JOSH SNIEGOWSKI (film & video major) writes:
Today we had to wake up very early, and after spending all previous days doing a lot of walking, it was hard. The first thing that we did was go to a very big garden where many people from the city go to exercise in the morning. Going into the garden I couldn’t have even began to imagine how many people would actually be doing their morning routines. The place was massive and there were people everywhere you looked. A group of elderly women danced in sync with music, a group of people swung their arms violently to the beat of music, and others moved very slowly while practicing Tai Chi. By far the most interesting form of morning workout, however, was the old man I saw practice fighting with a sword. He was not young, but he was still able to jump and spin in the air while keeping great control over his blade.
While here, we were told that people do this every morning because it is said to help prolong life and is very good for the body. I was skeptical to believe that these basic exercises could do this until I met a 92-year-old man who walked around and acted as if he were 20. He told our group that two minutes of small squats per day would grant us these abilities as well. After seeing all this, we headed out on a two-hour drive to our next destination in Suzhou.
Once we got to the I.M. Pei Museum, we got to see something completely new. The entire building was a mix of old garden tradition with modern architecture. It was incredibly clean in and around the museum and all the works it held inside were amazing. After this, however, we visited The Humble Administrator’s Garden, which was the traditional style of gardens. Here we saw everything from incredibly old Bonsai trees to caves that multiple people could walk through. It was a huge and beautiful place.
After this we visited a few smaller gardens, then got a chance to eat. The restaurant we went to has Muslim cuisine. In my opinion, this was by far the best place we have gone to eat throughout the entire trip. Everything tasted amazing, and it was the first time that I stuffed myself past the point of being full.
Our last place to visit before we drove back to Shanghai was a silk factory. Here we learned the entire process of making silk clothing and quilts. Even though this was all a strategy to sell us silk, it was still very interesting. After the tour, we got back on the bus and took the long ride back, ate one last time, and headed for the hotel. By this time everyone was so exhausted that we all went straight back to our rooms instead of going out on the town. Hopefully tomorrow everyone will have more energy.
Josh Sniegowski is a sopohmore in the film/video department.
