FINAL TOUR UPDATE (6/18/00)
This will probably be the final tour update as we are about to
board the overnight train to return to Beijing. I
don't know that I can find an Internet link in
Beijing. If I can, I will send another update. For
that reason, please do not send anymore emails. We
will probably not be able to get them until we return
home.
Here is the latest...
Things continue to go perfectly. The weather has been
hot. 34 C. (To convert that, do what we do... double
and add 30) In Beijing today we heard it was 37C. We
will be there tomorrow. The heat has not caused any
problems. Everyone's spirits have been VERY VERY
POSITIVE.
Our concert last night in Kaifung was great. It was at
the University of Kaifung before 1,500 college
students. Another 500 or so were turned away at the
door. The auditorium was packed. The air conditioning
system on stage consisted of large chunks of ice
brought in and placed around the stage. Almost all of
the people in the audience had NEVER before seen a
live concert of any type. Kaifung is DEEP in China
compared to the other places we have been. For
example, we all read the book "Culture Shock" before
we go telling us what to expect. In that book it said
that few areas of China still eat dogs. Well, guess
what area that might just be. Our local tour guide
invited me to go to the "midnight market" where dogs,
cats and even monkeys are sold. You work with that
one.
The concert at the University was also special because we
performed for the brightest minds in China. These are the leaders
of tomorrow's China and on stage was the future leaders of America...
another "something to think about moment" on this tour.
We are getting used to eating at what the kids are now
calling "Pet Shop Restaurants" When you walk in, there
are displays of live snakes, frogs and other little
creepy crawly things that one in our country you might
want to buy to take home as pets. The restaurants are located
just past the "Pet Shop" section. (You work with that one too.)
The food that we have had however has been not creepy
crawly at all. They are serving us the most "Western Style"
Chinese food that they can make. I have heard NO
complaints from anyone, especially the students who would
probably eat bricks and birdseed if they had a chance.
There has been some sickness, which we expected (and
why we brought Dr. Freilich). About 30 people
(including Peter Rosheger) have experienced a 24-hour
virus of some type that causes a bit of a problem with "bow
and stern output" At
this point in time everyone that has been sick is
better. The best medicine for the problem has been
rest. We have allowed students to stay at the hotel
and our great set of chaperones have volunteered to
miss activities to watch over their safety and health.
There have been absolutely NO discipline problems
whatsoever, in any way, shape or form or in any manner
known to man at all. Get my drift. These kids are
great! (and fun to be with)
Tony Tang, Mike Gubman and Matt Horbal have worked
tirelessly to shoot over 50 hours of video footage
using the great equipment that the Shure company
donated to us. We have everything on tape and Tony
plans to edit it down during the month of July to a 3
hour DVD. We will give you more information on how you
can purchase this DVD (or 2 VHS set of tapes) when we
have a better idea of what it will cost to produce.
(It costs $50 for just a blank DVD, but the images
will last forever.)
We took a great picture yesterday at a museum of the
kids with about 30 members of The People's Liberation
Army. They were new members and they were more excited
to be pictured with us than we were with them. Another moment
when all the adults said, "Hm"
People walk up to us on the street and just want to
talk. While I had no idea what to expect, I am still
amazed at how friendly EVERYONE is to us.
This morning about 25 students got up at 5:45 a.m. to
do Tai Chi (I am spelling it wrong, but give me a
break as there is no spell check on a Palm Pilot. (Bill Gates would
be so proud of me sending emails from China on a Palm Pilot).
They went to a park and did this slow type of
exercise with about 50 VERY much older people.
This afternoon we attended a 90 minute show by a
nationally-known Kaifung Acrobatic Performance. These
are the grandsons and daughters of what I saw on the
Ed Sullivan Show when I was 10 years old. It was
unbelievable. We have it on our video. The theater was hot and
the music was loud, but I don't think too many of us noticed as we
watch people do things to their bodies that just didn't seem possible.
They are waiting for me to get on the bus to go to the
train station for a 10 hour overnight sleeper train
back to Beijing. (Let 'em wait- I'm one of the leaders!).
Following the concert last night, the Mayor of Kaifung
and the Kaifung University President presented us with a HUGE banner
that had hung over the main gate at the University
welcoming us to China. It is about 50 feet long. At
the end of every concert they gave us flowers and
flowers and flowers and flowers. This is the first
time an American group has EVER performed a live
concert in Kaifung... that is saying a lot in a city
in China. Kaifung has ONLY 750 thousand people and is
consider a small city.
Being in China reminds me of watching an ant hill.
EVERYONE is going someplace and working so hard. A sea
of bicycles and cars that drive with no relationship
to the line in the middle of the road. Since my wife and I sit on
the front seat of the bus and can see all of the potential mayhem,
I finally decided today to just relax and enjoy the constant display of
defensive and office driving. There is no way to explain how many close calls
I have seen in just 10 days. Yet we have never seen
anyone get "wiped out" either by our bus or by any of
the other 6 million cars, trucks or bikes that are in
the same 50 square foot area. (None of the bikes have lights or reflectors either.)
We keep singing happy birthday to Jamie Branch. Today
is her actual birthday, but we sing it every few days
just for fun. The bus is now honking its horn at me signaling
a potential on-board insurrection... so I must go for the good of all.
You folks back home have the greatest kids on either side of the
world. Peter and I are so proud of them! You can be proud too.
In case I can't write again.... Thanks for supporting
this awesome tour!
Jim Warrick