Eighteen of INTL*'s fourth and fifth graders have made it to Beijing on a beautiful spring day with the peach blossoms in full bloom. The students were very well behaved on the plane. We all sat together in several rows of three on one side of the plane. Although we initially had a set of three students on the other side of the plane, a nice threesome eagerly agreed to move from right smack in the middle of us to make a sweet trade with those three children. No one needs to ask why they were so quick to respond to our "deal".
It wasn't until half way that the students started to inquire, "When will be there?" With the somewhat shocking answer, the question was changed to, "When do we eat?" I suppose the latter seemed more forthcoming at that point. We had a lunch, a snack, and a light dinner on the plane. About an hour before landing, people started to fall asleep. Very asleep.
We went through customs with no worries, but we were a bit delayed by one lost piece of luggage. Our scouts were determined, and the bag was finally found abandoned somewhere odd as it had been accidentally taken.
We were well received by Terry and whisked off for an hour long bus ride to the hotel in the the center ring of Beijing very near Tian'an Men Sqaure. After a little time regrouping, we met in the hotel's restaurant for a real dinner around two large circular tables: tofu, chicken, fish, prawns, mushrooms with quail eggs, celery, vegetables, fried rice, soup, and some other tasty dishes.
After dinner, the children had some time to shower, arrange, and go to bed. The room arrangements worked out well. Each teacher basically has one room of four to watch over. The rooms have two bunk beds, received with shrills of wanting the top!
Tomorrow is a touring day, so we will be off and running at 7:00! It looks like it will be another spring day in Beijing with eighteen springy students in tow.
*In 2020, the International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) formally changed its name to Silicon Valley International School (INTL) to better reflect its bilingual programs, location, and international values.
