Mount Holyoke Glee Club Alumnae -- China 2007

More Photos

2007-08-20T22:09:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

Hope you are doing well. I was poking around on my computer this evening and discovered a program called "Photo Stitch," which will automatically knit together photos that I took in a panorama. I took a set of photos in a circle in Tiananmen Square, put them together with the program and uploaded it to my Flickr account. I also added one from the trip to England and Wales in 2005, taken on my trip extension with classmate Kate Runge. Enjoy!

Tiananmen Square

Beach in Wales

China photos

2007-08-06T11:58:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my favorite photos from China

oops

2007-07-23T11:38:00.000-05:00

sorry...I meant Cynthia for the photos.....you know that mid-life problem:) Laura

thoughts of China

2007-07-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

Hi, All......I hope you are all safely home in your soft beds. I still feel that I am either on a bus, boat or plane! The poor body clock is still confused, but slowly I'm realizing I am back in the US, although my head is still full of our Chinese adventure! I keep hoping that there will be a party in room 510 at 5:10!
My first meal of steak looked incredibly foolish on the large plate with the heaping pile of mashed potatoes! Sometimes I wonder what we are doing to ourselves in this country, and yes, some poundage did fall off in China!
I miss our merry band of characters and hope Eric is coping without us.....I'm sure he misses us!
Judy......your photos are great! I can't wait to see what other folks come up with. Take care, everyone.....thank you all for making this one incredible adventure! Love, Laura H.

Basic reality, bah!

2007-07-22T03:46:00.000-05:00

Even counting the marathon journey to home on Wednesday, the never-ending-day, I would not have missed a moment of our adventure in China. Thanks to the bloggers, even my short term memory can retain the sense of the experience. I keep waking up and thinking I'm somewhere other than my own bedroom. I hope that those who were ill are now well. As for work -- well, I'm not up for basic reality yet. Tomorrow is another day. Love and kisses to all, Leslie B.

If you thought it rained a lot on Tuesday in Chongqing ...

2007-07-20T05:25:00.000-05:00

... you were right! Here is a link to the China Daily story about the storm. Before you get your calculator out, 266.6 millimeters is about 10.5 inches.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-07/18/content_5438852.htm

Thoughts from the Kane Family Home

2007-07-19T19:55:00.000-05:00

Pinch me! Were we really in China?

Desperate for non-Chinese food, we left LaGuardia last Saturday night and called for pizza delivery from our favorite place while we were on the way home from the airport. The delivery car pulled down the driveway just after we did. We giggled as we pigged out on plain and pepperoni. Sunday, we grilled steaks and had baked potatoes! Sandwiches and salads, pasta and non-watermelon desserts (yes, the sweet, fattening kind!) have filled our bellies as we've settled back in to work and routines.

Monday morning it felt as though I had been away from work for at least a month. While it was a strange feeling, it felt good....I had really unplugged. My vacations usually consist of interruptions (calls and email) from work, so this was a real treat. And, best of all, the email back log was about half of what I had anticipated.

We've had fun sharing stories of our experiences and learnings as we get reconnected with family, friends, and colleagues. I feel like I could go on for hours talking about the past two weeks. Danielle voted the "surprise" visit to the Houtong the highlight of the trip; for Jillian, the Great Wall (and feeling like a movie star as she posed for pictures with numerous Chinese families!); Dan's favorite was serving as "Dan, the New Bank of China" financing purchases at the artist's home in the Houtong; and mine was the faintest echo of the Beijing Women's Chorus!
We can't thank Cathy and Debbie enough for all they did to make these once-in-a-lifetime experiences possible.

Well, I'm 45 minutes past my new bedtime. The jet lag has offered me a fresh start at some lifestyle changes regarding sleeping habits and I'm trying to make the most of them. At 5:00 this morning all four of us were dressed in the kitchen and laughing hysterically at how the most serious sleeper (sad to say, that's me they were poking fun at) has never been up at that time of day. My boss hasn't seen me in the office this early since I was a young thing trying to climb the corporate ladder! Oh well, I've got a record to keep....at least for this week!

We send our best to all and are glad to hear the trip home was a safe one. We especially miss Bus B, but we're glad the NJ traffic is moving faster than that in Beijing!

Back in VT!

2007-07-19T16:16:00.001-05:00

Well, the 3 Woods/Hall family members are back in VT where it is a cool 65 degrees and raining. Feels frigid! I hope by now everyone has gotten home safely. Thanks so much to all for being so cooperative and fun to be with! I will be checking out photo sites to see if there's anywhere we can both upload and download so that we can truly share our photos...in the meantime, however, I need to get Cameron ready for camp and myself up to speed on a whole new set of music for a trip to be a member of a choir to be resident at Lincoln Cathedral in England for a week in August... Love to all, Debby

Got home safely

2007-07-19T15:19:00.000-05:00

The South Hadley 12 arrived back in SH safely last night at about 12:15am. I ended up staying in scenic Chicopee, where I had lovely views of the mass pike and Denny's, but I digress.

I had such a good time with my Glee Club Alumnae sisters that I hated to say goodbye. Parting with the non-cruise people was hard enough! Sending good thoughts to Lee Catalano, who is probably still in transit to the left coast.

Seeing as my body clock is currently set to 4:30am, I don't really have anything profound to say, but will later. Parroting Cynthia, I also have a Flickr account, but haven't yet posted any China pictures. When I do, you can find me there as "emdurso", and the pictures in a MHC-China set on the right hand side of the page.

Also, I'm uploading the videos I shot to youtube. There's one currently up; my user name is massgal16.

Some of My Photos

2007-07-18T16:58:00.000-05:00

I uploaded some of my tour photos to Flickr. It's a free photo-hosting site and here's the link.

They are also on my account at Snapfish, the digital photo printing service that I use, and if anyone uses them too and wants to "share" my album, just email and let me know.

In addition, if you want any of these emailed to you for your personal collection (because you are in them?), let me know and I'd be more than happy to do that too.

Mexican food tastes extra good after a very long absence.

We`re in Tokyo!

2007-07-18T01:21:00.000-05:00

Well, the cruise group has made it as far as Tokyo...unbelievable monsoon in Chongqing yesterday (enough so my cell phone got wet and shorted out!) But we had good weather for most of the cruise so we can`t really complain. I`m sure others will blog about the cruise when they get the chance but the scenery was spectacular through the Three Gorges and we did get to do our thing in the on-board talent show the last night. I will be researching photo websites when I get a chance back home (following sleep and laundry of course!) Debby

Final thoughts on the tour

2007-07-16T19:24:00.000-05:00

I'm finally home and appreciating all the things I generally take for granted in my daily life, like brushing my teeth with tap water, not having to remember to bring toilet paper with me into public bathrooms just in case, and not having to deal with persistent salespeople any time I step outside!

China was a great trip overall. There are so many things to see, and I think we managed to squeeze them all in and see everything in the cities we visited. We were able to get a wide sense of Chinese history. Our guides were of course reluctant to talk about certain parts of more recent history, but they gave us glowing reviews of their cities and the ways in which their country is becoming more modern. The government-sponsored factories which we visited that make silk products and tea and cloisonne seemed to be primarily demonstration factories and probably do not give a true sense of what it is like to work in that industry. We definitely saw that a lot of work goes into many of these crafts and they are all so beautiful. It felt a little strange to be at "historical" sites when we knew the sites had to be rebuilt or restored following the destruction of the Cultural Revolution. Our greatest contact with people came with our concerts, which were amazing. I really enjoyed watching other choirs perform and being able to stand with them on stage to sing together.

I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to explore China with MHC alums. We come together knowing that we have in common only MHC and a love for singing, yet we have interesting conversations and build new friendships across class years and careers. Cathy and Debby planned a fantastic trip and invited incredible women to join the tour. I'm already looking forward to the next time!

Returned!

2007-07-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

Wow. What a trip. The first round of travelers, those not on the cruise extension, has returned stateside. Another special thanks to our fearless and nearly unflappable leaders, Ann & Laura, for helping us through many rounds of official checks and through to South Hadley for some of us. Speaking of SH, those who traveled all the way back there arrived around 1:30 yesterday morning, after too many hours in transit. (I hope that the rest of you made it!)

Since my laundry is now in the wash, I figured it was time to post impressions of the trip!
- I am constantly in awe of my fellow alums -- thanks for making this tour so much fun.
- I definitely saw things on this trip that I only ever thought I would see in postcards or on the internet -- the Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall, Tianamen Square.
- My favorite city of the trip was Xi'an, since it was smaller and felt less hurried, plus it had the Hundred Kinds of Dumplings dinner! (16 courses...)

That's all for now. I'll post a link to something when I upload my photos... --Cynthia

From Debby's sister Cindy in Atlanta

2007-07-14T08:16:00.000-05:00

Debby called last night and they are all doing well...tired but having a wonderful time. It seems that I am able to get most of her text messages by cell (didn't get the one from the Great Wall) but most of mine have not gone through to her...so if anyone has been trying to text them it may not have worked. Just thought you would want to know that...

Greetings from Vanessa Hickey-Gales

2007-07-14T08:12:00.000-05:00

July 12th. Thursday. This morning we shopped and we shopped. Who knew that a
shopping trip could be so educational. Do you know how many freshwater pearls
can be in one oyster? As many as twenty five. Ladies do you know how to see if
your pearls are real? Rub them together and see if they have a rough surface.
Boy the pearl store was glad to see us coming. After pearl shopping we went to
Silk street, oh my goodness, I have never seen so much "stuff". If you did not
know how to bargain before you went in you did by the time you left. This
whole shopping experience has been great and on each occasion we learned
something about what we were buying. Even the men in the group were ready to
shop. I personallly will never step on a silk rug again. Once ?I saw the
detailed workmanship and the hours it took these great women to make the rugs I
was in awe After shopping we went to lunch sometimes it seemed that we were
always eating. But we needed to eat in order to keep up the pace of our days.
We shopped and we shopped but we did not drop. We took a speed break and went
to rehearsal. The sound in the Concert Hall of the National Library of China
was wonderfull. We had a good rehearsal and met the young women from the Womens
Chorus of the National Symphony Orchestra. These young ladies have beautiful
voices. We finished practice and went to a wonderful reception given by the
Alumnae association. We met the students from the college who are studying here
for the summer. We also met a wonderful young lady who will be a freshman at
college this fall. I do believe that our last concert here in China was great.
All of the members of our travel group said we sounded great. I am however glad
that we sang first because the young womens choir was magnificent. Whenever I
hear the Flight of the Bumblebee I will think of these women. Listening to them
was a great way to end our musical part of this trip. After the concert we
headed to the Regal Palace for the long awaited Peking Duck dinner. We learned
how to eat it the duck properly in the pancakes. The entire presentation of
the dinner was unique. This was the last time the whole group was together so
we shared memories of special moments, we thanked our tour guides and and said
our goodbyes to the people that were going to the Gorges.

Greetings from Leslie

2007-07-12T08:42:00.000-05:00

Hello from Bejing. The surreal happened yesterday as we trudged up (and down)
the steep Great Wall. Amazing experience that we shared with thousands of
other tourists from around the world. Coincidental meetings seemed to abound
with other tourists being only one degree of separation from some of our
singers and from our Alma Mater. The world is small. We capped the day with a
cool lake breeze fanning us as we toured the Summer Palace just north of Bejing
proper. Our accomodations are very comfortable, the food very good, and our
guides knowledgeable, accommodating, and patient (the most important quality).
Leslie Bowen '74 Alto II

Greetings from Paula

2007-07-12T08:41:00.000-05:00

Greetings!
Please excuse in advance misspellings and grammatical errata. This is being
blackberry-sent, as Chinese internet does not appear to like my roadrunner
account.

Wednesday July 12--a pack-it-all-in day. Never has our time seemed more
compressed than in Beijing-- there is so much to see and everything is
across the city (the size of Belgium--I kid you not!) and 2 traffic jams
away!

Today took us to what is the highlight for many of us--the Great Wall. And
on on great wall it is, too! It was hot, but clear and breezy and our
yellow tour tees made on on pretty contrast to the sky. Eric, our can-do
guide extraordinaire (and potential adoptee as we all love him)-arranged to
have the group shot taken, then inserted in souvenir books, all for 100
yuan each ( abt 13 USD).

The wall was teeming with tourists and street, I mean wall, merchants. But
most managed the climb anyway, despite the stifling cheek-to-jowl
conditions. Some of us even managed cold beers in the shade!

The rest of the day was done at an all-out pace since time was tight and we
convinced Eric to add the Summer Palace to our itinerary. He also added 2
new colloquialisms to his vocabulary--power walk and power pee! Ming Tombs?
Check. Sacred Walk of the Mings? Check. (Actually, this last was way
cool-cool, leafy, and lined with marble animals guarding the Emperors'
remains.)

Early evening was the perfect time to wander the poplar and fir lined
promenades of the Summer Palace. Fewer people made for more leisurely and
refreshing viewing of the Empress Cixi's (the real Dragon Lady) excesses,
world's longest corridor and marble boat among the most egregious!

Dinner in full sweat and dirt regalia at the Holiday Inn, Beijing, which I
am pleased to report has little in common with the one in Dubuque, Iowa.
Cold Chinese beer goes down very nicely at times like these, although this
MHT is looking forward to her "cool manhattan" on her return to NYC.

Big concert and more shopping tomorrow....

Con brio,

Paula Gerden, class of 1974

2007-07-10T22:16:00.000-05:00

July 10, 2007
Ne Hao from Beijing!! Emily Tuck and Tiffany Tang reporting from the
Beijing International Hotel. An early morning for the group ? we rose
at 530 am and boarded a flight from Xi'an at 815 am, flew two hours to
Beijing and commenced sightseeing almost immediately. On today's
itinerary was the Temple of Heaven, a beautiful and imposing structure
built for the Emperor to worship and make sacrifices to the gods of
the heavens. It is China's most famous temple. It was also recently
renovated so the blues, reds and golds of the paint shone beautifully
in the hot afternoon sun. And when we say hot, we mean HOT. At least
93 degrees Fahrenheit but at least it is drier here than in Southern
China. The evening ended with a spectacular acrobatics show at the
"Acrobatics Macrocosm" complete with plate twirlers, bicycle acrobats,
ball jugglers, strongmen and a contortionist. We just discovered that
our hotel is within a block of a Starbucks so it will be a challenge
to remain immersed in Chinese culture for long. Tomorrow we see the
Great Wall and are eager to pose for a group pic in our lovely yellow
tour t-shirts!! Zai Jian!
--
Tiffany Tang
(310) 663-7869
tiffanyanntang@gmail.com
www.therightcast.com/act/tiffanytang

Middle trip report

2007-07-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

I have really enjoyed each city that we have visited. They are so different from each other, and each one has been bigger than the population of my entirestate (Maine). Hangzhou was beautiful with a lot of trees and wider streets. West Lake is there (Xi Hu), on which we cruised for a short time. Xi'an is alsovery beautiful, which I did not expect because it is considered an industrial city. Most of these cities have extra lanes on the sides of the roads for bikes and motorcycles and pedestrians. It has been very interesting to see how China is making steps to better care for the environment. In one of those cities, motorcycles are mostly battery-powered rather than gasoline-powered. Many buildings in Xi'an have solar panels on the roofs. The Terracotta Soldiers in Xi'an absolutely blew me away. They are housed in a gigantic building and were discovered completely smashed to pieces, so archaeologists have spent the last 30 years putting them back together. They are nowhere near completion of this project, and there are other pits ofnstatues that have not even been excavated. Xi'an has definitely been my favorite city so far. Today we arrived in Beijing. We went to an acrobat show tonight, which was very exciting. Tomorrow we visit the Great Wall! Our concerts have been a lot of fun. In Hangzhou and Xi'an we did not have anypieces planned for performance to combine with our host choir. In Hangzhou, we were invited on the stage to sing Auld Lang Syne. In Xi'an, we were brought up to sing Jingle Bells. The choirs have been very inviting and it's been greathearing Chinese folk music. Cathy has been introducing us to the audience on her own in Mandarin! I think we're making a good impression.

2007-07-10T07:32:00.000-05:00

We've just arrived in Beijing, where the weather is a cool 90 degrees, butsunny so no complaints. We had the best meal of the trip -- including chrysanthemum fish -- for lunch. This has been an awesome trip so far. A few people have stomach troubles, but everyone seems to be coping. Cheryl Cobb brought down the house last night in Xi'An with her PDQ Bach routine.We've found the internal China flights to be up to U.S. standard so far --and they even serve meals on a 2-hour flight. Terracotta warriors in Xi'Anyesterday, Great Wall tomorrow...

post arrived Tuesday morning from Deb. posted by Cindy White Morrell '68
Wales trip member. having attended the pre-trip concert at MHC, I can vouch for Cheryl's PDQ Bach routine. it is hysterical. she directs our Center Church choir here in SHadley and we are continually in awe of her abilities! I'm so glad that other alums are getting to know her too.

2007-07-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

If you want to get in touch with Debby and I guess anyone else you can send a text message to Debby's phone at 802-236-3329. That seems to be working well for her and me (her sister in Atlanta)...can't seem to add titles to blogs anymore....

2007-07-07T20:16:00.000-05:00

Title: Ni hao from Hangzhou!Entry:Hello to everyone from the beautiful city of Haghzhou, just several hours south of Shanghai, and known for its beautiful West Lake, its greeen tea, and splended hospitality. Many of us are already planning to come back!We've been having some trouble accessing the blog, due to the restrictions on postings set by the Chinese government, but we're trying to keep in touch as best we can. Everyone should know we are -- for the most part -- fine and having a wonderful time: singing our hearts out, "glowing" in our dense polyester black dresses; trying not to bulk up too much in the mornings on the wide variety of western and asian breakfast foods (Is that seaweed in my omelet?); and snapping hundreds of pictures of assorted vistas and structures and signage (In the elevastor: "The maximum capacity is 10 persons, keeping everyone happy.").Out tour guides have been wonderful and very knowledgeable. Each city we visit, we get a different set of folks on each of our three busses ( "Is everyone here? Count off! One, two, three....")and they have handed all questions with grace. Our master CIT government tourist agency guide, Eric oversees everything, and handles all emergencies. NO locks for luggage? No problem. Housekeeping took your shoes? We'll get them back. He's great.We're off to Xi'an next to see the famous terracotta statues. More f rom there, hopefully!Deborah Bloom

From Lee Catalano via Debby's Sister....

2007-07-07T20:14:00.000-05:00

from Lee
Catalano!

We've been in the country for just four days (!), which -- quite
frankly -- seems like 40. This morning, we leave for Xi'an. There is
no doubt that we are getting a highly sanitized version of Chinese
culture, with little pockets of reality spliced in. Part of this on
my part is because it is so FREAKING hot that I seek refuge in our air-
conditioned bus far often than I might be doing were it not 98 degrees
with 90+% humidity.

When we do venture outside, we brush up against the sheer numbers of
the Chinese people in all their variety: selling us fake watches and
purses, postcards, peeing Buddhas (maybe it wasn't Buddha), as well as
the more officially sanctioned sales of silk, embroidery and green
tea. In amongst these we meet with beggars, the lame and the halt (a
little poetic license here), and other tourists -- who happen to be
touring their own country (although why they would do this in the
summer escapes me ...). And then there's the real slice of Chinese
life: the squatting toilet! I've got a technique now ...

We've given two concerts and our audiences have been most welcoming
and appreciative. There is a noise level unheard of in the United
States -- conversations continued unabated during the portion of the
concerts that we listened to, and may have been going on while we were
singing, but I didn't notice. They clap enthusiastically while we
file on and off, and everyone wanted to take our picture. It's
extremely entertaining.

But, mostly I've been watching China through the windows of the bus.
And -- because I obsess most frequently about how hot and sweaty I am -
- I want to share some tips from the Chinese on beating the heat.
Forget that stuff about kicking back and not doing much in this
weather, these people are out and about. Here's some hot-weather
techniques I've seen:

Hats (of all variety, including what I shall incorrectly call
a "coolie" hat -- that pointy woven one). Not so many sunglasses,
though.
A (damp?) washcloth or towel worn on the head (a fashion I'm
considering adopting).
Umbrellas -- both rain and parasols -- often carried while bicycling.
Many cool, floaty dresses (which appear to be made of nylon so I'm not
sure how cool they are).
A lightweight jacket thing that looks like it would button in the
back, except that it doesn't button. This covers your arms and hands
while cycling.
Plastic see-through visors that cover your face.
No shirt (men).
..and sunshades for the wall air conditioners.

That's all from me ... thanks to those stateside who are seeing to
posting our blogs since we cannot!

First leg over, Shanghai

2007-07-06T08:39:00.000-05:00

I know some people have been wondering what in the world is going on with thoseMHC people halfway around the world. Here's the sense I got from my uncle, whoshall remain nameless (so much for the code :) "Would one of you, for the loveof god, put something on our blog sohe has something to read about?" Well, the story is that blogging software isblocked in China, so we have been unable to post, so we have finally resorted toemailing blogs to friends in the US and asking them to post for us. So here isa short overview of what we did in Shanghai. Our first long day in Shanghai wasraining. We went to the TV Tower with a "bird's eye view" of the city at 263meters. Then we took a short boat ride on the HuangPu river which dividesShanghai in two parts. We sang that night with the Shanghai PhilharmonicWomen's Choir. We combined 2 pieces with them which was very fun. They seemedto appreciate our efforts to sing in Chinese. We didn't get to have dinneruntil after the concert around 9:30, which was a combined Chinese and Westernfood buffet. Yesterday we went to a silk demonstration factory where we allspent money way beyond our means. After lunch we went to Old Town and the YuGarden. Today we traveled to Hangzhou where it is extremely hot. It has been extremely hot during the whole trip. Hangzhou isbeautiful and very different from Shanghai. I will write more, and hopefullysome other people will as well, after this part of the trip.Shout out to Alicia Brody and Sarah Stadel for helping me remember the events ofthe past few days. :) And especially to Sarah for letting me use her computer- free internet access in this hotel!

Now we are in Shanghai

2007-07-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

Had a good concert last night and are now touring Shanghai...Everyone is OK. More later.

Bus A is in Tokyo

2007-07-03T04:16:00.000-05:00

Well, after 14 hours on JAL 005 (preceded by four hours on the bus from South Hadley and three hours hanging out at JFK) ... we are laying over in Japan (where is 6 p.m.) for a little bit more before heading off on our final leg to Shanghai.

I'm blogging here, thanks to friend and classmate Laura H., who is a member of the Admiralty Club, where I got a shower (!) and some munchies -- and internet access -- during our layover. Thank you Laura ... I may make it the last few hours before my head can thankfully hit the pillow tonight.

Tomorrow, we are up bright and early for rehearsal and then some touring before our concert tomorrow evening with the Women's Chorus of the Shanghai Philharmonic. I wonder if our Chen Yi (exotic Chinese piece) will be up to snuff by then?

And so to bed (please, very soon ...) ...

Lee C.

P.S. All my Blogger links are in Japanese ... but I think I've got the right button.

We:re in Tokyo!

2007-07-03T03:36:00.000-05:00

At least half of us are -- hopefully the rest are already in Shanghai. The JAL group has had a smooth trip so far. Free internet access in the Tokyo Airport -- imagine that!

A note from the first bus

2007-07-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

We made it to NY! :) We arrived about 30 minutes ago and we're all checked in. Some of us slept on the bus but most of us are headed to dreamland now. We will be leaving at 5am for the airport instead of 5:15am. Our bus driver pointed out that it would be a good idea if we left ourselves a half hour to get there instead of just 15 minutes. My roommate, Jaime Miller-class of 2001, and I (Alicia Brody-class of 1997) will be getting up at 4:15am.

Ready to go

2007-07-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

Our shakedown concert in Abbey Chapel is now history and the first group of travelers has departed for NYC, thence to their early morning flight to Chicago and on to Shanghai on United. The audience at this afternoon's performance was very appreciative of our efforts and we are, in general, pleased w/ the progress we've made in the sort time we've been together. It will now be a matter of enduring the transition to the other side of the world (some of us being old enough to remember when air travel was exciting and even at times fun) and seeing what awaits us. We're keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best. With our collective talents and solid MHC training, we should be equal to whatever challenges come our way.
Time now to think about repacking our suitcases and getting to bed in anticipation of our early-morning departure for JFK/NYC where we'll board our JAL flight to Toyko and then on to Shanghai where we'll reconnect w/ the others. Keep the good thoughts coming and stay tuned!

here's to all the back row women

2007-07-01T19:07:00.000-05:00

Rehearsals and concerts on the risers has been a challenge. Most of us riser veterans of the back row are " hanging ten" off the front so that our 8'' feet won't accidentally slip off the back of the 10" step resulting in 4 foot drop. As a result we must curry friendships with the next row as we beat them on the shoulders to open our music. Turning the page is another challenge.
Steps of turning a page in the back row:
1) lift music over dewlap and rest under you chin gently striking your comrad of the lower steps. 2) turn page without hitting chin
3) Memorize first line on each page cause it's too close to read.
4) lower music to wasit high reading level gently knocking partners shoulders
5) memorize last line as it is hidden by bust.
6) repeat.
And Cathy thinks it's the mandarin we're having trouble with.

Off we go into the wild blueyonder!

Sunday, July 1

2007-07-01T18:10:00.000-05:00

I can't remember my log-in info, so I have assumed the identity of Martha Gay. Today, Sunday, was another absolutely gorgeous day to be inside. The music gelled much better than it did yesterday, although there were still some rough spots and we had to let go of Chen I for today's concert. We all got to dress up in our fabulous black dresses and stoles Cathy had made in the felicitous colors of yellow and red. There was a respectable turnout of family and friends for the concert, and it was very pleasant to sing again in Abbey Chapel's wonderful acoustical environment. After the concert, the Alumnae Association under the leadership of Rochelle Calhoun gave a wonderful reception where we got to meet with our fans.

Following lunch, Debby Hall filled us in on the procedures for each group to get to the airport and handed out our airplane tickets. Dinner was our last all-American meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, pot roast, squash and cheesecake. As we in the Japan Air group were leaving dinner at Willitts, we waved goodbye to the Chicago group boarding the big Strong blue bus. Our turn tomorrow morning at 5:30.

Barbara Gay

Two hours til showtime

2007-07-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

Well, we've finished our last rehearsal and our one domestic performance is at 4 p.m. today. We are feeling confident - ish, I think ... but I have no idea what we really sound like. Only Cathy knows that, and she's smiling ... most of the time. ;-)

Hopefully, we'll have a nice audience. I was really surprised how many people came to our Wales send-off in 2005. Of course, because of the beautiful weather we've been having, Abbey Chapel will be a lot nicer to sit than it was two summers ago.

Break a leg ...

Georgia Girl

2007-06-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

My name is Joyce Bohannon Lott, class of 1974, from Georgia. Although I was a psychology major, I'm using this degree with my occupation as an Assistant Principal in an elementary school. There is never a dull moment in my occupation with students, teachers and parents always needing my immediate attention. I'm very glad to get away from the vigor of the educational system to the excitement of singing and visiting another country with my fellow alumnae from MHC.

Singing anyone?

2007-06-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

We just had a VERY long day of singing. When we're not sleeping or eating, we're singing. We did have an informative/educational break today with a lecture from Prof. Calvin Chen. Other than that. . . singing. The good news is that we have a gorgeous sound, we came pretty well prepared, and Cathy is doing a great job getting us into shape for our first concert tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. We'll be in China in just a few days, so stay tuned!

Jamie Miller, '01

We're here - and they're all working very hard.

2007-06-30T19:33:00.000-05:00

The members of the choir are much too busy to blog - so I got drafted. It's Saturday evening, and most people have been here since yesterday. Dresses have been tried on and everyone is practicing, practicing. I think they sound great already. I especially like the song "There was music in my mother's house" - since my mother (Barbara Gay's grandmother) also filled her house with music.

Most of you probably already know that Mount Holyoke has a beautiful campus, made even more beautiful by absolutely drop-dead gorgeous weather. Wish we could pack it up and take it along to China.

This morning John (spouse of a glee club member) and I went in search of a Target to do a bit of last minute shopping - just a bit exciting since I am directionally challenged and, as a result, we saw a bit more of the surrounding area than we'd planned ... We returned in time for lunch. The food has been great.

This afternoon we heard from Calvin Chen, Luce Assistant Professor of Politics, who talked about the economic development of China - winners and losers and the urban/rural divide in China. Much of the benefit of recent development has gone to the urban areas, and the Chinese government is now trying to bring some improvements to the lives of impoverished rural citizens. China, he said, wants to be Singapore - but bigger.

This evening the singers are rehearsing some more - this time in the chapel, where they'll give a concert tomorrow afternoon. Then the excitement really starts.

Martha Gay
Interloper, Kalamazoo College '65

Hello and a very important plea!!!!!!!

2007-06-30T08:58:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

Hope you're all well and looking forward to the trip. Whilst I wasn't fortunate enough to go to Mount Holyoke myself, I lucked out in that my mom is an alum and decided to bring me along on her trip of a lifetime. I'm going to be traveling from London as part of a special party of one (please God grant me a window seat!!) and will arrive in Shanghai, travel conditions permitting, at about 10am local time. However, no representative will be meeting my party of one so idealy I would like to meet up with the US835 group (La Guardia via Chicago) that gets in at 1.55pm. So could someone please please please let me know which terminal I'll need to be at to meet the arrivals. I'll be landing at Terminal 1 (British Airways flight 169). I imagine I could find out where you'll be at the airport, but I'd rather know in advance to save me from the elaborate mime that this could entail as my Mandarin ain't that hot. Incidentally, my mom, Marnie Woodward nee Battle, is in the JFK group arriving at 9.25pm.

My cell number is +44 7876 693 875 (and it does work abroad), but you'll recognize me as the small English girl decked out in Kingsway labels.

Thanks loads, and I look forward to meeting everyone on Tuesday :o)

Mel

What a bunch of gregarious game players

2007-06-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

We had a high energy first three hour rehearsal. Not too shabby. Our Chinese is a little rusty and a little challenging (understatement of the year) but we're pretty well prepared: a good start. It's really cool to meet with a bunch of people who are between the ages of 20 and 67, some strangers some old friends all sharing traditions and very different lives. Lots of fun playing the shoe game to find out who's into politics and who likes the Red Sox and who's so competitive they NEVER get in the middle. Day 1 here we go.

I'm the one with pink shoes and funky earings

Post First Rehearsal Write-up

2007-06-29T22:27:00.000-05:00

After a lovely dinner in Willits-Hallowell, with much comaraderie, we all made our way to Pratt for several hours of rehearsals. We got through many of our pieces and had a lot of fun, laughing almost as much as we were singing. I think we sounded really good and I am reminded once again how much I love singing in a four (or more!) part women's chorus. After rehearsal we returned to Torrey, our dorm, for a fun "get to know each other" game. Now we have retired to our rooms to sleep, or socialize in smaller groups, or are hanging out in the computer room checking our email.

In addition, as dress maven for the tour, I (Alicia Brody, class of 1997) feel that I should say something about our dresses. We are all wearing the same style black dress, borrowed from the current MHC Glee Club, and we all look FABULOUS! I arrived on campus at 9:20am this morning and organized the dresses with Cathy Melhorn. Throughout the day we were trying on dresses and a few of us did have to put our hemming skills to work.

All in all it was a great day!

Getting here ...

2007-06-29T14:10:00.000-05:00

Greetings from South Hadley. I (Lee C.) have arrived after a week on the road. I spent the last week in steamy Washington/Baltimore and am delighted to report that the weather in South Hadley is just plain beautiful (as it should be). Coming from Portland, OR, I find the summer humidity extremely annoying. (Which means I should be very happy in China, yes? NOT!)

Anyway, we are gathering and it's very exciting to be here. Can't wait to start singing.

Arrival on Campus Response

2007-06-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

Please go to Torrey to check-in if you arrive before 5pm (and please do arrive well before 5pm if at all possible!) Otherwise, we will be in the Willits-Hallowell living room at 5pm and in Pratt Hall for rehearsal from 7pm on.

Arrival on Campus

2007-06-28T06:14:00.001-05:00

I have sort of a last-minute question -- when we arrive on campus, where should we go? What dorm are we staying in? (I think that at some point there was mention of Torrey, but did that stay the case?) Thanks!

From Courtney Duhring

2007-06-27T07:39:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I am so excited for our big China trip! My name is Courtney, and I am a
current student at MHC. I will be starting my Junior year this Fall,
double-majoring in English and Art History. During the school year, I
sing with the Glee Club, Chamber Singers, and Vocal Jazz. I also study
voice with Melinda Spratlan, and am a Concert Manager for the Music
Department. Entering MHC in the Fall of 2005, I was fortunate enough to
share in the Cathy Melhorn legacy. Cathy got me hooked on choir at MHC,
and now I just can't stop!

I look forward to meeting and singing with you all soon! Only a couple
more days!

Best wishes,
- Courtney Duhring '09

Checking in

2007-06-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

A week from now we will be together - what fun! Barbara Gay, Flo Chichester, and I had a alto mini-sectional last weekend at my house -- so two years from now before we head off to ... wherever, maybe I'll remember to have all DC metropolitan area singers over to learn, I mean polish our understanding of the repertoire.

Performing is what I do and earning a living consistently gets in the way of doing it. I am a Dashboard Diva; we sometimes get paid to entertain, usually by singing, at parties. We recently had a piano bar gig (smoky...).

I am also a Jubilady - that is the wife of a Fairfax Jubilaire, a barbershopper. He'll (that is Dennis Bley) be traveling with us - so other barbershoppers or sweet adelaides will have some one else with whom to perform the standards.

Thank you forever to Debby and Cathy for taking us to China with them.

Leslie Bowen '74

Martie Viets

2007-06-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

This is Martie Viets, ’75, writing from deepest New Jersey, where I live with my wonderful husband Phil, our three strapping sons, and two small black dogs. Chris (18) just graduated from high school and is touring Spain to fine-tune his fluency. He’ll attend The College of William and Mary in the fall, where he plans to study International Relations and Chinese. I invited him on this trip, but somehow traveling with peers in Europe was more appealing than trailing his mother and a flock of singing contemporaries. :-) Brad and Matt (both 14) begin high school in the fall. Brad trumpets and Matt sings –- everywhere.

I joined Bell Laboratories in 1978 and have enjoyed an unexpected career in user interface design, specializing in speech applications. I now work from home for California-based Tellme Networks. Bill Gates just bought us, so I’m learning to append “A Microsoft subsidiary” to our name.

Music was an important part of my life at MHC. I sang in Concert Choir, Glee Club and toured South America with the very first Coro Mount Holyoke. Since then I’ve sung with large groups (The New York Choral Society, The Shrewsbury Chorale) and smaller ones. For the last 18 years I’ve sung with the Sanctuary Choir at the United Methodist Church of Red Bank, where I discovered my upper vocal range. Though I now often sing soprano, I’m still an alto at heart.

As excited as I am to visit China, the most thrilling part of this adventure for me is to sing again with Cathy, and with so many members of the Class of ’74. I’m grateful for this unparalleled opportunity and dearly hope we all stay cool and healthy.

I cannot thank Debby Hall enough for her tireless, cheerful attention to detail throughout this long planning process – especially the week in February when I had the flu and pelted her ceaselessly with questions about clothing. :-)

With best wishes,

--Martie

Judy Case

2007-06-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

Hi,

This is Judy (Leno) Case, MHC ’70. I am very grateful for all the wonderful opportunities choral singing has brought me through the years – from assemblies in grade school to Broadway shows in high school, to Concert Choir and Glee Club at MHC to Europe (and later the Kennedy Center and Williamsburg, VA) with the Yale Glee Club, to the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, to the Duke Chapel Choir, to the MHC Glee Club again as an alum, to the St. Cecilia Chorus in NYC, to local choirs in Western Mass, and last, but certainly not least, to our wonderful adventures with Cathy in Wales and now in China!

While not singing, after more than 19 years commuting from Amherst to UMass Worcester where I was Director of Financial Aid, I currently have two positions. I work part-time at both The Creative Needle, a local yarn store and in Financial Aid Services at UMass Amherst. How I treasure both the flexibility and the opportunity to continue helping others these endeavors allow.

Other activities that keep me busy include studying piano, something I desperately wanted to do when I was 6 years old, began with Carlyle Hodges at MHC when I was 20, interrupted when I had no piano, and resumed a few years ago.

I’ve also studied Yang style Tai Chi for several years. We began with the standard 24-form. A Form equals a movement. 24-form is what Chairman Mao had everyone do, the sequence you probably picture when you think of Tai Chi. We’ve also studied 32-sword-form, a routine I’ve forgotten since we don’t practice that one regularly, 48-form (thought we’d never learn it all!) and Chen style 18-form (the regular form has more than 80 forms!).

I am eagerly looking forward to our time in South Hadley and all our adventures exploring and singing our way through major areas in China!

Melina Marini

2007-06-21T13:27:00.000-05:00

Hello all my new travelmates! My name is Melina Marini and I am a
current student at Mount Holyoke College- I will be rooming with the
other current student during the trip- Courtney Duhring. I am a member
of the Class of 2008 and am a Music Major and an education minor. I
have been studying voice with Cheryl Cobb and at the moment, my focus
is vocal performance.

I participated in Concert Choir my first year at Mount Holyoke with
Cathy and then took a year off from classical choral singing and missed
it so much that I now am a part of Glee Club and Chamber Singers. I am
also a member of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble and am the director of
Diversions A Capella (We are only 4 years old, so if you haven't heard
of us- this would be why!.) I am a busy busy music student!

I am looking forward to the trip- getting to know all of you, and
fulfilling one of my dreams. I have been wanting to see the legendary
terracotta soldiers since I was very little and finally get to do so!
Everything else we get to see will just be icing on the cake!

I can't wait to see all of you in a week and am so glad to know
everyone is as excited for the trip as I am!

More ATM Info

2007-06-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

It's probably best to have a 4-digit passcode to use with your ATM card in China, so don't forget to change it if you need to!

Hello from Big Foot

2007-06-20T15:46:00.000-05:00

Those of you who traveled to England and Wales will remember me as Susie Big Foot. About a month prior to our tour I broke a bone in my foot and had to spend our time together in a very hot, black walking cast. So far no broken bones this time - just major appliances. I graduated in '72 and, following two graduate degrees, decided to make my summer home my year-round residence. Living on Nantucket Island - 30 miles off of Cape Cod - has changed. It is now possible to pursue a vastly greater array of careers. However, long term residents consider Nantucket their career. To that end I have worked a wide variety of jobs including contractor lumber sales and real estate sales. I have spent the last nine years working in our middle school as a teaching assistant. Nantucket has a local choral group, and I have enjoyed singing with it off and on for over twenty years - sometimes with several other members being MHC grads. My husband and I have two sons; both played instruments growing up - one trumpet, the other percussion - and both became Eagle Scouts. They have now both, following college, returned to Nantucket. I have been immersing myself in fiction, and non-fiction( I can see why Wild Swans has been banned), and I can hardly believe that in nine days we will all be in South Hadley. Susie Childs Hayford

Mike Woods, Interloper!!

2007-06-20T09:06:00.000-05:00

Hi,
I'm Debby Hall's husband and her chief schlepper/sherpa for this trip. In fact, for every trip since we have been married (over 17 years now), Debby sets them up and I follow dutifully. This trip will be no different-- other than the location will be more exciting and the schedule a bit more hectic. Our son, Cameron, will also be on the trip and he and I will be looking for other "guests" to pal around with while the talented people on this trip do their "thing". I am sure we will have as good a time as they--maybe even better.

I graduated from Colgate University in the late 60's (when it was still an all male institution!!), did some post graduate work in southeast Asia in the early 70's and then entered the world of financial services where I remained until retirement a few years ago. We now live in Vermont (in a picturesque little town filled with other flatlanders) and spend most of our time volunteering for various organizations in the area. When not doing that, I like to fish and ski and recently have been trying to improve my golf game but that may be a lost cause. My son can already hit a ball farther and straighter than I have ever been able to do!!

In preparing for this trip, I have read a little bit of Chinese history (a very little), studied some travel guides and have been practicing Spanish using the Rosetta Stone program. I figured that in the 21st century, English, Spanish and Chinese will be the dominant languages--if they are not already. My theory was that if I knew two out of three for this trip, I would probably be ok. I hope this works out and that over one billion Chinese are studying English and Spanish too. Looking forward to meeting everyone and will see you all in early July. Mike Woods

2007-06-19T19:37:00.000-05:00

Hello, this is Florence Chichester, class of 1974, currently living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (MD suburbs) and working for the federal government in information systems security. I retired in 2001 after 20 years as a U.S. Naval officer, alternating overseas and stateside tours, including 2 1/2 years on the west coast of Wales, UK. I've sung in the alumnae reunion choir at every reunion to which my class has been invited (and one we weren't), and at all the alumnae choral activities Cathy has organized since 2000's Choral Reunion, including the 2005 UK tour. I also sang in choirs at just about every duty station, including 2 years with the St. David's Cathedral community choir in St. David's, Wales. I'm currently a member of my church's senior Gospel choir. (Right after college, I also sang with the British Embassy Players here in Washington for their Christmas Pantomime and their Old Time British Music Hall, among other things.) So, I guess it's obvious that music is an important part of my life. I'm so grateful to Cathy for all the opportunities she's given me to sing beautiful music under her inimitable direction, and lately in such fabulous places.
I live in a large house that my eldest brother and I had built for us, his wife, and 5 (sometimes 6) of his children, now aged 2 through 33, so you can imagine it is sometimes quite a chaotic household. My 90-year old mother fell and broke her hip a little over a week ago, had hip replacement surgery, and has been in the hospital for over a week. She developed complications and frankly, I began to doubt whether I was going to make it to China (penalties notwithstanding). However, I'm happy to report (tentatively) that she seems to have turned a corner for the better, so I'm back to getting ready for the trip. With God's blessings, and all the good wishes anyone wishes to send, I will see you in South Hadley on the 29th. Good luck to all on your final preparations. I would be extremely excited, but I'm too busy. Florence

From Sarah Kimball...

2007-06-19T17:44:00.000-05:00

Hi, Sarah Kimball, '86 here and I am very excited that we'll be
together in less than two weeks. While at MHC I sang in Concert Choir
and 2 years in Glee Club with Cathy and did both England and Wales
tours-'84 and '05. I was a Theatre/English major and went on to do an
MFA in Acting at the University of South Carolina. I have continued
performing and singing in various venues since then and recently
celebrated my 10th anniversary as a member of the NYC-based charitable
Gilbert & Sullivan company, the Blue Hill Troupe with a production of
"Yeoman of the Guard." I met my friend, rehearsal (of our music) buddy
and fellow New Yorker, Paula Gerden, on the England/Wales tour 2 years
ago and introduced her to the Troupe. We have motivated each other to
learn our music and I'm grateful for that.

Just 6 weeks prior to the tour 2 years ago I had a blood clot removed
from my right vocal cord. I'm happy to say that all's well in that
department and it's nice that I don't have to wait for a doctor's
verdict about whether or not to sing (the day before we began
rehearsals at MHC) and I won't have to be silent on the entire plane
trip to Shanghai.

I'm a displaced Vermonter and love anything and everything to do with
maple syrup and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, x-country skiing, the woods
and foliage. That said, I have lived in NYC for 14 years. By day I
work as an Executive Administrator at Cisco Systems. I'm also a
certified Rubenfeld Synergist (body-centered psychotherapy). I have
two wonderful feline companions and recently met a simply amazing man
who appears likely to stick around for a while (forgive me but ...
Halleluiah!). He's been a long time coming!

I look forward to meeting everyone next week in South Hadley.

Best, Sarah

ps--clever tip from a fellow traveler/anatomy teacher: Find a good
"fanny pack" in which to carry essentials. Add a small roll of bubble
wrap. You can use it as lumbar support for the plane. You can pop the
bubbles if roll is too big and/or use the bubble wrap for small
souvenirs on the way home!

Introducing an interloper

2007-06-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

Well the China trip is finally becoming real to me, so I'll introduce myself.

I'm Martha Gay, Kalamazoo College '65. My niece, Barbara Gay, invited me to come along and I've always wanted to see China (or at least part of China), so I jumped at the chance. Kalamazoo is probably quite a bit like MHC, except it's a) Baptist (sort of), b) in Michigan, and c) co-ed. I majored in chemistry, got a PhD (Wayne State University), and have been working for the government since 1975 - first for the Fish & Wildlife Service and more recently for the FDA. I'll be retiring soon - probably in 2009.

I like flat-water kayaking (used to like canoing, but my knees gave out), wild places, astronomy, dogs, cats, and (sometimes) people. I'm a Quaker (quite active), speak a little German, and have NOT been doing my homework about China - until now. I also take lots of video, which I will someday edit.

I've looked at the schedule for the singers - are you all even going to be able to talk after all that rehearsing????

Blogging in China?

2007-06-18T18:23:00.001-05:00

Hey ... this is Lee Catalano, 1978. I posted a message early on (February), so you can catch my introductory info in the archives.

I'm leaving home early (this week), to go to the American Library Association conference in Washington, DC, so I'm trying to get some stuff squared away before I go. So ...

Will we be using this blog to communicate with friends and family once we are in China? We did something similar (although a lot less sophisticated ... as I recall writing my entry longhand for someone else to post) on the Wales trip, and my parents were eager readers (particularly after the bombs went off in London!).

Perhaps I'm being overconfident, but I'm feeling pretty secure "picking the seedpods of the lotus!"

Bo Beardsley

2007-06-17T20:33:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,
This first bloggong attempt is exciting. I've started reading novels, learning chinese, our repetoir, packing, buying stuff and I haven't finished any one of them. I'm definitly one of those global thinkers. I teach highschool science and we are in the throws of exams and graduation (yes Virginia they do grow up). I live in Montreal Quebec and have three kids all in different stages of empty nesting. My Youngest,16, is going on his own choir tour to British Columbia.There has never been a hiatus in my singing whether church choir Choral society or just playing guitar with 3 and 4 year olds. I guess it's just one of those defining factors. Warning to all my roommates my children tell me I snore. Of course it couldn't possibly be true. Looking forward to meeting you all.

Bo Beardsley AKA Anna Kay B. Walsh

JAL - knitting needles allowed?

2007-06-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

Has anyone already checked with the airline to see if we can bring our knitting aboard? I've been having a bit of trouble getting a straight answer.
I know the TSA permits needles and crochet hooks on domestic flights, but I recently had some trouble in Europe, and I don't know about Asia.
Online research at well-known knitting sites/boards yielded a few tidbits such as:

Linda says:
February 16, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Knitting needles on airplanes can be tricky! I just returned from China - flew United both directions and had bamboo double pointed needles with me in my carry on for each leg of the round trip flight - No problem! BUT - Chinese internal flights are a different story. Be certain to pack your needles in your checked luggage . Do not attempt to go through Chinese security with knitting needles - Chinese security is not knitter friendly!!

Anyone have helpful info? Thanks!

Please Number Debussy Measures!

2007-06-15T16:59:00.001-05:00

We've noticed that there are no measure numbers in the Debussy Salut Printemps. Please number your music before you arrive on campus. If you get 91 measures in total, you've done it correctly. Thanks!

Joan Regan '73

2007-06-12T16:50:00.000-05:00

Since my roomie for this trip (Paula Gerden) has posted something today, I guess I'd better do so too. Though an English major in college, I'm now a veterinary radiologist at the MSPCA/Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston where I was born and brought up (and thus likely to be the only one vaccinated prophylactically for rabies on this trip). I sing with the Back Bay Chorale, a 30+ year old volunteer-run SATB chorus here in Boston, during the academic year. In college, I sang w/ the Glee Club and the Chamber Singers, the latter along w/ Paula, Chris Dietrich, Jo-Ann Baccielo and Leslie Bowen, all of whom will be on the trip. All of us except Jo-Ann were also on the '05 England/Wales trip too. I'm looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones on this trip.

From Paula Gerden...

2007-06-12T13:35:00.000-05:00

I am an old dog, but still young enough to learn new tricks, especially when taught me by another MHT! I was on the last tour and met Sarah Kimball, fellow New Yorker, who introduced me to New York’s Blue Hill Troupe, an organization that puts on Gilbert and Sullivan operettas for charity. My daughter was just off to college (UVA), and with Sarah’s encouragement, I joined BHT and have just finished participating (chorus member) in my first BHT production, The Yeomen of the Guard.

In my other life, I work for BNPParibas, a large French bank, and specialize in foreign currency institutional sales. (The CNY, Chinese renmimbi, is of much interest to us in currency-land, since, even though the rate is currently controlled by the Chinese government, what happens economically in China is material to the rest of the world.)

I am originally a Chicagoan, and as a 1974 graduate, am a part of the large mid-70’s demographic bulge that appears in this and in most MHC events. I went to MHC along with Anne Holton--also on this tour--who had been one of my closest friends in high school. Talk about going way back!

I was an English major, got my MA in English and promptly u-turned to the dark side---banking—when I realized that I actually had to support myself. My true loves, other than my daughter, Franny, are reading ( 2 book clubs, and on the verge of starting a third) and music (BHT, opera ).

Did I mention that I live in New York and have done so for almost 28 years? Having said that, my other favorite place in the whole world is western Montana, where I can hike, ride, fish and just generally pretend to be a cowgirl. Talk about a split personality! I am missing my annual sojourn in to Emigrant, MT, in order to be on this trip, but I suspect this trip will more than compensate.

Hello!

2007-06-11T16:55:00.000-05:00

My name is Cameron Woods and I have been bribed/tortured (by methods that I will not speak of in the public domain) into writing something about myself on this "blog" Note: Some of the information that follows may be fabricated.

I am a thirteen year old and finishing up seventh grade. I spend most of my time doing homework (during the school year) or playing video games. Although, on the rare occasions that my parents let me out of the house (they keep me in the basement most of the time, but when we have guests they lock me in the closet), I sometimes go and see a movie. I'll watch almost any movie, but I prefer Comedy/Action/Horror or any combination of the three. I also enjoy skiing and snowboarding in the winter, along with ice fishing and Siberian Tiger hunting. In the summer, I spend most of my time at either my lake house or at summer camp, both of which
I water ski at. That is basically what I do on this polluted, crime filled world. But remember, some of this information may be fabricated. For all that you know, my name could really be Pablo, and I live in Cuba! There, that should keep you on your toes!

-The Mysterious Blogger

air pollution

2007-06-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

If you've been hearing horror stories about air pollution in China, as we have, you may want to join us in purchasing the "I Can Breathe Mask" from Magellan's Travel Supplies. It's available for $21.85 on their web site.
Steve Clapp/Bette Hileman

Greetings from Anne Holton

2007-06-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hi All -
Well, it's getting down to the wire, and I'm getting excited (and a little panicky), so I thought I'd better send in my contribution to the blog. I graduated from MHC in 1974 - seems so long ago now - and, like many of you, singing with Cathy was one of my fondest memories. (So, of course, it seems I will go anywhere in the world for the chance to sing under her direction again - first Wales and now China!)

I grew up in Chicago (went to New Trier High School with Paula Gerden). I was a theatre major at Mt. Holyoke and became an advertising copywriter when I returned to Chicago. I also joined the Apollo Chorus of Chicago (at the suggestion of Leslie Bowen, who was a member at that time). And I've been singing with Apollo every since. It is one of the oldest oratorio organizations in the country, started right after the Great Chicago Fire. We do the Messiah every year and also another large work, such as Bach Mass in b minor, plus a concert of smaller works - this year it was Latin American music - so I had to learn to sing in Portuguese, which is almost as hard as Chinese!

I have lived in Chicago since graduation - first in the city and now in Evanston. I worked as a copywriter at a couple of large Chicago advertising agencies for a number of years and am now freelancing - working out of my home, which is wonderful!

My roommate on the tour will be Linda Solarz, who is an advertising art director. We met through business and have traveled together before - to Toronto and Paris. She is looking forward to being a "groupie" and meeting you all.

See you soon!!!

Anne

"Ni hao!" from Ann Blake

2007-06-09T14:27:00.000-05:00

Hi, I’m Ann Blake from the class of 1985, and am thrilled to be seeing a lot of the folks from the Wales tour again in China.

I grew up in South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, mostly), but while I studied French and Latin in school there, and spoke a little Malay and Thai, never learned Chinese until MHC, and my junior year in China. I have forgotten and re-learned Mandarin at least twice since then, but have been diligently studying up with the help of Chinese Pod (I alternate between that and the China repertoire at the gym, much to the amusement of my fellow gym-goers) and can probably at least help you all with “where’s the bathroom?” or “what the heck is this thing I’m eating?” I go back to Singapore about twice a year these days to manage my mum's care, but haven't been back to China; it’ll be fascinating to see how enormously it has changed since…yipe…1983.

I was a biology major at MHC, and since then have had a convoluted career through molecular genetics/ neurobiology research, 10 years as a hazardous waste inspector and various other roles at California EPA, and since 2002, as an independent consultant working with local governments, NGO coalitions and industry to find alternatives to toxic chemicals in consumer products and manufacturing, as well as legislative chemicals policy reform. I live in a lovely little town, Alameda, across the Bay from San Francisco, with my husband Greg and two felines (who sit on our suitcases in silent protest at our frequent travels.)

Musically…I’ve sung in jazz, classical, and barbershop groups since graduation, both women’s and mixed choruses. I went back to piano lessons last year after 30 years, to learn a little theory (thought it might be useful after 25 years of singing!)...and to understand why a barbershop baritone sings such weird parts and somehow makes a four-part chord work. My chorus members pulled me into an ad hoc comedy double quartet, the Sweet Addled Minds, earlier this year (at 43, I’m the youngest by 20-40 years; our 85-year-old tenor puts me to shame with her voice and stamina!) It was supposed to be a one-off, but we keep getting invited back, so we’re working on more repertoire and expanding our collection of silly hats for future performances; costume suggestions and parody lyrics welcome ;).

See you all soon!

Cary McKelvey (1996)

2007-06-09T13:37:00.000-05:00

Hello! I am looking forward to our trip for a multitude of reasons. I always admired Cathy for bringing the world to her students through music when I was at MHC - when I was in Glee Club, we sang music from Kenya, the former Yugoslavia, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, South America, and many other places - but I never dreamed I'd be doing something like this one day. Like many of the people who have blogged, I like to sing and I like to travel, and I have wonderful memories of the women I met at MHC. It will be interesting to see China, to reconnect with those of you I knew in school, and to meet some new friends.

Best,

Cary McKelvey

Introducing Jamie Miller

2007-06-09T11:32:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

I'm Jamie Miller, class of 2001. I double-majored in music and psychology. I sang all 4 years of college and am so excited to be able to continue singing with Cathy and MHC women through these alumnae tours! I also went on the Wales tour 2 summers ago. Most of my international travel has been with Cathy and the Glee Club or alumnae tours.

I have been living in Portland, ME since graduation, but I recently (1 week ago) moved north to Orono, ME where the university hub is to be with my girlfriend who is running a Thai restaurant in Bangor and some of her family lives up here as well. In Portland, I spent 5 years working with families with children with developmental disabilities. I sang with a women's choir called Women in Harmony for 5 years, and also sang with the Oratorio Chorale for 4 years. Right now, I'm basically starting over looking for new singing opportunities and a new job in Bangor/Orono.

My travel experience in Asia only includes Thailand, where I spent 8 weeks of the summer 3 years ago on a sort of volunteer vacation. You could say I got a lot more out of that trip than I bargained for, including surgery and a hospital stay in Thailand and meeting my partner shortly after I returned home! I'm very excited to see another part of Asia, especially with MHC alums, who are always amazing, interesting people. See you in a few weeks!

hello, from Susie Sterman Proctor

2007-06-07T19:29:00.000-05:00

Hello! I graduated from MHC in 1983 and I majored in English, with a history minor. Singing in concert choir and glee club were highlights of my MHC experience, not in small part for the travel and the joy of singing with host choirs. I lived in New York for 15 years after MHC, first as a\ graduate student for MA and PhD in American Studies and then switching to banking. About 7 years ago I took the plunge and gave up my rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan and moved to Chicago for a great new job, city, and husband, John, who will be joining us on this China trip. In the middle of it all we moved to the coast of Maine for about a year, then back to Chicago, where my new job is at Bank of America. In the musical world, I recently joined the board of Bella Voce, a professional choral group that specializes in early music/modern music. John and I love to travel and, when not moving the whole house, we have been to Japan, Italy, hiking in Arizona, and many trips to NY and Boston for family, friends, theatre and baseball. I am enjoying my big challenge switching into music gear each night after long days on my telephone and computer! My favorite China book has been Rachel DeWoskin's "Foreign Babes in Beijing" (see blog comment below re: Good books to read) and what seems like dozens of books on Chinese culinary arts, tradition, culture; food language, and food poetry. There is a new novel at the bookstore called "The Last Chinese Chef" and I recommend it to you, too. I am glad to find my voice again, and after just a tiny practice room I am pretty excited about hearing all of our parts come together.

Hi! I'm Suella Henn

2007-06-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

I've been enjoying reading the posts today, so it's time for mine.
I don't know how Cathy got my name, since I wasn't a Glee Club singer, though I did sing in the choir for a couple years until chem labs overwhelmed me. And I came back to MHC for the 2001 Choir reunion. I'm thrilled to be part of this tour.
I was a chem major with music and math minors and graduated in 1963. I went directly to grad school in biochemistry at Johns Hopkins, where my future husband, Fritz (also coming on the trip) was a fellow student. My first 20-odd years post-MHC were spent in Baltimore, Charlottesville, VA, Gothenberg, Sweden (a 1 year post-doc for Fritz), St. Louis, MO and then 8 years on a 200-acre Iowa farm near Iowa City. We took the back-to-the-land movement of the '70s seriously and tried to be food self-sufficient, raising beef cattle and chickens, tending bees, growing more fruits and vegetables than we could eat or store. We tell great stories about our efforts to learn to "farm" from books - you can't! There our 2 children spent their early years and I juggled research at Univ. of IA and a wonderful stint teaching at Cornell College.
In 1982 we moved to suburban Long Island and SUNY/SB. I took up my increasing interest in philosophy of science and theology, pondered possibilities for a conversation between science and religion (of the progressive bent), went to seminary and got a master's, became a hospital chaplain, and have spent much of the last 20 years as a chaplain, which I've loved.
Twelve years passed quickly and Fritz took a position with the Univ. of Heidelberg, Germany. There my MHC-born dream of a music/German major took flesh. I had to become fluent in German and I rediscovered my love of singing. I sang with increasingly fine choruses, learned much of the classic repertoire, even took voice lessons and partook in some wonderful ensemble workshops during the last 8 years. I was also chaplain for the women's hospital of the Univ. of Heidelberg, work I loved.
Another 12 years passed and in 2006 we returned to the US. I admit to culture shock! We'd hoped to retire to DC, where our family lives (including Fritz' 99 year-old mother, our children and theirs, our 4+ grandchildren). But we're back on Long Island, where Fritz took a job he couldn't refuse. I commute to DC for family, increasing involvement in a church community there and my new work in spiritual direction.

I've enjoyed my limited efforts to learn some Mandarin with the Rosetta Stones program, but haven't been able to give it the time it needs. The language fascinates me.
As for books --- I highly recommend the astonishing short stories of the young Chinese-American author, Yiyun Li, "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers," most of them set in China. I'm currently enjoying "China Shakes the World" by James Kynge, recommended to me by a fine economist. And next on my list is "Will the Boat Sink the Water? The Life of China's Peasants" by the investigative journalists, husband and wife, Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao, themselves peasants. The book originally won prizes in China but is now banned.

Hi from Laura H.

2007-06-07T12:32:00.000-05:00

Hi to my old friends and soon to be new friends.....I graduated fro MHC in '78 with a degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in English and Geography (hence my love of travel). I have been running Theatre-by-the-Sea in Matunuck, RI since 1989. We would produce four musicals from June-Sept. and then we also got involved in touring shows around the USA, Mexico, and South Korea.
In 1985 my business partners and I produced "Wind in the Willows" on Broadway with Nathan Lane and Vicki Lewis. It was a flop but it was there and a great education!
We brought the Big Apple Circus to RI in 1988 and it continues to flourish here in July under the auspices of the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce.
The Theatre is now for sale which has given me time to persue my love of travel and non-profit Boards. I was on the Wales/London trip which was a truly wonderful experience, and I am looking forward to this new adventure. I have been to Thailand, but never China.
In April I was on the MHC trip to Amsterdam with Linda Laderach and Larry Schopoll. We all had a really great time, and once again proved that MHC rules when surrounded by other colleges! Ask me about the midnight game of shuffleboard in the dark!
See you all soon!

Elizabeth Wiley writes...

2007-06-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

OK, Connie, I'm finally giving blogging a whirl. First, hello to all who are going on the China tour. It should be a fantastic experience. I'm looking forward to meeting and singing with y'all.

First, a suggestion from a tennis playing friend who just returned from China. She says you can get an excellent deal on prescription glasses (she bought a pair of progressive lens, frameless glasses for $50).

Second, a bit about me. Although I have lived in Virginia now for over 20 years, I previously lived in the Virgin Islands, Paris and Nova Scotia. The latter I still consider my spiritual home and I return there every summer, to my house overlooking a beautiful river. Only 12 miles from the sea, I usually head there each day for body surfing (when the fog isn't too thick).

Officially, I guess I am retired although I have never been busier. Sometimes I say I am on a cultural sabbatical, singing in two choral groups, ushering at The Kennedy Center and taking art classes. I took two quarters of Chinese language classes in Adult Ed but do not feel at all confident about it. Nor am I great at bargaining, a skill which apparently would be very desirable when we go shopping! I'll stick with Connie, to find the ladies room and to say 'no' and mean it....

Janet Balej, '91

2007-06-07T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody!

Looking forward to meeting everyone soon and having a memorable and fun trip to China. I started at MHC with the class of '90, but took a year off between sophomore and junior years to live in France as an au pair, so graduated with the class of '91. I was a music major (oboe) and a French minor. In truth, I was never a member of the Glee Club, but I did sing in the Freshman Concert Choir. I didn't get into singing big time until after college. Cathy was nice enough to let me join the group even though I can't claim myself a former Glee Clubber, but when the Glee Club toured Atlanta in the Spring of 2003, I rounded up housing hosts for everyone in the group and even did a little oboe playing with them in a concert at Spelman College, so got my honorary Glee Club membership that way!

I lived in Boston for 2 years after graduation (worked at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and helped keep track of all the tickets for the New England Spring Flower Show), then spent a year studying oboe on a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship in Canberra, Australia - what a great year that was! I lived in Minneapolis (my home town) after that for a couple of years working for an airline and in my parents' lapidary business and then relocated to Atlanta where I lived for 9 years. While there I tested a few different career offerings, including doing accounting at a Delta Airlines subsidiary, working as a travel agent for an Australian travel company, working at Emory University doing admissions for their law school and working at The Carter Center, President Carter's peace and democracy center. I also went to grad school at Georgia Tech and got my MBA in accounting and finance. Finally, I landed with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where I currently work as an auditor of public companies. Last October, I was able to work out a transfer within the company from Atlanta to Minneapolis and have returned to my hometown where my immediate family all live. (If anyone is looking for a condo in Atlanta, mine is, unfortunately, still for sale!)

I am husband- and childless, but count my four adorable felines as a great alternative. I still play the oboe (which I'll be doing a little bit of on the trip) and I have been singing in a small church choir since relocating. While in Atlanta, I sang with a lovely 16-voice a capella group called The Atlanta Singers and also did major church choir duty at the local Episcopal cathedral there, including a tour to England where we were choir-in-residence for a week at Westminster Abbey - what a blast! I also play the piano and have dabbled in cello a bit.

In December I bought my first house with a yard, so have been loving the chance to garden this spring (I got a little carried away with the Bluestone Perennials catalog and ordered several dozen plants). I love to read novels, travel (I just got back from a week-long bike and barge tour in the Loire Valley in France - I highly recommend this form of touring!), play golf and love all things feline! So, I think that's a good start to knowing something about me. I can't wait to get started on our adventure in just a few weeks. This will be my first trip to Asia and my mom will be joining me while Dad stays home and takes care of my 4 cats plus their 2. I got my tetanus and hepatitis shots this morning and the key takeaway message I got was "bring lots of bug spray (30-50% DEET) and wear it at all times and, don't drink the water!" Now for a final blitz of music learning and off to South Hadley!

Hi! I'm Nancy Brunetti

2007-06-07T09:32:00.000-05:00

Only a few weeks left until we all meet in South Hadley! I'm soooo excited.
I graduated from MHC in '84 -with degrees in American Studies and Politics. Since then I have lived in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Connecticut. I've worked mostly in financial services - except for a 2 year hiatus when I owned a bed and breakfast after renovating an old Victorian home on Chincoteague Island. My career has taken me to Columbia, Sweden, Germany, England, South Africa and Bermuda. But I am really looking forward to this Asian adventure! I have two wonderful children - Dave (age 18) and Karen (age 14) who will both be joining us for the China trip. Currently, I live in Cheshire, CT and own my own financial services company.

Calvin Chen to Speak to us on June 30!

2007-06-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

Luce Assistant Professor of Politics Calvin Chen will speak to us on Sat. afternoon of our rehearsal weekend. Please respond with a comment to this blog entry with suggestions for what you would like him to address. He'll have about 40 minutes to talk with us and then will join us for dinner. More info about him follows:

Calvin Chen
Luce Assistant Professor of Politics

Specialization
Political economy of East Asia; Chinese politics; comparative politics; work and labor politics; rural economic development; public administration

Profile
An expert in the political economy of East Asia, Calvin Chen doesn't limit himself to studying
famous politicians and formal political institutions. He researches the ordinary lives of the
working people of China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea and discovers extraordinary day-to-day endeavors that ultimately shape a nation economically and politically.

In the 1990s, for example, Chen lived and labored alongside Chinese workers in Zhejiang province south of Shanghai, seeking to understand how former farmers in two townships had made such a success of collective and private manufacturing enterprises. He found a family-style structure of relationships built on trust and support, a structure that led to
cooperation, productivity, and reward for all involved. The successful structure reminds us of the great power of ordinary people and their grassroots ideas, says Chen.

Chen has won numerous grants and scholarships for his research, which has included work in China and Taiwan, as well as a study of communism in East Europe and Russia in the post-cold war era. His writings include a coauthored manuscript, "Labor Politics in Post-Socialist Russia and China: Belated Convergence or Divergent Transformations?," and a book manuscript,
Economic Reform, Local Networks, and the Politics of Production in Contemporary China. Chen's comparative historical courses, such as East Asian Politics and Politics of Work, contribute to a broad, integrated politics curriculum and an effective major in Asian studies.

MHC Luggage Straps Available

2007-06-06T13:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a great way to help identify your luggage any time you travel!

1" woven luggage straps, quick-release buckle, small plastic luggage tag, royal blue, MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE in white block letters written four times. $15.00 plus $0.75 tax.

Order from Cindy Morrell, 135 Woodbridge Street, South Hadley, MA 01075. Make the check payable to the MH Club of Greater South Hadley. Any questions - email cmorrell@mtholyoke.edu. If you send a check AHEAD of time to Cindy, she will have your strap for you at our registration on campus. Just be sure to say China trip in your note. If you'd rather just pay and pick up while on campus, email that info to Cindy as well.

Hi, I'm Judy Karin

2007-06-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, I’ll jump in and be the first to post from the 80s. I graduated from MHC in 1983 with a major in physics. After working in New Jersey, I joined the westward migration and moved to Santa Barbara to attend graduate school in electrical engineering. In 1987 I bought a backpack and traveled through Europe and the Middle East for a year (not Asia, though!), then returned to Santa Barbara for the PhD program. Over the next 19 years I finished my degree, did postdoctoral work at UCLA and UCSB, and ran a number of K-12 science education/outreach programs. I also work as a Jewish educator, teaching classes and workshops and doing private tutoring for both kids and adults. Along the way I met and married my husband, and we have two beautiful daughters (who are a little anxious about their mom going all the way to China this summer).
Since 1986 I’ve been the cantorial soloist for the local Hillel, and I’ve sung at many community events and life-cycle ceremonies and celebrations. I’ve performed solo, and in duos, trios, quartets and a cabaret ensemble – but I haven’t sung in a big choir for a while, and I’m really looking forward to it.
I am astonished that I, with my tendency to over-research everything, have as of yet read very little about traveling in China. It’s as if I am just waiting to be surprised and amazed when I get there – or at least that’s my excuse; it could be I’m too busy learning the music, shopping for packable clothes and shoes and a camera, setting up summer camp schedules and carpools, and taking long walks in the local hills. So to those of you who’ve done your homework, I apologize in advance for my ignorance! Meanwhile, I’m excited to meet you all and sing with Cathy again.

It's Connie John again

2007-06-02T14:07:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

I told you a bit about my interest in China in March, but Debby asked for people to sign on with profiles, so here I am again, with bits of bio.

I'm from the class of 62, and life has been fascinating so far: three careers, two husbands, two daughters who now have three daughters between them, not to mention the three children and their five kids who came with the second marriage. I lived in France and Lebanon before settling in Canada, though I hale from Cleveland.

In Montreal, I first worked as a social case worker with French-Canadian families for five years, and then became editor of a magazine about Canadian films and the film industry. That lasted 15 years. After a major, personal life-changing reorganization, I left the mag and the husband and went back to school to get a diploma in communications. For another 14 years, I worked as an executive director of two different NGOs. One, the International Centre of Films for Children and Young People sent me travelling around the world twice yearly: a truly fantastic job! I left it to marry again and move to Toronto, where I'm happily ensconced writing a Ph.D. dissertation, having finished course-work and comprehensives last year at York University.

I was in China in 1990 for work, but things have changed enormously, and I'm most anxious to visit again. Now, Betsy Wiley, how about another profile from the class of 62?

Cheers,
Connie

Hi, I'm Barbara Gay

2007-05-31T20:49:00.000-05:00

I'm from the class of 1974. It's funny when I think that I've ended up spending my life in the Washington, DC area because of the choral tour the Glee Club took through the south when I was a junior. We did a concert in DC, and I fell in love with cherry blossoms and earlier spring weather. So I applied to law school here, and then went on to work for several years on Capitol Hill, which I never would have envisioned in college. I now live in northern Virginia and do government relations for a professional association representing non-profit senior housing providers and nursing homes. I don't have children, but I do have three feline child substitutes. For several years I have sung in my church choir. Recently I had the chance to sing with a combined chorus of 190 choir members from all over Virginia at the ordination of our new bishop at the National Cathedral. I am very excited not only about getting to go to China but also about getting to sing under Cathy's direction again with so many talented musicians. I love the pieces we're going to be doing. My aunt, Martha Gay, will also be on our tour (it seems funny to call her my aunt since she's only a few years older than me).

News from Nathalie Wilson

2007-05-31T13:43:00.000-05:00

This just in from Nathalie Wilson (from the Wales Tour):

I was thinking of you and the group, wondering how plans are coming
along for the big China trip -

It wound up being for the best that I did not try to participate -
our little David ( a big baby now - he'll be one year at the end of
June) was diagnosed with Noonan Syndrome in January. Just a
genetic freak thing - it explained a lot of the difficulties of the
pregnancy and his initial complications at birth. The biggest issue
is that Noonan kids are developmentally behind, so David gets extra
help with "personal trainers" each week to work on his gross motor
skills - he's at a 7/8 month level and just learning to scoot on
his tummy. But he's eating solids now and is quite the charmer - he
loves to sing ;)

David is coming along just fine - but I needed to feel more secure
about him before committing to a choral trip. And you need singers
with fewer distractions.

I would love to hear about how things are going - is the group
keeping a blog for the trip? IT would be great to follow along.
Caroline Rose is going into first grade next year, starting in a
Chinese immersion class that will last 5 years - it would be fun to
track your trip together on a big map.

Please keep me in mind if you should have any other tour plans - I
am certain that I will be able to join in the next time. David is making good progress - we are so lucky that his challenges so far
have been correctable and manageable - once this year is past us,
things will settle down - at least as much as life ever settles
down ;)

Send my love and best wishes to Cathy and to the choir - I miss you
all - bon voyage! - Nathalie

Hi, I'm Tiffany Tang

2007-05-28T23:19:00.000-05:00

I'm a graduate from the class of 1997 who majored in English and Theatre Arts and spent a lot of time at MHC singing, writing and horseback riding. After graduation, I lived in NYC for seven years while earning my MFA at the Actors Studio Drama School. Originally from San Diego, I recently moved back to the west coast to continue to pursue a career in acting and writing. As far as singing, I participate in a local chorale out here (we have a performance on Sunday!) which is keeping me "in tune" in preparation for China. I'm also very excited about the trip - I have never been to Asia before either and this is my first concert with MHC as an alum. I've only been back to campus twice in the last 10 years so the thought of spending three days in the dorms is cracking me up! My mother and my sister (who is a junior at Dickinson College) will be joining the tour as well. Can't wait to meet everyone!! -- Tiffany

PS - although my last name shouts "Chinese descendant!" my heritage is actually Norwegian. So no "insider" tips from me on the trip, unfortunately. But let me know if you need any info on snowshoeing! :)

Introducing Myself!

2007-05-26T18:49:00.000-05:00

As requested by Debby, I thought I would write and introduce myself to the group via blog!

My name is Cynthia Krohn and I'm from the class of 2000. This is the third international tour that I'll have been on with Cathy -- I went to Costa Rica with the Glee Club during J-term of 1999 and to England and Wales in 2005. At MHC, I majored in Women's Studies and spent "free time" in Glee Club rehearsal and conducting the handbell choir. I grew up (mostly) in New Hampshire, but moved last August to southern Maryland for a new job and new weather. I live in Calvert County, about 45 minutes southeast of DC, and work at a small independent school, teaching world history to high school students. I live with three other teachers who also teach at my school and some mornings I can smell the Chesapeake Bay on the breeze. No pets and no children, other than my 74 students. The only group that I'm currently singing with are the high schoolers -- the new music teacher recruited me at the beginning of the year to sing Alto parts! I love teaching, my students, my school, and the weather in southern Maryland. There are barely three weeks of school left for me and I'm really starting to get excited for the tour -- I've never been to Asia!

I have read two books about China in the past year: River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler (his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer), and The River at the Center of the World by Simon Winchester. Both excellent, though the Winchester is very dense.

Important Travel Tips/Info

2007-05-26T16:34:00.000-05:00

Note to all -- an email has been sent out containing important travel info for our trip to China. Please let me know if you haven't received it. Thanks!

More Good Books

2007-05-23T14:20:00.001-05:00

A comment from Susie Hayford (who couldn't figure out the blog thing!):
I've read some great books but
couldn't find out how to get my comment to register
about them on the blog. Snowflower and the Secret Fan
- makes you cringe when you read about the foot
binding. Women of the Silk - 1920's women who worked
with the silk cocoons. Nonfictions that help me to
realize how much of the culture suffered through
Mao(the Great Wall suffered more under him than from
the Chin dynasty when it was built). Interesting
earlier movies- Farewell My Concubine and Raise the
Red Lantern. The movie from last winter - can't
remember the name right - something Golden Flower -
was great.

Final Tour Payment Due

2007-05-21T07:43:00.000-05:00

An email with the final tour payment amount ($81 for most of you) was sent out today. Please let me know if you did not receive it.

Bon Appetit in China

2007-04-30T11:07:00.000-05:00

The May issue of Bon Appetit has some fun suggestions for dining experiences around Beijing and Shangai. Laura H.

Good Books to Read

2007-04-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

Has anyone out there found any particularly good books to read prior to the trip? I am currently reading Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. It's an excellent memoir and covers a great deal of Chinese history. Don't plan to read it on the plane, however, since it's banned in China!

Trip Itinerary Available

2007-04-30T10:07:00.000-05:00

Several important emails have gone out recently, including an updated itinerary for the trip. Please let me know if you have not received it.

Any Runners Out There?

2007-04-29T06:33:00.000-05:00

In search of partner(s). Please contact me. Hopefully at least a couple of our hotels will be near some green space. I am thinking that if we can arrive at a distance objective we can ask Kingsway to obtain suggested routes from the hotels prior to our arrival.

Airport Tax/Fuel Surcharge

2007-04-05T12:14:00.000-05:00

I just sent out an email to all travelers regarding a pending airport tax/fuel surcharge increase to our tour cost. Please let me know if you didn't get it.

Final Payments Due April 1!

2007-03-24T15:15:00.000-05:00

I sent an email out to each passenger earlier today with the final amount owed for the tour and cruise extension (if applicable). Please check your email and let me know if you need clarification or another copy of your balance due. Thanks! Debby

Common Signs in Mandarin

2007-03-15T19:41:00.000-05:00

Common signs

入口: Entrance
出口: Exit
推: Push
拉: Pull
厕所 / 洗手间: Toilet
男: Men
女: Women
禁止: Forbidden

For more Mandarin, see http://wikitravel.org/en/Chinese_phrasebook

Cathy Does Miami

2007-03-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

Cathy recently returned from the American Choral Directors Association meeting in Miami where she had the opportunity to meet with representatives from Kingsway, our tour operator, and representatives from the groups we'll be singing with in Shanghai and Beijing. In the first picture (above), Cathy stands between Yunmin Ye (on the right in the picture) and an associate. Yunmin Ye conducts the Shanghai Philharmonic Ladies Choir, with which we will be performing.

In the second picture, Mr. Wang of Kingsway translates the CD cover from the Wales Tour to Maestro Yang Hongnian and his wife Prof. Tang Chongquin of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Their son, Yang Li, is the conductor of our collaborating chorus in Beijing, the Young Women's Chorus of the National Symphony of China.

Reply to Laura Harris

2007-03-12T08:35:00.000-05:00

Laura, there are no "solos" in the three movements of Chen Yi's CHINESE POEMS, so I guess I don't understand your question. Sometimes the lines divide (upper and lower), and in these instances I have assigned each singer to a particular line as indicated in each individual score. Let me know if you still have a question. Cathy

Airline Upgrade

2007-03-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

Kingsway advises that the group seats reserved for us are not upgrade-able. If you want to fly business class, the only way to do so would be to switch to land-only and make your own air arrangements (you would receive a credit of $930 on the tour price). Please note that if you are considering this, you need to make these arrangements immediately and, if you are a singer, you are REQUIRED to fly over on either the same United or JAL flight as the rest of the group.

question for Cathy

2007-03-07T11:05:00.000-05:00

Hi, Cathy....where in the Chinese Poems are the indicators for the solos? If not marked, can we assume that we don't have one? Fun music!! Take care. Laura H.

Introducing myself: Connie John

2007-03-07T10:55:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

Having finally managed to open an account, I thought I'd say how glad I am to be going on the trip. I can't think of anything more fun than travelling around China with a bus-load of bright women, singing along the way. Betsy Wiley and I (class of 62) seem to be the choir's senior members, so--as is customary-- we'll expect deference from the rest of you once we're in China!

Kidding aside, I was in China once before, in 1990, for business and pleasure and I have two suggestions. The most useful thing to learn--but you'll have to learn it from a Chinese person to use it well--is how to say "no" in a manner that makes the Chinese believe you're sincere. Because of the Chinese custom of saying "no" a time or two before getting around to saying "yes", you will find yourself being offered food (and other things) repeatedly and forcefully despite having tried to turn it down. It begins to feel like harrassment unless you can make it understood that "no" is what you really mean. Second, memorize the characters for Men's and Women's in Chinese so that you can head to the right toilet if necessary. One, I think it's Women's, has more strokes than the other. Believe me, this can be useful.

On a personal note, I'm the grand-daughter of Presbyterian missionaries who spent thirty years, first in Beijing and then in Yantai (Shandong province). My Dad was born there, so while some of you go down the river, I plan to go exploring in Yantai and to catch up with you in Beijing for the flight back. I can't wait...

Who are the rest of you? I'd love to know.

Cheers (as we say up here in Canada),
Connie John

What to Wear in China

2007-02-28T15:13:00.000-05:00

Check out this website: www.journeywoman.com/girltalk/china/china_wear.htm It contains a lot of interesting info on what to wear in China...

The 2005 Wales Tour Group

2007-02-28T14:34:00.000-05:00

Clothing

2007-02-26T22:30:00.000-05:00

I know it will be warm in China, that we need comfortable walking shoes, and that part of our concert dress will be supplied (though I'm foggy on those details). What's our dress code while traveling and touring? Any insight or suggestions from someone who's visited China in the summer? Thanks! -- Martie Viets

Airline Upgrade

2007-02-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

I'm curious to know if anyone has looked into the possibility of upgrading our seats on the flights. It certainly would be nice for such a long distance trip!

Leslie Rosenthal '68

Salut Printemps Translation

2007-02-17T16:37:00.000-05:00

SPRING GREETINGS
Greetings Spring, youthful season
The plains are crowned by God
The ardent sap boils up, pours out and breaks through the imprisoning bark
Woods and fields are in flower
An invisible world buzzes
The water tinkling against the pebbles
Flows by singing its clear song
(solo)
The broom gilds the hillside
On the green lawn the hawthorn (May) tree drops its snowy blossoms
All is freshness, love and light
From the fertile breast of the earth rise songs and aromas

(translation by Leslie Luxemburg Rosenthal '68)

Q: Will we be able to earn frequent flyer miles?

2007-02-13T12:54:00.000-05:00

A: Yes, you will on either United or JAL (or its partners), depending on which flight you're on. You can send your frequent flyer number to Tanya at Kingsway (tanya@kingswayoperations.com) ahead of time, or do it at check-in. JAL's partners include American Airlines -- see the JAL website for more info.

Cathy's Answer to Lee

2007-02-07T08:01:00.000-05:00

From Cathy Melhorn (who's working on figuring out this blog thing!):

Hi to Lee and everyone! I'm glad our "priority packet" arrived in Oregon so quickly. It might take longer to Connecticut? Yes, it's a lot of music to learn on one's own. I hope having the practice CD--with apologies for my ailing vocal cords--and the performance recordings--will help. Note that "Peace like a River" has been proposed as a joint number when we combine with a Chinese women's choir (which we hope to do for every concert). No recording was available, but the publisher provides a MIDI file (synthetic sound--no words) online [http://sbmp.com/SBMP-MP3/MIDIfiles/SBMP%20417.mp3] which will give you an idea of the piece. I will let you know definitely later this spring if we are performing this song or not. I suggest you concentrate on other things first--most especially on Chen Yi's CHINESE POEMS. Have fun! Cathy