It's time to back up to our visit to Wuhan. We arrived at the Wuhan airport and were greeted with a huge banner welcoming us! Several teachers and Principal Li had come to pick us up. We headed straight to school, where we unloaded our luggage and got back in the van.
We arrived at a local restaurant where we were treated by our hosts to a traditional Chinese meal. They told us we were honored guests and wanted us to have the very best foods their region had to offer. This included many tasty dishes such as ginseng and sesame nuts, lotus root, and chicken and vegetable dishes. We also had a few dishes that challenged our adventurous eating spirits. We had pigs feet and sea cucumber! We were brave and tasted both.
Following lunch, we visited the Hubei Provincial Museum. We were first taken to see a Chime Bell performance. In addition to traditional Chinese musical instruments, the musical selections featured dozens of replica bronze Chinese Chime Bells. They were just like those recovered from tombs dating back to ancient Chinese dynaties. The bells ranged in size and tone from very small and high-pitched, to very large (almost as tall and wide as an adult!) and low-pitched.
Following that performance, we toured the museum. It not only contained the original chime bells recovered from an ancient tomb, but also many other musical instruments that were found as well. There were rooms and rooms of many kinds of pottery and porcelain, weapons and jewelry, and other artifacts that have been found in the Hubei Province.
Following our day at the museum, we returned to school to be introduced to our host families and be taken to their homes. We all had invaluable and unique experiences which reflected typical Chinese living situations. Some homes had air-conditioning and some did not. Some had eastern toilets and others did not. Some of our hosts spoke English while others experienced a language barrier. Some slept on mattresses while others of us slept on covered plywood. No matter the situation, it gave us great insight into the true Chinese culture. We were constantly learning from the time we got up in the morning, until we finally crashed at night.
We arrived at a local restaurant where we were treated by our hosts to a traditional Chinese meal. They told us we were honored guests and wanted us to have the very best foods their region had to offer. This included many tasty dishes such as ginseng and sesame nuts, lotus root, and chicken and vegetable dishes. We also had a few dishes that challenged our adventurous eating spirits. We had pigs feet and sea cucumber! We were brave and tasted both.
Following lunch, we visited the Hubei Provincial Museum. We were first taken to see a Chime Bell performance. In addition to traditional Chinese musical instruments, the musical selections featured dozens of replica bronze Chinese Chime Bells. They were just like those recovered from tombs dating back to ancient Chinese dynaties. The bells ranged in size and tone from very small and high-pitched, to very large (almost as tall and wide as an adult!) and low-pitched.
Following that performance, we toured the museum. It not only contained the original chime bells recovered from an ancient tomb, but also many other musical instruments that were found as well. There were rooms and rooms of many kinds of pottery and porcelain, weapons and jewelry, and other artifacts that have been found in the Hubei Province.
Following our day at the museum, we returned to school to be introduced to our host families and be taken to their homes. We all had invaluable and unique experiences which reflected typical Chinese living situations. Some homes had air-conditioning and some did not. Some had eastern toilets and others did not. Some of our hosts spoke English while others experienced a language barrier. Some slept on mattresses while others of us slept on covered plywood. No matter the situation, it gave us great insight into the true Chinese culture. We were constantly learning from the time we got up in the morning, until we finally crashed at night.