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Day 12 and Home!!!!!
One last entry, cuz I promised.  We've been home for almost 24 hours now and I speak only for myself, but wow am I jetlagged...  Our last day (well, morning) was a quick cab ride down to the Shanghai World Financial Center, which is the third tallest building in the world and boasts the tallest observation deck in the world.  It is 37 trillion miles high!  I am approximating, because I don't have the figures in front of me right now, but that seems about right.  Only took a couple pictures today and you can check those out as soon as they get posted.  I was going to take a final shot of the weary travellers in the airport but.... I was too weary to remember to do so.  14 hours from Shanghai to Newark, a three hour layover, a quick 40 minute flight from Newark to Boston and a 2 hour ride home and we're good as new!  It was a trip that none of us will forget.  An experience of a lifetime.  But, boy, is it good to be home.

Day 11
This will be the last blog entry I write in China!  I will give a wrap up when I get home late Sunday night (provided I'm conscious).  This was our last full day in China and we had a great time.  We first went to a Garden and Tea House which is next to another shopping district.  More shopping!  We had a good time gathering the last of our gifts.  That's right...you may be getting a gift!  Late in the afternoon, we were picked up at our hotel by Mr. Cheng, the father of Ivan, a sophomore at NHS and a resident of my dorm. Go Small House!  He took us out to a wonderful dinner at one of Shanghai's finest restaurants: Sincere.  After dinner he took us on a VIP river tour where we took in some amazing sights and sang a little Karaoke in our lounge!  Sean and Brandon's rendition of "Hotel California" will not soon be forgotten.  Jake and Max also rocked the house with....something in Chinese.  Then back to the hotel.  We're planning to get up, have some breakfast and go to the observation deck of the Shanghai World Financial Center, the third tallest building in the world.  You can probably see it in some of our photos.  It is impossible to express the incomparable nature of the adventure we have all been on.  Nobody in our group will ever forget this amazing journey.  Thanks once again to the Shibei School, Mr. Cheng, Mr. Love, Mr. Menke and everyone who made this amazing trip possible.  Wrap up tomorrow.  I'm going to sleep.  It's gonna be a loooooooong flight tomorrow!

Day 10
Goodbye, Wuxi.  Hello, Shanghai!  We were all very excited to start exploring Shanghai and we are all energized by its energy.  For starters, the sky is clear and the weather is beautiful.  Most of our time in Beijing and Wuxi was spent under gray clouds, so the clear skies of Shanghai make a welcome contrast.  Shanghai is the largest city in the world in terms of population: 13,800,000.  It is also China's most "modern" city and a major financial center.  We spent our day at the Shanghai Museum and then out to dinner at a noodle shop close to our hotel.  We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, our last day in China!  So it's a short entry today, but look for more exciting news tomorrow and hopefully we'll get some more pictures posted.  The Thanksgiving holiday presented a few problems for us in terms of our ability to get those posted.  Thanks for the well-wishes everybody!  We all hope you had a great holiday as well and we look forward to seeing you upon our return!

Day 9
Our last day at the Shibei School in Wuxi.  I know that we are all looking forward to getting to Shanghai tomorrow.  We have had a wonderful time here and the cultural exchange has been incomparably priceless, but as we are nearing the end of our time in China, the kids, Ms. MacDonald and I are missing the comforts of home (and the comforts of hotel beds!).  Today we visited several sites in Wuxi, the city that has been our home for the past four days.  We started by stopping at an amusement park.  Check out the enormous ferris wheel!  We then strolled through another park before stopping at the Wuxi museum.  We had a little lunch at an outdoor market area and then did some shopping.  We seem to be doing an awful lot of that. :)   Then our final night on the town.  School officials took us out to dinner at a nice restaurant which served some fine local food.  We exchanged gifts and stories of our stay at their school before heading back to campus for our final night in the dorms.

Day 8
First, to answer Amy's question about the best foods we've tried...  Allie was a big fan of the Peking Duck, I (Mr. Sampson) loved the noodles we ate at a dirty little hole in the wall across from the Pearl shopping center, a couple of our boys liked a pork dish we had at the Red Door in Beijing, Jake liked the spicy Szechuan pork, and Brandon loved the sweet and sour pork.  On a related note, the weirdest food we've tried so far was the duck tongue soup.  Almost all of us gave it a try.  Except for one of us who is vegan and two of us who are soft.  Just JV soft.  (Inside joke)

Today, the folks at Shibei School took us on a road trip to Nanjing, the historic capital of China.  In Chinese, Beijing translates literally to "Northern Capital" and Nanjing translates to "Southern Capital."  We spent the first part of our day at the tomb of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's tomb.  Sun Yat-Sen was the Father of Modern China and introduced democracy to China after the fall of Imperial China.  The democracy collapsed under Sun Yat-Sen's successor Chiang Kai-Shek and subsequently Mao Tse-Tung introduced Communism to China.  Ironically, both men are revered to this day in China.  I had an interesting and frank conversation with our school guide about this.  Hit me up with an email and I'll elaborate.  After our tour we went to an historic shopping district and enjoyed some more local cuisine: duck tongue soup, this really delicious dish with firm tofu strips in a powerful mushroom broth, some sauteed chrysanthemum leaves, among other things.  It was delicious, I swear!  Then we did some shopping and headed back to the school.  Tomorrow is our final full day at the school and they are taking us sightseeing around Wuxi and then out on the town for a final dinner.  We can't wait.

Day 7
Our second day at Shibei School was as fascinating as the first, and as full of activity.  All eight of us agree on two things:  we really miss Neal's staff in the caf and we really have gained positive experiences that we will never ever forget.  The day started with another Math class, and since it was Tuesday, it was Physical Education day.  We got the opportunity to play badminton and basketball with some Shibei students.  We also got to learn a traditional dance performed by the Dai minority from Yunnan province in southwestern China.  Our young Huskies made New Hampton School proud by soundly defeating their Chinese opponents on the basketball court.  After the competition we were treated to a Taichi demonstration and instruction (see pictures).  We made a trip to the grocery store and then joined some Shibei students for a dinner that we helped prepare!  Dumpling making is an art form and we were treated to the opportunity to help prepare the dumpling portion of our evening meal.  We are looking forward to an exciting day trip to Nanjing, the former capital of China and a city rich in culture, tradition and history.  Stay tuned!

Day 6
Our first full day at Shibei School was tremendously educational for all of us in so many ways.  The first class we attended at 8:30 was math.  It was a sophomore level class (but the material was Pre-Calc).  It was so interesting to see how different teaching and learning is in another country.  We then went to English class.  It's a total immersion English class and today the students read and listened to tales of the Bigfoot and the Yeti.  The subject matter was amusing and it was enlightening, once again, to watch different teachers and students in a much different context.  After lunch we attended some art classes.  These offered our kids their first real opportunity to interact with the Shibei students.  We learned a little about calligraphy and the art of Chinese knot-tying.  Some photos attached will give you a sense of what that looked like.  After classes, the kids got to meet with representatives of the Shibei Student Union (sort of like our student council, only there are no elections here -- the students are selected by faculty).  There are some photos you can view above and I shot a video of students chatting and interacting.  As a faculty observer, it was touching, thrilling, encouraging and a hundred other things to watch their students embrace ours and ours to embrace theirs.  In a small room, there were six lively conversations happening.  What were they talking about?  TV, school, sports, video games, movies, and all the other things teenagers talk about.  But the feeling of friendship was palpable.  It was amazing.  After dinner, we were taken to a music room and were taught a traditional Chinese song.  Our kids once again threw themselves into the experience and had a great time.  It was an utterly exhausting day, but so full of rewarding experiences that it was worth every second.

Day 5
We said goodbye to Beijing today and got on a plane to Shanghai, where we were met by Will, a representative of the Shibei School in Wuxi, a city of about 6 million people approximately 90 miles west of Shanghai.  We got on a bus and made our way to campus, where we were greeted by school officials and given a short tour of campus.  We then made our way into town to do a little grocery shopping at a store close to the school.  On our way back, we were able to sample some delicious street food.  Dinner was an interesting affair.  The school provides dinner for guests like us in a large canteen which, tonight at least, was empty but for us.  We had a great time talking at dinner, though.  We are all very curious as to what the next few days have in store for us.  As, I'm sure, are all of you reading this blog.  I'll keep you posted.

Day 4
A well-rested and energized group of travellers set forth on their last day in Beijing!  After a much-needed and deserved sleep-in, the group headed out to the Summer Palace, the Emperor's retreat from the stifling heat of the Beijing summer.  The Summer Palace is a truly breathtaking sight, full of buildings, houses, temples and shrines.  It is all housed in a park setting and guests are invited to stroll about and take in the scenery.  After a couple quality hours of sightseeing, we got in a cab and headed to yet another shopping mecca, where haggling is the name of the game.  Then back to the hotel to drop off our newly acquired bounty before heading out for a final dinner in Beijing.  This time we opted for Szechuan cuisine in a restaurant across the street from the hotel.  We're getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to board a plane for Shanghai, where we will be picked up by representatives of the Shibei School, where we will spend the next several days.  It's been fun, Beijing.  Catch you next time!

Day 3
Today we climbed the Great Wall of China.  Breathtaking views, unforgettable images, and a helpful beverage vendor who joined us in a rousing "N-H-S!" cheer.  I hope someone can attach the video I sent.  We got back to the hotel, relaxed for a few minutes, and then hopped in some cabs to the other side of town to meet ex-NHS faculty member Charlie Custer and his fiancee for a Peking Duck feast.  A few of us took a side trip down a quaint alley where we found a tea shop and did a little shopping.  Then back to the hotel where we are now anxiously awaiting our opportunity to Skype with Friday morning's School Meeting.  After which, we will take our exhausted selves back to our rooms for some much needed sleep (it's a little late here!!).  Tomorrow is our last full day in Beijing and we plan to visit the Summer Palace and do a little shopping.  Check back tomorrow for another thrilling update!

Day 2
Day 2 started with an early breakfast and a cab ride to Tiananmen Square.  After making it through security we filed through Chairman Mao's tomb and then made our way into the Forbidden City, the home to the former Emperors of China.  We bought our tickets as well as the services of an English speaking tour guide, who put the tour into a perspective we might not otherwise have had.  Thanks, Terry!  After some solid history lessons in the morning, we went for some solid haggling and shopping in the afternoon at the Pearl Market, a five story warehouse crammed full of vendors.  Half the fun of shopping there is the haggling and our crew did some nice work there.  That PSP sure was cheap, Jake!  And so was that Shuffle, Sean!  It's a shame they barely work.  ;)  Afterwards we went across the street to the Temple of Heaven, another historic site relevant to the days of the Emperor.  Gorgeous.  A cab back to the hotel.  And then back into another cab for dinner out and a little night on the town.  We're weary (this was only Day 2?????) but ready for another big day visiting the Great Wall tomorrow and then dinner with NHS's former Chinese teacher, Charlie Custer.  More later.

Day 1
Arrived safe and sound in Beijing at 2:30, right on schedule.  Got in our cab to the hotel and then unpacked and showered then met in Mr. Sampson's room to plan our evening.  Decided on dinner at the Red Door, across the street from the hotel.  Miss MacDonald took charge and ordered several options.  Our travellers all dove in and enjoyed the food.  Point of pride:  nobody asked for a fork! We did a little street shopping before calling it a night.  Up tomorrow:  Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and much much more!  Plus photos if I figure out how to attach them!