Study Abroad

Today was a day full of eating and trying to bike off those calories. We started the day by looking through the streets for breakfast. A small group of us stumbled upon savory dumplings for one yuan each (about fifteen cents)! We then went as a larger group to the Xi'an city walls for a morning bike ride. The walls go around the old city and give a nice view of the surrounding area. It quickly got into the 90s and stayed humid as well, but everyone made the fourteen kilometers. In the afternoon we went to the Xi'an Muslim quarter and got to explore the great mosque. We learned some history about the local Muslim population which is much larger then I realized beforehand. The rest of the Muslim quarter was full of local delicacies like mystery meat on a stick and fried squid. Tiny alleyways revealed more local culture like vendors trying to sell knockoff Michael Kors purses and Gucci shirts. For me the most memorable part of the day was putting my feet in a tank full of fish that nibbled at my feet.

We woke up at the crack of dawn to get onto a bullet train to go to Langzhong. We got there in the afternoon and then went to get massages. The old city is amazing, the buildings are all made of wood and there are tons of stores to buy fun trinkets. Silk is one of the bigger products of this city so a group of us all bought silk shorts handmade each for a dollar. The next day we visited a Catholic Church in the town and a museum that explained the college entrance exams. Now we are on a train to the next location

Hello from Chengdu! We spent today at Chengdu Technological University, also known as CDTU. This vocational university was founded in 1913 and has around 13,000 students. CDTU works to prepare students for jobs for organizations such as Foxconn and Intel. (Next time you use your Apple product, think of CDTU students!) We were greeted by CDTU’s International Office and given a brief tour of their manufacturing technology. We visited an English class and were given free time to socialize with the students. Afterwards, the students demonstrated a few of their creations, from drones to robots to virtual reality. We were then split into smaller groups for a campus tour, during which we cycled through four different activities: Chinese character calligraphy, archery, Han dynasty clothing, and the university museum tour. At the end of the day, many WeChat QR codes were scanned and friendships were forged. Today’s events were rewarding because China is now the place where my friends Kai, Mao, Melissa, and Toby live.

Day 5 of the China adventure started after breakfast. The team left the hotel around 8am to take the subway to the panda breeding research center in Chang du. Outside our hotel on the way to the subway, there is a giant panda hanging from the International Finance Building. After two trains and one very packed bus ride the team was finally at their destination and everyone was excited to see the pandas. The research center was built as a nice themed park with different directions both in mandarin and English to help all visitors. The team had the chance to take pictures and have a glimpse of what a life in giant pandas, baby pandas, and red pandas look like. Which seems like a pretty good life. Pandas try to move less and eat more. They prefer the cold and they hate the heat. Most of the adult pandas were alone because they are solitary. They try to live in a hidden, remote areas and they are nick named “bamboo recluse”. Besides the adorable pandas, the park also had peacocks and a beautiful lake view.
Lunch was a Sichuan style, lots of spicy dishes and lots of yummy noises.
In the evening we went to see Sichuan Opera. We had our assigned seats. They served us some jasmine tea and the show was lit. There were a total of 10acts at least. It wasn’t a typical opera, there were different talents and routines that kept the audience entertained. Early morning panda hangouts, big lunch, and then an entertaining night of opera was a great way to end our day in Cheng du. Tomorrow we head on to connect with some university students. Stay tuned!

This morning we toured the grounds of the Summer Palace in northeast Beijing. It was built during the Qing Dynasty and sits on a hill overlooking about one square mile, most of which is a lake. Some of us experienced a traditional tea room, while others of us took a boat across the lake, and I climbed the hill to see the view from the palace. In the afternoon we left Beijing for our next stop, Chengdu. We got to experience Chinese high speed rail and see some of the Chinese interior along the way.

Hi Everyone! Today the big event was “walking” the Great Wall of China. We woke up at about 6:30am, ate some delicious hotel breakfast (I got pork buns which is my new favorite thing), and loaded everyone onto the bus. We drove about 2 hours into a beautiful mountainous region. Despite my assumptions, the wall is not right next to the city. It snakes through the mountains, emphasizing the natural border of the mountains (which makes a lot more sense now that I think about it).

You may have noticed earlier I used the word walk with quotation marks around it. In my mind, the great wall was going to have a nice, even pavement with some minor dips and hills. I was very, very wrong. Since it is practically one with the mountains, it is littered with steep climbs and thousands of very uneven stairs. It is not a walk; it is a climb. However, the views were definitely worth the discomfort! The wall does not disappoint!

Afterwards we drove back and ate at a delicious Chinese restaurant. The pinnacle of the meal was Peking Duck, a dish native to Beijing. It was served with other toppings and wrapped up in a very thin “Beijing Tortilla.” This caused the creation of “duck man” (aka Toby) after Toby, Josh, Loren, and myself (Megan) all ate part of the brain. His powers include swimming and a strong craving for bread. It is only day 3 and most of us have already been able to fully adjust to the time zone which is great. Please continue to pray for our stomachs as we try more and more new foods!

This is Kelsey. Today (June 1st in China) we took the subway and bus to make our way to various Beijing destinations. There is no such thing as personal space and the rule of the game is shove or be shoved! We visited the Temple of Heaven first. All buildings are focused on cosmology and fung shui. Everything in Chinese culture is focused on being harmonious-> food, nature, health, etc. has everything to do with the natural world. The goal is to align with heaven. Taichi was somewhat of a martial art meditation movement happening throughout the park there. They try to derive good chi, chi = energy and life force. There also was the Echo Hall which is circular and if you whisper at the wall the sound travels all the way around. Beijing means north capital and was built by the second emperor of the Ming dynasty. The Temple of Heaven and Forbidden city palace was also built by him. The Temple of Heaven was for good harvest for the country which was the emperor’s job. Rituals and ceremonies were performed and must be followed exactly. Heaven is round and blue and earth is square. The Hall of Prayer for good harvest is the architecturally most famous in all of China.

We also got to see Tiananmen Square where protests are able and have taken place at in the past. It was interesting to note the level of security and cameras there. They are always watching you! The Forbidden City Palace was the place the emperor stayed when the capital was moved to Beijing. Overall a very historical enriching day, and very hot! Popsicles and water were a great go to! Onto the Great Wall tomorrow!

We made it! A mere 36 hours of travel from FPU to the Hanting Express Hotel near downtown Beijing! Flights were all smooth and we got to experience a small taste of Japanese food and culture in the Tokyo airport on the 4 hour layover on the way Beijing. No travel problems at all. Myrrl and Ruthie Byler from Mennonite Partners in China and Hung Tao, their assistant, were there to welcome us at the Beijing airport, an enormous affair that stretches for mile after mile. A mere hour bus ride later and we were at the hotel. After freshening up we went for a 3 hour walk in and about some of the remaining 'old quarters' of downtown Beijing that have not given way to the high rises apartments and skyscrapers of the modern city. Climbed a crazy number of large steps to make it to the top of the bell tower where we had a great view of the area. We had a great Chinese dinner to end the last day and then we all went too snoozy land. Well, not everyone, but some of us were tired....

China and Vietnam, here we come! We are fourteen FPU students and four faculty ready to embark on a six week, 25,000 mile adventure through some of the most scenic, historic, rugged, and absolutely incredible lands on God's good earth. Open up the blog and then on this map link to see where we are headed and when we will be there. We'll travel by plane, train, boat, bus, taxi, and perhaps a tuk tuk or two. Come with us and enjoy!

I must admit, walking up the the offices of the national headquarters of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Ramallah was a bit surreal.  For many years, the PLO was, to the West, synonymous with terror all that is was wrong in the Middle East. In recent years, the Organization has changed, according to their own pronouncements, although many in the West wonder how deep and sincere this change might be.   Even still, the walk up to the headquarters was a bit unnerving: This entry from Wikipedia does a nice job of succinctly summarizing the history and development of organization:

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (Arabic: منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية‎‎;  Munaẓẓamat at-Taḥrīr al-Filasṭīniyyah (help·info)) is an organization founded in 1964 with the purpose of the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle, with much of its violence aimed at Israeli civilians.^{[5][6][7][8][9][7][10][11]} It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations,^[12][13]and has enjoyed observer status at the United Nations since 1974.^[14][15][16] The PLO was considered by the United States and Israel to be a terrorist organization until the Madrid Conference in 1991. In 1993, the PLO recognized Israel's right to exist in peace, accepted UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and rejected "violence and terrorism"; in response, Israel officially recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people.^[17]

Note the highlights:

• Founded in 1964
• Their purpose:  Liberate Palestine through armed struggle
• Much of their violence aimed at Israeli civilians
• Recognized by over 100 countries (including the US) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people
• Changed to recognize Israel's right to exist in peace
• Accepted UN Security Council resolution 242:
  • Emphasizing the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by (1967) war and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in which every State in the area can live in security."
• Accepted UN Security Council resolution 366  which:
  • "Calls upon all parties to present fighting to cease all firing and terminate all military activity (related to the "Yom Kippur" War) immediately"and "Decides that, immediately and concurrently with the cease-fire, negotiations start between the parties concerned under appropriate auspices aimed at establishing a just and durable peace in the Middle East."

We traveled to the headquarters of the PLO in the West Bank city of Ramallah (about 15 miles north of Jerusalem): and began our time with a visit to the tomb of Yasser Arafat, founder and long time leader of the PLO. [gallery ids="1883,1884" type="rectangular"]

We traveled to the headquarters and were greeted by this sign in the foyer: Yasser Arafat on the left; Mahmoud Abbas,  current leader of PLO, on the right We met with Samar Awadallah, Communications Advisor and Director of Media and Communications for the PLO in a conference room at PLO. Samar divides her time between two topics: the history of the current conflict from a Palestinian perspective and current status of the negotiations with Israel. [NOTE:  As I've written in the past, the following is her account and perspective as she presented to us] Historic Perspective Samar showed maps that show the shrinking extent of occupied Palestinian land - from 100% to 22% (the current amount of land occupied by the Palestinians) There have been numerous violations of International Law by the Israelis

• Building settlements
• Home demolitions'
• Forcible displacement
• Military raids
• Killing'
• Land confiscating
• Stealing resources
• Settler attacks

Palestinians have consistently, according to Suma, negotiated in good faith; however, negotiations have always broke down because of the "bad faith" negotiation posture of the Israelis:  The paradigm:  "Blame the Palestinians"

• Clinton
  • Promised a "generous offer"
  • No offer came
  • Do not believe that the two-state offer was neither just or fair; a compromise made to give dignity to children a future
  • Israel blamed Palestinians
• The Bush "Road Map" to peace
  • Palestinians accepted road map
  • Broke down because Israel negotiated in bad faith
  • Israel blame Palestinians

• John Kerry's initiative
  • Promised a release of Palestinian prisoners as a "good faith" gesture.
  • No release of Palestinian prisoners
  • Blame Palestinians when negotiation broke down.

Recent developments Samar sees the negotiations as a part of a Regional settlement, that is, the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians must be seen as a part of a larger Arab-Israeli conflict:

• Outside-In
  • Arab-Israeli Track
  • Palestinian-Israeli Track

The Arab Peace Initiative Samar mentioned the Arab Peace Initiative (API), sometimes called the  Saudi Initiative  which contains the following:

1. Requests Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace is its strategic option as well.

2. Further calls upon Israel to affirm:

a. Full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights to the lines of June 4, 1967 as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon.

b. Achievement of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem to be agreed upon in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194.

c. The acceptance of the establishment of a Sovereign Independent Palestinian State on the Palestinian territories occupied since the 4th of June 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza strip, with east Jerusalem as its capital.

3. Consequently, the Arab countries affirm the following:

a. Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended, and enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and provide security for all the states of the region.

b. Establish normal relations with Israel in the context of this comprehensive peace.

4. Assures the rejection of all forms of Palestinian patriation which conflict with the special circumstances of the Arab host countries.

5. Calls upon the government of Israel and all Israelis to accept this initiative in order to safeguard the prospects for peace and stop the further shedding of blood, enabling the Arab Countries and Israel to live in peace and good neighborliness and provide future generations with security, stability, and prosperity.

6. Invites the international community and all countries and organizations to support this initiative.

7. Requests the chairman of the summit to form a special committee composed of some of its concerned member states and the secretary general of the League of Arab States to pursue the necessary contacts to gain support for this initiative at all levels, particularly from the United Nations, the security council, the United States of America, the Russian Federation, the Muslim States and the European Union.

Samar believes that this initiative is a fair foundation for peace and shows Arab-Palestinian good faith. Discussion We asked Suma her sense of negotiations, why they have never resulted in a peace accord.  According to Suma, Israelis objection to the peace plans are unreasonable and demonstrate their unwillingness to negotiate in good faith. We then talked, at length, about Suma's work, specifically her role preparing the Palestinian team for their negotiations with Israel.  Her responsibility is to provide documentation, maps, and technical support for the team and is not responsible for negotiation strategy. Suma talked about the Palestinian perspective of the PLO.  She noted that the Palestinians "hate us" (her words), because of the little (if any) progress they have made in advancing their rights or securing a peace with Israel. A final point, she stated that the key issue in the peace process, from the PLO perspective, is the "right of return" which would include either:

• A physical return to Israel for the Palestinian refugees, and compensation for their expulsion from their land
• Staying where Palestinians currently reside, with compensation
• Moving to another Arab land, with compensation.

Summary Our presenter was decidedly cordial, eager to share her perspective on the conflict.  She kept referring to the initiatives that the PLO has made over the course of negotiations with  Israel, seeking peace and the opportunity for Palestinian flourishing.  Her belief is that Israel doesn't truly want peace and that the status quo is sufficient for them is at conflict with what we have heard from others, but there might be some in Israel who, if pressed, might agree. In our debrief, we discussed several aspects of Suma's presentation and noted the following:

• The change in the posture of the PLO over the years, from a aggressively militaristic organization at the onset to one that has (apparently) moderated its stance towards Israel and negotiation - although there are some who doubt the sincerity of this change.
• The insistence on a just solution to the refugee problem (which is problematic for Israel because of the demographic imbalance it could cause)
• A Palestinian homeland with full sovereignty rights, including security rights (which is problematic for Israel because it could lead to a hostile Arab country on their Eastern border)

With the conclusion of this visit, we have now with with representatives of all the major "players" in the conflict - except one:  The United States.  On to Tel Aviv and a meeting at the U.S. Embassy. g