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2018 WCE China Swim Team Trip
3/31/18 Saturday (Seattle)
Our 28 member WCE China Swim Team Delegation led by WCE Board Member Dorris
Cronrath, Coach Mike Kelly (Gig Harbor HS Coach), and Coach Patti Matthew
(Olympic Aquatics Center Director and Olympic HS Assistant Coach) departed from
Seattle, will transfer planes in Beijing, and arrive in Guangzhou for their
tour of China. The Guangdong Swim Federation has invited our WCE Swim Team for
an International Swim Competition. The Swim Team Delegation will visit both
Guangzhou and Beijing, China. Pictures and emails will be posted on this page
during the trip!
4/1/18 Sunday (1:50 AM next day, 10:50 Seattle time)
Jessica Chen (our wonderful China Tour Manager) has emailed to say that our
delegation has arrived safely in Guangzhou! They have gathered their luggage
and are traveling by bus to The China Hotel where they will check in and get a
well-deserved night's rest. Tomorrow morning after an outstanding buffet
breakfast the group will tour the Chen Clan Temple (home of the Guangdong Folk
Art Museum) and Shamian Island. After lunch, they will visit the Guangzhou
Vocational and Technical College of Sport for a campus tour to view
demonstrations in multiple sports. In the late afternoon the swim delegation
will have a swim workout at the Aolongbao pool.
Jessica has sent us a photo of the delegation taken upon their arrival at
Guangzhou Airport! Encourage family and friends to view this website for daily
updates and pictures!
4/2/18 Monday (12:30 AM next day, 9:30 Seattle time)
Peter, our wonderful Guangzhou guide, has sent us an update of the day's
activities. "We had a really wonderful day today! In the morning, we went to
the Chen Clan Academy, which is also the folk art museum. The scriptures and
carvings there are really vivid and we learned a lot about the architecture
culture. We also tried paper-cutting and making Chinese knots. These
traditional Chinese handicrafts are interesting and take lots of skill and
patience. For lunch, we've tried our first Chinese meal and it was delicious.
We liked the Cantonese style dishes a lot. In the afternoon, we went to the
Guangzhou Vocational and Technical College of Sport. We visited the campus and
watched the training of the Chinese athletes. All the athletes worked hard and
swam very well. We had a great time together! We all have more friends after
the training. Tomorrow, we will visit No.21 Middle School and have a swim
training session in the afternoon. Looking forward to it!" Peter also sent a
few photos.
4/3/18 Tuesday (12:50 AM next day, 9:50 Seattle time)
Peter has sent us another update. "We had a fabulous time today. In the
morning, we went to Guangzhou No.21 Middle School for a cultural exchange.
First we toured around the campus. It's a really beautiful school. We now know
more about the school and we also know more about their daily life. We talked a
lot and communicated very well with the local students. Then we had a class
meeting together. We had become good friends before we had to say goodbye. For
lunch we tried buffet hot pot. Each of us got a pot with soup and cooked our
own food. The ingredients are on a buffet and there are lots of different food
to choose to eat. It's great fun to eat this way. We all liked it. In the
afternoon, we had training again at the Aolongbao pool. We trained together
with the Chinese swimmers and they swim really well. For dinner, we had
something special — dim-sum — it is delicious. It is served in
small but nice pieces and we tried tens of different kinds of dim-sum. It's one
of the things you must try in China.
Tomorrow, we will visit No.2 kindergarten and have the swim meet. Really looking
forward to that!"
4/4/18 Wednesday (1:50 AM next day, 10:50 Seattle time)
Peter has sent us our daily update. "Today was a full, happy, and exciting day!
In the morning, we went to visit Guangzhou No.2 Kindergarten. The kids were so
cute and we really had a good time having class and playing together with them!
Then we went to visit Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Memorial Hall. The memorial hall is
very great and we liked this kind of architecture. We learned more about
Chinese history too. Then we went to Shamian Island for more views. The scenery
was very good and we had a good time there. In the afternoon, we had the swim
meet with the Chinese swimmers. We all tried our best to swim and we all
enjoyed the time together! For dinner, we went to the Panxi restaurant and the
food there was great. Then we went to visit nearby Lichi Bay Park where local
people used to live and we had a look at what their life was like. It's was a
nice place to enjoy some Canton views. The scenery is really beautiful.
Tomorrow we will tour the city with local students! Can't wait for that!
4/5/18 Thursday (1:30 AM next day, 10:30 Seattle time)
Peter, our great Guangzhou guide, has sent us an update from the days
activates. "Today was a great day! We toured together with local Chinese
students. In the morning, we went to Haixinsha Square (where the Opening
Ceremony Pavilion for the 16th Asian Games is located). We saw lots of modern
buildings there, like the third tallest building in the world - the new
Guangzhou TV Tower, the new library, the new Music Hall and so on. Then we went
to the Guangdong Museum. It is very large and full of relics from Guangdong
Province. This was really a good chance to learn more about the history,
environment, and the culture here. After lunch, we went shopping together at Up
and Down Nine Pedestrian Street. We saw lots of interesting things. We even
tried to barter there. It was lots of fun! Time passed really quickly and we
had to say goodbye to our local friends. Then we visited the Five Ram Statue
and learned more about Guangzhou. It was our last day in Guangzhou and we had a
farewell dinner on a cruise boat. The buffet on the boat was great and the
scenery along the Pearl River was great too. We all had a good time. Tomorrow
we will leave for Beijing."
4/6/18 Friday (1:15 AM next day, 10:15 Seattle time)
Our WCE Swim Team Delegation is now in Beijing. Peter has traveled there with
our delegation. In Beijing our delegation will have two guides; Peter, and also
a local guide from Beijing.
Peter has sent us our daily update along with a few photos. "We had a full and
happy day today! In the morning, we practiced Chinese Kong Fu. We learned Tai
Chi from a Tai Chi master. All the movements and skills are so cool and it
actually helps with health a lot. We not only learned how to do Tai Chi but
also learned the culture and manners in Chinese Martial Arts. It is really
special and interesting to experience Kong Fu in the Kong Fu kingdom. Then we
got ready to leave for Beijing! The flight was smooth and Beijing, as the
capital of China, is just so big and so breath-taking. The weather here is
great and the history here is long and endless. We visited the Bird's Nest
and the Water Cube. The buildings there are great and grand. We all liked them.
We also had a special dinner today. We had the famous Peking duck for supper!
It was so so delicious and we all eat a lot. The other dishes served together
were also very good. We had a long and colorful day today! Tomorrow, we will go
to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. That will be another wonderful
day!"
4/7/18 Saturday (1:00 AM next day, 10:00 Seattle time)
Peter has sent us an update along with a few photos. "We had a very full, rich,
and wonderful day today. In the morning, we went to the largest square in the
world - Tian An Men Square. The buildings there are all grand and we finally
see what the "Heart of China" looks like. All the architecture there is worth
seeing and enjoying and we know for sure what "People Mountain People Sea"
means. We also visited the World Cultural Heritage - The Forbidden City. This
is really a royal trip. It is educational and enjoyable to see the place where
emperors once lived. The buildings inside are really impressive. In the
afternoon, we went to visit the Temple of Heaven. It's another Chinese culture
time. The buildings inside are really Chinese style and the scenery is so
beautiful. During the Ming and Qing dynasties Emperors had ceremonies here
each year to pray for a good harvest. In the evening, we went to watch the
Acrobatics Show. It is so amazing. All the movements and activities they
perform are challenging and exciting for people to enjoy. We all loved that!
Tomorrow, we will conquer the Great Wall! Really getting excited about that."
4/8/18 Sunday (12:00 PM same day, 9:00 Seattle time)
Peter (our outstanding guide from Guangzhou) has sent us an update of the day's
activities. "We have had a full and unforgettable day today! In the morning, we
went to the Great Wall! Chairman Mao said "He who never climbs the Great Wall
can't be called a true hero", and we are heroes today! The Great Wall is very
steep and hard to climb but we all tried our best to get to where we can get.
We've conquered the Great Wall! It is a really interesting and healthy trip to
visit the Great Wall. In the afternoon, we visited the Walk of the Spirits of
the Ming Tombs. The architecture there is great and grand. We had a good time
there and we learned more history about past dynasties. Then came another
highlight. We went to the Xiushui Market (Silk Street Market) for shopping. We
looked for what we were interested in and bargained with salesmen. We really
found some cool stuff there and we really liked the experience. For dinner we
had pizza! It is the same as, and a little different from, home. We and our
stomach all had a good time. Tomorrow, we will visit the Summer Palace and then
head home. We will miss China and the people here."
For Parents Meeting the Delegation tomorrow:
First go to www.hainanairlines.com.
Click on Flight Status and check on Flight #495 (or call Hainan Airlines at
1-888- 688-8813) to make sure the flight is on time. The flight is scheduled to
arrive in Seattle at 11:35 AM. You can meet the Delegation as they walk up
the stairs from the South Concourse — between baggage carousels 7 and 8
on the Baggage Claim level. Remember they will need 45-60 minutes to clear
US Immigrations and US Customs after their flight arrives.
4/9/18 Monday (12:30 AM same day, 9:30 Seattle time)
After returning to Guangzhou Peter sent us our final update and a photo from
the last day in Beijing. "We have had a great day today! In the morning we
visited the Summer Palace. It is so large and the architecture is so awesome
that we just didn't want to leave. The buildings inside are really Chinese
style and the scenery is very beautiful. After lunch we had to say goodbye to
Beijing and prepare to head home. Time really flies and we begin to miss China
already. We will be back home in a few hours!"
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