Majorca Yacht Regatta Prepares For Olympics
This year’s 39th Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia-MAPFRE regatta will be held from March 15th to the 21st this year just prior to the 2008 Olympics. All eyes of the sailing world are on this regatta heading up to the competitions of this Olympic year. For many, this event will determine who sails for their Olympic team at the coastal city of Qingdao, China; the first time this city has hosted an international sailing regatta.
Competitors in Majorca will participate in eleven classes of sailing established by Olympic standards, plus the Dragon class; consisting of the ninety best sailors invited to participate. Olympic medalists from the 2004 Olympics in Athens, as well as the established champions from last year’s World and European competitions are expected to be in attendance.
The Princess Sofia Trophy is one of six Olympic-class events recognized by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in their World Cup Series for sailing. The race was officially established in 2006 at the International Sailing Federation conference held in Helsinki, Finland.
Each year 1,300 to 1,700 sailors, including 1,000 vessels, participate in the 12 classes. As many as 52 nations have participated in the past and the exponential increase over the past few years could indicate even more international participation this year and in the future. The Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia-MAPFRE enjoys the highest international participation of any Olympic class event in Spain. It is the last chance for Spaniards to see their sailing team perform prior to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The Olympic sailing events at Qingdao are scheduled for September 6-17, 2008.
Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the island, is the central locale for this prominent sailing event.
Weather conditions for last year’s regatta proved challenging at times with periods of rain and changeable, insufficient winds, resulting in false starts. This prevented some races scheduled for certain dates. However, the characteristically exceptional weather conditions typical of the Bay of Palma returned for the imperative final races.
Majorca is part of the Balearic archipelago located off the eastern coast of Spain near Valencia. Since the middle of the last century it’s been a popular tourist destination for many, particularly Germans and Brits who can access cheap flights to Majorca. The mild climate and islander state of mind still brings many visitors to Majorca, and more especially the Bay of Palma. Majorca, and sister islands Menorca and Ibiza, attract thousands of visitors each year and have become synonymous with holidays in Spain.
MAPFRE, the leading finance and insurance company in Spain based out of Madrid, will sponsor this event for the third year in a row. The event has a website for participants to sign up online and acquire important information on accommodations and vessel transport. This will be the first time that registering participants will be able to pay their fees online with a credit card, a novelty of the new site.
Actual racing begins with Olympic classes on Sunday, March 16th, with the Dragon class beginning on Monday, March 17th, 2008. The Medal Race, to be held on the final day of the regatta, March 21st, is unable to be discarded and counts for double in terms of scoring. The top ten classified sailors by this date participate in the Medal Race.
Go Oriental – Travel To China
People touring all the important countries of the world; prioritize their travel to China. People’s Republic of China is the world’s most populated country, touching the 1.3 billion mark. With such a huge population and the large area, it is bound to be diverse and hence makes for a hot tourist destination..
Natural And Man-Made Wonders
China is a beautiful blend of natural beauty and man-made architecture. Nature here is bountiful with magnificent mountains of Guangxi Zhuang, deserts like Xinjiang and rivers as Yangtze. Man has erected splendid structures like ‘The Great Wall of China,’ beautiful bridges, structurally planned buildings and other monuments. This makes it one of the worlds most sought after tourist spot and the reason for people to travel to China.
Getting and Staying There
While planning to visit China, it would be wise, if you take a tour package for travel to China. However, be sure to do some research of your own, so that you can choose a suitable tour. While in China, you can go around by road, train or even by air. Accommodation is available to suit all budget and taste.
Places to Visit
Beijing, the capital of China is a must-see during your travel to China. Cities of Hangzhou and Suzhou are extremely beautiful. The most popular destinations in China are: The Great Wall of China, which is one of the seven wonders of the world; Tiananmen Square; the Forbidden City of China, the famous temples of Shibaozhai and Yangtze River, which is a very astounding natural marvel. Boat cruise on River Yangtze is breathtakingly beautiful as it takes you through various exquisite Chinese cities and places of historical importance.
People of China
People of China are very gentle, hardworking and thoughtful. Their main religion is Buddhism and Taoism. Most people speak Chinese and local people do not understand English very well. This can cause a little problem for the tourists. Other languages spoken here are Korean, Tibetan, and Mongolian etc.
China is rich in culture and has vast areas to explore. Your world-tour will never be complete, if you do not visit this oriental country.
China hotels – Offers a wide choice
The third largest country in the world after Russia and Canada, China is located in the Eastern Asia. It is not a country but a different world all together and one needs to visit it to experience it. Importantly, travelers come here for many reasons as the country gives many reasons. If the Chinese history, culture, and the beautiful landscapes interest you then this is the place. Looking for a relaxing beach holiday or an exciting time trying out adventurous activities to vibrating nightlife, China has it all and no reason the Chinese tourism is on a rise.
Finding hotels in china is not difficult with a wide-ranging accommodation available throughout the country. One can conveniently find china hotels, which matches the taste and budget of one’s choice. Touring the country on business or leisure, there are choices from five star hotels, cheap hotels in China to inexpensive hostels, inns and guesthouses. Not all the accommodation in the country accommodates the needs of the foreign visitors but with the international run hotels and domestic China hotels in the major cities of the country cater to the tourists. Visit China and travel to the wonderful cities, staying at the comfortable typical style hotels in China, or the modern hotels. Below listed cities are some of the many beautiful and alluring cities of China that one must undertake, while visiting the country.
Beijing
Explore the wealth of Beijing’s ancient past and the modern metropolis, on your travel to the city. One of the six ancient cities of China, Beijing is not only the political center of China but the cultural and economical center too. Beijing has a very long history starting about 500,000 years back. It was ruled by many dynasties, invaded many times, and today it has grown into a lively, modern and vibrant city. Travel through the city’s past with a city tour but do not take in that Beijing is only a historical city, be ready for surprises in the form of shooing malls, skyrocketing skyscrapers, city traffic and what not.
Shanghai -Of what started as a fishing village has today developed in to a modern metropolis with the time. Shanghai China’s industrial city, business and commercial center, is catching the attention from all over the world. The manes like ‘Oriental Paris’, ‘Paris of the Oriental’ have become associated with Shanghai, as it beautifully fits the bill of a modern and traditional Chinese heritage and traditions. With the numerous historical sites and modern entertainment, the city sees millions visiting it.
Guilin- The natural beauty and ancient treasures of the Guilin city has made the city a gem of China’s tourism industry. The city has a unique charm of it’s own that the spectacular landscape lends, makes it an important destination when travelling to China. An important historical city, Shanghai has a past behind it of about 2000 years. The lush green mountains, striking caves, crystal clear waters and much more all make Guilin a popular tourist place. Today, it is a well-developed tourist center, with excellent accommodation and transportation facilities.
Xian- The city of Xian has historical and cultural importance in the country, getting it the title of ‘Natural History of Museum’. Moreover, it is an eternal city that has witnessed the country’s changes in history. It is more of a history book where you will find many sites and museums showing the ancient records. It is very place where the ancient civilization in the Yellow river basin flourished. All through the 3,100 years of development many dynasties ruled here and is one of the four important ancient civilizations, the others being Rome, Athens and Cairo. A favorable geographical location helps in a pleasant weather and any time is perfect for travelling here except the winters.
Guangzhou- The Guangzhou city is fast developing a reputation for being a city of overseas Chinese people as it was the first city to open its doors to outside world, leading to economic development. The flourishing city of Guangzhou is a metropolis, lively and exciting place. Enjoying an ideal location in the center of Guangzhou province, on the Pearl River and very close to the North Sea, Hong Kong and Macau, the city is often called as the South Gate of China. This famous tourist destination is a historical and an ancient town, which remained the capital for three dynasties.
Lhasa – Lhasa as the capital of the Tibet region is beautiful, different and with a charm of its own, making it a unique place. The name of the city means the holy land or the land of Buddha and so it is as it is the center of all Tibet activities. Home to the world famous Potala palace, the city has found a place in the list of Chinese cultural and historical cities. Located at a very altitude, the best period to visit is from March to October. The splendor and the grandeur of the city’s heritage and culture make it worth visiting.
2008 Olympics: How to get tickets to the Beijing Olympics – Part 1
If someone has a chance to actually travel to an Olympic Games they should always go. Even if they don’t have event tickets they should go. This is especially true of the Beijing Olympics. It’s a great opportunity to visit a country that has been a mystery to many people around the worlds.
Besides, there are always methods of getting tickets for “any” Olympic Games regardless of where they are taking place.
First of all, you can try by applying through the primary lottery system where everyone has a chance of getting lucky and win the opportunity to purchase tickets to the event of their choice.
With the advent of the internet, there are many sites where one can purchase Olympic tickets. It’s simply a matter of googling “Olympic tickets for Beijing” and all sorts of hits will pop up. Of course these tickets will not be cheap. There are many sports holiday booking agents who will have access to tickets and accommodation packages, and like most things in life, if you are willing to pay the price, there will be tickets there for you.
There are many huge corporations that will have blocks of tickets available for the games as these are often alloted to Olympic corporate sponsors. Normally they are used by the management part of the company and their families, but if you have access to someone who is high up in one of those companies, they may be able to help you with tickets.
When I was a volunteer at an Olympic Games in my city, it was not unusual to see huge blocks of empty seats at some Olympic hockey games because the tickets were not used by the company who had access to them for that game. In a way it is wasteful and an avenue that might be looked at to find some tickets while in Beijing.
I would never let not having venue tickets deter me from going to the Olympics in any city. There will always be tickets available for some events. Regardless if it is an event that you are not particularly fond of, you will still have an opportunity to see some of the best in the world perform and actually be part of the Olympic experience.
Whenever there are big events in the world, you can bet there will be scalpers who want to cash in. It never hurts to go to even the most popular events and try your luck at picking up last minute tickets. The price will most likely be high if it’s a marquee event, but if you are patient enough to wait until the event has started, you might pick up some cheaper tickets, as scalpers won’t want to be stuck with them.
There is also a chance that someone has spare tickets because of someone being sick and unable to make it. They will be trying to well their spare ticket of tickets as they are very costly. It never hurts to be there and hope for the best.
It might just be your lucky day and your opportunity to be present at an Olympic event where history is made.
China Study Abroad- a Reputed Center to Learn Chinese Mandarin in China
People around the world have fallen in love with Chinese language as more and more people are actively learning Chinese these days. The good news is that various language schools around the world is offering Chinese learning courses but people often like to visit China to learn Chinese being in the midst of Chinese culture to better understand their way of life.
In fact, there are hundreds of Chinese dialects used by the people but the preference will be given to Chinese Mandarin language. IT is also the main language in mainland China as 50 % of the population speaks this language. It is the reason that Chinese Mandarin has been recognized as the official language of China.
There are various reasons why people are running after Chinese language. Despite the craze of learning foreign language to become a linguistic expert, people are after it with a hope of better career prospects.
To address the need of the dialect hungry people, there is a huge competition in major cities of China in establishing and running a Chinese Mandarin leaning center. Many of these centers provide comfortable accommodation according to your need, qualified professionals to teach Chinese, and organize teaching events.
Among these centers, China Study Abroad (CSA) is one of the highly reliable centers that provide excellent Chinese Mandarin learning experiences in China. This center has highly Knowledgeable staffs to guide you during your learning process, have excellent housing and insurance facility, provide guided tours around Beijing and China, and organizes regular events to help you meet native speakers to explore the Chinese culture. Candidates are also offered internship and allowed to volunteer. They get a chance to teach the language in one of nine diverse and dynamic cities located throughout China.
Another reason for people’s preference on CSA over other centers is their lowest price for the program. The cost assigned for the program by China Study Abroad is highly affordable in comparisons to other centers. CSA has offered highly competent Chinese Mandarin learning facility inclusive of all other basic necessity pertaining to learning Chinese language at highly affordable cost.
Hence, if you are looking for a reliable center to offer comfortable stay and quality learning facility in China, end your search here. China Study Abroad is the right center for you to approach as they provide excellent learning process throughout the seasons at budget fitting price.
Hotel reviews: Beijing Perfect Inn, Beijing, China
A new design three star boutique hotel (opening 2nd April 2008) located at Beijing Gulou Dong Dajie and just Three minutes from the Drum Tower.
Extremely high quality service in an ancient palace of the 1500s with Boutique style furnishings and located in the heart of the historic center of Beijing, a stone’s throw from Bell Tower and all the most interesting places for art and culture.
An unforgettable stay in an elegant, welcoming and typically Beijinger environment, for a holiday dedicated to comfort and relaxation.
The Beijing Perfect Inn where comfort and service sit in perfect harmony to create a homely, very relaxed feel. Where service is determined by the customer rather than by the clock. Where the customer, not the shareholder or the balance sheet, is king!
And where conventional rules of departmentalisation, and standardisation so often found in large town and city hotels are transcended by a customer focused, service driven culture.
Our promise to you is a complete hospitality experience – a telling blend, a delicious balance of all that is good about food, drink, accommodation and comfort, skilfully and delicately fused by and nurtured by that most important factor, the personal touch. Creating synergy. A delicate yet very potent mix which is our hallmark.
The Perfect Inn characterizes the charming image of contemporary luxury living and legendary Chinese hospitality that showcase everything for a perfect stay today, tomorrow and beyond.
With a prestige location on Guloudong Dajie, Perfect Inn places residents in the heart of one of Beijing’s major business, shopping and entertainment districts.
All rooms command panoramic city views, Drum Tower views and are elegantly decorated in contemporary style and furnished for the utmost comfort. In addition, rooms are equipped with the internet, satellite TV and other high-tech amenities.
Daily American breakfast, daily newspaper and welcome drink and fruit basket, as well as impeccable service at all times, further ensure the perfect home in Beijing.
Location:
The Perfect Inn is in an extremely strategic position: Right in the Gulou Dong Dajie, a couple of steps from the Bell Tower and 5 minutes on foot from At, Drum Tower, where you can admire the architectural masterpieces.
It will take about 20 minutes to TianAnMen Square by subway, about 10 minutes to Bei Hai Park, Hou Hai bar street, the Palace Museum, JingShan park and Yong He Lamasery by bicycle.
How to get here:
From airport:
To reach the Perfect Inn from the Beijing Capital Airport,
Please take A line of the airport shuttle bus to DongZhiMen, and then change subway to the GuLouDaJie station, from exit B to south 500m walk you will arrive top of the road then turn left walking 100m you will see right site Diananmen street but not turn right walking straight more 100m left site you can find Beijing Perfect Inn.
From train station:
When you get to the Beijing railway station,
Please take subway line No.2 (circle line) from Beijing train station to the GuLouDaJie station, from exit B to south 500m walk you will arrive top of the road then turn left walking 100m you will see right site Diananmen street but not turn right walking straight more 100m left site you can find Beijing Perfect Inn.
More transportation details:
There are many bus lines around hotel, which includes 5,44,60,107, 204,380,721,800,809,820,839,83 4,909.
Address: No.281 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District, 100009 Beijing, China
Phone:86-10-84020887
Fax: 86-10-84022832
Email:perfectinn@live.com
http://www.beijingperfectinn.c om
Victimization and the white
Yu Ming education center is in Tianjin, where is not far from Beijing. This year China have hold the Olympic games. So Tianjin have a great developed. Tianjin is a beautiful city in China. Many foreign teachers join with YuMing center . And all of foreign teacher enjoy in YuMing. YuMing have a strong foreign teacher team. It enjoys a great reputation both with students and our teachers. We pay our teachers on time and even set up a Chinese bank account for them. Our center pay is higher in tianjin. Pay is distributed monthly by direct deposit and all Visa and pay issues are handled legally and above board. Teach with the education leader, Teach with Yu Ming! Welcome more teachers come to our center.Our websitewww.teachintianjin.com
Highlights: We recruit native English speakers no exception. Our Teachers enjoy great pay that is always paid on time and deposited electronically to your bank account. We allow our teachers to use their own teaching methods or they may take advantage of ideas from our teacher workshop at the beginning of each semester. Yu Ming offers teachers two pay packages to choose from. You may choose to be compensated hourly or you may opt for a fixed monthly salary that includes an apartment and a yearly bonus or return air ticket to your home country. No knowledge of the Chinese language is required.
Cost Include Description:
Credit Available: Contract 1 year or 6 months full time teaching: 20 to 30 teaching hours per week, more than 9000~14000RMB/month, provide a health insurance,(our center pay the money) for teacher 2 hours free course of traditional dance, calligraphy, kongfu, traditional Chinese drawing or primal chaos, 2 hours free Chinese language training per week. We will pick you up at Beijing. (the free courses according to our center schedule)
Contract 1 year full time teacher: pay 5000RMB per month, at least 20 teaching hours per week, Free accommodations(equipped with TV, kitchen, washer, internet and bathroom) , a return air ticket, provide a health insurance(our center pay the money), 2 hours free course of traditional dance, traditional Chinese drawing, calligraphy, kongfu or primal chaos. Our center will provide 2 hours free Chinese language training per week. We will pick you up at Beijing. (the free courses according to our center schedule)
Free courses: 2 hours free course of traditional dance, calligraphy, kongfu, traditional Chinese drawing or primal chaos, 2 hours free Chinese language training per week. (The free courses according to our teaching schedule)
E-mail: yumingjiaoyu88@yahoo.com or yumingjiaoyu88@hotmail.com
NOTE: YuMing Education Center only use these two mailboxes receiving and reply E-mail, other mailboxes do not belong to our center to use. The foreign teachers please pay attention.
Tel: 86-22-89989986 86-22-23394188 86-13132058285
International Students’ Center Beijing
In response to the rapid development of China’s economy due to the reforms policy, World Trade Organization (WTO) and the upcoming 2008 Olympics, Mandarin is becoming the 2nd universal language. A lot of people from around the world are going to China just to study the language itself. The usual reason people answer on why they study mandarin is that you would have more opportunities with regards to finding a job since most companies now do prioritize people who knows how to speak mandarin.
Getting into China is difficult especially when you do not know how to speak the language. I suggest that you find an institute or agency that would help you through your visa documents in getting into the country and has knowledge on well-known universities offering Chinese Language Programs. It would make everything easier, less hassle on your part because they will be the one to process all necessary documents that a student needs to get admitted at a university and they can suggest places on where you will be staying when you get to China.
International Students’ Center is an institute that I know that may help people that are interested in studying mandarin in Beijing, China. They have had considerable experience catering to foreign students needs. They also have friendly English speaking staffs that are ready to answer all your questions by phone or by e-mail. They offer packages at a very reasonable price for both language programs and living facilities.
Here are some programs that they offer: Chinese Language Program – the program is designed to immerse with Chinese culture in the course of language learning. With this program, they have set a flexible time that would suit to student’s needs from 2 weeks to 4 years. In this program, students would learn how to converse using mandarin as well as reading and writing. Business Program – it is a short intensive course providing an insight into the country’s current dynamic business practices and economy. Students with high proficiency level in Chinese would acquire a comprehensive knowledge of modern Chinese’s economic environment. The course is offered in English by professors from the top universities in Beijing with extensive experience in their fields of expertise. Aside from the lectures given by the professors, students will also be having an on-site study trips and will be offered an insight into business operations of a variety of foreign companies in China. Martial Arts Program – experience the Authentic Chinese Martial Arts such as ChangQuan, TaiJiQuan, and SanDa with certified Wushu Masters in Beijing. The Training would not only for students to familiarize it but also master the techniques in each move. Each program already includes Airport Pickup, Accommodation, Visa Support Documents, Placement Tests and Core Language Courses and more. For the accommodations, students would have choices to either stay in the school’s dormitory, an apartment or at a hotel.
Finding cheap accommodation in Beijing, China
Anyone who has spent time in the People’s Republic of China is obviously aware of the sheer number of hotels and sundry boardinghouses located in even the smallest city.
What patronizing Western travelers frequently encounter at the front desk, however, is a sudden expulsion by the proprietor conveying in Chinese that NO FOREIGNERS ARE ALLOWED!
What would compel a vacant guesthouse to turn away a paying guest into the night?
The answer is found in a longstanding police statute that prohibits the majority of these establishments from accepting non-Chinese guests or risk the penalty of a fine; only guests with Chinese identification may patron an independently run boardinghouse, called luguan.
Considering no Westerner could meet such a requirement, what this restrictive policy translates into is a concerted effort to urge foreign travelers to stay at more expensive, government-designated hotels.
Following the nation’s accession into the World Trade Organization, metropolitan cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, along with the country’s most popular holiday destinations, have eased their lodging restrictions to accommodate greater numbers of overseas tourists. But anyone intent on regional travel will be hard pressed to locate an appealing choice of legitimate budget accommodations outside the major cities.
Indeed, having passed through the most remote parts of China on my extensive journey across the country, this writer recalls spending many an uncomfortable night on a Chinese sidewalk or train station floor after being turned away from its only affordable lodging.
A strict budget prohibits me from frequenting any hotel with a room rate higher than 30 yuan, which dramatically reduces my chances of ever finding legitimate accommodations. One night in a three-star hotel is equivalent to a week’s worth of frugal travel.
Lest one draw comparisons to myself with a stray dog, I might add that I’m not always so submissively destitute.
I vividly recall a recent experience in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in the northern interior. With only two accommodations to choose from in the immediate vicinity-an overpriced luxury tower or a simple guesthouse with dormitory-style rooms and a shared water closet-I of course sought the latter. As it was, the unapologetic front desk clerk would not admit me.
I looked and did not find the requisite posted official notice stating that foreigners were unwelcome; perhaps she was just
Discovering the Chinese Way
“The ancient building is renovating. Excuse me for bringing trouble to you” read the apologetic sign on a building in the centre of Beijing. For Faith Withnell, aged 66, of GinGin, Western Australia, it was just yet another example of the gentle manner of the Chinese way.
Faith and her sister Lyn, also in her 60s, from Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, spent two months as volunteer teachers in China with the Global Volunteer Network at Fushan No. 1 Senior Middle School, near Yantai in the Shandong Province. The school has about 4000 students, aged between 16 and 20, almost half of this number being boarders. Lyn and Faith worked with 14 classes of Grade 1 students, aged around 16 – 18 years old, teaching conversational English. And what a time they had.
“As my sister and I were both nearing retirement at the end of busy working years, we talked about finding a different and interesting challenge whilst we were both physically able, and which would be like nothing we had done previously. Overseas volunteering appealed to us both,” said Faith.
“Although we had previously travelled overseas, to UK, Europe and Asia, we could not have foreseen the adventure we were to experience when we enquired about the Global Volunteer Network opportunity to spend time on their project in China,” said Faith.
Volunteering is a travel experience like no other, because by spending time with the Chinese students, Faith and Lyn were able to develop strong bonds with people they would never have usually come into contact with, and found out what it is really like to live the ‘Chinese way’.
“I consider tourism to be all about seeing places and taking photos,” says Faith. “It is a short term, though most enjoyable, journey. [But] volunteering is a real life experience, understanding the culture, history and religion of others, explaining our differences, cementing goals and giving encouragement and praise for [the student's] hard work and the discipline which is their way of life.”
And the way of life in a Chinese boarding school is quite different from schools in Western countries. Students are required to attend school six to seven days a week, and students begin their day with a 6am exercise program every morning. After breakfast, lessons commence – and continue until 8.40 at night, with a two hour lunch break in the middle. Students are also responsible for chores within the school. These include cleaning blackboards and replacing drinking water supplies in the classrooms, sweeping walkways, cleaning toilet areas, and sometimes the windows in the accommodation blocks. Also, as well as normal school hours, there are monthly exams, which the students need to study hard for.
“There is much pressure put on students in China, and education is seen as very important. The problem with this, however, is that there aren’t enough teachers to go around,” says Faith.
With up to 85 students in each class in a school of 4000, students benefit hugely from the help of overseas volunteers. In China education is seen as the way to become successful in life, and in a country with a population of over one billion people, good grades are very important.
Faith and Lyn were each teaching classes of 85 students, with only a copy of the current English textbook as a guide. They had to prepare their own lessons, which was a little overwhelming at first, but was less difficult than they first thought.
“We found the students to be so friendly. They showed extreme interest in what was discussed, and were most willing to participate in lessons, and had a wonderful sense of humour,” said Faith. “I feel that our students enjoyed our classes, our company and our friendship.”
The students were fascinated to learn that Lyn and Faith had come all the way from Australia.
“Most of our students were amazed and excited that Lyn and I had come so far,” she said. “We had taken to China some coloured wildlife pictures, family photos etc. – but the items in which the students were most intrigued were the Australian stamps, coins and notes we had with us. Some of these were eventually left with our students at the school and I’m sure they are looked on as treasures by our young friends.”
Both Lyn and Faith had weekends for exploring, and on unrostered afternoons, they would explore the streets of Fushan, and were amazed at the friendliness of the Chinese people they met.
“We made a particular effort to be very approachable, at the school, in the street and whilst travelling. Many complete strangers would ask to practice their (very minimal) English with us, and were absolutely delighted with our responses,” said Faith.
“We became quite familiar to the stall holders in the marketplace, the girls in the cake shop and supermarket, and people in the street who were keen to identify with the two ‘Adalian’ ladies from the school.”
Faith jokes that their departure will undoubtedly affect the local Fushan community economy. “Both the strawberry seller in the market lane and the cake shop proprietor will not go ahead with the planned extensions to their homes,” she joked.
And when it came time to leave after the two months, both Lyn and Faith found it very difficult.
“The biggest challenge for me as a volunteer was overcoming the emotion of becoming so attached to the students. Some of these young people are so genuinely friendly, and with our maternal instincts, when the time came it was extremely difficult for us to leave.”
But halfway through packing, Faith and Lyn received an unexpected summons to a meeting in the school boardroom.
“We thought perhaps we were to be thanked and wished a safe and enjoyable trip home,” says Faith. “Unbeknown to us a team from the Yantai TV network had been assembled to make a documentary and we were the ’stars’.” Yantai TV is the local television station, and broadcasts to millions of Chinese viewers!
Faith and Lyn were introduced to a young TV producer, 2 journalists, 2 cameramen, 2 soundmen – and were asked all sorts of questions – how old they were, where they came from, how they had enjoyed being at the school etc etc. Then with the whole crew in tow, they walked around the school, joined by their favourite students Wang Kai (Tim) and Ziang Xiao (Shyna) and many others. There was also the re-enactment of a classroom lesson.
“Needless to say with cameras rolling, the involvement and conduct of my class 5 was nothing short of perfect,” said Faith. “Then it was signing of autographs, writing some words of encouragement to students about their future, then a farewell speech – all for the camera and all without preparation.”
The crew then filmed them getting ready to leave. Both sisters found the experience very exciting, not to mention the humour of two fifty-year-old women walking up four flights of stairs with a full TV crew and six excited students trailing behind to inspect their apartment, with the sisters only halfway through washing, cleaning and packing.
Volunteering in China was an experience like no other for Faith and Lyn, and it has cemented a special bond between sisters, who in their retirement, are using their time to make a real difference to the lives of others.
“The biggest rewards for us both were the enjoyment we had together as sisters and the ongoing friendships we made with complete strangers in such a faraway place that no-one at home can completely understand,” said Faith.
Lyn and Faith Withnell are two very adventurous women, and they are part of a growing trend for older travellers seeking to step outside their comfort zone by visiting a foreign country. They enjoyed their time so much that they decided to volunteer again in October this year.
Both are looking forward to meeting again with the Chinese friends they have made, and no doubt, the local strawberry stall will be pleased with the return of the extra business!
For more information on volunteering check out: http://www.volunteer.org.nz/
For more great articles on volunteering check out: http://globalvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/
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