Friday, January 16, 2009

Let the Preparations Begin

With the coming of January preparations for the upcoming Four Point experience to China kick into a higher gear. The past two Tuesdays the frosh have gathered to make ready for the experience of a lifetime. On January 6th the theme was to think about being travelers on a journey, not tourists on a trip. Dean of Community Life, Lorenzo Baker, spoke to this theme by describing how "traveling" is a deeper, richer, more educational experience than "touring." To emphasize this idea, and give the kids a taste (sorry about the pun) of China, we watched Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, China. This had the dual purpose of providing some stunning images of China and introducing the class to some of the cultural differences they will experience, including the very different food. Bourdain visits restaurants in Beijing and Chengdu, two of the cities included in Four Point, and samples the local specialties. In Beijing that means duck and in Chengdu it means Sichuan hotpot. On the 13th it was visa application time. Imagine working close to 50 kids through the process of completing a governmental form and you can picture what the evening looked like. Most made it through the process, from having their picture taken to signing the form in the end. Ah, bureaucracy. There is more preparation to come and we hope to see many parents, with their kids, on Parents' Weekend at the Saturday Four Point meeting.

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