From Tongling, we returned to our Beijing 'home', the Nuo Hotel. After an almost six-hour high speed train ride, we arrived at the Beijing South station which was newer than the Beijing West station but just as large, crowded and confusing. Except for a one day trip to [...]

From Chongqing we flew to the Hefei Airport on an early morning flight that took about two hours. Like all of the other airports we went through, the facility was large, modern and efficient. Anna's roommate's Dad met us and we traveled about another 90 minutes by car to the town of [...]

With the exception of our overnight trip to Shijiazhuang, our first week was spent in Beijing. Took a public bus to view Anna's school to visit her campus and dorm. We hired a private guide to take us through the Forbidden City and later a tour of a [...]

How true is it that so many of life's great surprises are unplanned? Rondi and I never imagined that one day we would be spending three weeks traveling in China, staying in both hotels and private homes. Our daughter Anna is studying in Beijing for a year, finishing her senior college year. This is her fourth extended stay there and we [...]

My, oh my, how fast the time has gone by! It seems like only yesterday that we drove Anna to Portland in the middle of the night in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. She is now in the home stretch of her Beijing stay and is scheduled to return on the 23rd of June.

On weekends, Anna has been blessed to be associated with a wonderful host family and has had the opportunity to experience the [...]

My, oh my, how fast the time has gone by! It seems like only yesterday that we drove Anna to Portland in the middle of the night in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. She is now in the home stretch of her Beijing stay and is scheduled to return on the 23rd of June.

On weekends, Anna has been blessed to be associated with a wonderful host family and has had the opportunity to experience the [...]

The New Year is a major celebration in China and it provides the opportunity for families to get together and celebrate over several days. Schools and businesses are closed for an extended period of time and Anna has been off from school for almost one month. She took full advantage of her free time and traveled to several different parts [...]

The New Year is a major celebration in China and it provides the opportunity for families to get together and celebrate over several days. Schools and businesses are closed for an extended period of time and Anna has been off from school for almost one month. She took full advantage of her free time and traveled to several different parts [...]

Anna is busy studying hard at the No. 80 High School in Beijing. Since meeting President Hu Jintao in September, Anna has been able to explore the city and the larger metropolitan area. The program has high expectations and the students are tested frequently which means plenty of evening studying. Anna's roommate Perry's native language is [...]

Anna is busy studying hard at the No. 80 High School in Beijing. Since meeting President Hu Jintao in September, Anna has been able to explore the city and the larger metropolitan area. The program has high expectations and the students are tested frequently which means plenty of evening studying. Anna's roommate Perry's native language is [...]