We are 3 months done with this trip and we have had a blast. We have learned so much in so little time it is amazing. The 7th grade this year is learning about ancient Asia and ancient Europe. Instead of answering questions about Taoism we can go to a museum and see what their gods looked like and what their purposes were. We also get to explore places and so far I am not regretting the decision of doing the trip. We also have experiences I would not have expected that we have learned from. For example, never would I have been able to order anything off any menu at a hole in the wall restaurant in Beijing.
I think one of the hardest things for me on this trip is not having a daily routine. I miss going to soccer games on the weekends and taking a run whenever I want to. We have visited parks to play soccer and have run two races. I realized though that I would rather go river rafting in Bali or go hiking in Borneo than play soccer on the weekends.
Whenever we meet up with somebody on this trip they ask us the same question "What's been your favorite thing on this trip?" I then reply usually with a disappointing answer of "I don't know" or "Everything". Everyday is fun and amazing in it's different ways. Yes there are some days that are better than others so my top three things have been: #3, visiting the Green School in Bali, #2 watching the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in a little bar in a Chinese Hutong in Beijing, and by far #1 watching the Hanshin Tigers baseball game in Osaka. I left out many things like rafting in Bali and eating Yang's Dumplings in Shanghai. The list could go on forever.
Of course my mom and dad would have never done this if they thought we wouldn't learn. I have learned 3 major things on this trip so far:
1) Try new things. Yes, this is kind of cheesy but it's true.
2) Never say No! I have learned that if you want to have fun experiences on this trip you have to always say yes. Yes we could take a plane but why not take an overnight sleeper train.
3) The last big thing I have learned on this trip is that bonding is both good and bad. I have gotten to know both my parents and my sister really well. I have learned new things about everybody on this trip, some I probably didn't want to know! We are with each other 24/7 making it sometimes unpleasant. Almost every conversation that my parents have had has been interrupted with one of us saying, "What?" or "What are you talking about?". Although we have all enjoyed each other's company, I think we would all like to go home and have a night with none of the others around.
I think that this will also change the way I look at the world. I will have more interest in the world news and whats happening across the globe. For example, there will be uprisings or economic crashes in various places, tell me more, I went there. I also might look at somebody of a different culture than mine and see them doing what I consider strange things. Before this trip I would look at them, and be confused. I would usually walk away. After this trip I think I might be able to realize that whatever seems strange to me probably isn't strange to them. I think I will have a different perspective on life and the way I judge people when I come back.
So far I think that this trip has been the time of my life. I might not enjoy the homeschooling part and the constant togetherness part of the trip but besides that I think that this trip has been filled with happiness, learning different cultures, and most of all taking a year to explore.
One of my favorite quotes is from Ferris Buehler in Ferris Buehler's Day Off which I think applies to our trip. At the start he says "Life moves fast, if you don't stop and look around for a while you might just miss it." Well said, Ferris.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Review of the Last Three Months (by: Jacob)
We are three months into our RTW adventure. I have been amazed about what I have learned and what I have seen and observed in such a small amount of time. For example, my friends back home are learning about medieval Europe and Asia, but we are learning about these places by visiting them. My parents hope that we will be more interested in the world when we visit the places we learn about.
The observations started pretty quickly. On our first day in Japan we saw kids walking to school, kids from 6-10 were walking by themselves in a huge city. I have also observed in poorer communities like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, the kids don't have full days of school. They go home and have lunch and then some have to do work in the fields and sometimes sell stuff on the streets to support their family. In places like Indonesia, they might spend the afternoon learning the different aspects of their culture. Also, some of the public schools cost money, unlike the public schools in America. I observed in Cambodia and Vietnam that if a family has very little or no money, some are not going to send their kids to school, but instead they are going to make them work to get money so the family can eat. I am really lucky that my family doesn't have to make those hard choices.
This trip as changed my look on the world. For example, before this trip I thought China would be a scary place and the people that live there would be mean and aggressive, because that is what I have heard. When I was there it was the same yet different from what I heard. For example, when people try to get on the subway they push their way on and they push their way into lines. However, we also found that people were friendly and helpful all over China.
I have learned so much on this trip about Asia. I have learned some upsetting things on the trip like Hiroshima and the atomic bomb that the United States dropped there during World War II. In Hiroshima we saw pictures of what the bomb did to the city and it's people. I felt sad and guilty to think that the place where I come from did something that bad. In Indonesia we learned about rice and how important it is to their culture. I also learned that people eat dog, but I didn't actually believe it until I saw it in a market in Sapa, Vietnam. When I saw the dog, I thought, "I just saw a dead dog for sale at a market." I was really taken by the fact that people eat dog - it is really upsetting, but I have to remember that it is normal in another culture.
Another thing I learned about was the Vietnam War. We went to a museum about at the place where Northern Vietnam, at the time held the American P.O.W. At the museum they wanted to show the visitors that it was fun there, but we all know it was not. This shows me that each country has its own way to show their history, and that there are always at least 2 sides to every story.
On my next review post, I will tell you more about how I feel about being gone from home and traveling with my family for so long.
The observations started pretty quickly. On our first day in Japan we saw kids walking to school, kids from 6-10 were walking by themselves in a huge city. I have also observed in poorer communities like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, the kids don't have full days of school. They go home and have lunch and then some have to do work in the fields and sometimes sell stuff on the streets to support their family. In places like Indonesia, they might spend the afternoon learning the different aspects of their culture. Also, some of the public schools cost money, unlike the public schools in America. I observed in Cambodia and Vietnam that if a family has very little or no money, some are not going to send their kids to school, but instead they are going to make them work to get money so the family can eat. I am really lucky that my family doesn't have to make those hard choices.
This trip as changed my look on the world. For example, before this trip I thought China would be a scary place and the people that live there would be mean and aggressive, because that is what I have heard. When I was there it was the same yet different from what I heard. For example, when people try to get on the subway they push their way on and they push their way into lines. However, we also found that people were friendly and helpful all over China.
I have learned so much on this trip about Asia. I have learned some upsetting things on the trip like Hiroshima and the atomic bomb that the United States dropped there during World War II. In Hiroshima we saw pictures of what the bomb did to the city and it's people. I felt sad and guilty to think that the place where I come from did something that bad. In Indonesia we learned about rice and how important it is to their culture. I also learned that people eat dog, but I didn't actually believe it until I saw it in a market in Sapa, Vietnam. When I saw the dog, I thought, "I just saw a dead dog for sale at a market." I was really taken by the fact that people eat dog - it is really upsetting, but I have to remember that it is normal in another culture.
Another thing I learned about was the Vietnam War. We went to a museum about at the place where Northern Vietnam, at the time held the American P.O.W. At the museum they wanted to show the visitors that it was fun there, but we all know it was not. This shows me that each country has its own way to show their history, and that there are always at least 2 sides to every story.
On my next review post, I will tell you more about how I feel about being gone from home and traveling with my family for so long.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Eight Things I've Learned on This Trip (by Maggie)
1. There are so many more mopeds than cars in Asia because some families can't afford cars since cars are more expensive and the gas would be too expensive. And who needs cars when you can fit your whole family on a moped. The most I've seen is 5 people on one!!
2. Sometimes I would try to imagine what places would look like, but when we got there, they were not what I was expecting. For example, in the Black H'mong village, I thought that the houses would all be in a row, like the blocks we have at home. Instead, they had houses spread out all over the mountains. I found that very surprising.
3. The kids have a lot more freedom in some places than America. Two examples are 1) In Japan, we saw little kids younger than me taking the subway home all by themselves and 2) In the H'mong village, there were children under the age of 6 running up and down hills back from school by themselves! I thought it was really funny that they let the kids run home although there was a big cliff!
4. Overnight trains. Before this trip, I had no idea there was such thing as an overnight train.In the train there are little boxes with 4 beds called sleeper cars.I know you might think that sounds miserable but it isn't that bad we usually just sit around relax and sleep. The one part that i don't like about the trains is that the beds aren't that big and it is usually a pretty bumpy ride(especially on the Vietnamese trains).
5. Traveling. Traveling is hard stuff when you have two bags, one big one on the back and a small but heavy one on the front. Whether it is walking a few blocks or rushing to catch a train or something crazy like that, I often ask my mom" why didn't we bring rolling suitcases?"
6. Family. Sometimes it is hard to only have two boys to play with, no friends, no cousins. I think we get along most of the time. Now that we have been gone for three months I am getting use to two boys to play with only but sometimes I wish that I had a girl to play with.
7. Americas history. Most of the places that we are going to are allies with the United states. Although a lot of the places that we have been to talk about what America has done in the past for example drop bombs on Hiroshima or the vietnam war. I don't now if I was upset with America but looking at the pictures made me a little upset.
8. Poverty. I never realized how lucky I am that I get to go to school. Right now I am in Cambodia and there are so many kids trying to sell us stuff out on the streets. A lot of them don't even have the money for food, for school, or for shoes. We learned not to buy from the kids because the kids should be in school learning, and if we buy from them, their parents will think "ok, people are buying stuff from them, lets keep having them sell instead of going to school." Some families don't even have enough money to buy clothes for their babies.
2. Sometimes I would try to imagine what places would look like, but when we got there, they were not what I was expecting. For example, in the Black H'mong village, I thought that the houses would all be in a row, like the blocks we have at home. Instead, they had houses spread out all over the mountains. I found that very surprising.
3. The kids have a lot more freedom in some places than America. Two examples are 1) In Japan, we saw little kids younger than me taking the subway home all by themselves and 2) In the H'mong village, there were children under the age of 6 running up and down hills back from school by themselves! I thought it was really funny that they let the kids run home although there was a big cliff!
4. Overnight trains. Before this trip, I had no idea there was such thing as an overnight train.In the train there are little boxes with 4 beds called sleeper cars.I know you might think that sounds miserable but it isn't that bad we usually just sit around relax and sleep. The one part that i don't like about the trains is that the beds aren't that big and it is usually a pretty bumpy ride(especially on the Vietnamese trains).
5. Traveling. Traveling is hard stuff when you have two bags, one big one on the back and a small but heavy one on the front. Whether it is walking a few blocks or rushing to catch a train or something crazy like that, I often ask my mom" why didn't we bring rolling suitcases?"
6. Family. Sometimes it is hard to only have two boys to play with, no friends, no cousins. I think we get along most of the time. Now that we have been gone for three months I am getting use to two boys to play with only but sometimes I wish that I had a girl to play with.
7. Americas history. Most of the places that we are going to are allies with the United states. Although a lot of the places that we have been to talk about what America has done in the past for example drop bombs on Hiroshima or the vietnam war. I don't now if I was upset with America but looking at the pictures made me a little upset.
8. Poverty. I never realized how lucky I am that I get to go to school. Right now I am in Cambodia and there are so many kids trying to sell us stuff out on the streets. A lot of them don't even have the money for food, for school, or for shoes. We learned not to buy from the kids because the kids should be in school learning, and if we buy from them, their parents will think "ok, people are buying stuff from them, lets keep having them sell instead of going to school." Some families don't even have enough money to buy clothes for their babies.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Visiting Uncle Ho (by Maggie)
When we went to see him, we were in a long line that took only 10 minutes because it moves very quickly. There were lots of guards making sure you didn't have a hat on, shorts on or have your hands in your pocket. Also you were not allowed to talk. All we could do was walk and look around. It seemed like it was a maze but finally we were inside the mausoleum where they keep Uncle Ho. A mausoleum is a building like an aboveground grave. When we got the room that Uncle Ho's body is in we walked very slowly around and got to see three different angles of him. When we were in Beijing we got to see Mao Tse Tung's body in a similar building. The difference between the two is that Mao did not look as real as Ho Chi Minh and when we saw Mao we had to walk through pretty quickly but when we saw Ho CHi Minh we got to walk slowly instead.
After seeing Ho Chi Minh we looked at the houses that he used to live in. We saw where he slept, where he worked and the cars that he got driven around in. He had two houses that he used to live in while he was the leader. One was a very small house built on stilts and the other one was a little bigger and more modern. Unlike the houses of some of the other leaders we have seen on our trip, Uncle Ho's houses were very small.
I hope you liked learning about Uncle Ho!
After seeing Ho Chi Minh we looked at the houses that he used to live in. We saw where he slept, where he worked and the cars that he got driven around in. He had two houses that he used to live in while he was the leader. One was a very small house built on stilts and the other one was a little bigger and more modern. Unlike the houses of some of the other leaders we have seen on our trip, Uncle Ho's houses were very small.
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| The Stilt House |
I hope you liked learning about Uncle Ho!
Overnight Boat (Luke)
For the past two days we have had no internet, no electronics, and almost no land. We were on a two three day boat ride in Halong Bay and Bitu Long Bay. It was one of the most beautiful places in the world. There are so many karsts which are huge pieces of limestone some a half kilometer high in the air. There are hundreds of them and the karsts look amazing with all the green on them compared to the blue and green waters of the bay.
The boat was also amazing. Our favorite part was either the 7 huge amazing dishes we got each meal or that the boat had a 3rd deck but we didn't get to use it much due to the fact that it was rainy almost always for the couple of days we were on it. We went kayaking the first day which was really cool. We got to kayak through a fishing village and waved to the little kids that we saw playing. The houses we noticed might have been 6 ft wide 8 ft long and 6 ft long but the view was worth a million dollars. There houses were on boats! We realized that there whole life was on the boat. We later socialized with the others on the boat followed by an amazing dinner.
The first morning I woke up wondering " Where the heck am I?" as I looked out the window I realized we were in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We spent this day on the little White Dolphin (our boat's name) and first visited a beach. We immediately got the soccer ball and started playing soccer on the beach. We learned we had to take a short hike so we went up but only got a quarter way due to a cage of 8 monkeys. They would play a game with this bucket and one of them we called Dizzy because he would look dizzy all the time and kept dancing against the cage in front of us.
We later went back to the beach and it basically ended in Jacob and I roughhousing. We got back on the boat and ate a gigantic lunch and then went kayaking again. We went through a cave that led to a lake covered by karsts in all directions. We admired the karsts and took in the view. While we were kayaking Daddy and Maggie spotted a tiny jellyfish that we followed around for the next couple of minutes until it was time to go back to the boat. I probably will always remember when we kayaked in Halong Bay. We got on the boat only to jump off it moments later from the 2nd deck which caused the idea of a jump shot. Unfortunately the jump shot of us didn't work out so we wrapped ourselves in towels and hopped in the hot shower. We soon returned back to the Big White Dolphin and rested.
The next morning I woke up out of bed and opened the curtains. I stuck my head out the window and gazed at the beauty of this place. After filling ourselves up for the cave that ended the boat ride we got on a little boat and soon later arrived at the entrance to the cave. We had to wait in line for a good 30 minutes just to get started because apparently every other tour boat in Halong Bay was here too. The cave was beautiful with a lot of craters on the ceiling making it look like the moon. Like every other cave in the world it had it's fair share of stalactites and stalagmites. Our tour guide showed us how some of the rocks at a perspective look like an animal's head or a Buddha. Once we got out Mommy took out her camera and took plenty of pictures from 100 ft high looking out on this beautiful view before us. We soon left the cave and spent our last hour and a half on the boat loading ourselves on Brunch and doing card tricks with some Australians. We got off the boat and waited for what seemed forever to leave on a 3 hour car ride to our hotel again. We looked out the window and looked back one last time to one of the most beautiful places I will see in my life.
The first morning I woke up wondering " Where the heck am I?" as I looked out the window I realized we were in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We spent this day on the little White Dolphin (our boat's name) and first visited a beach. We immediately got the soccer ball and started playing soccer on the beach. We learned we had to take a short hike so we went up but only got a quarter way due to a cage of 8 monkeys. They would play a game with this bucket and one of them we called Dizzy because he would look dizzy all the time and kept dancing against the cage in front of us.
Hoa Lo Prison (by Jacob)
Today we went to a prison called Hoa Lo. It was built in 1896 by the French, because at that time the French had colonized Hanoi. It was built because the Vietnamese people were tring to rebel against the French government. It was later used for the American P.O.W.s in the Vietnam War.
The French used the prison from about 1900 to about 1955. The prison you see now is about a fifth the size it was before, because they built big buildings over the other part of the prison. There were rooms inside the prison where people's legs were locked into a bar and they just sit and can't move. There is also a dungeon for people that had broken the prison rules. The prisoners' legs were also strapped in just like the other area but the worst part is that the floor in the cages are sloped so if they tried to lay down the blood rushed to their heads. Later on in the prison museum they showed a way people die at the prison. The way they do it makes me want to vomit, it was called the guillotine. The way it works is that they lay someone down and put the prisoner's head through the hole, then the guards brought down a blade and cut the person's head off. The head would fall into a bucket!
Later on in a different part of the museum they talked about what the prison was used for during the Vietnam War. The prison held US Air Force pilots that were shot down by North Vietnam. The most famous Air Force pilot that was kept in the prison was Jon McCain after he got shot down and crashed into Truc Bach Lake, in Hanoi. One thing that was interesting was the way they portrayed prison life. The museum showed us how much fun it was to be there. For example, they showed the prisoners playing volleyball, basketball, and pool, but we know that is not really what life was like there. After we left the museum, we had a big talk on how differently the Vietnamese portray prison life than the Americans who were soldiers there describe it, which was awful and full of torture!
The French used the prison from about 1900 to about 1955. The prison you see now is about a fifth the size it was before, because they built big buildings over the other part of the prison. There were rooms inside the prison where people's legs were locked into a bar and they just sit and can't move. There is also a dungeon for people that had broken the prison rules. The prisoners' legs were also strapped in just like the other area but the worst part is that the floor in the cages are sloped so if they tried to lay down the blood rushed to their heads. Later on in the prison museum they showed a way people die at the prison. The way they do it makes me want to vomit, it was called the guillotine. The way it works is that they lay someone down and put the prisoner's head through the hole, then the guards brought down a blade and cut the person's head off. The head would fall into a bucket!
Later on in a different part of the museum they talked about what the prison was used for during the Vietnam War. The prison held US Air Force pilots that were shot down by North Vietnam. The most famous Air Force pilot that was kept in the prison was Jon McCain after he got shot down and crashed into Truc Bach Lake, in Hanoi. One thing that was interesting was the way they portrayed prison life. The museum showed us how much fun it was to be there. For example, they showed the prisoners playing volleyball, basketball, and pool, but we know that is not really what life was like there. After we left the museum, we had a big talk on how differently the Vietnamese portray prison life than the Americans who were soldiers there describe it, which was awful and full of torture!
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Asia Society (By Jacob)
While we were in Hong Kong, we went to place called the Asia Society, with one of my grandma's friends. I learned it was started by Jon Rockefeller in 1950. He started it right after World War II, and it was a place where people could go and learn about Asia. At that time people really disliked parts of Asia because of all the bad stuff that happened during WW2.
The Asia Society in Hong Kong is built around the old British gunpower storage. The reason why it was British is because they owned Hong Kong for 99 years. One thing I found interesting was that the British installed tracks to push the gunpowder into the storage rooms. Also, in the rooms where they stored the gunpowder they had soft ground like black top, like the ones for playgrounds. The reason behind the soft floors is that when they pushed the carts on hard ground it could create sparks, which could then catch the gunpowder on fire.
While at the Asia Society, we went into the art gallery. The art was all done by people from southern Asia. The piece of art I liked the best was the bomb ponds of Cambodia. The ponds date back to the Vietnam war. The bomb ponds were made because the USA didn't like how the Vietnamese fled to Cambodia, and the only way the USA thought to get the Vietnamese back to their country was to bomb Cambodia. Where the bombs dropped, craters formed, and these became ponds. The gallery had a video of a man talking and he said that he saw some family members get blown up. It was weird because in the pictures the water filled the bomb holes up perfectly, but when you learn the history behind the holes, you realize how sad and scary there lives were.
To learn more about the exhibit we saw at the Asia Society, you can look here.
To learn more about the exhibit we saw at the Asia Society, you can look here.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Bruce Lee (Luke)
We visited the Bruce Lee Exhibition in the Hong Kong National Heritage museum. It was really cool. I was really surprised about a lot of things like how he was born on Jackson Street in San Francisco. Bruce Lee was born on November 27, 1940. He was in love with Martial Arts from the start. He was also an actor when he was young he appeared in a Cantonese show called Golden Gate Girl. He then became famous though for starring in the Film Program The Kid which he was amazing in. He moved to Seattle and Oakland as a teen where he became incredible. It was his turning part when he knew he had exceptional powers and that he should raise the bar when he faced Wong Jack man in a duel and won. Wong Jack Man was a karate instructor in San Francisco who was very good. We were laughing when we found out that Bruce Lee says "Wada" and that is the name of the place that we stayed at last in Guilin. That was why the logo of the hostel was a picture of Bruce Lee kicking and saying "Wada".
Bruce Lee not only did one type of Martial Arts but he combined all that he knew together. His big role in the U.S. was being Kato in the Green Hornet. They said that people hadn't seen Asian Martial Arts yet so he was like the guy. I read that at one point he was more popular than the the Green Hornet even though he was the Green Hornet's sidekick! Bruce Lee acted in a ton of other films where he fought Chuck Norris or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (a famous basketball player). This was funny because I saw a little 3 minute fight between them and it is hilarious. The height difference is about 30 inches. He was very successful as a Martial Artist and an actor. He founded the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. He was a very interesting little dude.
Unfortunately, when he was 33 years old he died on a bad reaction to a medicine on July 20 1973. I was really amazed by the exhibit. It had a lot of his stuff when he was younger like his records for Junior High or his suits that he wore for movies. What I was most surprised to learn was that I was almost the size of Bruce Lee and my arms are bigger. He had really tiny arms and was a very small person but was a great Martial Artist. He could jump up in the air and kick somebody that is 7 feet in the face!! I really enjoyed the Bruce Lee Exhibition and if you ever visit Hong Kong in the next couple of years it is a must see.
Bruce Lee not only did one type of Martial Arts but he combined all that he knew together. His big role in the U.S. was being Kato in the Green Hornet. They said that people hadn't seen Asian Martial Arts yet so he was like the guy. I read that at one point he was more popular than the the Green Hornet even though he was the Green Hornet's sidekick! Bruce Lee acted in a ton of other films where he fought Chuck Norris or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (a famous basketball player). This was funny because I saw a little 3 minute fight between them and it is hilarious. The height difference is about 30 inches. He was very successful as a Martial Artist and an actor. He founded the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. He was a very interesting little dude.
Unfortunately, when he was 33 years old he died on a bad reaction to a medicine on July 20 1973. I was really amazed by the exhibit. It had a lot of his stuff when he was younger like his records for Junior High or his suits that he wore for movies. What I was most surprised to learn was that I was almost the size of Bruce Lee and my arms are bigger. He had really tiny arms and was a very small person but was a great Martial Artist. He could jump up in the air and kick somebody that is 7 feet in the face!! I really enjoyed the Bruce Lee Exhibition and if you ever visit Hong Kong in the next couple of years it is a must see.
My Day at the Peak (by Maggie)
On our second day in Hong Kong, we went to the Peak. The Peak is at the top of Hong Kong Island so you can see almost all of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. After we left our apartment, we took the subway to the Star Ferry, took the ferry to the bus, and took the bus all the way up to the Peak. When we got on the bus, we realized it was a double-decker bus, and we went upstairs and got the very first rows that had the very best views.
When we were finally to the Peak, I was amazed at what I saw. It seemed like I saw all of Hong Kong. After that, we ate at a good Chinese restaurant at the top. Then, my brothers and I ran around a trail that was a flat loop at the top of the Peak. We ran about 3 1/2 miles (2 times around the loop) while our parents walked 1 loop. Along the way, we looked out at the beautiful view and I told my brothers, "this was probably the most beautiful run I have gone on."
On our way back down to the subway, we walked on a curvy downhill road and passed by the apartment where my grandparents used to live 10 years ago. After we passed by their apartment, we still had to go downhill because we were only at Mid-Levels. We walked and walked and we were still not to the bottom! I was relieved when we finally got to the bottom. Although it was downhill, my legs were still tired because it was a really long walk downhill, and we had already run 3 1/2 miles!
This is the street where my grandparents' first lived in Hong Kong. We also passed by the other place they lived.
When we were finally to the Peak, I was amazed at what I saw. It seemed like I saw all of Hong Kong. After that, we ate at a good Chinese restaurant at the top. Then, my brothers and I ran around a trail that was a flat loop at the top of the Peak. We ran about 3 1/2 miles (2 times around the loop) while our parents walked 1 loop. Along the way, we looked out at the beautiful view and I told my brothers, "this was probably the most beautiful run I have gone on."
On our way back down to the subway, we walked on a curvy downhill road and passed by the apartment where my grandparents used to live 10 years ago. After we passed by their apartment, we still had to go downhill because we were only at Mid-Levels. We walked and walked and we were still not to the bottom! I was relieved when we finally got to the bottom. Although it was downhill, my legs were still tired because it was a really long walk downhill, and we had already run 3 1/2 miles!
This is the street where my grandparents' first lived in Hong Kong. We also passed by the other place they lived.
Monday, November 11, 2013
China's Smog (Luke)
We only had a week in Beijing but due to it’s extreme smog, 3 of the 7 days we had to cancel whatever we were doing. We learned that the air quality is rated everyday by both the Chinese government and the US Embassy, so my mom downloaded an app showing the air quality (called AQI) every day. We learned that if the AQI was under 100 it is good, between 100- 200 is getting bad, 300 is very unhealthy, 400 is extremely dangerous, and 500 could be deadly. The air quality was about 50 and 75 on the first two days which was amazing but, on day 3 we were supposed to go to Tiananmen Square but due to the smog level that reached as high as 400 we stayed in our neighborhood the whole day. On our fourth day we decided that if the air was over 300 we wouldn't do something that day. Luckily for us it was under 200 so we visited Tiaananmen Square and the Forbidden City. You can see the smog right now in China by clicking here.
The Chinese can’t predict their smog like their weather so they don’t know the day before if the air quality will be 50 the next day or 400. We had two good days and another bad day which went up to 300. The next day was 350 and we were supposed to go to the Great Wall with the Taylors, but since the air was awful we had lunch with them, went to Yashow; a huge shopping place that has tons of different types of clothing that you bargain for, and the 798 art district where we saw a ton of sculptures that all 4 of us (Jacob, Maggie, Ella, and I) posed with. By the end of the day we were all coughing, though I was still glad that we got to go to spend time with the Taylors.
I really was frustrated how we were only in Beijing for just over a week and 3 of the 8 days we were there it was hazardous to our health to go outside because I really liked Beijing. I really think that China has to stop it’s pollution before the smog starts reaching the high 400’s on a daily basis and its citizens will not go outside because it is too unhealthy.
Tongli Water Town (by Jacob)
Last week we went to a river town, built in 1420, called Tongli. Tongli is right outside the city of Shanghai. The only way to get there is about an hour long train ride from Shanghai to Yongshaw then a bus to Tongli . The train ride there was really strange because it was really crowded. When we were trying to find our seats, there was this lady that was supposed to sit next to my mom, and her stuff was on my mom’s seat and when my mom asked her to move her stuff, she refused to move it. Then later on the train this guy walked by us and he wanted this lady’s food and they were yelling at eachother then he finally walked away. The train experience was strange, but was glad I had the experience.
In Tongli there is this small canal that runs through the town. Tongli is famous for there bridges over the canals. There were two different types of bridges, one was more modern than the other. At first, I thought the canal was for drinking water, but I realized the people who live there wash their clothes and their pots and pans off in it, so they don’t want to drink dirty water. One thing I found interesting was that there were temples all through out the city. When we were leaving we tasted the town's specialty called green dumplings. I did not like the dumplings, I thought the dumplings tasted like balls of dough. On the way home we took a different train instead of the local train, I was relieved.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Cooking Class in Bali (by Jacob)
On our second to last day in Bali, my mom, Maggie, and I did a Balinese cooking class. The food we made was ethnic balinese food. We made five recipes, they were called Gadu Gadu with peanut sauce, chicken with lemongrass, chicken curry, fish with tomato balinese sauce, and boiled vegetables in cocunut sause. As we were making them I learned that the recipes have a ton of spices and vegetables in them. Another thing I learned is that most of the recipes use a lot of the same vegetables and spices such as ginger, tomato, bean spourts, tumeric and lemongrass. My favorite dish was the fish with balinese sauce because I really enjoyed how spicy it was because with the fish it cools your mouth down. I really enjoyed the cooking class because I have always wanted to learn about how the food we been eating was made. Here is a picture of Maggie and me with all the food we made!
Overnight Train (Luke)
After Maggie and I had ran a 5k in the morning we all rushed back to our hotel to change and pack. We left our 12 bags at the hotel and took the metro to a train station close to where we were meeting Leo, Sueann, Keller, and Ellis Chu at Brunch. We couldn’t figure out where to go so my mom hailed a taxi and Jacob got in with her. It turned out it was only ½ a mile away so when the taxi started my dad told me to chase after the taxi to see where it goes. I kept it in sight for about 600 meters and saw it turn left. I waited at the corner for Dad and Maggie to catch up and then ran down the road it went and saw them getting out of the taxi. I knew I was going to sleep well that night because I had just sprinted 600 meters and ran a 5k. Jacob and I shared a huge dish of eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes, and mushrooms while we both had our own plate of pancakes. Mommy, Jacob, and Maggie stayed 45 minutes longer than Daddy and I did while they waited for the check and walked Keller to his guitar lesson. Daddy and I took the train back to our hotel and loaded the 12 bags into the taxi. There was accident on a two lane bridge making the traffic extremely slow. We were really worried. Our train left in 30 minutes and we were about to arrive at the Beijing Railway Station. We got there and Mommy, Maggie, and Jacob were standing there waiting for us. We quickly put our packs on and went through security. We boarded the train with 10 minutes to spare.
We were all really excited to sleep overnight on a train. The little room that we were sleeping in was tight, probably 8 ft tall, 8 ft long, and 5 ft wide with 4 beds and storage space. It was really small so we were limited to a number of activities. We started playing cards and then got bored so we played on our kindles. It was weird sleeping on the train. I woke up twice in the middle of the night due to the train’s major bumps. Before we knew it it was 11:30 a.m. and we got our bags down from the storage. We got off the train at 12:15, 20 hours after we got on. Even though it wasn’t a great sleeping arrangement and a tiny space we all really enjoyed the train and were ready for Guilin.
Shanghai's History (by Maggie)
On our 12th day in China, we went to a Shanghai Museum. At the Shanghai Museum we learned about Shanghai's history, because it is so different than the rest of China's history. Now I will tell you why Shanghai's history is so different.
In the late 1840s, the French said to Shanghai, "if you don't give us a piece of your land, then we will drop bombs on Shanghai." So the people in Shanghai said "OK, we will give you a piece of our land." I asked my parents, "How come the French only wanted a part in Shanghai? Why didn't they want a section in a different part of China?" My mom told me, "because Shanghai was a port city." A port city is important because it is easier for them to trade with other countries.
What I found very interesting was that in that little section where the French lived, called the French Concession, they had French laws and Chinese laws, while the rest of China just had Chinese laws. This is unusual because in San Francisco, we have Chinatown and Japantown, but they only follow United States and California laws, not laws from their country.
The French were not the only country to take a piece of Shanghai at that time - there was also an English Concession, a Japanese Concession, and a German Concession. But the French Concession is the only one that is still called by that name (they call it the Former French Concession.). I think the French one was the most important one.
I hope you enjoyed reading about part of Shanghai's history.
In the late 1840s, the French said to Shanghai, "if you don't give us a piece of your land, then we will drop bombs on Shanghai." So the people in Shanghai said "OK, we will give you a piece of our land." I asked my parents, "How come the French only wanted a part in Shanghai? Why didn't they want a section in a different part of China?" My mom told me, "because Shanghai was a port city." A port city is important because it is easier for them to trade with other countries.
What I found very interesting was that in that little section where the French lived, called the French Concession, they had French laws and Chinese laws, while the rest of China just had Chinese laws. This is unusual because in San Francisco, we have Chinatown and Japantown, but they only follow United States and California laws, not laws from their country.
The French were not the only country to take a piece of Shanghai at that time - there was also an English Concession, a Japanese Concession, and a German Concession. But the French Concession is the only one that is still called by that name (they call it the Former French Concession.). I think the French one was the most important one.
I hope you enjoyed reading about part of Shanghai's history.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
China's Subways (by Maggie)
In this blog post, I am going to tell you about China’s
subway. People in China don’t like to
wait for the next train, so they push themselves in the train even if there is
no room. They also are not afraid to
push you out of the way. I like it more when the train is not so packed and
people don’t have to push me out of the way.
There are also a bunch of bright sides to riding the subway. It only costs $3 USD for all five of us to
get somewhere. Another thing is that
there are subway stations everywhere so it is not that hard to get to one. Here is a tip: If you go to China, do not
take the train from 6:00pm to 6:30pm because it is rush hour and it is going to
be packed! I hope you enjoyed reading about China’s subway.
Here is a video my mom took when we were on the subway in Beijing. It was crowded, but we have been on trains that were much worse.
Crossing the Street in China (by Jacob)
Crossing the street in China is frightening. In China, they don't
drive through an intersection like the cars do in the United States.
Here, the smaller vehicles (or pedestrians) have to look out for the
bigger vehicles. At an intersection, the cars don't really care about the
people. They expect the people to avoid the cars and motorcycles, because
it seems like if the people don't look for the cars, the cars would hit them.
This drives me bananas because I'm looking at it from an American
perspective. In America, the pedestrians have the right of way when the
light is green for them. In China, you have to avoid the cars in both the
beginning and at the end of each street you cross, because that is where the
turn lanes are, and cars in the turn lanes don't have to stop. I have
found crossing the street in Beijing to be more difficult than in Shanghai.
I'm not looking forward to crossing the street in Vietnam, but will let
you know how it goes.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Bali Life (by Luke)
At first I wasn’t sure if I would like Bali or not, but by the time we left we all wanted to stay. Bali is very special and crazy. It is nothing like anything I had ever experienced. Most people think of Bali as an island right outside of Java where there is great surfing, but it is so much more than that.
One of Bali’s amazing features is it’s religion. There is a reason why Bali is nicknamed “Island of the Gods”. 95% of Balinese practice Hinduism, making it by far the most popular religion on the island. The Balinese connect Hinduism to their everyday life by making offerings throughout the day for their gods. They also pray 15 minutes before breakfast. Our tour guide said that whatever they eat, the gods get a little bit of it. I remember he said, "if we have noodles and rice, we put a couple of noodles and some rice in an offering." In Bali, families live with their relatives in the same compound. In this compound is a family temple where they pray everyday. The Balinese have ceremonies once every 210 days and another ceremony every 340 days. I think that the Balinese have a very interesting connection with their religion.
The Balinese have a variety of foods like everybody else but they have a lot of foods that don’t grow in the states. For example I learned 3 different types of fruit. Jackfruit which was okay, the sweet and sour fruit that was bitter to me, and the star fruit which tasted really good. Whenever we went out for dinner we always had to ask if stuff was spicy or not. We had noticed that in Malaysia, Thailand (December), and now here almost every thing was extremely spicy. In Thailand we learned that out the hard way. Jacob, Maggie, and Mom took a cooking class on our last day and cooked a ton of really good foods like Lemongrass Chicken, Barracuda, Gadu Gadu, and a Chicken Curry.
If anybody has ever read Eat Pray Love, they would know that Bali has many rice fields. The Balinese depend on the rice. In Bali wherever you go you will see rice fields. Almost everybody owns a rice field in Bali! Our tour guide taught us that every 10 by 10 square meter of rice is about 100 pounds! They grow the rice two times a year and soybeans once a year in the same field. They harvest the rice 4 months after they plant it and plant the soybeans. 4 months later they harvest the soybeans and plant the rice. Unlike most places, the Balinese keep the rice they grow for their own family. This is why the Balinese pray for a good harvest. Our tour guide said that his family consumes about 5 pounds of rice a day! I ate rice everyday in Bali.
Three of the things I found most interesting about Bali were the religion, food, and rice fields. So far, Bali has been one of my favorite places we have been to on this trip.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Balinese Life (by Maggie)
In this blog post I am going to teach you all about Balinese life. I know all about it because I was there for two weeks.
Balinese life is probably very different then your use to. Every day they put a offering out for their gods. Every thing that they eat or drink they take a little bit out and give to their gods. Sometimes you will see men wearing udan which is something they wear on their head. If they are wearing a lighter colored one that means they are going to be in a ceremony. If they are wearing a darker colored one that means their friend is going to be one in a ceremony. One kind of ceremony is a funeral. At the funeral they burn the body because their sole is gone. One other thing is that they believe in reincarnation.
Almost every Balinese family owns a rice field. After the harvest you might think they try to sell the rice but what they actually do is eat it. They eat lunch for every meal and the amount they harvest lasts about four months. One thing I find very interesting is that in each family compound is a temple and in each village there are three temples and in all of Bali there are nine main holy temples. One other thing most Balinese families have is a dog. In the daytime the dogs run off and play and when it starts to get dark they run home. And last but not least almost every Balinese family has a moped. The most people that I saw on one moped was five.
I hope you learned a lot about Balinese life and enjoyed reading this blog post.
Balinese life is probably very different then your use to. Every day they put a offering out for their gods. Every thing that they eat or drink they take a little bit out and give to their gods. Sometimes you will see men wearing udan which is something they wear on their head. If they are wearing a lighter colored one that means they are going to be in a ceremony. If they are wearing a darker colored one that means their friend is going to be one in a ceremony. One kind of ceremony is a funeral. At the funeral they burn the body because their sole is gone. One other thing is that they believe in reincarnation.
Almost every Balinese family owns a rice field. After the harvest you might think they try to sell the rice but what they actually do is eat it. They eat lunch for every meal and the amount they harvest lasts about four months. One thing I find very interesting is that in each family compound is a temple and in each village there are three temples and in all of Bali there are nine main holy temples. One other thing most Balinese families have is a dog. In the daytime the dogs run off and play and when it starts to get dark they run home. And last but not least almost every Balinese family has a moped. The most people that I saw on one moped was five.
I hope you learned a lot about Balinese life and enjoyed reading this blog post.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Biking through the Rice Fields in Bali (by Jacob)
Last week we went on a bike tour through the rice fields of Bali. The bike ride started at the top of Mt. Batur (a volcano in the middle of Bali.) We started by riding down the side of the volcano. The volcano was really steep so we had to press the brakes all the way down. Once we were all the way down, we passed through a small village that was unlike neighborhoods at home. There were chickens and dogs running around, the dogs were running up to your bike and it was pretty nerve racking. Then we took a sharp left and went through the rice fields. My mom said it was her Eat Pray Love moment. I was amazed that you go through villages and the next thing you know you are biking through the rice fields. After biking through the rice fields we stopped at a family compound. Family compounds are amazing. They have small buildings for each part of their house. For example, the parents bedroom and the kids bedroom are in the same building. In a separate building is where the grandparents sleep.
In Balinese society in the 1st,2nd and 3rd classes the oldest son takes care of the grandparents and in the 4th class the youngest son takes care of the parents. The daughters go off and lives with her husband's family. At the family compound we went to there were chicks running around and the kids that lived there played catch with the chicks and picked them up. The kids let us pick up the chicks.
Not long after we left the compound, we got to a busy street and it was kind of scary because if you fall, a moped or car would run over you. After 6-8 more miles of biking, we were finished, and having lunch. At lunch we were all talking about how fun the bike ride was. I said it was the first time I have ever went on a 25 mile bike ride and my hands hurt more then my legs, because pretty much the entire ride I was pressing the hand brakes because it was all down hill.
Here is a video my dad took while we were biking:
In Balinese society in the 1st,2nd and 3rd classes the oldest son takes care of the grandparents and in the 4th class the youngest son takes care of the parents. The daughters go off and lives with her husband's family. At the family compound we went to there were chicks running around and the kids that lived there played catch with the chicks and picked them up. The kids let us pick up the chicks.
Not long after we left the compound, we got to a busy street and it was kind of scary because if you fall, a moped or car would run over you. After 6-8 more miles of biking, we were finished, and having lunch. At lunch we were all talking about how fun the bike ride was. I said it was the first time I have ever went on a 25 mile bike ride and my hands hurt more then my legs, because pretty much the entire ride I was pressing the hand brakes because it was all down hill.
Here is a video my dad took while we were biking:
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