Created at Leland & Gray High School in Townshend, Vermont, supported by the Asian Studies Outreach Program (ASOP) at the University of Vermont (UVM), and funded primarily through a grant from the Freeman Foundation,

Journey East, as a whole, consists of the Asian Studies Academy and Sino-American Performing Arts Exchange at Leland and Gray Union High School; the integration of an Asian Studies curriculum throughout the Windham Central Supervisory Union, and the introduction of Chinese language programs into the district.

Dr. Juefei Wang, Director of the Asian Studies Outreach Program University of Vermont, is a recipient of the prestigious Goldman Sachs Award for Excellence in International education, on behalf of the UVM, Asian Studies Outreach Program.

The Leland and Gray Journey East program is deeply indebted, and extends its heartfelt thanks, to Dr. Juefei Wang, without whose effort and support this program would not even be possible!

Thank you Juefei!

Are you fully recovered from yesterday’s show? There are so many fabulous photographs from last night’s performance and the day in Qufu, I suggest you take some time and revisit yesterday’s page.

Speaking of the many photos (yesterday alone topped eighty!), we’d like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to Neil Manders (seen below with a few of his friends in Xi’an! Photo taken on his trip to China a few years ago.) Neil has been an integral part of the success of the Journey East program and web site since the first journey in 2000.

Our methods of sending and receiving photos back and forth from China has seen quite an evolution over the years. The availability of internet access is limited to our JE group (partly because they don’t travel the usual tourist route) and the quality of connection is often less than reliable. In addition, trying to get the photos transferred easily from the camera to the sending computer has also proved challenging.

For this trip, Neil provided Tom with some nifty software and a thumb drive enabling Tom to quickly and easily resize (both dimensionally and digitally) the photos for quick transfer. Neil is also responsible for setting us up with a dedicated server location where we can communicate freely and easily without relying on e-mail or interference from other users.

As a result of this huge contribution, you all benefit from being able to see so much of the journey daily. These photos are the lifeblood that keeps us connected to the group. The more we see, the closer we are to both the kids and the journey itself. So, Neil, on behalf of the entire Journey east community, we thank you!

Because of the limited time the group had between last night’s farewell banquet and their departure this morning, we have just a few photos for you today. The next couple of days will prove to be “lite fare,” especially in comparison to days like yesterday! Like always, if we get new stuff in early, we’ll get it posted to the day’s page.

So, enough with the words for a moment while we check out some photos of the day . . .

. . . The village, as always, is a pretty moving experience. Kids became very conscious, immediately, of the clothing that they were wearing, the cameras that they were carrying and the relative opulence of our group compared to the poor villagers we spent a little time with. —Tom
 

The many faces of China

The gang also visited Ni Hill and a cave yesterday, along with the farewell banquet. We expect to have some photos of those events later.

Okay, so the group left the “Qufu experience” and are headed back up the road to Jinan (be sure to check out the map to follow their route). They had a rainy day (hard rain) yesterday which, at the time of our last correspondence, was playing havoc with their planned trip to Mt. Tai Shan (this is a cool site with panoramic views) in Jinan. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if they made it.

While in Jinan (check out the colorful photo of the Yellow River. It really IS yellow!), the group will also visit the Yellow River.

A week ago, the group was climbing the Great Wall. It seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? Such is another reality of this journey -- it seems impossible the quantity of the things they experience in a month. One of the reasons for this is that every day is full of intensity, challenging these kids in every way possible. Each day is a story unto itself.

This is not as much a trip to China as it is a journey through life.

Coming tomorrow . . . the JE Group unexpectedly becomes the guests of honor for an event attended by more than 4,000 people! We’ll have photos of that experience In living color!

Enjoy the fabulous Vermont weather everybody!

Moment of zen . . .