Yesterday, we arrived in Suzhou and checked into the Traveler’s Inn hotel. It was smaller and homier than the Rainbow Hotel, and in a better location also. After we had lunch, we went to the No. 6 High School for an exchange program. One of the faculty talked a little about the school. It’s one of the top academic schools in Suzhou, but it also has an arts program. We watched different performances by students at the school that reflected their culture, and then the Big Band performed for them.
One girl from the school played a piece on a traditional Chinese string instrument. It was like a cross between a harp and a piano. Next, we saw a girl do an interpretive dance about a bird.
There was also a short drama about the earth and two more musical performances. Then the Big Band played. It was really hot in the auditorium, but the performers still did a great job. It was BANG! (a new Chinese word we learned for “great”.)
We sat together with the Chinese students in the audience during the musical performances.
Classroom in Middle School No. 6 in Suzhou. The kids are on summer break right now, just like us.
After we cooled off back at the hotel, we were allowed to stroll the shopping street close by. Even on the one small street there were tons of bicycles. We had to be extremely careful not to get hit as we were crossing the streets. We browsed in some of the shops, which had fans, purses, and other trinkets.
Then it was back to the hotel for rehearsal, thankfully inside an air- conditioned room. This concert was in a small lecture-hall type room that was attached to the hotel. We looked pretty cool because all of the seats were covered in bright red cloth. Rehearsal was quick and then we got some more free time. We went out with another group and after wandering around, we went into a supermarket and looked at all the typical Chinese groceries, We bought plenty of snacks, like Dove chocolate and steak- flavored potato chips.
The concert that night went well despite a discrepancy about what time it started. Again, we were pleasantly surprised with the turnout. We had dinner at the hotel, and then watched Chinese MTV until curfew. Then it was off to bed because we had to get some rest before our 6:30 wake up call.
This morning, we first headed off to one of the nearby gardens. Apparently, Suzhou is famous for them. We all felt like we were melting in the humidity, but the garden was beautiful.
Today it was 39 degrees C when we visited the Master-of-Nets Garden. That's 110 degrees F.
After our garden tour, we got back on the cool bus and drove to the silk factory, where we learned about silk making. We also got to hold some of the silk worms. More photos and blogs will follow soon about our incredible visit to the silk factory. A lot of people bought souvenirs. We had a family style lunch at the restaurant and now we’re off to our next destination- Hangzhou. Hope everything’s well at home and that you’re enjoying the cooler weather. We miss you and will see you in two weeks. Can’t wait to show you all the souvenirs we bought for you!
-Nina and Kalli
