Teen Travel Blog

Here in the ARCC office it is officially SUMMER! We may go by a different schedule than the rest of the world. Yesterday we welcomed three of our leaders who are leaving for China, TODAY.

Seasoned leaders, Sophia W, David M, and Pete R, spent all day getting equipment, making journals, going over all the details of their upcoming trip with Pacific Ridge to China. The three will fly to China today and meet up with Max C. who will also be leading our first summer trip. The group will have one week to further prepare before meeting the Pac Ridge students and teachers!

Goodbye to our China leaders and Hello to SUMMER!

Well the journey is quickly coming to a close – we are have the next two nights in Beijing and have realized that it is not nearly enough time to see and do all that the city has to offer.  Our plan is to do what the ARCC students do in 2.5 days in about half that time – I think we can do it.  We’ll be on a whirlwind tour of Beijing – seeing the parks and Tiananmen square in the early hours (hope to catch the flag raising) the spend the day at the Great Wall and the rest of the time checking out the hotels/restaurants for the groups.  Will be a busy schedule but then we have a 12 hour flight to sleep on!

Here are some pictures from our time in Shangri-La and Tibet….stories to follow when there is more time.  I am not usually a plane photo-taker, but the views flying to/from Lhasa were incredible….as you can see.

It’s true when they say the food in China is not the same as Chinese food that we are used to eating in the US.  I admittedly was nervous about this before heading over to China, as I am one who really enjoys food and did not really know what to expect – all of those concerns were quickly laid to rest as I have had some amazing food all over China. A few highlights include:

• Steamed dumplings for breakfast – filled with veggies and egg…. like a breakfast burrito but Chinese style, yum!
• Just about every type of vegetable dish you can imagine – spicy shitake mushrooms with eggplant, tofu with tomato, egg with tomato, spicy snow peas
• Fried rice – one of my favorites in the states…is way better here!
• Fresh Walnut bread (sort of like a Dunkin Donut munchkin with a walnut inside)
• Lots of pickled vegetables – they are super healthy (good for digestion) and people here eat them with most meals

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The journey to Zhaoxing from Chengyang Dong was an incredible drive through the mountains  – passing villages so small that if I had even closed my eyes for a moment I would not have known that we passed by another one.   Despite it seeming like we were in a place where few people lived, there were always people working in the fields each time I looked out the window – if not working they were walking to work, carrying buckets of water, bundles of freshly harvested vegetables and a metal tool with which they do their work.  Often the heavy loads were precariously balancing on a large pole over their shoulder.  The work ethic here is strong and even in the rainy conditions people were outside doing the day’s work – which also seemed to involve a long walk from their village. Read the rest of this entry »

In Chengyang Dong I got my first glimpse at what life as a celebrity must be like, more on that in a moment.  Michael and I spent the early part of the afternoon walking around and exploring the villages surrounding his home village – there are 8 different villages that make up the area where he lives.  Each village has about 1000 people living in it and all of the people are from the Dong Minority – I noticed Michael talking with the other villagers in a different type of tone and assumed that it was a dialect to the region, however I was then informed that it is actually an entire different language  – called Dong language, Michael speaks this, Mandarin and English! 

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One of our ARCC staffers, Ellery, is off on an adventure in China.  She reports in for us below!

I have made it out of the hectic Chinese cities and into the countryside – it is beautiful!  Our day started out with a 4 hour drive from Guilin (I had flown there last night from Shanghai) to Chengyang Dong – the home village of our local guide Michael.  Michael is great – he is filled with knowledge about China and especially his home province Guangxi.  The drive through the mountains was incredible – with terraced rice fields abound – the fog settling over the hills made it similar to the postcard you always imagine from this rice farming part of the world. I have learned a few things about rice so far in my travels.

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Adventures Cross Country received this essay from Jessica Aronson for our Summer of a Lifetime essay contest and we were all moved by her essay and thought you would be too!

I was a blur of color as I flailed my arms wildly in my fluorescent tie-dyed t-shirt and traditional floral sarong, attempting to follow the angelic Thai dancers. I longed to master their smooth movements and gentle twirls, but continued to stumble as my feet wove and twisted in an attempt to imitate the complicated steps. My inability to understand the beautiful dancing custom distanced me from the culture, as I felt completely lost. However, as we danced throughout the night, my perspective of our differences was transformed, allowing me to cross the bridge of cultures.

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Sarah Dutton was one of our entries for our Summer of a Lifetime essay contest and we thought her essay was definitely worth a read!  Sarah was an alumni of our 31-day blue water adventure to Tahiti, Fiji and New Zealand last summer – she actually wrote this essay for her college applications.  Good luck to you, Sarah!  We think any college would be lucky to have you!  Read on and see why we thought this essay was noteworthy…

Sarah Dutton
Common Application Essay

I was in the ocean halfway around the world with fifteen people I had known for only nine days trying to breathe underwater. What the heck was I thinking?! I had a history of panic attacks and hyperventilation problems. I had just spent three long days in a hot classroom watching cheesy videos about scuba diving. I had seen children, teenagers, and adults frolicking underwater and diving like life was one, big, happy underwater picnic. But when placed into the situation myself, infamous butterflies fluttered into my stomach.

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Always wanted to go to Europe but in a different way than traditional sightseeing?  Do we have the trip for you!  Our 28 day Southern Europe Multi-Sport adventure begins with a visit to the Parthenon and the Coliseum in Rome and kayaking around the Elba islands.  You will then backpack through the rolling hills of Tuscany to classic Italy, Cinque Terre.  From there, incredible whitewater rafting adventures in the Alps lead you to the highest peak in Europe, Mont Blonc.  Our  Southern Europe adventure will definitely leave your thirst for thrill-seeking and adrenaline quenched! Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine having to stop in the middle of the road for a family of elephants crossing your path.  Or riding in an open-air bus while gazing at lions sunbathing, giraffes snacking on the highest tree branches and hippos cooling down in the water.  Now imagine that on this very same adventure, you are helping to improve the lives of children in school, repairing classrooms and creating soccer fields for the community.  All the while, you are bonding with a group of people who will impact your life forever, as you will impact theirs. 

That’s what our Tanzania Service ARCC Alumni did last summer – they opened their hearts and their minds to the people of Tanzania and came home with stories and experiences they will not soon forget.  Check out this awesome video that documents their adventure!