Welcome to RESCU’s China Blog. Here, you can read about our adventure through China and keep up to date on our various daily activities with articles, pictures, and video.
The Blog will be updated nightly, if not frequently throughout the day, so be sure to check back soon!
Hi!,
Well, we are off and running. Half of the school went up to Los Angeles today and the other half will meet us in the morning at the United Airlines ticket counter at LA -X. Nicole checked us in already and we have packed our passports, visas, luggage and senses of humor as we prepare to dodge the bullet of quarantine and the flu. Once upon a time Miri and I giggled and laughed at the possibility of our high school students traveling abroad and lo and behold….we are off to China!
A special thank you to all the parents, families, students, staff, and friends for making this once in a life time opportunity come true! We will be off in the morning to San Francisco and then directly to Hong Kong. Kate made sure our backpacks are filled with goodies and I shudder to think how much fun we will be having on our 13 hour flight..ha ha. So stay tuned and check in often as we will try and blog everyday.
We arrived safely- no quarantine as of yet! Mark had a massive nose bleed on the plane, Miri lost her wallet and passport but was recovered- thanks to Cheryl, and Alex lost his money belt. RESCU sense of humor has never been better. We are tackling diversity, problem solving, solutions seeking, and are truly global members of society. All parents should be very proud of their students and the way they behaved so far on the trip in spite of the 13 hour flight and new foreign land. Students slept well on their picnic table like beds (very firm and extremely uncomfortable), however, as usual, RESCU Academy perseveres through resilience and adrenaline.
Some students tried their first Chinese meal last night, including Squab (pigeon) for Sam, Sweet and Sour Pork for John Plecha and Matt Murphy. The plane ride was handled beautifully and skillfully with tactful meeting places all over the plane. Codi and Michael, our RESCU guests, have bonded well with the other RESCU students and culturated into the RESCU Academy way.
Thank you to the parents who provided masks, as they were worn on the plane by some us who have no shame in avoiding “PUMPKIN”- our new code word here in China for quarantine and anything Swine related – lest we say it aloud and it would actually happen.
We may be emailing some parents tonight about pin numbers for your student visa card. Please email your student’s pin code to Cheryl via email.
Look forward to student diaries to be posted this evening from each student. We are off to tour our first day in Hong Kong. We are a little relieved that our tour guide “Calvin Klein” has a reasonably clear English accent and is wearing a face mask himself!
Miss you,
RESCU Academy China travelers!
Shout out to bunny, Cooper, and Art from Cheryl!
Darton fell down the escalator trying to save his backpack caught from the grip of the steps. He fell and was trapped between the moving stairs and caught his hands in their teeth. He shredded his hands and twisted his back and luckily out of nowhere, Sean had the presence of mind to run and slam the stop button saving Darton’s hands from having his fingers swept underneath the escalator. After Cheryl, Nicole and Valerie administered first aid, Darton seemed to be alright. We headed to the Hong Kong market of Mong Kok where all the students were able to enjoy shopping. However, the heat, sights, and smells overwhelmed Darton and heat exhaustion and shock set in. Pletcha and Sam were under each arm with Murphy feeding him Gatorade. We made it to the bus and all the RESCU students helped with bags and went into emergency mode as our beloved Darton was clearly in a crisis. The students were amazing with their empathy, patience, and intuitiveness that were needed to make it back to the hotel and access Darton’s injuries and condition as soon as possible. After getting to the hotel all the students took to their rooms quietly as we had to make a decision whether or not Darton had to be hospitalized due to heat exhaustion and pain. Clayton and Katie along with Murphy, Cheryl, and Valerie worked for hours to hydrate and check on Darton which culminated in the decision that he would be ok. We continued to treat him through first aid and were able to get him hydrated and avoided the hospital. Darton slept fairly well, and although fatigued, is now feeling sore but overall much better and thankful for the students at RESCU. Their quick thinking, patience, and love for our fallen hero helped him on his way to feeling better. Today he will be spending the day taking it easy in his air conditioned room, watching TV, continuing to hydrate and eat.
This greatly relieves Alex as Darton became the new guy in the spotlight. We realized after Alex lost his subway ticket, and then found it again, that he needs to be taking his Concerta during the day. Despite the drama, the students were able to buy souvenirs, take pictures, eat at McDonald’s and have a ball. Today we are planning a trip to see a giant Buddha and the Hong Kong monetary, on an island, to include 284 steps one way so it is a good thing RESCU Academy has the strongest PE program on the west coast. The students have begun scrapbooking and recording their student diaries. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know how things are going tomorrow.
Hi!
Lantau Island took us to the sights and sounds of a giant Buddha and its monastery. We took the shuttle, metro, ferry, bus and sky tram cable car to get to and from the island- talk about using public transportation! Katie ended up with a swollen ankle down the 268 stairway down from Buddha which once again put RESCU students into action. Sam and Clayton helped her the last part of the trip as we were all mesmerized by the multiple colors of Katie’s ankle. We decided it looks like a “mood ankle” and changes to match her state of mind. Actually, we got motrin and ice on her ASAP and were met with a wheelchair after our shuttle at our hotel. I think that the Ramada Inn Hong Kong has had enough of the RESCU Academy’s calamities but they have been very helpful.
Chris is doing much better after his day of rest. Nic, Cheryl, Sam, Plecha, Miri, Katie, Will, Sean and Clayton spent lunch in a real Hong Kong restaurant up by Buddha including: sweet and sour pork, rice, vegetable soy fish, tofu and seaweed soup, spicy chicken and tempura vegetables. The money situations are slowly resolving and you have all been receptive to helping us getting them straightened out big “thank you” from all of us.
Michael had a baptism by fire with his fear of heights during the sky tram cable car from the top of the mountain 45 minutes down to Hong Kong. He hung in there and is braving the country and acclimating himself to the RESCU Academy culture. Nic and Kate continue to document our trip with photos and Valerie and Nicole are using some video clips which have turned out to be hysterical….including Sean doing handstands all over Hong Kong and even through a water fountain!
Grayson, Alex and Joey are getting along well but the biggest news is Katie and Miri have re-kindled their friendship…Thank you Sweet Jesus it’s about time Everyone is in good health and looking forward to Shanghai tomorrow.
Hi!
First I would like to thank Dr. Deb for being on call for the RESCU students and helping the staff with the aches and pains of travel. A health update: Chris and Katie are on the mend and we landed in Shanghai without getting Pumpkined….they made us wait on the plane for the pumpkin men and then sent us through the pumpkin machine and interrogation. It was intense but so far so good. Clayton was asked by immigration whether or not he had ever committed a crime. He answered “yes, for stealing”. The officer continued to stare down Clayton and finally Clayton asked politely if he could have his passport back and move through the gate with his school. Trust me when I tell you that RESCU Academy was planning to go Kung Fu on someone to create an international incident and draw CNN’s attention if they would have taken Clayton…we were all convinced he was a victim of racism and a scared and angry young man kept his composer and shook it off with the support of RESCU Academy students! Bravo once again for your students!
We met up with the school from Cincinnati, Ohio and lets just say they didn’t “share” our sense of humor. Imagine the fun we are all having (45 of us) with that being said…Yee Ha let the games begin. The students from Ohio brought their grandparents and great aunts so you could imagine the culture shock and generation separation will make for interesting bloggings yet to come!
Hi!
We have had our first full day in Shanghai and will be leaving in the morning for Xian and will let you know when we land safely. Well, today we went to an interesting breakfast, lots of which even I wouldn’t eat, and then were off to the community cultural center. Clayton was taken into the back room and questioned while using his debit card. Once again, he was the only one that this happened too. Clayton was really shaken and upset and decided that he wanted to go home if he was going to continue to be singled out for what presumably is a victim of racism. The students all rallied around Clayton and we problem solved to always have cash so he doesn’t get questioned (for whatever reason they come up with). Solution seeking is one of our School Life Learning Goals (SLGs) and continuesto be put to the test here in China.
We went to the silk factory and checked out the worms and how they make threads for garments. It turns out the worms and their silk homes are eaten in China but at the factory the worms are murdered in the ovens after they have done their work for the product. Clayton made the comment that it was like the Jews in World War II which tied into a previous discussion that the Jews from the war sought asylum here in Shanghai and were welcomed by the Chinese people. (The Ohio school did not appreciate the analogy) Dr. Deb’s mother lived here after the war. We ended up with a lot of history lessons and the realization that the silk worms poop is somehow embedded in all the threads going into silk…nice. Despite the fact that Will and Kate bought silk sheets and comforters
We avoided the acupuncture clinic due to the flu situation and instead diverted to a Buddhist temple and garden. It was here that we witnessed an intense verbal fight between the ticket taker and a Chinese citizen. Our tour group leader instructor asked us to go in single file behind the fight but that was NOT happening and I made us wait until the coast was clear! All of a sudden the Ohio school had new respect for our school and was hiding behind us…ha h… I told them we would back them up and that we actually could if they needed it….We gained instant respect! We then had ANOTHER Chinese dinner and were off to an amazing acrobat show. It was a great way to end the evening.
Mike and Cody learned the RESCU Academy golden rule “there is no dating or romancing with each other”. It took them a couple of times but they finally got the message and we are all carrying on hoping not to be “pumpkined” at the airport!
Hi! Today we arrived in Xian and did not enter the pumpkin patch! We all made it safe and sound…ah well at least safe and healthy. The heat is getting to everyone and although tempers have flared we have used our School Life Learning Goals and quickly resolved them. The RESCU staff and chaperones have put out the fires as quickly as they have been lit…and today was red alert for “Forest Fires”. Hopefully, we have that out of our system and are moving forward. We had a bus ride to the airport a plane ride and then another bus ride to lunch (Chinese haha) then we were off to the museum. Unfortunately, one of the Ohio boys got ill and was puking his guts out. Half of the school went to get massages and the other half went shopping. After the discovery of the pumpkin patch kid we refused to eat dinner with the “gang” (whose leader we swear looks like “Goofey”) and went to Kentucky Fried Chicken across the park. The tour leader sent the Ohio Pumpkin and Goofey back to the hotel via cab and we went back on the bus. Tomorrow I will get a health report before we decide whether or not we will be traveling with the Ohioans…We are hyper vigilant about making it to Beijing and fulfilling our destiny… California-1 Ohio-0 hee hee
A special thank you to Cooper for allowing me to go to China for 2 weeks with the RESCU students! I miss you and love you very much…thank you for all your support and don’t worry I will be home in time to get you off to Santa Cruz! Go Banana Slugs! Mom
Hi!
The good news is the student from Ohio is “ok” and eating and traveling normally today. Tomorrow we leave for Beijing and the real test for the pumpkin patch. I want to thank Art for having the vision and courage to start a school whose students and families made this trip possible. Art if you are listening we all miss you and love you! We went to see the Terracotta warriors and it was a big day for souvenirs and we went through the day hot, tired, amazed, excited and full of new sights, tastes and smells. The girls are incredibly strong minded and willed because we are now “squatting” to go to the bathroom. The toilets consist of a whole in the ground and no toilet paper. The guys are taking it in stride but Kudos to the girls who are having a whole new experience and needing to balance hydration with “no way am I going to go to the bathroom ever again!” The best part of the trip is how much the students are appreciating home. The learned helplessness is being confronted and it brings new meaning to self-care and hygiene. We went to a goose pagoda and finally to dinner with hot pots where meat and vegetables were placed in a broth and we fed ourselves; unfortunately I burned my wrist on the pot but I treated myself with first aid as well as Kate who spilled boiling water on her legs.
We bailed on the “city wall tour” which was added by the Ohio crew because of cost and fatigue. I forgot to tell you about the “soft porn” movie shown on our flight to Xi’an. Holy crap the chaperones were unplugging as many kids as we could from their head phones but it was on all the screens in front of God and country and lasted the entire 2 hour flight. After some minor sex scenes, violence, and kidnapping, the movie ended with a woman shooting a man in the crotch, stabbing him in the eye and then climbing a tree to draw a picture of it. After words, the two women walked into the sea and committed suicide….I kid you not it was so uncomfortable to watch and yet RESCU Academy was having a ball with our usual humor. I can tell you that although we were unsettled- the Ohio crew almost had a heart attack! We will let you know once we arrive in Beijing and fulfill our “destiny with PE on the Great Wall”.
Hi!
We made it!!!! Today we flew into Beijing without being pumpkined. Clayton update: At the airport today he was “wanded” and then asked if he was a “good guy?” We all surrounded him and started making fun of the Chinese (quietly of course) and it made him feel better. It is really obvious what is happening to him as a male African American boy!
After repeatedly telling student’s not to take things from the hotels we had our first “I told you so moment.” Unfortunately, our SLG’s were broken at the previous hotel, before we left, when Sean and Buddig stole laundry bags from the hotel. Sean ended up paying a $100 yen fine and Buddig with a $50 yen fine to the management. (Sean took 2 of them) Ohio-1 California-1. The boys had the natural consequence of losing money and the students and chaperones were less than happy and so life on life’s terms has a whole new meaning.
We went to the Temple of Heaven in the scorching heat and then it was off to a rickshaw ride where we were whisked away through back alleys into deep holes smashing into the back of each other and finally came to a stop at a home serving us the best meal so far. We had a great time and then ended up back to the hotel for the night. The student’s humor and stress is at an all time high. Truly, insanity is not just a concept in the Narcotics Anonymous book hahaha. However, we are handling our drama with great grace and fanfare!
Today was a difficult decision making day as chaperones at RESCU Academy- since we had to decide “should we stay or should we go now” (at the end of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City). While I watched the students and chaperones start dropping like flies, we had to decide- are we all going to start feeling this way? Is it better if we all go back and get rest before the Great Wall touring day? Is it fair if the kids who are feeling well and paid for the trip miss out on some exciting opportunities? We decided what came out to be a successful decision: allowing students to go back with Cheryl if they were feeling ill or too tired to continue and allowing the other students to enjoy the rest of the day with me. Those of us feeling well went onto a delicious lunch at a Pearl Market place, a stroll through a crowded Summer Palace, a peaceful but moving lesson on Tai Chi, and a delicious sampling at a very nice Tea House. The group was in high spirits, happy and relieved that they were feeling good, but also worried and empathetic to the fact that the other students were back at the hotel not feeling well. Cheryl and I text back and forth, keeping each other updated on the health and wellbeing of the group. As the kids have settled into an early night and a “safe” pizza dinner, we are looking forward to a goodnights rest. We’re hoping that everyone feels better in the morning before the Great Wall-especially since it seems as if Murph, Clayton, and Miri may still not feel well enough to venture out tomorrow and we as a staff are taking into account the 13 hour flight the next day!
Hi!
I spent the day with Nicole, Clayton, Joey, Darton, Miri, Mark, Cody, Sam and Murphy all pooping, throwing up or heat exhausted. Some came back to the hotel (from Tiananmen Square) by taxi and paid $15 but Darton, Cody and Mark took a bike, because they were too impatient to wait for a taxi and feeling ill, they ended up paying $400 so as to not get into a fight with the bicycle man L. Clayton is the worst with some scary “red” chrystal light exiting his bottom which he Darton and Murphy all mistook for blood! Houston we have a problem…I’ve decided I don’t get paid enough to run around and look in all of the toilets in the hotel to see what is going on! EEEEEEEEEEkkkk however, I did it with great joy, a twinkle in my eye and a song in my heart as I made my rounds in taking care of my little ducklings (quack quack).
Valerie will have to fill you in (blog below) on the sights and sounds of Beijing since we missed it! Go China! Ohio: 2 California: -2
Oh! Pictures are also uploaded on our blog: Check out the gallery: http://rescuacademy.com/chinablog/?page_id=7
Hi!
Thank the lord and all the saints above we will be on our way home tomorrow. Miri, Cody, Sam, Clayton, Darton and Murphy all missed the Great Wall! They continued to be ill throughout the day but are feeling better tonight. All the RESCU students chipped in and bought gifts for our “fallen” comrades. The rest of us made it to the Great Wall, the Olympic sights of the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube. The wall was amazing but clearly would have been extremely difficult if not impossible for the students left behind. We had yet “another” Chinese breakfast, lunch and dinner and WE ARE OVER IT! The good news is we survived: money exchanges, fleas, bumps, bruises, burns, sprains, swollen feet, unknown bug bites, squatters, haggling, crappy food, farts, burps, headaches, shame (from the Ohio crew and all of China) vomiting and diarrhea! Your students are coming home grateful, hungry, stinky and proud for having made it! We will nurse the walking wounded back to Los Angeles and turn them over…hopefully we can avoid being “pumpkined” on the way home. Dr. Deb has been consulted along the way and we are extremely grateful for all of her support! The most important lesson, other than hanging your head forward and ramming into people (Chinese elderly), is that the RESCU bunch is the truest and the best and we keep things going and we never take a rest and we have one yell and we yell it altogether and it goes like this ”RESCU Academy Forever!” Please feel free to hum along and sing everybody together now…Oh the RESCU bunch….Much love to all and Thank You again Art for making this all possible and last but not least…Cooper Mommy is coming home Yeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
