China Day 605 Last Day of School and Kung Fu!

Today was the kid's last day at Jian Hua for their cultural exchange.  I got these slew of photos from their Chinese teacher in my email.  So sweet of her to have documented their time in school.  I will let the pictures tell the story.  Just look at the children's faces...East meets West...looks beautiful and inspiring to me.  We should all take a lesson from these sweet kids.

Her SMILE :))))

Take note of the 'cool kid', also known as 'clever boy'.  :-)

I cannot type the proper tone marks, but this is shan zi wu,
 or traditional fan dancing.

I love how Ava is intent on learning <3

Notice something about this photo?  Chinese school children
between the ages of 6-14 wear 'red scarves' as part of their
school uniform.  They are members of the Young Pioneers of
China, the precursor to joining the Communist Youth League,
and then eventually, the Communist Party. The Constitution
explains that the red scarf is symbol of the blood sacrificed by
martyrs of the Revolution.  It is to be worn reverently.

No matter, these children are FRIENDS.

At the end of the last day, Ava wrote a message on the chalkboard
and 'clever boy' (aka Eli) signed it, too.

The kids were presented with journals, signed by all of their
classmates. Some gave them hand written personal notes, and
amidst tears of good bye, the last of the class photos were taken.
Even Eli got choked up at having to say goodbye.  We talked
about it on our subway ride to the other side of the town.  It
was decided that they would surprise them with the remainder
of the sacks of candy from the U.S. on Monday afternoon.
Their flight takes off for home on Tuesday.

We went home and got on our 'nice clothes'
and then headed out for the evening.  These
kids are adept at navigating the subway now!
This Mimi sure loves her Ava girl.

The first stop was the Pearl Market which is about
five stories of haggling and power shopping.
The kids had a bawl choosing gifts for their family.
Elijah drives a hard bargain; he is not to
be trifled with.  Seriously, the boy did well!

We were all too excited to find a McDonald's
for a quick dinner, then we headed out to the
Red Theatre to see The Legend of Kung Fu.

When I saw this show with my friends a few months ago,
I knew I had to bring the kids here.  They have studied
taekwondo for years, and the cast features many young boys.

They got a thrill when some of the cast came
down the aisle right beside them!

The precision of the Kung Fu and the choreography was incredible.
I am not exaggerating to say that the kids were literally on
the edge of their seats, and the smiles never left their faces :)

The finale

As a special treat, I let them go up on stage after the show
to meet some of the cast members and to pose for pictures.

I don't think this night will soon be forgotten.
They both absolutely loved live theater.  In
fact, as we were leaving, they asked if they
would have a chance to go see it again.
Maybe next year, guys, if we can talk Mom into it!

I don't know how the boy got his face
so filthy on the subway ride home!

Though it was a late night getting home, we had to shower, lay out our clothes and pack our backpacks...we had to be out the door by 6:30am to catch the high speed bullet train to Tianjin where we will spend the next two days exploring all this beautiful city has to offer.  We certainly don't let any grass grow under our feet, so it is onward and upward for the next China adventure!

G'nite, y'all!