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Tuesday, August 14, 2007 -- Chloe's final thoughts
Hi everyone. This is Chloe again. Today I'm going to tell you about some of my feelings and thoughts on our trip to China. I feel that China is an amazing country and people who are from China should be proud. In China people do lots of things very independently. Instead of driving their cars to work everyday most people ride bicycles.
Knowing there is a BIG difference between China and the U.S. I would say that the U.S. is using more of the "present" items and "latest" techonology. China is taking more of the "past" items and seems to have a basic sort of country. In China, air is not cleaner than in the U.S. even though more people ride bikes than drive cars. I have found that even though China may look or sound scary, it isn't. I am glad that you got to enjoy China with me. Good-bye!!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Good morning!!! We have been home for a couple of days now. We had a great trip!! I would like to thank everyone for reading and following the blog. I hope you enjoyed it. (We will not do questions!! I hope you will understand!!!) I'm Chloe Mellon, signing out. Good-bye!!
Friday, August 10, 2007
Good morning!!! Today we got up and had breakfast at the coffee shop again. Then we mostly hung out for about an hour. We hopped in a taxi and drove to the airport. From there we flew from Hong Kong to Seoul, South Korea. Right now I am writing the blog in Seoul, like I did on the first blog almost six weeks ago. From here we fly to Los Angeles. From LA we fly to Las Vegas then we fly to Pittsburgh. We arrive in Pittsburgh tomorrow morning. I will write the last blog tomorrow after we arrive in Pittsburgh. This is the last blog from a foreign country. We will all be glad to return back to Pittsburgh. See you tomorrow!!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Good morning!! Today we got up and had breakfast at a coffee shop since our hotel DIDN'T serve us breakfast. When we got back to our hotel room it was pouring rain. We mostly hung out and watched T.V. since it was raining. At about 3:00 we were getting hungry and walked down to Outback Steakhouse for lunch. When we walked in the door a woman came and told us that it had closed at 2:30, and didn't open until 5:00. Instead, we headed for Pizza Hut. We had a BIG lunch so we could have a small dinner. After eating lunch we headed back to the hotel. On our way back we stopped at the place where you pay to take the ferry to the other side of the river. We couldn't figure out where at on the other side the ferry would take you. Just as we were leaving a ferry pulled out and started to head for the other side of the river. We watched it go across the river with both tourists and Chinese. After we arrived at the hotel we relaxed until 6:45 when we went back to the coffee shop for dinner. After coming back from the coffee shop we went to bed. See you tomorrow!! Fun fact: Did you know that in Hong Kong all of the cars have the steering wheel on the right side of the car? This is because Hong Kong used to be a part of Britain.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Good morning! Today we got up early to catch a train. After eating breakfast, we were driven to the train station in Guangzhou. We boarded the train and it took about two hours to get to Hong Kong. It was about 11 o'clock when we arrived. The lines to go through customs were very long.
We checked into our room at the hotel. The hotel has a pool on the roof but it is not very big. It has bubbles shooting out of the sides, into the water. The bubbles are so powerful they are like jets! There are signs at the pool warning us that a typhoon is not far away. The pool looks out over a harbor. We can see ships and, on the other side of the harbor, lots of tall buildings. After checking out the pool we went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Then we swam for about three hours. Were were very hungry when we finished so we ate dinner. Then we were tired so now we are going to bed. Tomorrow is our last day in China. See you then!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Good morning!!! Today we got up and had breakfast. The breakfast at the White Swan is a BIG buffet. They have rows of food!!! After breakfast we went and took some laundry to a place to get it cleaned.
Later we went to meet a man named Kejin. He lives in Guangzhou. He used to work at the newspaper where my dad works. Now he works for a newspaper in this city. We had lunch with him at Lucy's. He showed us pictures of his son and his wife. His wife is very tall and is a referee for beach volleyball games. We did not meet her because she is in Beijing for a beach volleyball tournament. After lunch we said goodbye to Kejin and then went back to the hotel and swam in the pool. After swimming my mom and I worked on a video on the White Swan Hotel. (We will try to have it finished by tomorrow.) Then we walked around in the shops near the hotel.
We came back to the hotel and ordered dinner from a place called Danny's Bagels. After dinner it was late so we went to bed. We have to be up very early to catch a train to Hong Kong. See you tomorrow!!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Good morning!!! Today we got up late and had breakfast. Then we went shopping on some small shops that my mom was familiar with. She has been here three times before. We were looking at a lot of things. Then we met someone that my mom knew named Nicole. We had lunch at a place called Lucy's. Then Nicole took my mom, sister Jessie, and I shopping for clothes for school. When we got back we went swimming at the night. It was very cool. Then we went to Seven Eleven and got some snacks. When we got home it was getting late so we went to bed. See you tomorrow!!!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Good morning!!! Today we got up and met Bing, and he took us to a place called Children's Palace. There we learned how to paint a panda. Several other Chinese kids were in the class with us. We have some video of Brooke learning to paint the panda. After learning to paint the panda we had lunch. Then we went walking around in a shopping district. We looked at lots of things, but did not buy anything. We stopped at a coffee shop and had drinks. After we were cooled down by our drinks we went to see a rock called in the Li River called Elephant Trunk Hill. He had seen it in a video called Big Bird In China. We stayed at Elephant Trunk Hill only a very short time because it was VERY hot. After seeing Elephant Trunk Hill we went back to the coffee shop and had dinner. Then Bing drove us to the airport. From there we waited until 9:40 p.m. when we boarded our plane to Guangdong Province. Our plane ride was only 45 minutes long. At 11:00 P.M. we arrived in Guangzhou, in Guangdong Province. At the airport a lady picked us up and drove us to the White Swan hotel. There we checked in and went to bed around midnight. We were very tired. That's why I didn't do the blog yesterday. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Good morning. Today was a day we mostly relaxed. We started off by driving back to Guilin. On the way we stopped at a place called Shangri-La. There we saw what an ancient Chinese village looked like. There were people dressed sort of like cavemen, and there were old things like looms and people making wool. One man pretended to throw a spear at us! We stayed there for about an hour. It was very, very hot. Then we finished our trip back to Guilin. About 10 minutes away from the hotel we stopped for a Chinese lunch of chicken and pork and eggs and vegetables. Then we continued our long trip. After returning to Guilin, we went swimming. We swam for about two hours. Then we came back and relaxed a little more because we were all very tired. We had dinner. We just found the movie Godzilla on the TV here so we might watch a bit of that before going to bed.
Friday August 3, 2007
Hello!! Today we got up early to meet Bing. Then we drove to a place where we could go on boats. We hopped on a boat and took a tour of the Li River. We rode on the boat for four hours!! That's a long time!!!! We saw some beautiful mountains. Then when we got out we had to walk a little bit to get to our hotel in a small town called Yangsuo. When we got to the hotel we unpacked our things. Then they told us that they had found us rooms that were connected. When we got in the rooms we went to the end of the room. There were no doors connecting the rooms!! I was in a room by myself. I went to look for a safe. I checked in the closet. There was a hole. I could see the rest of my family coming in the door. I waited until I was directly in front of them. Then I jumped out and yelled, "person out of the closet, watch out!!!" They all jumped back. The door connecting the rooms was in the closet! We looked for an internet connection, but the hotel didn't have one.
Later we went with Bing out to shop. We bought some things. My dad is really strict when it comes to bargaining. When he bought some cards, the price started out at 25 yuan. My dad bought it for 12 yuan. After we were shopping for a few hours we went and had dinner. When we returned to the hotel it was getting kind of late so we went to bed. See you tomorrow!!!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Greetings from Guilin. Today Shelley dropped us off at the Chengdu airport. Once we arrived at our gate we realized we had forgotten something very important. We forgot some medicine! We called Shelley and she said she would mail it to us. When we arrived at Guilin, our tour guide Bing picked us up. He drove us to our hotel so we could unpack our things. We had lunch at a restaurant. On the way to the restaurant we saw another restaurant called Five Loaves and Two Fishes. We thought that was amazing that a restaurant would be called that. For lunch had fish that is famous in Guilin. It's from the rivers here. They killed the fish right before we ate it. We saw a turtle on the way in to the restaurant, but on our way out it wasn't there. We don't know what happened to it. We thought someone may have wanted to eat turtle. After lunch we drove to a cave. We shot some video there. It was a lot different from caves in the United States. It had lights all around. In the formations you could see different things like a lion and a snowman. We stayed there about 20 minutes. Then Bing drove us back to the hotel. We went swimming. It was a lot of fun. There was a hot tub, but it was neither hot nor full of bubbles. We swam for about 90 minutes. After swimming, we dried off and then had dinner. Then we went to bed. Tomorrow we're doing something special. We'll tell you about it then!
PS: We won't be sending a video this time because our internet connection is too slow.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
How do you do? Today we went to Chengdu's "People's Park," where we visited a tea house. My parents and Shelley had tea. My mom and dad both got a massage while sitting in their chairs and drinking tea. While they were getting their massages, Brooke and Jessie and I found toads. We saw one, two and then three toads. They looked like bullfrogs but they were toads, so we decided to call them bulltoads. Then we went to a restaurant for lunch. The restaurant had Chinese and western food. We got western food because that's what Brooke wanted. They brought us potato soup, a salad, then a main course of spaghetti. We knew we were going to have a big lunch. It was really big. We had popcorn with ketchup to dip it in (we're not sure why), pizza, and for dessert we had something that looked the chocolate-covered meatballs. It was a pretty weird lunch but it was really good.
Later we met Shelley and went to the Sichuan Opera. We saw dancers and singers. There was a show by a man that was really good at making hand shadows. He could make birds, people, dogs, cats, peacocks, owls, almost everything! At the opera they didn't allow video so we took pictures instead. There was something called the rolling oil lamp show. A man came on stage with his wife. The wife gave him a lighted lamp full of oil and told him to balance it on his head. He did it. Then she told him to crawl under some tables and then roll with the lamp on his head. He did that, too! It was pretty amazing. Then at the end she made him blow out the lamp while it was on his head. Whenever he did, she would sneak up behind him and light the lamp again. Finally he stood on a table and blew it out so his wife couldn't reach it.
There was also a fire-spitting and face-changing show. Several men and one woman came onto the stage. They each had masks. Then two more men came on stage and blew fire into the air from their mouths. Instantly the men and woman's masks changed. They would keep doing tricks and the masks would change. Once two of the men came into the audience. They had people slap their hands, and when they did the masks would change. In the end there was a small singing solo. We all agreed the opera wasn't long enough -- 90 minutes. After the show we went back to the hotel and went to bed.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Today was really a long day. Early this morning, at 6:30, we got a wake-up call. We were going to meet Shelley so we could see the pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. We had to go early because it is cooler in the morning. Pandas dislike hot weather and don't do very much in the afternoon. It took us about half an hour to get to the center. As it turned out, we didn't get to hold a baby panda. It cost way too much money. But we saw a lot of pandas. We saw three baby pandas. Two were a set of twins who had just gotten their fur. The other was a newborn baby that was still pink. We also saw many adult and sub-adult pandas. Some of the pandas were asleep. Some were playing outside. The pandas that we saw playing were about 1 or 1 1/2 years old. They would roll around with each other.
After visiting the pandas, we drove for about two hours and had lunch at a town called Leshan. Then we drove for about five minutes and hopped on a boat on the Min River. We put on life jackets and waited about 30 minutes. It was very hot. I had sweat dripping off of my chin. Then the boat finally started. We rode for about 10 minutes and then we saw it -- a giant Buddha as tall as a 15-story building! It was carved into the stone, next to a river. We were told it took three generations, or 90 years, to carve this stone Buddha. Shelly told us that a monk had started carving this giant Buddha in 713 A.D. The monk had seen many fishermen die along the river. So he went around China and collected donations to build this Buddha to protect the fishermen and all the other people who lived near the river. One greedy official wanted all the money for himself. So he said to the monk, "Give all your donations to me." The monk said, "I would rather give you my eyeball than give you the donations." The official thought he was kidding, so he said, "All right. Give me your eyeball." The monk pulled out his eyeball and gave it to the official. The official was so shocked he didn't ask again. Before the Buddha was finished the monk died, but the people kept carving. Finally, 90 years after it was started the giant Buddha was finished. (Tomorrow we will try to post a video on the Buddha.)
After visiting the Buddha we drove back to Chengdu and rested. Later for dinner we called for room service and had dinner delivered. After we ate, it was getting late so we went to bed.
Since we're traveling we don't have as much time for questions. We will try answer them some time in the future.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Good morning! We saw some pots that were thousands of years old today. These pots were at the Shaanxi History Museum. Along with the pots was saw many ancient burial objects. These things were dug up from a village in Xi'an. Most of the burial objects were figures or figurines. We saw old objects that were used five thousand to seven thousand years ago. Some of the objects were arrows and blades. For us kids it wasn't very interesting. We got bored.
After the museum we went shopping in the Muslim district. Xi'an has the largest Muslim population in China. We bought two decks of playing cards. The man wanted 40 yuan for them but my dad bargained with him and paid only 20 yuan. Then we went to a restaurant and had our first hot pot meal. We each had our own hot pots. It was like a small crock pot that has a flame underneath it. You take whatever you want, like uncooked meat, and drop it in the boiling water. Then you take it out when the meat changes color. We had eggs, potatoes, noodles and vegetables. It was a good lunch. After lunch Ivy took us to the airport. There we said goodbye to her and boarded a plane to Chengdu. We arrived in Chengdu and met our new tour guide Shelley. She took us to our hotel. On our way there she told us some facts about the city. One of Chengdu's nicknames is "the panda city" because it has the panda breeding center. It also has spicy food. When we arrived at our hotel we swam at an outdoor pool for about 30 minutes. It was getting dark. Three bats appeared and flew over the water. They would fly really low and dip into the water. We called it the "bat show." After swimming we ate dinner in the hotel restaurant. Then we went back to our room and went to bed. Did I mention that our hotel has rooms that are connected?
Sorry, we don't have time for questions right now. We have to get to bed so we can leave early tomorrow to see the pandas.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Good morning! We've done a lot the last couple of days. Yesterday we rode on a train for 18 hours to get from Tianjin to Xi'an. We had a sleeper compartment on the train. It had two beds on the top and two beds on the bottom. Brooke and I slept on the top beds. My dad and mom and Jessie slept on the bottom. It was fun to ride the train, but we were glad to get off. Today in Xi'an we got up and had breakfast at the hotel restaurant. We met our tour guide, Ivy, and she took us to the 600-year-old wall of Xi'an. There we tried to fly kites (not the one I bought in Tianjin). The kites were given to us to keep as a present from Ivy. We weren't very successful with flying the kites but Ivy gave us a better idea. We rented a two-person bike. My dad and Brooke went first, since only two people could ride. Mom and Jessie and I walked in the direction they had headed and waited there. Then out of nowhere they appeared behind us. They had gone the whole way around the city on the wall! Then it was my turn. I hopped on the back of the two-person bike and we started to ride. The first part on the bike was flat, but once we went around a corner we went downhill. When we went downhill we were pedaling faster and faster to keep the bike steady. We went so fast I couldn't keep my feet on the pedals. Also on the ride downhill it was very bumpy. The bumps were caused by parts of the 600-year-old wall that were uneven. About half way around the wall, we stopped and took pictures and video. We had brought the video camera and my dad's camera in a basket in the back of the bike. After 10 minutes or so, we headed back. We went slower so it was easier for me to keep my feet on the pedals. Check out the video from the wall. We even videotaped a little bit while we were riding the bike.
Later we went to a factory that made soldiers like Xian's famous terra cotta soldiers. A woman showed us how the soldiers were made out of clay. Some of the terra cotta soldiers don't have heads, she told us. She said the heads would be made separate from the body. When the soldiers were found many of the heads were broken. We didn't stay at the factory very long. After 15 minutes there we ate lunch at a hotel restaurant. After lunch we made dumplings. A man at the restaurant was making noodles by hand. He gave Brooke and Jessie each a piece of dough so they could try to make noodles, too. They didn't do so well. Jessie just pulled pieces of dough apart, but it was really messy. I broke a little piece and was just mixing water with the dough. Brooke was trying to follow what the man was doing when he slammed the dough on the table. She kept hitting it on the table until SPLAT, the dough hit a bowl of water. Water flew everywhere.
Then we went to see the real terra cotta warriors. They were in three pits. In pit 2, there were many warriors being dug up. Terra cotta warriors were life-sized. Some were painted but the paint had rubbed off after hundreds of years. We shot some video so we could show the soldiers to you. The warriors are over 2,000 years old. They were made to protect one of the emperors when he died. Some of the terra cotta soldiers were broken and burned. The new emperor wanted everything from the old emperor destroyed so they burned all the terra cotta soldiers they could find. I'm not going to say any more. You can watch the video when it is done.
When we got back to the hotel we swam a little bit in the pool. Then we had dinner and went to bed because we have to fly to Chengdu tomorrow. That's where we will see pandas at the reserve.
We will try to do questions tomorrow. See you then!
Thursday July 26, 2007
Good morning!! Today we went to English camp for the last time. Almost at the end of the camp we had a "store". The students bought things with fake money they had earned during class. When English camp was over we went home and had lunch. A couple hours later Enya and Carolyn came to our apartment for thank-you dinner. It was the type of dinner we have in America. We had spaghetti and green beans. For dessert we had watermelon and American chocolate candy bars. We had Reece's Pieces, m&ms, Butterfingers, and Kit Kats. When dinner was done we did the last video we'd ever do in Tianjin. We said good-bye to Enya and Carolyn. Later, when it was late, we went to bed.
Question time!! Heidi asked today's questions, again!
Was Beijing much different than Tianjin?
When will you guys be coming back home?
How do you say "hello" and "good-bye" in Chinese?
Heidi, Beijing was SO much different than Tianjin. The cars were all orderly in Beijing and the air was cleaner there. We will get back on Saturday August 11, 2007. Hello is "Ni Hao". (Nee- How) Good-bye is "Zi-zian" (Zzz I jin). I will be traveling on a train for the next couple days so we can be tourists. We are going to Xi'an. We will try to write the blog on Saturday. That's the end of question time for today!! See you tomorrow!!
Wednesday, July 25 Video: A birthday
Good morning!!! Today we woke up early and went to English camp again. Some of the things we did were playing "Go Fish" with body part flash cards. Later we went outside and did the "Hokey Pokey." When English camp finished we went home and had lunch. When lunch was done we all rested. Around 6:00 o'clock we took a taxi to Harvest Coffee Shop for Jessie's birthday. When we got there the rest of the work group arrived. We ate our dinner and then it was time for Jessie's birthday cake. Ann put a special candle in the center. When she lit it and then a big flame came out of the center. Then the rest of the candle blew down. Check out the video to see it! When we got back it was late so we went to bed.
Question time!!!
Do you know the name of the town or city that you saw the Great Wall from?
How in the world did you get air when you were in the hamster balls at the T.V. Tower?
Are there any foods you are reluctant to try?
Do you have plans to visit the terra cotta warriors in Xian?
Michelle, Huang Hua Chueng is the name of the city/town where we saw the Great Wall.
They used an electronic air pump with a fan in it to inflate the giant bubble balls. They would open the ball by a zipper and then would put the person in and then finish blowing it up. Finally, they would zip the person inside. It was hot and stuffy inside the ball. Yes, I DON'T want to eat duck. This Friday we will take a train to Xian. On Sunday we will go to see the Terra Cotta warriors. That's the end of question time for today!!! See you tomorrow!!
Tuesday July 24, 2007
Good morning!! Today Brooke and Dad and I stayed home from English camp because I was still sick. I'm feeling better now, though. When my mom and Jessie got back from English camp we had lunch. Later, Lydia came over and taught us some more Chinese brush painting. She taught me how to paint bamboo. Later Laura and Shelly came over and we went to the Sister Restaurant. My dad went to take pictures after we finished eating. We went to Laura and Shelly's apartment for about ten minutes. On the way there we saw a lizard on the wall of the apartment!!! It was by the light switch! It had a pointy tail and a head like a snake and feet like a frog. We blew on it and it ran away. When we finally got back to our apartment it was late, so we went to bed.
Madison asked today's question.
Are panda bears on the endangered species list in China?
Yes, panda bears are on the world-wide endangered species list. That's the end of question time for today. See you tomorrow!! P.S. Wednesday Jessie is turning FIVE!!!
Monday, July 23
Good Morning! Yesterday we took a train from Beijing back to Tianjin. It was shorter than the bus ride. When we got back, we were all very tired. After we returned to the apartment, I started to feel bad. This morning I was still feeling bad so my parents took me to the International SOS Clinic. It is a clinic for people from foreign countries. We went there because I was sick. The doctor examined me. He told me that I have an infection and he gave me medicine to help get rid of it. I hope I feel better tomorrow.
Question time--
Katie Abramowich asked the following questions:
Did you try any new foods you didn't like?
Yes, pumpkin cakes.
Did you see any paintings of anything other than flowers? If so, what?
Yes, I did see a lot of paintings of things other than flowers. Mostly tigers.
Have you learned any Chinese writing?
I have learned a couple of Chinese characters from Lydia, but right now I can only remember two.
Have you bought anything that you can't find in America?
No, not yet, but I might before we come home.
That is the end of question time for today, see you tomorrow.
Sunday, July 22
We just got back from Beijing. Now we're at our apartment in Tianjin. We had a lot of fun this weekend. Now I am really tired and sleepy. I'm not going to write very much. Tomorrow I will have a video from our visit to the Great Wall, and the next day I will show some video of when we flew kites in Tian'anmen Square. I will also have question time tomorrow.
Good night!!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Good morning!! Today we went to meet our friends Frayda and Mara at a play place with a giant ball pit. We played there for more than an hour. We would go down a slide and into a shallow area full of plastic balls. Then we would make our way through a sea of balls to a small platform above the balls. We would climb on top and then run and jump into the balls. We did this on and on until we got tired.
When we were done we went to a restaurant next door to eat lunch. We were full when we left so went back to our hotel and rested. After a little bit we went to a bookstore that was very, very crowded. It had books in English. It had the new Harry Potter book. There were great big signs in front of the store that announced the book. When we got out of the bookstore we went to K.F.C. and had dinner. It was really crowded, like the bookstore.
Later we went back Tienanman Square and bought some long kites. Brooke got to fly hers. She had a butterfly kite. She was flying it for a bit and then we took a taxi back to our hotel. The driver didn't turn at the right time so we had to turn around. When we got back at the hotel room it was getting late so we went to bed.
Question time! The Abramowichs asked today's questions.
Do Chinese kids wear braces?
Are there public schools for the children?
Are there any American cars in China?
I have not seen any Chinese kids wearing braces, just an American boy we know.
There are public schools, but the parents have to pay.
I have seen Buicks, Fords, and Chevrolets, but not very many.
That's all the questions for today!! See you tomorrow!!!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Good morning! Today we got up early and got on a bus to the Great Wall. It took about four and a half hours to get there.
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This is our work group on the Great Wall. We were really tired. We had been walking and climbing for about 2 hours. Click photo for larger image. |
We went through several small villages. When we got to the Great Wall we had to walk across a narrow path to get to the wall. The path was across a dam. On one side was a steep drop that went down about 800 feet. The other side was another steep drop that went down about 40 feet into water. There wasn't any railing. I had to keep saying to myself, "Don't look down". When we got across we had to walk a little ways on a man-made trail. We went on the trail until we could touch the bottom of the Great Wall. To get onto the wall, we had to climb a ladder made out of tree branches. It was a little scary.
When we got up to the wall, we walked along the Great Wall for about 2 hours. When we got close to the top, my dad took a picture of our group. We were VERY tired so we turned back and started walking the other direction. Then we got back to the bus we drove to our hotel. It took about three hours.
When we got to the hotel we signed in and then to our room. We were on the first floor, and didn't have to walk for once. We went to eat at the hotel's restaurant. It was very good. When we were done eating we took the subway to Tian'anmen Square. It was dark outside but there were lights all over the square. There was a type of kite that went up so high. One kite had blinking lights on it. Some kites were small and were connected together like beads on a thread and went up very high. We walked around for a bit and then headed back to our hotel. By the time we got back it was ten o'clock so went to bed.
I shot some video of the Great Wall and of Tienanman Square, but I have to wait until we get back to Tianjin to show it to you.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Good morning! Today we got up early so we could go back to the orphanage. On our way there the driver got lost. We were an hour and a half late. All of us were VERY frustrated! The guy kept stopping to ask directions from taxi drivers. At the orphanage, we worked with some more kids. Just before we ate lunch there my mom worked with Judah; the little boy that hugged me. She showed the Ayi (caregiver) what to do. We had lunch at the orphanage. When we left we went straight home without a problem. When we got back we chilled out until we went down to a place where we had Muslim food. It was good. My favorite was the plain flat bread. I shot some video that you can watch. We are going to Beijing tomorrow and Saturday, so I may not have a blog entry. It depends on whether we can get an internet connection at the hotel there. If not, we'll see you on Sunday.
Question time!! Sorry, we DON'T have any questions for today! I didn't receive any. Hope we will get more questions tomorrow. Good night!!! (You can e-mail me here.)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Good morning! Today we got up early because we were hoping to get to the English class early. We STILL got caught in traffic and were late. The taxi driver sang as he drove. As he dropped us off at the front gate it started to pour rain. We were still two blocks away from class and had to run. It poured so much that when we finally got to class all of us were soaked and dripping. We had been drenched!! We did not go outside for a play break because it was wet. After English class we went to the office where Ann works. We had lunch at KFC. My mom and dad talked with Ann for a bit. Then we bought some things made by disabled people. They will be gifts for different people. When we got back to the apartment we worked on a video about the English class. Later we walked to Harvest coffee shop and got drinks. My mom had a peach smoothie. Brooke and Jessie had chocolate milk shakes. My dad and I split a Sprite. I played chess with my dad, and then our whole family played Chinese checkers. When we got back to the apartment we had dinner, which was dumplings and leftovers. We went to bed early because we have to get up early. Tomorrow we go back to the orphanage to work.
Question time!! Joyce asked today's questions.
Are items that are available in the US the same price in China?
Also what is the Good Friend Store? Is it a grocery store or more like a Wal-Mart.?
Are the children in China on summer break from school?
Joyce, the things here in China are cheaper than in the U.S., yes.
The Good Friend Store is a small grocery store that is even smaller than a Dollar General. It is about one fifth of the size of Dollar General.
I am not sure if the kids are on their summer break.
That's the end of question time!! (You can e-mail me more questions).
See you tomorrow!!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Good morning!!! Today we went to the English camp again. I videotaped some of it. I'll show it to you tomorrow. We taught the kids a song called "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes." I bet you know it. After English class we went to the TV Tower and met a woman named Frayda and her daughter, Mara. They're from Pittsburgh and are visiting Beijing. Frayda is one of my mom's friends. We had lunch at McDonald's. I had fried chicken, which was VERY spicy. After lunch we went back to the apartment with Frayda and Mara. My mom went with Frayda to a Tianjin orphanage to see the kids. When they got back we all went to eat, except for my dad. He went out to take pictures for postcards. We had TONS of leftovers after dinner.
Question time!!! The Parreaguirre boys asked today's questions.
Is there anything you particularly miss from home?
Do the kids there play Chinese jump rope?
Parreaguirre boys, there are friends that I miss, people that I miss, things I miss. You could even say I miss everything back in the U.S. I haven't seen any kids playing with a Chinese jump rope yet. I don't know if they do. There usually aren't very many kids out here in China during the day. Maybe because it's so hot.
That's the end of question time!!!! See you tomorrow!! (You can e-mail me more questions).
Monday, July 16, 2007
Good morning!! Today we went in the early morning to teach English to Chinese kids. It was the first day so we were all kind of shy and nervous. We played a game called "Around the World". Jill held up a card with a picture and the word for it. The kids would have to compete against each other to see who could read the words first. I played, and gave each kid a chance to win -- except for one girl. She was going really fast with the words. I knew that if I didn't try to compete with her that she would get used to winning all the time. She was really very good at reading English words. Most of the kids knew how to say "hello" and "my name is."
We took a break and went outside where we did some throwing games with a Frisbee and a ball. When we got back Jill asked the kids to say what they learned. When the English camp was done we went back home. Later Brooke and Jessie took naps and my dad and I walked down to Harvest, the coffee shop. My dad was going to get a coffee and I was going to get a chocolate milkshake, but when we got there he was so hot that he didn't want a hot drink. So he and I both got chocolate milkshakes. We played two games of chess there. We got the board and pieces from the shelf at the coffee shop that said, "play games for free." I won both games. The first time I knew that I had won. The second time I didn't realize that I had won.
When we got back Lydia came and taught us Chinese brush painting. We learned how to paint a flower. When Lydia left our friend Der came and picked us up. He drove us to his apartment. He lives on the 12th floor and has a really nice place. He had a giant plasma screen television! We had a nice dinner -- dumplings, pork, chicken and rice. After we finished dinner Der took us to walk and look around the shopping districts. We walked around for a while and then rode in a train kind of thing back to his apartment. Then Der drove us back to our apartment in his car. When we got home it was getting kind of late so we went to bed.
Question time!! Kim, Jeryl, and Brooke (not my sister) asked today's questions.
Brooke asked these questions:
Have you made any friends with the Chinese children in Tianjin?
What are some of the biggest differences in Chinese and American culture?
Brooke, I have not made any friends yet. Chinese people drive anywhere on the road while Americans drive on different lanes for different directions.
Kim asked these questions:
Is this your first trip back to China?
How about your sisters? Are they adjusting to being in China?
Kim, This our first trip back to China. My sisters are adjusting okay to China.
Jeryl asked these questions:
What has been the most fun thing you have done so far on this trip?? Why was it the most fun??
Do your sisters agree with you or would they choose something else??
The most fun things have been going to the zoo and the bubble balls. I liked them both because they were both different than the things that you would do for fun in the U.S. Brooke would probably say the bubble balls and Jessie would say the zoo.
That's the end of question time!! (You can e-mail me more questions). See you tomorrow!!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Good morning!! Today my dad went to a Chinese church, but kids are not allowed to go. Then, for lunch we went to the Sisters' Restaurant. Later we came home and watched a couple of movies. Then we had dinner. Later we all sat down together and watched another movie. Then we went to bed. Sorry there wasn't a lot written today. We didn't do much. We were tired so we rested.
Question time!! Mrs. Lorch asked today's questions:
How is your stay in China?
Have you met a lot of interesting people?
Mrs. Lorch, my stay here in China is great, absolutely wonderful!! All the people we meet are interesting. I must say, there is one man that our whole family has grown fond of. He drives a taxi with cushions that have pictures of soccer balls and the word "football" on it. My dad and I first met him when we took our first taxi cab ride to Cybermart two weeks ago.
By the way, e-mail me some questions to pick from tomorrow. See you!!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Good morning! Today when we woke up my dad and I worked on the video we did yesterday on our group. While we were doing that my mom took Brooke and Jessie to the Good Friend Store. While they were there an old Chinese woman came up to them and gave them a pack of Skittles. They both put them back and then the lady gave them some sour fruit snacks. When Brooke put hers up to pay for it the woman said "no". Then the woman paid for it. Then she took out her lunch box and tried to give them two peaches. Mom said no, we already have peaches that we bought from a peddler, and she showed them our peaches.
Later we went back to the Ancient Cultural Streets so I could get the thing I wanted. You probably want to know, right? Okay, I got a bird kite. We went to two shops to look for one. The first shop we went to had a kite that I liked for 200 yuan. The second store we looked at had the same kite, except it was 35 yuan. We bought it for 30 yuan, which is around $4 in U.S. money. We went to Ann's to make some Chinese dumplings. When they were done cooking they disappeared fast.
When we were finished there Brooke and I went into the balls together this time. I didn't get sick! I had us get out early because Brooke had a bloody nose. When we got back it was getting kind of late so we went to bed.
Well, you thought I was done, didn't you? Well, I'm not! Today I'm going to start something new. People can send e-mails to me with questions and everyday I will pick one and answer those questions in the second part of the blog.
Heidi asked today's questions. The questions are:
Are you doing most of the filming?
Does it feel really foreign to you?
Or are there a lot of similarities to home?
What has been your favorite part thus far?
Do you speak much Chinese, and if so, have you been able to use it much?
Well Heidi, I am doing most of the filming, yes. China does feel foreign to me. There are some similarities like grocery stores, taxis, apartments, parks, and many other things you'd see in the States. My favorite part is hanging out and going places with our whole group. I speak a little Chinese and have been able to use it in restaurants and stands along the street. Thanks for the questions, Heidi!!
To get your questions in the blog and be answered in the blog, send me an e-mail! Until then, see you tomorrow!!
Friday, July 13
Good morning! Today we went to Jill's apartment in the morning, because my mom was working and my dad took a train to a small village to take pictures. In the afternoon I got to hold a homeless cat at the Good Friend Store. This evening our travel group got together to watch a movie. We started to watch "Night at the Museum" but the DVD was in Russian, so we watched "The Wild" because it was in English. We couldn't watch the credits because they were in Greek. I have been putting together a video that will introduce the people in our group. I will try to have it finished in the next day or so. See you tomorrow!
Thursday, July 12
Good morning! Today Jill and Elizabeth came over to our apartment. For a little bit, my dad, Jill and Enya played "Leaping Forward". "Leaping Forward" is a Chinese card game that Enya taught us. Later we had instant noodles for lunch. When my mom got home, we went to the Bin Jiang Dao, a shopping district.
We saw a Catholic church at the beginning of the street. On a bridge to go to the other side, we saw dwarf hamsters, baby rabbits and puppies. The dwarf hamsters cost 10 yuan each. Brooke wanted a dwarf hamster. She kept saying that they were only 10 yuan and could we please get one. We walked for a while and then got Chinese cookies from a store called Cookie Time. They had rolls that were sweet and crackers like Ritz crackers. We took our treats to Starbucks, where my dad got coffee, my mom got a mango tea and my sisters and I shared an iced chocolate drink. My dad ordered the coffee in Chinese. We had worked on the phrase for it, "Wo yo ebay kafe". It worked!
On our way back to get a taxi, we stopped in a small store. We bought birthday presents for my grandma and mamaw. We walked a couple of blocks, got a taxi and went to our apartment. Fifteen minutes later we went to a restaurant on the corner that had an English menu so that we could order. When we walked in, we saw some dead eels. We had beef with broccoli, Muxu Pork and Pineapple with Chicken and rice. After dinner, we read a couple of books together and went to bed.
Wednesday, July 11
Well, good morning!! Today we went to Jill's for the morning because my mom was working. We watched a video that taught us some Chinese language. When we got back to our apartment we went to a small inflatable swimming pool behind one of the apartments here and played for a little bit. When we were done we went to the Good Friend store to get some snacks. Brooke and Jessie got Air heads. I got pretzels. When we got back we got dinner from the Pizza Box. My dad had French fries, (he wasn't feeling very good). Jessie and my mom shared lasagna, and Brooke and I shared spaghetti. Right now we're just kind of chilling at the apartment. We will go to bed soon.
Tuesday, July 10
Good morning!! You want to know the special surprise we did today? Well, it is that we went back to the orphanage so my mom could work with some of the kids. I held a boy named Brett and my mom worked with a boy named Judah. He kept giving me hugs. It took about two hours to get back to our apartment because the taxi driver got lost. He had to stop and buy a map and then stopped again to ask directions. Later in the day we went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate Jill's birthday. Right now were just kind of hanging out at the apartment.
Monday, July 9
First day of the week! Today we went to work with my mom and dad. We worked with autistic boys and some girls. We helped them play with things like scooters, swings, balls, all sorts of things. I had to scratch one boy's back. I threw a ball to one boy and we threw it back and forth for a while. There are three classes and each class spends an hour in the room we were working with. When the morning was done we went home and had lunch and then went to the Harvest bookstore. My mom had a strawberry smoothie, and my dad had a large coffee. My sisters and I had medium chocolate milkshakes. When we were finished we came home and had dinner. In a little while Laura and Shelly came and loaned us some money that we needed for something tomorrow. You'll find out tomorrow! We went to bed early because we are leaving for the special thing at seven o'clock in the morning. (7:00 p.m. at night for you) See you after we get back!!!
Sunday, July 8
Last weekend day! Today we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant that had an English menu. After lunch we went home and relaxed for a couple of hours. We went back to the "hamster balls" at the TV Tower, except Brooke and I had our own balls this time. I got out early, because I got sick. I'm still sick now so I'm going to bed a little early. We had plain noodles and fruit for dinner. See you tomorrow!
Saturday, July 7
First weekend day! Today we went down to the Ancient Culture Streets to go shopping. We saw lots of things that were Chinese. Jessie got a necklace and Brooke got 2 jade balls. I didn't get the thing I wanted because we didn't have enough money. You want to know what it is? Well, you'll just have to wait until I get it. We had lunch at a fast food noodle place. Our family had fried rice. When we were done with lunch we looked around some more and then took a taxi home. Later, we went to Jill's apartment. We ordered pizza, 3 burritos, and French fries. Then we had watermelon for dessert. When we got home it was getting kind of late so we went to bed.
Friday, July 6
The weekend is coming! My dad and I got up early this morning and went down to the park to see the elderly people exercising. Some were dancing with fans. Others were doing Tai chi. My dad shot some still pictures and I just watched. On our way back we stopped at a street vendor and picked up a sweet, flat, fried breadstick. It was good. When we got home, Enya showed us how to play another Chinese card game, which we called "The Train Game". When my mom got home we walked down to the Good Friend Store and each got to pick out a dessert. I chose Skittles. Brooke and Jessie chose ring pops. Jessie got strawberry, and Brooke got watermelon. Brooke's fell of the ring part when she opened it so she put it in her mouth and sucked on it like a "jawbreaker". When she was sucking on it fell out of her mouth and onto the floor. She had to throw it away, and my Skittles were gone so we both tried to find a way to get Jessie to share what was left of her ring pop with us. We played a game where two of us pretended to be crying babies. Then the other one of us takes the ring pop and sticks it in a "crying baby's" mouth. When that was finished we made an introduction for the Chinese breakfast video. You should see the video! We had to stop because we were going to a restaurant. We came back and our group leader, Ann, came over and she and my parents talked. We had our friends from the village come and stay with us for the weekend during the night. It was getting kind of late so we went to bed. See you tomorrow!
Friday, July 6
Last weekday! I'm not going to write about what happened yesterday because you can watch the video. Today Enya came back and taught us how to play a Chinese card game called "leaping forward." After the card game I taught her how to play solitaire. We won on our first try! After all our card games we had lunch, which was noodles. When my mom came back from her job we invited our team members to come to our place and just hang out. Soon after they arrived my sisters and dad and I walked down to the "Good Friend Store" and bought some M&M's for a snack. We didn't see the same cats that we usually see, but we did see one white cat that was younger and was healthier. My dad let us pet it this time. Its fur felt soft as silk and was very smooth. It let us pet it except for when Brooke started to back away and then run right back toward the cat. The cat thought she was charging so it ran away. When I say "ran" I mean "ran"! No wonder they are related to big cats that are fast. When we got back we divided the M&M's into four equal parts. My dad got the extra one since he bought the M&M's for us. Then we watched a movie and now we're going to bed.
Wednesday, July 4
Today we learned what Chinese people eat for breakfast, and then in the afternoon we went to a picnic at an orphanage for kids with special needs. We just got back and it's really late and we're really tired, so I'm going to bed. I'll write more about these things tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 3
Today our translator Enya came again in the morning. She taught us Chinese calligraphy. It was very hard. She taught us the characters for "I am an American," "watermelon" and the numbers in Chinese from 1 to 19. After my dad came home from taking pictures, he and I went out to buy fruits from a street stand down at a corner near our apartment. We saw plums and peaches and bananas and melons and lots of other fruits. We bought a kind of fruit that was like cantaloupe and honeydew and was very sweet. My dad couldn't understand what the Chinese lady at the stand was saying, so I had to use the Chinese words I knew to help him.
Later, we went to the park. We brought the soccer ball again. When we got there my dad kicked the ball to a boy about seven years old. He had very little hair except for a small patch of black hair at the very top of his head. After he kicked the ball back, my dad tried to kick it to me, but the boy stopped it and started kicking the ball back and forth with me. He never stopped!!!! We kicked the ball back and forth so many times that it wore me out. Then he still kept kicking it to me. He had soooo much energy. By the time we got back to the apartment we were all worn out. Later, the people in our work group come over. Laura, Shelly, Judy, and Jill arrived and we ordered pizza from a place called the Pizza Box. Then we all got tired and went to bed.
Monday, July 2
First day of the week! In the morning our translator, Enya, came. My dad, Brooke and I went in a taxi to a grocery store called "e-mart." After we came home Enya left and Dad, Brooke, and I went to a coffee shop for lunch. Mom wasn't feeling good so she stayed home with Jessie. Brooke and I had smoothies. My dad had a black coffee. We got to taste some of his coffee. I didn't like it, but Brooke sure did. Dad would let her have only a sip because it would wind her up. Brooke and I shared a chicken quesadilla and my dad got chicken burritos covered in salsa. It was funny to order Mexican food in China. When we got home I started reading and then did some of my book-reports for school. The books are "Because of Winn-Dixie" and "Lily's Crossing." A while later we went to the park with a soccer ball. We were kicking it back and forth. I shot some video there to show you what it's like. When we returned from the park we had a package of instant noodles for dinner.
Sunday, July 1
Weekend break!
(I sent in my first video from China.)
Today we went to the Tianjin zoo with Der. When they say "zoo" in China it's much more than just a "zoo." It has an amusement park, a water park, and a bird place. My favorite part was the monkey exhibit because you could buy food and when you brought it out the monkeys would come up to you and tug on your clothes and the only way to get them to leave you alone would be to throw them some food. We saw panda bears, brown bears, grizzly bears and lots more animals. We also saw peacocks and they were so funny to watch because when a female would walk past a male, the male would make a sound and then his feathers would come up.
After the zoo we went with the group of people my parents are working with and visited something called the T.V. Tower. On the way there we stopped at a place where you can go in a giant inflatable bubble ball and try to walk or run on water. I went in one with my sister, Brooke. It was so hard to walk because it was so slippery that you would always fall down. It was fun, but it would get hot inside the ball. When we came out we were very sweaty and there was sweat dripping from our hair.
When we went to the top of the T.V. Tower it looked as if we were almost on a plane. Every thing below looked so tiny. Later we ate dinner and had a dish where there was a fish and its head and tail were still on the plate. When we were finished with dinner we went home and went to bed.
Saturday, June 30
How are you today? Today my mother had a meeting this morning so we dropped her off and went to play at a park just down the street.
After my mother came back we went out to lunch with Der and Helen, the Chinese people who helped adopt my sisters and I. Then my dad and I went to a computer and camera store called Cyber Mart. It was enormous! There were three floors and each floor was huge! We had to buy a computer cord. We got to ride a taxi to and from Cyber Mart. Our first taxi ride ever! My dad tried to speak to the driver in Chinese, but the driver couldn't understand him very well. The ride cost about $1.20.
When we got back my mom and I went to a small grocery store. I saw two homeless cats in the store. One was a white cat and the other was its kitten. It was so sad that they didn't have a home. They didn't have collars and the kitten had sores on its face. The kitten kept following us around and meowing and rubbing against my legs. When we left the store it finally stopped following us.
After we got back we just kind off relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
Greetings from China: Friday, June 29
Greetings from China! We arrived here in Tianjin yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man named Matt came to the airport to pick us up and then we rode on a bus to see our apartment. On the way to the apartment it was so strange what we saw. The trees were brown on the top and white on the bottom! I wonder how that happened? My first impression when we first saw China was that it was a dirty place that smells bad. No offense to the Chinese! I really mean it! All we saw was one road with a lot of traffic! The cars looked old and rusty. I know that there are parts of China that are beautiful. We saw many arches and pagodas that were decorative and fancy.
Guess what???. Today is my dad's birthday! He is 48. This morning my dad and sisters and I went to a supermarket. Luckily, we had our translator, Enya, with us. On our way back to the apartment we crossed one of Tianjin's busiest streets and it was very frightening! We started crossing and when we got in the middle of the street the traffic light changed and the cars started coming at us. It seemed like they were trying to drive over us! We had to run fast. My sister Brooke was trying to run while carrying a watermelon. There are so many cars and lots of bicycles, too. We walked and walked for what seemed for a very LONG time and then we had to climb six flights of steps to our apartment. My legs felt like were going to explode and fall off! When you walk outside here it is SO easy to get your feet VERY dirty. Did you know that ten yuan in China is less than two dollars in our money? For the rest of the afternoon we just kind of chilled out, until we went out to eat in a Chinese restaurant. See you tomorrow!
Hello again: Thursday June 28
Ni hao (hello) again! I spent the last twenty-four hours on several different planes. First, you should know that we did not go to Dallas, Texas, like we were supposed to. Our flight was canceled. Grrrrr! Instead we went to Detroit, Michigan. The flight to Detroit was about 45 minutes long. I had a window seat and sat next to a person I did not know. Now, our flight to Los Angeles was a lot longer. It was about four hours long. When we finally arrived in LA it took about an hour to get off because another plane was in our dock. It was sooooo frustrating! In LA we met my mother in the international terminal. She has been in LA for training. I was very happy to see her. Finally, at three o'clock in the morning we said good-bye to the United States and started heading for Korea. Right now we're waiting in the Korean airport for our flight to China. See you there!
Who am I?
Ni hao! That means hello in Chinese. My name is Chloe Mellon, and I will be going into fourth grade. My favorite books are Friendship According To Humphrey, and The Secret Life of the Underwear Champ. I have two sisters named Brooke (age 7) and Jessie (age 4) and a hamster named Whiskers. My favorite food is steak. I am 9 years old and wear glasses.
My sisters and I are adopted from China. On June 26, we will be traveling back to China with our mom and dad. We will be in China for six weeks. For four weeks, we will be in a city called Tianjin. It is about two hours south of Beijing, which is the capital of China. My mom will be working with autistic children in Tianjin. We will also be teaching English to Chinese kids. The last two weeks in China we will be tourists and go to many tourist attraction places, including Disney World in Hong Kong and the Wolong Panda Reserve near Chengdu.
To get to China, we will go from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Dallas, Texas, then to Los Angeles, California, then to Korea. Finally, from Korea we will go to Tianjin. While we are in China I will be writing about the things I see and do. I will also be videotaping. You can view my video as well as read my travel journal. Watch my blog starting on the last week in June.
