Monday July 10, 2017
Hi CUL followers, family, friends and staff. Our names are Terrance and Isaiah and out of the 9 days that we have been in China, today was one of our favorites. Today, we experienced numerous things such as visiting the Song Dynasty Town, learning about China’s Reform and the 18th Congress and visiting the shopping mall. When visiting the Song Dynasty Town, we didn’t know what to expect. We were told that we were going to see a show, but when we arrived, we saw more than just a show. The Song Dynasty Town was a Chinese version of Six Flags Great America. Although we didn’t get a chance to explore every aspect of the park, we definitely enjoyed ourselves. I (Terrance) had a moment of fame when dancing to the music that was being played throughout the park. All of the Chinese people loved the creativity that I showed which led to a crowd of people gathering around to watch me dance. While being in the Song Dynasty Town, we were able to watch a show which we believe was the best show we have ever seen. It was a story of love and war. People were flying from one end of the stage to the other, horses were being ridden and they performed with fire. It was amazing!
Since the first day we arrived in Hangzhou, we’ve been going to seminars learning more about the Chinese culture. Today’s lesson was about China’s Reform and the 18th Congress. It was basically about how China has a huge population so they have to work together to provide for everyone because the government doesn’t give enough resources. China also wants to save a lot of money so they partner with private companies and grow their own crops to make it more beneficial for everyone in their community.
During our mall experience, we really didn’t focus on the materialistic things; we were so hungry that we all rushed to find all of our favorite fast-food restaurants like Kentucky Fried Chicken! When I tell you guys, we had the best chicken nuggets, even McDonald’s couldn’t compete with them! From experiencing all of the new foods that we have been trying, we finally got a chance to eat something we’re used to. For dinner, we all went out to a pizza restaurant that could possibly be the next Italian Fiesta. Overall, we enjoyed our day and we will surely cherish moments like these because we know this is a once in a life time experience. We would like to thank the Chicago Urban League again for giving us this opportunity and introducing us to new things.
~Isaiah Fletcher & Terrance Smith
