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AnonymousSusan,
THis is an excellent list, which I will print for future reference. In addition, pack a soft lightweight bag that doesn't take up much space in your suitcase to bring home souvenirs. Next time I travel abroad, I'm going to raid the travel section at Target and buy one of each kind of pharmaceutical available - asprin, peptobismo, sudafed, etc. Becky's little pharmaceutical bag came in handy for many of us!
Teresa
AnonymousGlad you liked the list Teresa and Lea,
Thanks for the additional comments and items. Speaking of one of the list inclusions, with regard to special cell phone chips etc., perhaps they will be avoided for the next trip. An article from 4/27/07 speaks about plans for a telecom phone cable being installed under the sea from Shanghai, beginning in 2008. The article mentions that the first phase of the cable will greatly increase international communications...good news for future immersion travelers.
If interested the web site is...
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/04/27/5322-undersea-cable-construction-initiated-in-shanghai/
-Susan[Edit by="spavelkagregg on Apr 30, 3:12:18 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousAh yes,
One last item. If you travel with Elzbieta, make sure to bring water to douse her on Smigus Dingus. Yes, we not only learn about the Chinese culture in China but the Polish culture. "Happy Smigus Dingus" was shouted as Elzbieta tossed water on all of us sitting on the bus, the day following Easter. My Uncle, who is 100% Polish, says that he remembers that the Poles celebrate this holiday as a way of "letting loose" after giving up something for Lent. "Now, they can have fun and lighten up, so to speak," he said. Then I read somewhere else that tradition holds that the boys soak the girls and the girls who get the biggest soaking are said to be the most fertile. Hmm, with a bus load of women...we are in trouble because we all were soaked that day, not only by the dousing that Elzbieta splashed on us but by the rain that followed. You may douse with any item that holds water on this day, a squirt gun, bucket, etc. We enjoyed it...half of us couldn't remember the name.
Right Carole..."Smingle!" Thanks for the fun and for the Polish insight Elzbieta - you were a terrific roomie and even though we woke up to the Polish national anthem coming from your phone's ring tone...it was memorable and made for great stories later! As far as relating these lessons to the students - any ties to cultural differences and appreciating those differences continues to make the world more of a global village! So, "Smigus? Dingus!"
-Susan[Edit by="spavelkagregg on May 26, 11:39:53 AM"][/Edit]
AnonymousDid I say one LAST item? There is always the suitcase. I brought a very
small suitcase about 1/3 of the size of most; however, it had wheels and
was really easy to get around. Like Lea with her bright orange ribbon, I
tied a bright red one around the handle of the suitcase which really helps
when you are half asleep and standing at the luggage area looking for
your piece among all the other black suitcases. Wheels come in handy
for taking the lugguage on and off the bus, through airports and train
stations and even down sets of stairs. I remember being concerned
about not having a backpack at my disposal, as mine is up in Sonoma
Country; however, the small luggage piece with wheels actually worked
quite well. If I had to do it again, I might bring another larger piece of
luggage and then be able to do away with the extra tote bag I needed
to buy for souveniers in Beijing. And THAT is the LAST entry on packing...I hope.
Oh yes, remember the 40 lb. limit...that is a must! 😛
-Susan[Edit by="spavelkagregg on May 26, 11:39:14 AM"][/Edit]
AnonymousGreat list there! I just wish it was there before we left because I did forget a lot of items from that list that I could of used.
Thanks for thinking of the future travelers.
AnonymousThanks Haydee,
You know, Joan reminded me of another item at our Mickey Finn's gathering.
When you bring your cash, make sure that it is not torn, corners missing etc.
Trying to exchange cash that is damaged, even folded, can be troublesome.
Joan was refused and carried around a hundred dollar bill she couldn't exchange.
I had trouble with using a few dollar bills that had small tears. At the camera shop, I did challenge the customer service attendant to find a yuan that was perfect, which gave her a good laugh; nonetheless, another good tip for travel.
Good to see all of you at the board meeting. You are missed and wished well always.
Susan
AnonymousAfter coming back from China, and thinking about how yummy the food was, I was fascinated when I read how Chinese food had recently been criticized by Consumer Reports.
Consumer Reports recently claimed that chinese food contains too much sodium. Eight Chinatown restaurant owners gathered on Mar. 22 to voice their outrage Wilma Pang, founder of A Better Chinatown for Tomorrow said that the report was too broad a generalization. The analysis by the Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest said "Chinese restaurant food is loaded with salt and, if you’re not careful, delivers a load of calories, thanks to its oil, noodles, and deep-fried batter or breading.The report offers a look at the calorie and sodium count for popular dinner dishes and concludes that these dishes contain an entire day’s worth of sodium, some even two days’ worth.