update on charlie

Hey guys,

Just wanted to check in and see how you guys are doing and whether you can access the blog.

Everything here is ok; it has been raining all week and looks to rain all next week.

Health-wise, there has been little change except that the people at Sloan-kettering can not formally classify me as having pancreatic cancer, so I have to have another biopsy. Geez!

atb

charlie

Looks Like We Made It....

After a two-hour delay in Savannah, we barely made our flight from Chicago to Shanghai. All in all, it was a relatively pleasant 13+ hour flight. When we landed, we were greeted by a crew of HazMat officials who boarded the plane in full HazMat regalia. One by one, they pointed an infrared flashlight at our foreheads to check for fever. We all held our breath while the HazMat folks went to work, for we knew that if one person on the plane had an elevated temperature, we might have had to spend our first week in a Chinese quarantine.

Upon further reflection, Cathy and I believe that some folks simply assume that we have the swine flu.

We hit the ground running immediately after landing. We are all amazed by the amount of construction in Shanghai. The famous Bund is simply covered in scaffolding. Speaking of which, much of the scaffolding is bamboo, not steel.

After a bit of touring, we went to a banquet-style dinner. That's where everyone began to realize how exhausted we all were. Chinese cuisine is living up to its reputation as one of the finest cuisines in all the world. At the restaurant, the staff just keeps bringing us dishes and dishes of terrific stuff. Cathy's favorites were the squirrel fish, pumpkin puffs and the yummy greens. I love the squirrel fish as well. I also enjoyed the asparagus stir-fry and the terrific chicken-peanut-chili dish.

Although some folks, myself included, did eat sample a frog dish, they didn't look like these poor fellows. ------->

We're staying at the HengSheng Peninsula Hotel, just off the Bund. It's very modern with a minimalist, but still comfortable design.

Sleep came easily for all of us. More later....

Delays are no Fun

Well, it seems that our plane had some mechanical issues. As a result, we are over an hour delayed....so far.



The question now is -- Where will we spend the night? On a plane to Shanghai or in a hotel in Chicago?



Michelle's phone keeps getting text messages from United telling her that we're leaving ten minutes ago.

Fingers crossed!

Zai Jian, USA!

Zai jian, USA!

Ni hao, Shanghai!!

We leave in a few hours for what is sure to be an exciting trip. Wish us luck on our travels.

Peace,
Michelle

bon voyage

Hey guys,

Just wanted to try this out. This is not my real bon voyage message; you'll received another, I hope.

I did want to remind you to complete the pre-assessment instrument and return it to Helena. If you did not get one, contact her. Remember to bring another copy to China and complete it at the end of the FDS. I would also remind you that the formative assessment process (discussions, blogpost, etc.) you guys will be conducting while in China is very important, not just for the assessment component of the grant, but also to help in the elaboration of your revised/new syllabi.

I am, of course, very envious of you all, but intend to experience the FDS vicariously through your eyes and words.

ATB

Charlie

Bon voyage

Wishing you the best for an exciting adventure!
David