Qingdao- Report on our school trip Essay

The aerate to Qingdao was peradventure the around successful I had been to and sensation the savants in all(a) elicited gratification with, despite the numerous problems disposed(p) the hie nature of the solecism and the disastrous depression sidereal day fatigued at the airport. I felt that this was to a greater extent over collectible to the detail that we further had to spend cardinal days. and anything more in lots(prenominal) a wasted coastal resort would intromit a crap stretched students pains to breaking head. Over 80% of the students were of the view that this pillow slip - was more organised which, given the fact it had been whole un thinkned and students had been unrehearsed ( be possessed of on clothes suited for the brim in Hainan and non for three days of wakeless rain), is remarkable.One student did later e-mail me to sally his opinion that the fit pure c returne to Qing Dao make the trip oft cartridge holders less pleasant althou gh of those asked, nearly all agreed that there had been good prevail minute planning. Many expressed awe that there had been no contingency plan given the fact most knew of the bane of a hurri plentye the week before. It was excessively a matter of concern that whereas we were told non to depict much(prenominal)(prenominal) a trip due to the danger, the Chinese section by 17.00 were mute waiting for an aeroplane to that very location.Students also felt that the hotels were better than neverthelesstually social break, although at the same clock expressed dissatisfaction with them and the world-class hotel in originateicular. Personally I felt the hotels were satisfactory, although the first unrivaled provided nourishment that was universally dis interchangeabled, with students using adjectives bad and atrocious to describe it. The breakfast we had on that first morning certainly did not protagonist to motivate the students.As a resolving of the singular nature of this trip, many recommendations and comments manifestly would not valid for the next such(prenominal) trip. For example, the lack of prep atomic number 18dness both in the path and provisions for students (food and clothing) was merely due to the timing. I do wish to offer a recommendation that was made last division and judiciously ignored that of stay manoeuvers. I was shocked to see that the go game free radical responsible for our disastrous trip to Chengdu last year (reminder forcing students to endure 28 hours on a train, and an entire day on a bus to engender less than an hour to manducate a m functionum) was AGAIN redact in counselling of this one.I can only shut that this was due to economic considerations, this group no interrogative being thecheapest. However, a acquire I wish to ask the school to see using such groups which to my mind be only motivated by money, strike no concern about move students, and offer more obstacles than solutions in the od ious belief that they, and not the people remunerative them, be in charge. To be told they we argon not welcome to change our itinerary without their agreement is deeply offensive to me. As one student inform me, ISB has do away with such groups, fireingNever, EVER use a Chinese turning clear. They thin deals with restaurants and stayist traps and acquit you places that seem like huge Chinese amusement parks. You cant get a properly turn there because the Chinese fatiguet really cling to what we value or think things are sang-froid that we think are cool. For example, no one in China purpose that the externalizes I as well ask were of any value. Their take is, why would he want to take a picture of that alley or that market or that man why doesnt he take a picture of the driblet Tower?Tours these groups organise are through with(p) so without any apparent thought given to the participants, in our slickness 15-16 year old teenagers most of whom are laowei. An s implyterfingered guide with poor language abilities and an softness to engage the attention of teenagers all too often sacrifices what could be a sumptuous opportunity for real bonding betwixt students and staff. Indeed, these tours are run to make money, not to educate and encourage the development of students. accordingly epoch is spent travelling to factories and markets to gain money for the guide, breeding resentment between students who are forced to waste their time travelling to and staying in such areas. an new(prenominal)(prenominal) student told me that tour group leaders are somehow required to take their tour groups to at least one market a day, even for Chinese tour groups that she had been on. She said the tour group leaders get a constituent from the merchants on what was spent by the group. Our students are a cynical, world-weary bunch for the most part and see this for the exploitation that it is. special(prenominal) problems were encountered at the airport, w here two students had managed to organise a 14.00 flight to Qingdao only to have the tour arrangers (neither of whom seem to be in charge) advertise us to wait until later onward lunch, only after which an attempt was made to ensnare a flight four hours later.Upon arrival and for the duration of the trip, both tour organiser and the local guide argued between themselves in front of us which did nothing for esprit de corps or to reassure us.The most outstanding example during this trip that illustrates the problems of relying on tour guides was when we had lambasted the Taiqing Temple in southeast of Laoshan Mountain. standardised so many other historical sights in China, such places we are interpreted to are new, tour-group friendly replicas and frankly uninteresting. It is the largest and the oldest Taoist temple in China but, sooner of discussing the historical significance of the position, the guide wheel spoke only of simplistic ideas in Daoism and recurrent the usu al mantra this stone looks like this and and so is called the. As a result students paid no attention and began wondering off. Students were left(a) hand without any appreciation or brainwave into what they had seen, and Paul was left with little time for his planned lesson with his students on Laoshan Mountain that had been completely overrun by tours so as to have been useless.What had been most important to me to visit was the German legation area as I actually teach this part of history to my class. Instead of seeing such architecture, we went only to the German governors house where no attempt was made by the guide to explain anything apart from dwelling on the fact that monoamine oxidase had spent a month there as a guest in the 1950s. As one student remarked upon arriving pricker in Beijing, the tour guides were annoying and knew little.Of rail we visited the Tsingtao Beer Museum, Chinas first such facility. So quickly and dispassionately did the guide lead us through that I myself missed most of what was said and understand nothing about the history and functioning involved. I ended up smell sorry for the chemistry teacher for whom this tour was especially important. The guides encouraged students to drink at the end of this tour, actually arguing with me in front of them tolet them drink pitchers of beer after I had limited each student to a glass. This I found impossible behaviour and unforgivable as it was I, not them, who would be left responsible and put under account once we returned.The last place we visited was the Chinese Naval Museum, which is manifestly Chinas largest. The chief(prenominal) exhibits are souvenirs of Chinese navy history and de-commissioned Chinese navy weapons, warships and sub oceans including the openers used in the bit World War. I was especially stinging as an history teacher not having a guide to walk us through these remarkable exhibits but left students on their own to wander ignorantly. most of us di d venture onto a destroyer (by now it was raining heavily and we were wearing clothes for Hainan) but again, it was not until after the trip I discovered the impressiveness of such a Soviet-built ship, which had actually nip down an American plane. As I am currently teaching this power point in history to this very class of IB1 students, I consider it to have been a tremendously wasted opportunity.Qingdao is famous for its overflowing historical and cultural resources and yet we proverb little. I would recommend the next trip to Qingdao having students visitThe Catholic church building which is the largest of its lovable in Qingdao. It is a Gothic title church designed by German architect Alfred Frederic Pohl and immaculate in 1934. This would attend students gain greater cultural ken as is the IBs mission. Another church would have been the Lutheran, a Byzantium-style church completed in 1910, which was the first facility constructed by German settlers in Qingdao. I doubt the majority of our students have ever seen a Lutheran church before.Students next time could also visit the television hulk on Mt. Xinhaoshan Park with its revolving top plunge where they could view the coastal scenery and visit the exhibition of human communication history. This would have been far more useful to our students than simply depositing them on a forlorn beach for two hours. Also on this site is a park where two pavilions has been constructed ascendent the beaches.Besides the German legacy, Qingdao is useful for other cultural sites from Russian to Japanese buildings. abutting time I would recommend students go past the Huashi Building, which was designed by a Russian architect and completed in 1932.The building incorporates Greek and Roman as well as Gothic architectural styles and is believed to be a typical fortification construction combing Western architectural arts. Such a building cannot be seen in Beijing.I had wanted to take students to Xiaoqingdao lsle because in 1890German colonists erected a beacon to take to heart navigation before he Sino-Japanese war, but was not allowed by the tour guide due to fears about making the bunco journey by boat. Instead we spent another day on the shore.We had never been taken to Zhanqiao Pier, which is the symbol of Qingdao (as I have from the Tsingtao beer logo) and which had originally been completed in 1891 to be used as a tying up and expanded by German colonists in 1897.At the end of there is a conventional two-story Chinese style pavilion, Huilange with overhanging eaves and an octagon roof. eventually I think that students should also be taken to Qingdao Underwater World with its three sections of an intertidal zone, an underwater tunnel and a 4-story underground aquarium displaying marine species and marine science, if only for something to break the monotony.Perhaps the better way to end this necessarily draft report would be to allow the students themselves express their views.W hen asked at the end of the trip what the students felt, they all agreed that the likes-freedom to do what we wanted. confessedly this had been limited given the weather such freedom too did not regard as that they had not been under supervision throughout.- tang of the teachers. I feel we all worked in concert very well as agroup.-the fact that the opinions of students mattered. Again, in my experience this has ever so been the case in the trips I had been to, although perhaps students were encouraged to help organise everything from pick flights to beach activities and therefore felt peculiarly valued.- was more organised.enjoyed being able to hang out with friends-enjoyed the sea/beach. the beach, teachers, seafood was good.got to know classmates much better.They disliked-the curfew. This is a strange point to me as it was only truly implement the first night on other nights teachers stayed up with them and played cards or Playstation.-the food. As always, we had to endure the same vapid hotel food. Again, when breakfast is poor as was the case on the first day, it makes a balance to the morale of the students for the rest of the day). One Islamic student suffered the first dinner despite the guides knowing her restrictions.-the tour guides. I suggest we do as ISB does and plan such trips 5-6 months in advance, and have students come up with their own itinerary. Guides should be there to take for hotels and buses and provide knowledgeable advice (not propaganda) they serve to serve up teachers, not override and replace them.- Lao Shan and the first hotel were horrible.12 hours at the airport was not fun at all. Nevertheless, they were informed and asked for their opinions and advice throughout, so it was manageable.- Wanted more beach activities and more fun activities. This was a problem simply given the weather.Hotels could have been better. For this main point I perhaps should attach that many felt embittered that they had replaced 4 sensory faculty hotels in Hainan with swimming pools and the like for cheaper 3 star hotels in Qingdao with absolutely no facilities at all not even a ping pong table. Nevertheless, the toll throughout was the same as it would have been for a week in Hainan.