Greetings From Beijing

I arrived last evening in Beijing. A sandstorm has blown in from the Gobi Desert so the air is full of dust! I met last evening with Peng Zhen and Lin Zhouping (CEAIE). They are putting everything together for our trip.

The hotel is great! You will all be spoiled. It says a 4-Star but it is really a 5-Star. The location is a little off the beaten track but we have a bus to get us to the places we want to be each day.

Be to the airport early! With 20 people flying international it may take a little longer than usual. They are checking the 50 lb weight on each bag so break into two pieces if you are a little over. Hopefully, the plane will have a little space and you can stretch out. I did have an empty seat next to me but don't count on it.

Peng and I will meet you at the airport. We will be coming in on another flight so we will already be at the airport.

Relax, have a good flight and see you in Beijing!

Dan

Beijing Hotel Correction Confirmed

Hotel Location Correction

We have a hotel in Beijing! Here it is!

Holiday Inn Central Plaza Beijing
Tel£º(011) +86 + 10 + 8397 0088
http://centralplaza.holidayinn.com.cn/pegpl_zhs/index.shtml

Passport, Ticket and Gift Pack Distribution

The distribution of electronic tickets and passports with Chinese visa is scheduled for Tuesday, March 28 at East Melange Restaurant Buffet in Hamden, CT, 203-288-8898. The Qufu partnerships will meet at 5:30 PM. I will do my best to arrive at 6:00 PM but I may be a bit later. If you do not have time to enjoy the buffet, you can still pick up everything up.

I will bring all ten gift packs as well. You can authorize a member of your team to pick up your ticket and passport if you are unable to make it or go to an alternative site and date to be determined for the Principal Shadow participants. Each school team receives: three tote bags, three apples, one sister school plaque. Wolcott and Fairfield receive two plaques since they are both partnering with two schools in Shandong.

Each participant also receives five luggage tags, ribbons to tie onto suitcases, backpacks, cameras etc. Your business cards will be used to make the luggage tags and you will receive what is left of the 1,000 printed cards. You do not need to bring more than a hundred cards. Leave the rest at home because they are extra weight! The price for 100 cards is not different than 1,000 cards so enjoy them!

For directions to East Melange go to: http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&q=east+melange&near=Hamden,+CT&radius=0.0&latlng=41395833,-72897222,7212897269722877390&sa=X&oi=local&ct=result&cd=0

Committee Assignments

Luggage Committee

Zingarella, Chair
Axon
Meyers
Carrah
Foster

Gift Committee

Lane, Chair
Kopecki
Sherman
Powers

Comfort and Logistics Committee

Skelly, Chair
Wilson
Lefebvre
Chapman

Culture/Language and Travel Committee

Carter, Chair
Goodrich
Skelly
Vantour

Production Management Committee

Huber, Chair
Wells
Saunders
Boyle

Seminar March 18

Seminar 3
Saturday, March 18

Location: Connecticut Association of Schools, Connecticut Principals' Center http://www.casciac.org/directions.shtml

Time: 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM

Agenda

8:00 - 8:30 Arrival and Breakfast

8:30 - 8:45 Overview of Day and Group Instructions, Dan Gregg

8:45 - 9:45 Preparing for China 2: Tickets and Passports, Luggage, Gifting and More, Dan Gregg (Principal Shadow Delegation)

8:45 - 9:45 Language and Culture: Money and Bargaining, Jeff Wang (Partner School Delegation)

9:45 - 10:45 Preparing for China 2: Tickets and Passports, Product Expectations, Luggage, Gifting and More, Dan Gregg (Partner School Delegation)

9:45 - 10:45 Language and Culture: Money and Bargaining, Jeff Wang (Principal Shadow Delegation)

11:00 - 12:15 Inside Look at Shandong Province and Final Preparations, Dan Gregg

12:15 - 1:00 Lunch Provided

Seminar 4 will be held in a late afternoon before April 7 for the purpose of distributing gift paks, business cards and luggage identification kits.

SOS

The following website takes you directly to an insurance plan that covers medical emergencies while we are in China. If you have an alternative plan, you can choose it as well. SOS offers two levels for our group: one is for basic Student Scholar Abroad traveler at $70 for 30 days or less; $95 for comprehensive coverage.

The website is: http://www.internationalsos.com/buymembership/Globaltrvlr.cfm?CTYO=USA&TripI=STU&Page=1

You can sign up directly on line and print out a form that has your proof of membership. Make a copy of that form and mail or deliver to me at the next meeting on March 18. You will also receive a card in the mail. You can make a copy of the card as well. Be sure to bring the card with you when traveling to China.

Group Check

In 2002, a Connecticut high school teacher taught me be a system to make sure that all participants were present for scheduled departures throughout the field study. After only a few days I had become very weary of counting. The system about to be described worked flawlessly for over three weeks until we got to the Sinopec complex outside of Beijing. I called for a group check and there was no response which meant everyone was present. Our bus had moved about 100 feet when a hysterical roar from the back of the bus let me know clearly that someone was missing. It was the teacher who provided me with the flawless strategy. He had made a stop at the four star Chinese-style restroom!

I will provide an advance time for assembly in the hotel lobby for departures and for other events where you may have some free time before a scheduled departure. We will do group checks frequently. Here is how the system works. Below is the list for all participants in the group in alphabetical order. Each participant looks for the next person on the alphabet list. The last person on the list, Zingarella, looks for the first person, Axon. In the hightly unlikely event a person is not with the group for a medical or other reason, you will need to skip that person and look for the next person on the alphabet. We do not need to keep track of Peng and Gregg because nothing will move without them.

Group Checklist

Axon
Boyle
Carrah
Carter
Chapman
Foster
Goodrich
Huber
Lane
Lefebvre
Kopecki
Meyers
Powers
Saunders
Sherman
Skelly
Vantour
Wells
Wilson
Zingarella

Committee Responsibilities

Here are the committee responsibilities. These committees do not have official meetings! If you somehow feel inadequate for the assigned committee, only you will know.

Luggage Committee:
--Obtains carts at airports, place luggage on carts and roll carts to destination;
--Maintains luggage inventory;
--Hands personal luggage to fellow participants when handling group luggage;
--Makes sure each participant has visual check of personal luggage;
--At hotels makes sure everyone knows time luggage needs to be placed outside hotel door for bellhop pickup for departures;
--Carries extra self sealer luggage tags for lost tags; and
--Carries extra identification ribbons for lost ribbons on luggage.

Gift Committee:
--Arranges gift needs one day in advance in consulation with group leader;
--Collects group gifts from participants for bus driver and guides; and
--Arranges for gift transport to all gifting events.

Comfort and Logistics Committee:
--Advises on daily attire;
--Handles first aid needs;
--Carries files for medical and emergency information;
--Collects passports for hotel arrival; and
--Maintains participant room list.

Culture/Language and Travel Committee:
--Advises on international travel;
--Advises on culture/language issues; and
--Maintains group cohesion.

Production Management Committee:
--Keeps tract of assignment completion of journal entries, ethnographies and reflections;
--Manages use of computers for completion of assignments;
--Manages a team approach effort for using computers; and
--Conducts technology inventory.

Room List

The following room list will be used for Beijing and Jinan when we are all together as a group:

1. Meyers and Saunders

2. Lefebvre and Kopecki

3. Lane and Boyle

4. Foster and Carter

5. Huber and Chapman

6. Wells and Axon

7. Goodrich and Powers

8. Zingarella and Carrah

9. Sherman and Wilson

10. Vantour

11. Skelly

12. Gregg

13. Peng