Project Day Continued

Saturday was another full day dedicated to doing our project. I think it went really well but we had to reshoot some scenes because my blue shirt didn't work on the blue screen, duh. I think it looked a lot better shooting outside anyhow. The language barrier is still tough especially when we're talking about technical stuff but I think it's getting easier. My partner is doing all of the editing but I was able to help by selecting the music and backgrounds for the blue screen scenes. It's looking really good and I can't wait to see how this monster turns out. What a crazy project!

Project Day

Friday was completely dedicated to the group project for me. I decided to stay on the new campus a little later to get more done. So far my project has drawn a bit of attention and I'm a little apprehensive to know what the response will be. Imagine a cowboy doing Kung-Fu in an illusionary dreamscape, battling it out with a Chinese martial artist and using random devices like dart guns and frisbees. That's my movie. Yeah, it's definitely going on Youtube. It was mostly my partners idea but the cowboy was my own but that was before I knew I was playing him. If nothing else it's been a riot shooting this thing. I had two guys teaching me Kung-Fu and choreographing a couple fights. My partner definitely has a wild imagination but he has some great editing skills too so hopefully it will all work out.

Weifang Kites, Wood Cuts and Dogs

September 11th we travelled about 3 hours to Weifang, a town known for it's kites, wood cuts and paper cuts. The kite shop was really amazing. Ying said that they have something around 85 emloyees which I think is pretty astonishing when you see the shop. The kites were absolutely beautiful and it was hard to walk out of there without buying a few. There were a couple of dogs at the wood printing shop we visited and they were stealing most of the attention. The wood block printing was really great though and I couldn't leave there either without a few mementos. Later that night we had a farmer's dinner not too far from the Old Campus and it was a really nice meal. I was a little distracted by the dogs chained up down the hill from the terrace where we were eating but the food was simple and really nice. I was actually just talking to someone about the food we've been eating and it's hard to believe that the Chinese eat as well as we have been every night. I know they are spoiling us but it's definitely a cultural thing.

Return to Shandong University

Today was our second day working with the students at Shandong University. We arrived early in the morning and immediately exchanged gifts. The students gave all of us t-shirts with their school mascot on them, they're really great. We worked on our projects for a few hours and then toured the museum. There are artifacts in their campus museum that go back 6000 years and feature pottery found in the local region. They also have an exhibit of clothing, paintings, and calligraphy. There are really some spectacular works of art. We took a calligraphy class after that and I practiced my characters with ink and a brush. It was a rough start but I think I could get the hang of it. We returned to our projects and then dinner and ended the day with a quick game of basketball that I think totaled a whopping 2-2. Goodtimes!

Confucius and the Mountain

Today we took a bus to Qufu, an ancient city that existed since before the Han dynasty and is also the home of Confucius. It was really amazing to see such a historic city and the ancient buildings of Confucius. We also saw the graveyard and tomb of Confucius and his ancestors. I picked up a cowboy hat there for a project, I wonder what Confucius would think of that? Afterwards we took the bus to Taian where we rode a gondola to the top of the famous mountain there. There were spectacular views from all around and a nice cool breeze coming up the mountain. The climbing this time was limited but that was okay with me. The school catered a beautiful dinner once again of fish, locusts, prawns, and many other fancy dishes.

Shandong University of Art and Design

Today we met our partners at the university. I am partnered with Guang Li who is from Jinan and studies television media and documentary. The university did a spectacular job at pairing the students and I really think Guang and I hit it off. We already have a definite plan for our project on the first day and it should be pretty cool. He doesn't speak much english but he understands well and it's better than my Chinese. This should be a really great experience here and I'm really excited to dive into this project. I brought Guang a frisbee from the UO bookstore but he didn't know what it was. I never considered that they don't play with frisbees here but I have found it to be my obligation to teach them now. I brought 8 for the students so I think it should be a lot of fun. We will be hiking again tomorrow but I'll remember to stretch this time because the Great Wall was pretty brutal. I'm typoing in a smokey internet cafe just down the street from our dorms so I'm going to cut this short and pick it up when I get to a lab.

Bye Bye Beijing!

Ni hao! Yesterday we left Beijing and headed into the Shandong province by train. The transportation is actually pretty amazing and the train ride was a breeze, not like the trains we have in the states. I was sorry to leave Beijing but excited to see something new. I had many great experiences there and yet I feel like there was so much more to see. We made it safely into Jinan that evening and were welcomed by professors from the Shandong University of Art and Design. We then went to the old campus where we unpacked and went off to a giant banquet where we were joined by the president of the university and other faculty. We toasted many times to our visit and drank some really strong alcohol that woke me up quick. We also enjoyed Shandong's famous beer and a few people decided to sing for us from both groups. It was quite a day but a slower pace than the previous few days have been. I will miss you little black cat!