March 13 – Dumpling School, Great Wall and Karaoke!

Hello friends! It is after midnight and technology is being finicky so this will be brief. You will have to ask your friends/family on the trip for all the exciting details!

Today we earned certificates of achievement in Chinese Dumpling Making and Great Wall Climbing. The Beijing Jinsong Vocational School actually gave us certificates after we made and ate our own dumplings! (Although Senor Fagundo is still wondering who made the dumpling that turned up on his plate devoid of filling…).

 After a hearty lunch (there is ALWAYS a hearty lunch) we climbed the Juyongguon section of China’s Great Wall. 97% of us made it to the top and back, conquering thousands and thousands of steep stone steps of varying heights, while stopping along the way for photos with Chinese tourists who find western tourists something of a novelty. It makes one feel like a celebrity! All three Bishop kids made it all the way up and back, and Jack is only 7! Quite an achievement. But Mao Zedong says anyone who climbs the Great Wall is a hero. So just rememebr that when we are back on campus! All the students, plus Kelly Marchand, Katie Herter, Emily Jones, Chantal Jordan, Zaiga Alksnitis and Yih-Jen met up with Beijingers Harry and Renee ’17 for some evening karaoke to celebrate our new hero status. Everyone sang their hearts out, Minh and Yih-Jen fulfilled a quest for bubble tea and we now know Kelly Marchand has some serious dance moves!

Tomorrow is our last day in Beijing, and we will be traveling by night train to Xi’an tomorrow evening!