Hello, Everyone!
I have been busy catching up on things here at home and with work since the departure of the delegation from China. I will update this blog soon with more (terrific) photos and posts!
Have a wonderful day!!
~Ana
Yuchen (Ken) Jiang, the other students of the delegation and their chaperone (Jane)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
What? No updates?!!
Hi Everyone!
We're out the door early again today - but have been having an extremely exciting and eventful week so far! I promise to update the blog with some great photos and news of our visit again tonight. We're off to San Francisco today - as Yuchen (Ken), his fellow delegates, and teacher (Jane) have an appointment for lunch with the Chinese Consulate! More later........Have a great day!!
~Ana Serena
We're out the door early again today - but have been having an extremely exciting and eventful week so far! I promise to update the blog with some great photos and news of our visit again tonight. We're off to San Francisco today - as Yuchen (Ken), his fellow delegates, and teacher (Jane) have an appointment for lunch with the Chinese Consulate! More later........Have a great day!!
~Ana Serena
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Ken-Chan - Days 7 and 8.
Yuchen actually did get quite enthusiastic once we arrived at UC Davis to drop him off for the conference. He met up with Jane, their chaperone, and another student and asked enough questions about the upcoming events that he had quite a cheerful and excited face on when we pulled away.
Apart from a wonderful celebration with my family for my 40th (yikes) birthday - the remainder of Thursday and Friday were somewhat quiet in our house without our "boy" here! He is due back Sunday afternoon - and I am certain I'll have much more to write as he recounts his experience at SLC!
On a side note - our delegation from China is causing quite the media stir. Jane Guo and Jenny (Shi Si) had an interview with the Vallejo Times-Herald. There has been some chatter about the visit in the Davis Enterprise and the Sacramento Bee - and our own local paper, the Daily Republic is due to come interview Yuchen on Monday. He'll be quite pleased to take home these articles to his family - who are already so very proud of him - and rightfully so!
Apart from a wonderful celebration with my family for my 40th (yikes) birthday - the remainder of Thursday and Friday were somewhat quiet in our house without our "boy" here! He is due back Sunday afternoon - and I am certain I'll have much more to write as he recounts his experience at SLC!
On a side note - our delegation from China is causing quite the media stir. Jane Guo and Jenny (Shi Si) had an interview with the Vallejo Times-Herald. There has been some chatter about the visit in the Davis Enterprise and the Sacramento Bee - and our own local paper, the Daily Republic is due to come interview Yuchen on Monday. He'll be quite pleased to take home these articles to his family - who are already so very proud of him - and rightfully so!
Yuchen (Ken-Chan) - Day 6 - Sharing what is on our sleeves...
Quickly - I have to recount the rest of Day 5 before I go on to Day 6- because it was truly one of those memorable evenings....and, I believe, underlines precisely why families like mine welcome perfect strangers, with nearly nothing in common, in to their homes for brief periods: for a brief chance to learn a little about eachother, for the opportunity to blend together as "one people" as opposed to different people from different places, and to experience a little bit of eachother's joy.
Lauren and my mom came over - as we anticipated. We didn't make a big deal over dinner - although, as usual, Lauren created some incredible little vegan dish to get her through the evening and made a meal for Yuchen (we find, like any growing young man - he is hungry pretty much any time we ask - which is often!). During the meal - Yuchen conversed with "Grandma" and Lauren, and learned some new things about eachother. Afterward, Yuchen dashed upstairs and came back down with small, beautiful gifts. He bowed slightly with a gift in his hands for my mom (Grandma Eva) as he said, "this is for you, Grandma!!". Then he gently smiled as he extended a gift to Lauren, as well! He has this very generous and kind spirit about him - it's truly touching!
On our way home from The City, we asked Ken-Chan about teen activities in China. We were interested to hear that, although he loves music, the students do not attend concerts or dances of any kind. He had never really danced! (Ooohh, Project!!) So in the evening - Clarisse & Alexann found their favorite hip-hop CD from a class they had taken - and proceeded to show their routine to all of us. Soon - with much encouragement - we were able to get Yuchen to join in and they tought him a short routine which he "performed" for our family! We were all laughing so much - especially our new friend - and he, as he is apt to do - got out his camera for "family photos". He showed us how to use the timer feature - so we could all get in the pics. After pictures, Lauren fire danced for us all. (If you are not familiar with this process - it entails watching your beautiful, young daughter spin chains with fully ignited fire balls on each end - round and round over and around her body - with, of course, a crazy-sounding vibe of techno-pop blaring in the background!!). Yuchen was extremely thrilled to watch the dance - although, with some concern, he asked if I would "please hold a large glass of water to throw on sister". Really good stuff!
On Thursday, July 31st - we took Yuchen to UC Davis where he will spend the next few days at the 4-H State Leadership Conference. He was looking forward to the trip - although when I asked him if he was excited, he responded in his thoughtful voice, "I do not know what will happen there, or what I will be doing, and therefore I do not have any feelings about it". I pondered what Yuchen said for a while that evening- thinking how we (or at least 10 of my very closest friends and I) tend to "wear our hearts on our sleeves", often giddy with excitement when even the smalles event is up and coming. I noticed the way Yuchen takes a carefully considerate approach to many of the things he does and says. He seems wiser than me at age 16, and, in this way....has reiterated to me the value of small, careful steps in life.
Lauren and my mom came over - as we anticipated. We didn't make a big deal over dinner - although, as usual, Lauren created some incredible little vegan dish to get her through the evening and made a meal for Yuchen (we find, like any growing young man - he is hungry pretty much any time we ask - which is often!). During the meal - Yuchen conversed with "Grandma" and Lauren, and learned some new things about eachother. Afterward, Yuchen dashed upstairs and came back down with small, beautiful gifts. He bowed slightly with a gift in his hands for my mom (Grandma Eva) as he said, "this is for you, Grandma!!". Then he gently smiled as he extended a gift to Lauren, as well! He has this very generous and kind spirit about him - it's truly touching!
On our way home from The City, we asked Ken-Chan about teen activities in China. We were interested to hear that, although he loves music, the students do not attend concerts or dances of any kind. He had never really danced! (Ooohh, Project!!) So in the evening - Clarisse & Alexann found their favorite hip-hop CD from a class they had taken - and proceeded to show their routine to all of us. Soon - with much encouragement - we were able to get Yuchen to join in and they tought him a short routine which he "performed" for our family! We were all laughing so much - especially our new friend - and he, as he is apt to do - got out his camera for "family photos". He showed us how to use the timer feature - so we could all get in the pics. After pictures, Lauren fire danced for us all. (If you are not familiar with this process - it entails watching your beautiful, young daughter spin chains with fully ignited fire balls on each end - round and round over and around her body - with, of course, a crazy-sounding vibe of techno-pop blaring in the background!!). Yuchen was extremely thrilled to watch the dance - although, with some concern, he asked if I would "please hold a large glass of water to throw on sister". Really good stuff!
On Thursday, July 31st - we took Yuchen to UC Davis where he will spend the next few days at the 4-H State Leadership Conference. He was looking forward to the trip - although when I asked him if he was excited, he responded in his thoughtful voice, "I do not know what will happen there, or what I will be doing, and therefore I do not have any feelings about it". I pondered what Yuchen said for a while that evening- thinking how we (or at least 10 of my very closest friends and I) tend to "wear our hearts on our sleeves", often giddy with excitement when even the smalles event is up and coming. I noticed the way Yuchen takes a carefully considerate approach to many of the things he does and says. He seems wiser than me at age 16, and, in this way....has reiterated to me the value of small, careful steps in life.
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