My morning at high school

Yesterday I went back to high school. As you may imagine, I quite enjoyed it. I was doing a piece for the Vancouver Courier about Britannia Secondary School's "Catch the Dragon" tour. Every two years, the school sends a group of about 20 kids to Beijing for two weeks. They stay in a university, take language clasess and courses in Chinese cultural things such as Tai Chi and calligraphy, and have to do independent projects on Chinese history. They also have to learn about Chinese history and teach a component to the rest of the class. They have the opportunity to practice their Mandarin and tour the country, including trips to Qin Dao and Xin Jian. This year, they're going to go to Inner Mongolia and stay in a ger!

This trip is made all the more cool because the school is in a poorer neighbourhood. Kids have to fundraise like mad for two years, and work really hard academically. The teacher who organizes the trip says it teaches the kids things like responsibility and good citizenship as well as independence. For many of the kids, this is their first trip overseas. Since many of them are of Chinese descent, the trip can be even more meaningful because they can finally see the country of their ancestry.

I got to talk to the trip organizer and meet one of the students who had already been on the trip. I liked the organizer a lot and it was pretty obvious that the kids did too. He told me that Britannia Secondary School is one of the only public schools to offer an Asian history course and Mandarin classes. I didn't take Asian history in high school, but I did take it in university and was fascinated because it was so completely different from anything I'd studied before. I did extra readings in the class, just because I was so interested.

The organizer says that one of the reasons the kids go to China is because he feels it is important to recognize how important Asia is going to be in the future. Approximately 1 in 4 trading opportunties are now with China, and the Asian market is shaping up to be huge.

I also sat in on a group to see some of the kids who will be going this year and they were neat kids.

At the end of my time at the school, I asked the organizer if they needed more chaperons. I was only half joking. ;)

I have super talented friends..

Two amazing women from a poetry class that I took at the University of Saskatchewan have started up a magazine for the thinking woman called Cahoots . Check it out and pick up a copy.


I also received a copy of the book co-written by one lovely Susan, aka [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]! I was so happy to get my copy of Supercrafty that I opened it at the Post Office and showed it to the Postal worker. I haven't had enough of a chance to read it yet, but I did read a few snippets and liked what I saw. I'm so happy for you!

Harry Potter legal countdown clock

This woman has admitted what a few of us already know- Daniel Radcliffe is going to be hot! She presents compelling evidence, complete with a pictorial history of Dan's ascent to puberty.

She's even created a Harry Potter legal age countdown clock

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Along the same lines, actor Ken Watanabe has been selected as an international man of sexiness .

What does one do to become an international man or woman of sexiness? I'd like that title, please.