Day 10: A Yali Reunion; Sofia Shares Highlights

Sofia is in the spotlight as we head into the final portion of our trip! Sofia loves to be active, so it's no surprise that her favorite parts of the trip so far have involved being outdoors. She loved the public park in Chengdu and enjoyed the long hike up the thousands of steps to the Buddhist temple on Mt. Qingcheng. 

During our last morning in Chongqing, we walked into a narrow colorfully painted alley in a residential neighborhood that has become a shrine to a popular Chinese boyband from Chongqing. We then spent some free time in a market alley where many, including some chaperones who will remain anonymous, scrambled to find last-minute gifts for the person they selected on the bus to JFK! This group loves to shop, so get ready for some thoughtful gifts for your family upon their return at the end of the week! Sofia enjoyed getting a glimpse of what shopping life is like for the residents of Chongqing. 

After lunch, we drove to the train station for the high-speed train to Changsha! It was fascinating to travel through the countryside after being in so many cities. After what felt like a pretty quick 4.5 hours, we arrived in Changsha! We were greeted at the train station by Sonia (the Yali guest teacher who was with us all fall), Sharon (one of the visiting Yali teachers from the delegation that was at Foote in September) and our new tour guide, Lisa. They brought flowers for each of us! 

We drove by bus to Yali High School and were greeted with open arms by the host families and teachers. After introductions the students departed for their first evening with their hosts! 

The students left before we could ask Sofia about her highlights and challenges, but we will be sure to check back tomorrow. There was too much excitement!