat ride across the lake and visited the large pagoda. Unfortunaltely it started to rain after a while which made the visit to the Budhist Temple and Buddha statues a bit difficult. But we enjoyed every minute of it. I will get some pictures up as soon as my battery is loaded again.

Tonight we had a huge dinner at the Lou Wai Lou restaurant which is world famous for its traditional cuisine in Hangzhou. The food was excellent although some seemed at first a bit unusual. One or the other participants had some struggles with eating jellyfish, eel or seacucumber :-)

It was a long and eventful day and I will try to write more about this beautiful area after some hours of sleep. Everybody is well and enjoying this experience!

Our visit to Pudong Middle School yesterday was very interesting and very successful! The reason for visiting this particular school was that the English language department of our host university, Sanda, has established an outreach reading program there. We had the pleasure of visiting one of the reading lectures and were very impressed by the teaching technique. The teachers in the program are student volunteers from Sanda and they use e-books to illustrate the stories they read and discussed with their young students. We had a lot of fun listening to the students discussing the story of the witches Greta and Angela!

Patti and Judy also introduced their program "Teachable Moments" to the school, and they will probably pilot test the program in the near future.

After the school visit the group went to downtown Shanghai and got a first taste of the traffic jam in and around the city. We had more of that today! We spent the evening walking the city marveling at the mixture of new and old and enjoying the lights in Nanjing Road and at the Bund.

Today we took a trip to Zhu Jia Jiao, a 500 year old town which is surrounded by small farms and crossed by many canals. It is also called the "Venice of China." After a trip of about two hours we spent the day walking the old, narrow streets, learning about the history and architecture of the town and taking a gondola ride on one of the canals. It was very interesting to watch the street vendors prepare different types of food although the only things we were brave enough to taste were sweets :-) On the way back we got stuck in the Shanghai rush hour and it took us forever to get back. The traffic is unbelievable and the style of driving is scary!

After dinner we had a first group meeting and discussed the last few days. So far, the group is very satisfied with the results of our efforts. All the workshops on Friday have been very well attended - we all had between sixty and seventy students and all of the presenters reported a very good feedback. Also the meetings with Sanda administration went very well and the interest in the 4-H program is huge. Sanda would like to become one of the first sites in China to start 4-H. We are working on the details! We all feel that we have made wonderful and fruitful personal contacts that will enable us to continue working on common programs and ideas.

Tomorrow morning we will leave Shanghai by train and go to Hangzhou where we will visit the West Lake in the afternoon. More from there!

I will add more pictures as soon as possible - Internet access is still limited and challenging at times!

Finally the first real entry in our travel log!

After a long and tiring but very quiet flight we made it into Shanghai without any losses. All group members and suitcases safely arrived. We were picked up by Sanda and brought to our very nice accomodations on campus. After an early dinner and a first short stroll across campus we all fell into our beds and tried to catch up on lost sleep. Some were more successful than others - 13 hours time difference can be really hard on you!

On Thursday some of the staff gave us a tour across campus - really nice and beautiful with many little canals and plants. We had the priviledge to visit a student dorm and saw some class rooms. In the afternoon we had our first official meeting with Vice President Jin, Dean Huang and some staff members of the foreign language department. The evening was spent by exploring a part of downtown and have some first Chinese shopping experiences. Some interesting pieces were acquired!

Today is Friday and in the morning we had an administrative meeting with president Ji Yuan where we discussed different possibilities for future projects. Later in the morning seven of us gave presentations to students and staff. We all had large audiences and I can report that Chinese students are as engaged as American students in the classroom. As part of my program I did an auction of a bar of Hershey choclate and I had plenty of bidders :-)

In a few minutes we will start to our first school visit which is why I have to stop here for the time being.

We apologize for the delayed start of our Blog, but we had slight technical difficulties. Some of you might have noticed that we didn't get in touch with you so frequently. Internet is mostly slow and we have very little access opportunities.

Greetings from Shanghai!