David's Big Adventure in China

The Olympic Torch Relay…….bringing the Olympics to the people….OR NOT! The Olympic torch relay came to Kunming a couple weeks ago. As I have mentioned before, hosting the Olympics is a huge deal here and for 99.987% of the people seeing the torch relay is the closest they’ll get to seeing any part of the Olympics in person. Since the Sichuan earthquakes they have combined the torch relay with memorials and benefits for the victims bringing patriotism to an incredible high. Before the relay arrived there were vendors everywhere selling “I love China” t-shirts, Olympic t-shirts, and both Chinese and Olympic flags. The day before the relay here the local newspaper reported that the authorities were discouraging people from going to see the relay. A friend of mine that went anyway hoping to see the opening ceremony and a part of the relay told me that they had blocked the entrance to the park where it was being held and only pre-selected people were allowed in to watch. They showed it on tv and the opening ceremony was an elaborate affair with many of the minority groups dancing in their traditional clothing. My friend also told me that many people had come from surrounding areas hoping to see it but were also turned away. As you can imagine, they were pretty upset. On tv they give the appearance of it being for the people but in reality it is so tightly controlled that most people don’t have a chance to see it.

In other news……..Chinese Invades America! This week for the first time since the signing of the “Memorandum of Understanding” between China and USA, Chinese tour groups can now more easily travel to USA. The first group arrived this week and were treated like royalty upon their arrival. They will tour NYC, DC, LA and Hawaii over 10 days. It is now easier for Chinese tourists traveling with a tour group to get a visa to visit the U.S. although they still have to go to one of the U.S. consulates or the embassy for an interview before receiving their visa.

The earthquakes and the aftermath are still being reported here on a regular basis and there are millions of people living in tents or temporary housing. Including the “missing and presumed dead” the death toll is almost 90,000 with hundreds of thousands injured. I saw on the news today a report about a temporary school that was just finished in one of the worst hit areas. It was built in 12 days and includes classrooms, bathrooms, a cafeteria with cooking facilities, and dormitories. It is common for middle school and high school kids to live at their school during the week with frequent visits home on the weekends.

I will finish the school year here on July 4 (how appropriate… Independence Day!) I’m still trying to finalize my plans for after that and will update you on my travel plans, etc. next time I write. Happy Anniversary to my parents!