God Bless the USA

Well, not that 18 solid days of Chinese food served on a lazy susan 3 times daily was a bad thing BUT...
I have now finally gotten in the groove of USA food and the lifestyle of the land of the free:

1. Fried eggs (not scorched like in China) over easy, whole wheat toast with butter, grits, bacon fried crisp (not soggy like China). Real Florida OJ by the gallon. Jelly...assorted kinds. MMMM. Ice tea. With lemon and ice.
2. Coney Island Chili dogs and Chili Burgers. Real chocolate milkshake made to order. Iced tea by the gallon. With ice!!! And lemon.
3. Bourbon whiskey. Yes it is better in USA.
4. Steak. Rare and not scared of it being rare. Fresh grilled veggies. Ice tea with ice.
5. Gatorade
6. Jello
7. Water on ice from the tap
8. Brushing teeth with water from tap
9. Barefoot outside
10. Talking freely about the government, taxes, religion, and anything else
11. Guns. In the truck, on my hip, in the house. Wherever. I have guns and enjoy it.
12. 200+ channels of english speaking tv with no censorship and absolutely no point to half of it.
13. Feet up with bottoms showing to anyone who looks
14. No shirt when it is hot
15. Driving a vehicle anywhere I want to go. With rules on how I need to do that. That everyone else follows for the most part, too.
16. No scooter traffic to speak of
17. Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge
18. Did I mention ice tea with ice cubes?
19. Barbecue grills
20. Swimming pools
21. Dogs. Inedible dogs.
22. Birds, opossums, raccoons, critters in general just running around and you can see them with frequency
23. Facts that you can somewhat believe and rely on
24. Food quality standards
25. Western toilets everywhere you need one. With paper. And soap.
26. Sun-up after 4:30 am
27. Bodies of water that are relatively safe to get in or eat from
28. Clean air acts
29. Air conditioning that you control
30. Laundry soap that works pretty good. Dryer sheets and fabric softener are pretty nice too.
31. Dryers
32. RVs. Didn't see one of those in China.
33. Family
34. Friends
35. The choice to not eat any Chinese food, especially from a lazy susan, for at least a year
36. And no censorship to post to the internet.

I know I forgot a million things, but these are the ones that seemed to fly out first. What an experience, truly the experience of a lifetime filled with so many "this is the best ____ I have done/seen/eaten ever" moments. We really are blessed to have had the opportunity to see so many things, be so exposed to so much, and to have had the chance of a lifetime to do this trip. Further, to have been a part of the WLI is something I would never have dreamt and yet 2 years is gone so fast. I have had one heck of a ride and enjoyed every minute of it. I know everyone in Class 7 feels the same. Thanks, Dr. Carter, Rochelle, and Janice, and everyone else who makes it go. See you all in Innisbrook.

Asia Trip Complete

Our trip to China, Vietnam and Hong Kong is now complete and man what an adventure!

First a huge Thank You to Dr. Carter and the others that run the Wedgworth Program for providing this opportunity to Class VII. I would also like to thank my classmates for making this an incredibly rewarding experience. Sharing this with my friends was as special as the trip itself.

I believe that we have all gained a new perspective on the world and its complex socio/economic makeup. We have all also certainly reinforced the appreciation we have for our own communities and country.

Mainly, I justed wanted to say Thank You to Dr. Carter and all of my Classmates (the best class ever!!).
Ray

Almost Home

Most of the class has made it home, but the panhandle crew is still traveling. Thad, Richard May & myself are flying into Tallahassee, but the travel day will not end. After almost missing the flight in Dallas, due to an hour & half delay leaving Tokyo, we were then delayed another hour & half on the DFW runway because of Atlanta ground traffic. It is 1130PM and we are on the plane in Atl for a 38 minute flight, but wait they now have to change a tire on the landing gear! 31 hours of travel is not fun, but I am excited & hopeful that I will be sleeping in my own bed tonight! Keep your fingers crossed and thank you all for your prayers & support back home while we were traveling!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Getting on a Jet Plane.

We're at our gate ready to depart to Tokyo for the first of our many flights back to the USA!!! See everyone soon.

TURF in Hong Kong.

Via Erin's turf contacts, we just had an amazing morning on our free day exploring the Hong Kong Golf Club. We saw the turf research facility at the golf club-Erin was definitely in her element and I was expanding my knowledge of turf! We're taking the MTR train/subway back to our hotel now in the first class cabin. A neat way to see more of Hong Kong and very very clean. All of the class is out and about exploring the area in their own ways... Tomorrow we head back to our friends and family!

Hong Kong.jpg

Arrived in Hong Kong and are starting our tour of the area.

Hello from Hanoi!

Hello Florida!

I wanted to take the chance to post some

more photos while we had complete access to free internet and the blog. As most of you know by now, we began our day (yesterday) by taking a privately chartered boat into the Ha Long Bay. The view the entire way was amazing! Huge rocks jetting out of the water covered with greenery of some sort. There were tons of boats just like ours all giving tours of the bay. We were so blessed with great weather the entire time as well. And while its probably a little selfish, I had to post the photo of me actually driving the boat. The captain even let me turn a few times. Never imagined driving a boat through Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

After the boat tour, we boarded the bus and began our 3 1/2 hour bus ride to Hanoi. Along the way we stopped to visit a local farmers village. One farmer demonstrated how they transport the rice from the fields to the storage areas. Several of the group members attempted to carry one that was actually only half full. The photo of Greg shows you pretty much how they carry everything, unless they have a scooter and then they carry everything on it. Further into the village we were able to enter one farmers home and several of the childern came out to see who we were. One girl (12 years old) could speak some english, so we were able to visit with them a little bit. The smallest girl in the picture and the boy next to her loved giving high fives!

When we arrived to Hanoi, we came straight to our hotel which took some time due to the crazy traffic. Thai (our tour guide) told us that there are 3.5 million "motorbikes" in Hanoi and I completely believe him. On the scooters, we have seen up to four people on them, pottery, plants, a mattress between two people, a man and his wife holding a baby while talking on the cell phone on the back, and many other amazing stunts all while driving amongst the other 3.5 million scooters. These people are very talented and make the two Gator linebackers on a scooter seem like no big deal.

For dinner, we had lots of fish, but it was amazing. I can't remember the name of the restaurant at the moment, but we were able to meet the owner who is in the group photo with us. She was very young, but would come by all three tables to check to make sure everything was okay and show us how to eat each dish.

Today we visited the Farmers Union and were able to have some great discussions about Vietnam agriculture. The group had lots of questions for the leaders. Some realized just how difficult it can be to communicate when you don't speak the same language. The Vietnamese group actually had several questions for us and I think they were ready to come visit Florida today! Once they found out Adam was a part of the Farm Bureau, they wanted to pick a date immediately. After the farmers union, we walked through the Ho Chi Minh Mosoleum. Unfortunately, they are closed on Fridays and Mondays so we weren't able to see everything. Afterwards, we went to a very cool (temperature) restaurant which also had great food and the coldest Coca Cola I have had in weeks!

Now the group is on their own until 5:30am when we head to the airport to leave for Hong Kong. It is hard to believe that we are almost done and will be home in 3 days. I hope you are all doing well and enjoy the photos!

Hanoi, Vietnam

As we make our way into Hanoi, we are stuck in rush hour traffic- motorbikes as far as the eye can see...

Leadership on the high seas.

What an amazing morning/afternoon! We are on our privately-chartered boat the BAI THO. Our first stop was a huge cave which was beautiful but packed with people. If we thought the bus driving was sketchy, the boats parking at the caves was pure craziness! We are now cruising along the bay and enjoying the majestic views. Lunch on the boat was so great with crab, shrimp, fish, calamari etc . What a wonderful day!! Next stop HANOI -Annie.

Ha Long City

The past two days have been amazing! They have involved a lot of bus time for the group, but the stops along the way have made it worth it. Yesterday we checked out of the hotel and drove through the countryside to visit a farmer outside of Nanning. This area was much less developed and apparently was one of the main battle areas during the war between China and Vietnam (according to Janet).

Once we drove down a few wrong roads and our bus driver did some amazing three point turns on one lane roads, we hiked through the leeche farm to arrive at the much awaited citrus groves. One of the photos of Charlie and Ray is in the citrus grove outside of Nanning. They were very excited. Afterwards, we headed back towards the village to visit the farmer's home that had been showing us around. Another picture is of her, her father-in-law, and her 12 year old son. She allowed us to come into her home and see the living conditions in that area. After hearing her story, class VII was very moved and appreciated her generosity, so they all pitched in and gave her a nice donation which she plans to put towards her son's education fund.

From there, we began our drive to Dongxing, the port city that we crossed the border into Vietnam today. Again, it was a much less developed area than anywhere we have been. We ate dinner and began our first (and probably only) official reflection session for the trip. It was a great time for everyone to really think about where we have been and what we have seen.

Today mostly involved traveling. We left our hotel for the quick five minute drive to the border. We got off the bus, grabbed our luggage, went through the checkpoints and literally, walked across the bridge from China into Vietnam. I don't think any of us had ever imaged walking across the border. From there, we boarded a new bus with our tour guide Thai. The drive was about 5 1/2 hours from the border to Ha Long City. It was amazing to see the beautiful countryside along the way. There were many pictures taken by the group the entire trip. Ha Long City is located on Ha Long Bay. Our hotel is about a 5 minute walk to the beach area where there is another night market and recreational areas set up. We were amazed by the cultural differences already. In China, it seemed to be all work and no play for everyone. Already we have noticed that the people here seem to truly enjoy life. There were children playing all along the beach, which is not something we saw much of in China.

On another note, the pictures I have attached are just a few from the past few days that I haven't been able to upload until now. The group photo was taken at the Terracotta Soldiers Museum. Clearly, the one of Richard May is from his birthday. And the picture of Matt Webb and Joe was at the water puppet show we watched tonight.

Tomorrow we will be touring Ha Long Bay by boat and then begin our drive to Hanoi. Hopefully the internet access will be readily available there as well so we can post some Ha Long Bay photos. I hope everyone is doing well at home and has a great day!

YIPEEE!!! We can access our blog!!

Greetings from beautiful Halong Bay, Vietnam!

I don't know what's better...the view of the bay, free computers or the fact that we can actually access the blog from the computers! It's the first time I've been able to get on the blog and see all the posts. Many thanks to Erin and Annie and their blackberries as without their efforts, the blog wouldn't be as good as it is!

Five days left. It feels as though we've been on the road for months instead of just over a week. We probably had our best days in China our last days in China...we got out of the craziness of the large cities and really got to see China...even though we gave up any ability to communicate (see Adam's post). Last night we met for our first "Let's Reflect" of the trip. China and this trip means different things to different people, but listening to everyone's thoughts and reactions last night, I truly believe that this has been an extraordinary learning experience.

Today we literally walked across a bridge into Vietnam. It was a little surreal and it caught a lot of us off guard. Crossing into Vietnam is like crossing into another world. While we have mixed feelings of China, we developed a certain comfort level while there and that disappeared when we crossed into Vietnam. We had a 5+ hour bus ride getting to Halong Bay the countryside we passed by was right out of a movie. From the mountains, to the water buffalo in the rice fields, to the narrow road that couldn't handle two vehicles passing eachother, this country has already opened our eyes and we have yet to experience much of it.

We have experienced the food and I think everyone is thankful that our time with Chinese food is done. The food here has been excellent--very fresh tasting and a lot of seafood options. We are all looking forward to the morning and trying the Vietamese coffee which is suppose to be some of the best in the world.

Tomorrow we are going to have a boat tour of the bay and then get on the bus for another 3+ hour bus ride to Hanoi. On the way we are stopping to meet a farmers group. We'll leave Hanoi on Saturday and head to Hong Kong. Then Monday we finally head for the states. It's been a long trip, but I will have to say, a great one--thanks to the people in the class!

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

Here are some pictures of the views from our hotel room in Vietnam and overlooking the water-amazing!!. We had a great lunch at the hotel with some new choices such as battered shrimp, stuffed crab shells, clams, battered fish and octopus. We are on our way to a dinner show but a few of us walked down to the waterfront beforehand. There was a small pier and a marketplace with Vietnam knick knacks. Lots of people were swimming and floating on innertubes-genuinely having a great beach day. -Annie.

Ha! I'm on the blog!!!

Finally, after days without being able to post from the good old world wide web, we are able to get on the blog the old fashioned way.

Being a "crackberry adict" without a crackberry for well over a week, I have been jealous of the few that have been able to send up pics and thoughts on the fly using their smartphones. But I've just been able to look through the pictures and posts that we have been able to get up here and I'm thankful that Erin and Annie have been able to make that happen. You all should have at least a pretty good idea about some of the highlights of our trip.

And while pictures may speak a thousand words, there is no way that they can convey the feelings and the emotions that we have been experiencing. This program is designed to broaden our experiences and build our leadership capabilities in large part by getting ous out of our "comfort zones". I can assure you that Dr. Carter has not had to work very hard to meet this goal.

From the languages, to the food and from the vendors to the air conditioning, all of us have experienced things that have made us feel awkward, inept, embarassed, frightened, and all the other comfort zone annhilators.

I'll just give you a couple of mine so far:

Language: How hard is it to get an iron in your hotel room? After waking up a little late in Nanning a couple of mornings ago, I realized I didn't have an iron. I promptly called housekeeping but hit a pretty solid language barrier. Next call: front desk. Again, another non-english speaker, but at least she was able to track down somebody who knew a little. I asked the young lady for an iron and she was happy to oblige. Literally 30 seconds later, before I could even pull on a t-shirt, a smiling housekeeper was standing at my door with a comb.

We talked, gestured and even pantomimed ironing, and off she ran to happily fetch what I needed. Not a minute later, again she apeared, this time with a bar of soap. We both apologized (or at least tried) and ran through the routine again, this time with a successful outcome.

This episode really showed me just how difficult even the simplest tasks can be when we aren't prepared.

Freedom: This morning, sitting under a shelter after we had cleared Chineese customs and waiting for Vietnamese immigrations, I realized that I was trapped. Somebody else had my passport, I was in limbo between 2 communist countries, and really had not a lot of control of what was going to happen to me next. No, it wasn't really a big deal, all part of the normal process. But it made me once again proud to know that in my fair home, there is nothing that holds me back. I will continue to have the ability to have free and open discussions with my government and strongly advocate for the things I feel are right.

Trust me, I've got more observations (thanks Journal!) but these were the ones pressing on my mind. Hope to see you all soon!

Adam

Vietnam welcome!

We stayed in a hotel in china 5 minutes from the Vietnam border last night and woke up this morning to make the trek across to Vietnam. If the other beds were concrete slabs, these were plywood but by this point we can sleep (and use the eastern-style bathrooms) ANYwhere haha. Some class members even saw the police with a wiretap in progress in our hotel!! We crossed a bridge via foot in the rain and have been waiting to enter into Vietnam for probably at least an hour. Most people are having trouble with cell phone coverage here but we're fine and looking forward to exploring Vietnam. Hopefully my next post will have us at our next hotel. -Annie

Wuming farm continued...

Wuming Farm- best day yet!

After a long night of traveling, we all woke up feeling refreshed after getting some sleep on our concrete slab beds. We checked out of our hotel and drove to a farming village outside of Nanning. The views were amazing as we drove!! We can't wait to share the photos. We had the pleasure of touring a local woman's small farm which grew a variety of crops-primarily Lychees but the class also enjoyed seeing many other items such as Chinese pears, corn and citrus. The fresh Lychees were delicious. All land and farms are owned by the government in China. In a recent change though, each farm household can lease a certain percentage of the land back. This particular woman leases about 3.5 acress and has a total income of around 10,000 Chinese yuan per year. We learned that her husband passed away last year and she took over the operation. We also got to tour her home and meet her father in law and her son. Overall, I heard a lot of people say it was their favorite experience yet and the best day of our trip. Such experiences also make us feel even more blessed with our lives back home. -Annie.

On the road again...

Pizza hut for lunch and then some serious travel time as we work our way toward Vietnam. Amazing views from the bus.

Nanning

A moldy bathroom & concrete slab for a bed - guess it's a good thing we just got to the hotel and are exhausted from the hot, long day! Goodnight from Nanning!
ejb
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Dance continued...

Dumplings & dance.

As Hannah mentioned in her blog post, last night's meal of dumplings was SO good. Richard F. noted that there was NO rice with the meal (a refreshing change of pace!!) The dance performance was equally as great and beautiful-similar to an American Broadway performance or ballet. All in all a great evening.

One Week Left!

We are enjoying our second and last morning in Xi'an. While not the international city like Beijing, it certainly is more comfortable then Shanghai. Today we are going to an Agricultural University to meet with students, then headed to a dairy group (a cooperative), then going to the airport for an evening flight down to Nanning. While this is our final week on the road, I think it will be our busiest.

The group is doing well. I think homesickness is beginning to set in-I hear a lot of talk of home, spouses, kids, dogs and what the first meal is that people want when they get back.

Xi'an is one of the oldest cities in China. We've been privileged to see a great deal of its history. From the wall that surrounds the city (built by the Emperor to keep the Mongols out), to the Large Goose Pagoda (a Buddhist temple, one of the oldest in China), to the Terra Cotta soldiers. The Terra Cotta soldiers were amazing. Though I worry what this program and this trip has done to the group, I think it's made them a bunch of cynics as I heard many people question the authenticity of the site, the soldiers and the history behind them. No matter, it was still a really nice afternoon walking around the three pits and learning again how good it was to be an Emperor and command 700,000+ people to do your bidding.

Last night we enjoyed a traditional dumpling dinner and Chinese folk dance performance. For as much apprehensions there were about the food here, I do not think people are going hungry. Many said last night's meal was the best so far...20 different dumplings were served, each unique in their filling. The dance was pretty amazing too. Beautiful costumes and an interesting was to learn some Chinese history.

The weather has turned "Florida hot"...yesterday was the worst so far, but I think it's going to get increasingly warmer the further south we go. We have two more days in China, then three in Vietnam, then we end the trip in Hong Kong. We are on the downhill slide and I know some are counting the hours and days until next Monday and being home.

We haven't had a chance to catch much news from home, so I hope everything is well in the states and in Florida. I know everyone is hoping that the Magic pull off some magic tonight and that the series doesn't end.

Since we'll be traveling pretty hard the next few days and we'll be a different hotels each night, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post. I'll try my best.

Soldiers continued...

Terra cotta soldiers

We just finished touring the famous army of terra cotta soldiers in Xi'an. There were three "pits" which had been excavated and each showed a different stage in the restoration process. My favorite was the first pit which had the rows and rows of soldiers. I've tried to take some pictures but it is hard to translate how cool it was in person. In line with our other experiences, there are TONS of people here and vendors follow us into the pits and exhibition halls trying to get us to buy knicknacks--I couldn't imagine going into the Smithsonian or any museum in the US and having someone follow me around to buy postcards, etc as I am trying to enjoy the culture and exhibitions!!! -Annie

Drum tower

We just watched a drum show at the drum tower. Loud!

City wall continued...

Xi'an city wall

We arrived in Xi'an after a rather turbulent flight as we were coming in. It was definitely CHINA hot as we toured the city wall. Some people rode bikes, others walked and some rented a golf cart. The cutest was Thad and Adam on a bicycle built for two.

Free afternoon and evening in BEIJING

On our free afternoon a group of us headed toward the hutong. Elizabeth, Erin, Armando, Richard May, Chloe and I (Annie) first toured the bell tower where we had an amazing view of the city in the background and the hutong down below. The hutong is the more traditional area with streets and alleys and courtyard residences. We took a ride through the hutong on modern cycle rickshaws which was fun -they don't use the traditional hand-pulled rickshaws anymore. After our ride we walked a great street for local shopping and small bars. Who knew you could get big beers for like 60 cents? We had Indian food for dinner and then ended our night with a 30 minute foot massage. Wonderful after all the walking and hiking the great wall! And only about $6 each for the massages. By the way, this is Annie writing and posting all these posts on the blog -I've just been using Erin's log-in because it was saved on my phone. Next stop XI'AN!...

One Week Down!

It's Friday afternoon in Beijing. The "Beijingers" (that's what they call themselves) told us when we arrived that Beijing only gets 20 days of sunshine a year...we are on day 4 of our trip. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, clear blue sky and probably in the high 80s.

Everyone has scattered and are enjoying their one afternoon of free time during this trip. Since it is "a leadership program, not a vacation", I have given Class VII even less free time then previous classes...in their case, they get this afternoon, one night in Hanoi and one day in Hong Kong--there is just too much to see and do in China. Beijing is truly an amazing city. I know it may have a lot to do with the Olympics just being here, but it's clean, beautiful and historic. If you ever get a chance to visit, you should.

I hear that many people back home are enjoying the pictures and posts. Thank goodness for Blackberries as they have allowed us (along with folks back home posting these messages), to thwart not being able to access the blog here in China. I'm so appreciative of people stepping up and posting photos from their Blackberries as I know how much people like to see pictures. We'll post more when we get home as we have some wonderful group shots.

Yesterday was the highlight of the trip thus far for many people as the Great Wall was incredible. To have a chance to climb the wall, look down and think about what it took to build it is mind boggling. We also learned that maybe we are not in the best shape as it took a lot out of you to climb, though several folks went to the very top point that visitors were allowed. Last night I think everyone had the best night's sleep of the trip, just because we were all so tired.

From the Wall we went to the Sacred Walk...the entrance to the Ming Tombs. While you can't see or go into the tombs, the Walk was impressive in itself as there are stone statues that are over 500 years old guarding each tomb. Again, the history in this country is amazing.

Last night after dinner we went to a Chinese acrobatic show. I was worried that people may fall asleep in their chairs after the long day we had, but there was no chance at that as the skill of these acrobats left my mouth open at times. People quieted down about being sore from their hike after watching these performers bend, jump, juggle and balance.

This morning we went to a planned farming community of sorts. It is a farmers' "village", but we don't think we got the whole story (or the truth) about it. As several members of the class mentioned as they got on the bus, we've become jaded. Every thing you hear, you have to take with a grain of salt as it's what they want you to hear and you know you're not getting the whole story. It's a very weird feeling.

Tomorrow we leave Beijing for Xi'an. It will be hard to leave this city as we've had an enjoyable time here and have learned so much. I don't know when the next time will be I can post a long message to the blog, but I will make every attempt to do so when I'm able.

I hope all is well in Florida! We are at the point of the trip where everyone is longing for home...only 10 days left!

Halleluia...halleluia !!!

A group of us went to the high-end legendale hotel for lunch. A basic room runs 3600 a night (approx 600) a night. The meal was fabulous! Real American fries! And lasagna, burgers, chicken sandwiches, ceaser salad, and pizza-YAY!

Bus Driver.

This is our amazing bus driver while in Beijing. Nickname "lady killer." Bedford, you may have been replaced...