China Trip 2019: Days 7 & 8

We met back at Yali this morning and had time to reflect briefly as a group on the opening days of our homestays. The kids were in high spirits, and there were plenty of nice stories to bask in (along with a few awkward moments to laugh about.)

After our meeting, which closed with a recorded pep talk by Deadra Hart, the students rocked their performances at the assembly! Every ninth grader was up on stage at least once (for an original body percussion routine, a recitation of "Mian Chao Hai Chun Nuan Kai" by Hai Zi, an a capella rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," and/or a dance to "Uptown Funk"), and China Ambassadors Marley and Rohan were excellent emcees.

We spent the rest of the morning visiting the school's TV station and trying our hands at sand painting, then had what the kids considered a dream lunch....at Pizza Hut! 

We spent the afternoon participating in English, PE art and music classes, and playing a friendly game of basketball. (We didn't really keep score but the kid report we were down by four.) This evening we will be making and eating dumplings with Yali parents in the school cafeteria and then heading home with our hosts.

It has been warm and sunny since we arrived here in Changsha (after almost two months of rain). Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer, which is lucky because most of our day will be outside, learning Taijii, hiking Yuelu mountain, and visiting Yuelu Academy before an evening farewell party and what will be the last night (already?!) of our home stays.