At one point I was pulled aside by a Chinese man who asked to take a picture with me. Then a few more families wanted their picture with me too. I spent around fifteen minutes just taking pictures with people! Our tour guide later explained that those people were from the rural areas and might have never seen red or blonde hair.
We also learned about the importance of jade and the five values that every Chinese person is expected to exemplify; benevolence, righteousness, propriety, intelligence and propriety. We also toured the beautiful gardens located directly behind the city with wild rock formations and interesting plants. When we exited the city we were bombarded with all sorts of vendors and beggars who were selling their wares and asking for money. One of the beggars followed Justin for thirty feet, continuing to push him on the shoulder and asking him for money. We all had a fantastic time learning how to say “no, thank you!”
Following the walk through the city, we were able to take part in a tea ceremony. We tasted about five kinds of tea - from jasmine to herbal. We also learned a little bit about what each tea is used is used for and how each one is prepared.
We then had lunch at a fantastic restaurant. My table had fun trying to use the spinning plate in the middle so that everyone could get the food they wanted. It was definitely a practice of team work! The food was absolutely amazing and my table somehow managed to finish all of the heaping plates set in front of us. I particularly enjoyed the dish of caramelized onions and pork. The vegetables were also extremely well prepared and I found myself eating much more than I ever would have at home.
Following dinner, we departed for Beijing 57 Public School. I could tell many of us were getting nervous at this point. We wondered whether the Chinese band would be much better than us, or whether we would be able to connect well with our so called counterparts. We pulled into the school courted and were greeted by a crowd of people waving at us and taking pictures. After sitting for a brief time in their library, we were lead outside to line up next to the Chinese band. A giant screen on the wall projected the words “Welcome, Valley Christian Orchestra Band.” Speeches were made by the directors of each respective band and several gifts were exchanged between them. Then, it was time for us to meet the members of Beijing 57 Marching Band. We went around to shake hands, ask names, and exchange gifts. I was impressed by how outgoing they were and also how outgoing we managed to be. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised how similar the Chinese students were to us. The only thing that seemed to be different was the language. I learned many names, but for some of them I can hardly pronounce them let alone remember them.
We first practiced marching on their outside basketball court. It was amusing watching the Chinese students try to adapt to Todd Ryan’s interesting warmups. As for their skill level, I was surprised to see that the Beijing 57 Marching Band was actually in the same level as us. That will definitely make things a lot easier on making sure that practice is beneficial for both parties. We then practiced in their rehearsal room and ran through some of the music. Chinese students and VCHS students were mixed together and it was fairly awesome seeing some of the interactions that were going on! We ended the night playing a game where the objective was to jump and hit the rim of the basketball hoops. It gave me goosebumps to see how even a entire language barrier cannot stop the beginning sprouts of friendship.
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