West Hartford CT Community Notes


Saturday, October 27, 2012

AT&T awards $7,000 to Bridge Family Center

AT&T Connecticut gave a $7,000 donation to the Bridge Family Center to support its Moving On Project recently.
State Senator Beth Bye, a long-time supporter of the Bridge, helped identify the Bridge program as a cause that is in keeping with AT&T's mission for its philanthropic giving.
The Bridge Family Center has been serving young men as they transition out of foster care since 1998. AT&T Connecticut's donation will support the Moving On Project, a residential program that serves approximately twenty young men a year. This program has had measurable success in moving its residents toward productive and fulfilling lives. Located in Manchester, MOP is the only program of its kind serving the Greater Hartford area. The boys, who are between 16 and 21, can stay in the program for up to eighteen months. They live in one of four apartments and share a common space. Residents meet with a case manager at least once a week and work toward finishing their education, building life skills, and preparing to live independently.
The MOP is well-integrated into the community. Its Advisory Board, which includes the Manchester Deputy Chief of Police, the Director of the Manchester Youth Services Bureau, and the Principal of the Alternative High School, meets quarterly. The program operates with the philosophy that poverty, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, and isolation pose enormous obstacles for young adults, and that all youth need support, guidance, and opportunities during adolescence, a time of rapid growth and change. As such, the MOP provides a safe and nurturing environment in which young men can envision and then work toward a successful, independent future.
"AT&T Connecticut's support will help ensure these youth acquire the knowledge, skills, and values for successful independent living," said Bridge Executive Director Margaret Hann.
"AT&T is impressed with the work the Bridge is doing with its Moving On Project," said Abby Jewett, Director External and Legislative Affairs, AT&T Connecticut. "We're proud to support their efforts and look forward to assisting in their development and success."

Monday, October 22, 2012

Resident goes 'Over the Edge' for Special Olympics Connecticut

West Hartford resident Dale Comstock, 74, was one of about 60 adventurers that took part in the 2nd annual Over the Edge Mohegan Sun event last Friday to help raise money for Special Olympics Connecticut. Supporters can still make donations to Special Olympics by visiting soct.org. Anyone with a taste for adventure can sign up to rappel in Hartford next May from a building located at the State House Square. For more information, please call 203-230-1201, ext. 270 or email Sarahb@soct.org. Spectators are also welcome.

Conard High School names AP Scholars



A total of 167 current students and 2012 graduates of Conard High School have earned the designation of AP Scholars by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams.  About 18 percent of the more than 1.8 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.
The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on a student's performance on AP exams.  At Conard High School:
Eight students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP Exams taken and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.  These students are 2012 graduates Michaela Celella, Antonio Cruz-Uribe, Felipe Di Poi, Megan Grant, Lauren Konopka, Margaret Logue, Laura Miyares and Dominick Papandrea.
Fifty-six students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.  These students are current seniors Sarah Allen, Grace Bugos, Michael Farrell, Evan Ferguson-Hull, Cassandra Festa, Primativa Gradante, Mohammad Khan, Christian Kuntz, Colleen Lynch, Sara Meotti, Theodore Monyak, Anna Sklenar and YouYou Tian and 2012 graduates Peter Andrews, Olivia Basil, Shannon Burke, Mariah Castillo, Michaela Celella, Grace Congdon, Antonio Cruz-Uribe, Emily Daigle, Felipe Di Poi, Callum Douglass, Andrew Eichar, Christopher Eichar, Rachel Fox, Brian Francoeur, Delaney Gaetano, Jane Giuffrida, Johann Graefe, Megan Grant, Nicholas Haggerty, Liliana Harrington, Kylie Hoang, Sydney Jeanloz, Lauren Konopka, Colin Kuntz, Charles Lantz, Margaret Logue, Robert Loose, Ronan Lucey, Laura Miyares, Jeffrey Murray, Jessica Nguyen, Callum Novak, Kelsey Olguin, Dominick Papandrea, Srinath Pingle, Serena Robert, Alyssa Rossmeisl, Haley Sinatro, Will Thomas, Rebecca van Stolk-Cooke, Christopher Wiseman, Tessa Wunder and Jonathan Zukowski.
Thirty-nine (39) students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.  These students are current seniors Julia Appicelli, Adam Baral, Zoe Barlow, Andrew Bertini, Brian Bertini, Mark Bouchard, Caroline Buyak, Justin Chen, Daniel Gibson, Christopher Jastrzebski, Caroline Kuzoian, Emily Kuzoian, Nguyen Le, Chukyan Li, Angelica Lindsey-Velez, Juan Lopez, Leah McGovern, Anurag Ojha, Caitlin Piker, Rhyza Fleur Velasco, Emily Weinstein, Kathryn Wieber and Tess Woods and 2012 graduates Ellen Bridgman, Henry Bruzzese, Kathleen Cavanaugh, Megan Cote, Megan Cummings, Kate Foley, Neal Hambrecht, Jennifer Huynh, Hannah Jeremiah, Sam Lucyk, Christie Merino, Fresia Morales, Zachary Morgan, Bridget O'Hare, Joseph Schuman, and Dustin Walsh.
Seventy-two students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations, with grades of 3 or higher.  These students are current seniors Suyash Adhikari, Ellis Boettger, Shannon Booth, Siena Clymer, Caroline Crafts,  Margaret Czepiel, Issac Dashefsky, Whitney Davis, Owen Dawson, Mariam Dembele, Aimee DiPietro, Jacob Dufault, Elle Fontanazza, Courtney Fuller, David Girard, Jared Graveley, Tessa Green, Jessilyn Hartman, Nam Hoang, Rebekah Hoisl, Tatsuya Jepson, Jake Karp, Adam Khan, Chris Mathew, Morgan Milhomens, Kathryn Newton, Jamie Oriol, Jessica Phu, Zachary Powers, Joseph Presing, Brendon Rossmeisl, Tyree Seymour, Brendan Smith, Gifford Spada, Erika Terencio, Caroline Tibbitts, Paige Townsend, Benjamin Wein, and Owen Wilcox, current junior Xuan Liu, and 2012 graduates Lauren Brezinski, Chelsie Bryant, Katriona Casagrande, Chatham-Rose Anastasia, Mac Cherny, Anthony Davis, Stephanie Flynn, Aastha Gautam, Victoria Graumann, James Gustafson, Kyle Hall, Anna Isenstadt, Amanda Lazarus, Nicole Leon, Katherine Looney, Moeizza Malik, Brian Martin, Diana Miner, Brandee Newkirk, Noelle Ouellette, Taylor Reed, Elizabeth Roberts, Taylor Schumann, Diana Simao, Harman Singh, Dominic Sullivan, Christopher Sweadner, Ben Thumma, William Walsh, Zachary Wieber, Ned Wilson and Hailey Zolty.
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Chamber holds ribbon cutting ceremony for Noodles & Company


The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Noodles & Company to 333 North Main Street in Bishops Corner, West Hartford, CT. The ceremony was led by Mayor Scott Slifka, Noodles owner, Robert Barton, and Shari Cantor, the town's deputy mayor. Council member Denise Hall and Peter Lisi, chairman of the chamber board also attended the event. To learn more, visit www.noodles.com
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The Bridge now recruiting for parent leadership program



The Family Resource Center a program of the Bridge Family Center, is offering the Parent Leadership Training Institute from January through June 2013 at Conard High School.
The 20-week class in civic engagement that culminates in an individual service project, will include sessions on public speaking, the legislative process, state and local budgets, evaluation and program accountability, how state and local government work, and understanding economic trends and their impact on families.
The FRC is recruiting 25 parents and grandparents who live or work in West Hartford. Upon graduating from the program, the participants will share their knowledge with other parents and grandparents in future sessions of PLTI, passing along the lessons learned to increase the number of people advocating on behalf of all children. An information session will be held at the FRC at Charter Oak Academy from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 16. If you are interested in participating, call Deborah Zipkin at (860) 233-4701.
PLTI meetings will be held in the evening. Childcare and dinner will be provided at each session. There is no fee to participate.
PLTI is a statewide initiative. The FRC was awarded a grant from the Connecticut Commission on Children to provide the PLTI program in West Hartford. The Liberty Bank Foundation provides additional support.






Saturday, October 13, 2012

Cuban-American novelist speaks at Northwest Catholic

Enrique Flores-Galbis speaks to students. Submitted



Northwest Catholic High School students were encouraged to write by author Enrique Flores-Galbis during a recent two-day visit at the school. 
The author of 90 Miles to Havana, spoke to some students and teachers, sharing information about creativity and the writing process and encouraging students to focus their imagination. The author also talked about Cuba's history and culture and answered student questions. Student participants wrote winning essays about the author's book, 90 Miles to Havana, a title included on the summer reading list for NWC students.
Published in 2010, 90 Miles to Havana is based on Enrique's own experience as one of 14,000 children who left Cuba in 1961, alone, in a mass exodus called "Operation Pedro Pan." In the early 1960s, Cuban parents feared indoctrination of their children and that the Cuban government under Fidel Castro would take away their parental authority. Parents were able to get their children out of Cuba through Operation Pedro Pan. Enrique and his two older brothers spent months in a refugee camp in southern Florida.
The book received several honors for its depiction of Hispanic culture and Cuban history, including the Association for Library Service to Children and REFORMA, The National Council for the Social Studies Exceptional Children's Book list, Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year, Association for Library Service to Children Notable Children's Book list, and The Cooperative Children's Book Center's Choice Award.



Kingswood Oxford celebrates grandparents, friends


West Hartford resident Elise Namnoum hugs grandmother, Elizabeth Sava. Submitted
 A school tradition drew 250 family and friends to the West Hartford campus of Kingswood Oxford for its middle school's celebration of "Grandparent's and Special Friend's Day".
Students escorted guests through a program that featured performances by the school's jazz band and Choraliers, classroom visits and lunch in the KO dining hall.
"The smiles and hugs said it all," said Debra Coleman Hyde '68, KO's director of Institutional Advancement. "This day is a wonderful tradition that highlights the importance of our extended family as an integral part of the KO community and the very special relationships these people share with our students."
Head of School Dennis Bisgaard expressed his gratitude to those who made time and in some cases traveled a distance for the special event, reminding the guests they were welcome anytime. For photos, visit www.kingswoodoxford.org/grandparentsday.

Hall students named AP Scholars


A total of 146 current students and 2012 graduates of Hall High School have earned the designation of AP Scholars by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams. 
 About 20 percent of the nearly 2.1 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.Students took AP Exams in May 2012 after completing challenging college-level courses at their high schools.  The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on a student's performance on AP exams. 
Eleven students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average score of at least 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.  They are 2012 graduates David Chiu, Annabelle Davey, Jesse De Paoli, Arvind Narayanan, Julie Orenstein, Joel Pally, Delaney Patterson, Alexander Putterman, Rebecca Stambler and Sam Zeng.  Additionally, a current Hall student:   Leo Tinone. 
Sixty-four students qualified for the by earning an average score of 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.  They are 2012 graduates Reid Bassette, Zachary Bauman, Noah Boden, Caroline Bye, William Chan, David Chiu, Aidan Coll, Regan Considine, Allyson Covello, Joe Curry-Stodder, Annabelle Davey, Jesse De Paoli, William Dickson, Eric Ebner, Sarah Fuller, Samuel Garfinkel, Noah Goldman, Cassidy Grinsell, Caroline Karanian, Nigel Kidder-Wolff, Dora Kohnke, Selah Kwak, Brian Levine, Samuel Maidman, Jesse Maltz, Mallory Matson, Paul Molinaro, Roopesh Motiram, Arvind Narayanan, Julie Orenstein, Joel Pally, Delaney Patterson, Samara Perlman, Michael Porth, Alexander Putterman, Brett Ranieri, Joshua Reiss, Jennifer Ros, Abigail Schneider, Bradley Schwartz, Eli Shakun, Perri Silverhart, Rebecca Stambler, Sarah Torosyan, Suzanne Trammel, Emily Vasington, Annasha Vyas, Daniel Weinreb, Abhishek Yadav, Sam Zeng and Yao Zhao.  Additionally, the following current Hall students:  Celeste Cyriac, David Dobrynin, Clare Hern, John Holland, Stephanie Hua, Ashwini Joshi, Joy Kachko, David Katz, Kiernan Majerus-Collins, Margaret Rowe, Kendall Teare, Leo Tinone and Jane Yu.   
Nineteen (19) students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.  They are 2012 graduates Rachel Brody, Eileen Cartter, Victoria Croog, Julia Einhorn, Richard Goldfeld, Joshua Greenfield, Lisa Harris, Andrew Hoopes, Melissa Keeley, Rianna Lloyd and Victoria Mintzer.  Additionally, the following current Hall students:  Molly Borden, Micheal Carducci, Gavriel Cohn, Anne Coursey, Mohammed Malik, Miranda Nowell, Lily Peng and Sara Schulwolf.   
Fifty-two students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by earning a score of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams.  They are 2012 graduates Zachary Becker, Beverly Bodinson, Claire Boers, Matthew Briganti, Lucas Bruns, Shannon Buckley, Grace Conley, Morgan Considine, Natasha Esponda, Matthew Fabricant, Rachel Fischman, Elizabeth Freda, Jeffrey George, Liana Gerstein, Liza Henowitz, Eileen Li, Stephanie Lowe, Samantha Mengual, Katherine Minnes, Mark Nakib, Rebecca Newman, Kristian Pretashi, Kaitlin Rice, Ian Rothenberg, Rebecca Schwartz, Zachary Silver, Sarah Rose Slate, Madeline Stocker, Kim Vo and Janabeth Ward.  Additionally, the following current Hall students:  Emily Apter, Ashley Arthur, Kaitlin Beach, Molly Behan, Amalia Cote, Shira Feldman, Julie Kelman, Isabel Kornman, Shushrusha Lamsal, Marisa Mitrano, Isabel Nip, Ruth Onyirimba, Michael Patterson, Maria Pleshkevich, Ethan Prihar, Justin Salm, Shelby Saunders, Nikaya Smith, Gabriela Smith-Rosario, Alexandra Torchigina, Ming-Cee Yee and Chengchen Zhang.
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Watkinson's 'Shantytown Project' raises awareness

 Evan Kroll and Cole Fishman, of West Hartford.

Students from Watkinson School, in Hartford, embarked on an attempt to recreate and experience the global humanitarian issues of hunger and homelessness. 

The 13 students, supervised by two staff members, built their own houses out of cardboard and lived in them, with little food and no amenities, for two nights. They had the benefit of two speakers,  Trinity College Professor of Geography, Garth Myers, who spoke on "Informal Settlement in African Cities," and UCONN Sociology Professor Jeremy Pais who spoke on "Race and Economic Inequality in Modern America".
The Shantytown Project was created by students at Watkinson School. Its a Senior Project of Tafari Duncan '13 from Hartford. Senior Projects are community orientated research tasks chosen in their senior year.  Students have the ability to choose from a wide range of subjects and project designs, but the intent is that their project connects to an issue that is close to them, and gives back to the community.  Past projects have included fundraising to support orphanages, surveys, and research papers.

Watkinson's mission is to give the students the power to shape their lives and the world around them.  This Shantytown Project was designed with the intent to teach students about the world around them, one they may not understand or see everyday, and enable them to fix it.  By providing an experience, the goal of Shantytown is to build the passon needed to produce ideas that can shape the necessary change.
Watkinson student participants were:  Tafari Duncan of Hartford '13 (organizer), Evan Kroll '13 of West Hartford,  Cole Fishman '14 of West Hartford,  Liam O'Brien '14 of Simsbury, Julie Feinberg '13 of Granby,  Grace Nelson '14 of Manchester, Matthew Stevens '13 of Hartford,  Brandon Smiley '13 of Burlington, Gabie Gagnon '13 of Rocky Hill, Elizabeth Boxer '14 of Glastonbury, and Connor Linskey '14 of Portland, Tianna Edwards '14 of Hartford and Mason Bracker '13 of Hartford.

Friday, October 12, 2012

St. Thomas the Apostle School offers SMART tools

Dorothy Fox, Tiegan Poduje, Allison Refici and Caleb Rainey at a SMART Table.


Students in Nicole Hannon's pre-Kindergarten class at St. Thomas the Apostle School, in West Hartford, have two new ways of learning through play this school year.  The classrooms' summer renovation included the installation of a SMART Board and a SMART Table, technology that offers interactive learning and lots of fun.
The full day pre-kindergarten program has always provided a hands-on learning environment with finger paint, blocks, a sensory table and manipulatives to help students discover subjects like language arts, science and math through play.  The addition of these tools of technology, which are normally reserved for the school's upper grades, expands curriculum options while meeting the needs of learners of all abilities and stages.      
The SMART Board, a large interactive computer screen installed at a height appropriate for young learners, allows for greater participation from all students during the class' daily meeting. 
"The children love it and they are so comfortable with it," said Hannon. "The large size enables us to do so much more as a group.  Last week, as we studied the four seasons, I was able to upload picture graphs for students to explore.  I could never do that with our old white board." 
Students find the new SMART Table irresistible.  Equipped with a large touch-screen, it is big enough for five students to access simultaneously.  During a recent center time activity, students used the SMART Table to play a matching game with pictures of objects beginning and ending with the "o" sound.  The children played as a team sliding the objects with the correct "o" sound into the center of the board; then celebrated together as the SMART Table played the victory song.
"While nothing takes the place of a good teacher, these new tools have put the world at the fingertips of our youngest learners…literally," said school Principal Colleen Whitty DiSanto. 
St. Thomas the Apostles School, which serves students in pre-kindergarten 3 through grade 5, is located at 25 Dover Road, just east of West Hartford Center.  The school is celebrating 75 years of spirituality, scholarship and service during the 2012- 2013 school year.  To find out more about the school's mission and curriculum go to: www.stthomasapostlewh.org .
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Monday, October 8, 2012

West Hartford Chamber's Business After Hours

WEST HARTFORD, CT – The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce met at Chatfield for a Business After Hours event recently. Over 70 business professionals and local entrepreneurs attended the networking event. Guest's enjoyed gourmet appetizers prepared by Chatfield's catering team.The West Hartford Chamber is over 400 members strong and offers many networking events, community events, and exclusive discounts.For more information, please visit www.explorewesthartford.com.

Pictured from left: Ken Popillo, Bill McDonald, Charles Davis, Cartlton Chen, Maryellen Milio, and Barbara Kreitner.

Local doctor gets prestigious teaching honor

Jeffrey D. Manning, MD, a physician and medical director of Sports Medicine Associates in Danielson, Connecticut, is among a select group of physicians honored by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation for his commitment to education in the field of family medicine. Manning, who grew up in West Harford and attended Hall High school, was selected to receive a 2012 Pfizer Teacher Development Award based on his scholastic achievement, leadership qualities and dedication to family medicine. 

"Pfizer Teacher Development Awards spotlight the best of our profession: those in active practice who give of themselves to teach, mentor, and inspire residents and students," said Mary Jo Welker, MD, AAFP foundation president.

In addition seeing patients at Sports Medicine Associates and Day Kimball's Walk-In Center in Plainfield, Connecticut, Manning is also a part-time instructor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and The University of Massachusetts.

Manning graduated with a BA in psychology from Williams College and earned his medical degree from Penn State College of Medicine. He completed his residency in family medicine at Brown University and went on to complete a fellowship in sports medicine at the University of Massachusetts.

The Brown Department of Family Medicine will host a ceremony to honor Dr. Manning's achievement.

"I am honored to be recognized by the AAFP Foundation," said Manning."I enjoy educating students, residents and patients, as teaching is one of my favorite parts of being a physician."

Photo: Dr. Jeffrey D. Manning wins 2012 Pfizer Teacher Development Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation.

Robinson & Cole attorney appointed to CHFA board

HARTFORD – Litigation attorney Nuala E. Droney has been appointed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy to join the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.
The Connecticut legislature created CHFA in 1969 as a quasi-public housing agency charged with expanding affordable housing opportunities for Connecticut's low- and moderate-income families and individuals. 

Droney focuses her practice on complex litigation in federal courts, including antitrust, patent, trade secret, trademark, unfair trade practices, fraud, and contract disputes. Through the federal Criminal Justice Act Training Panel, she has represented indigent defendants in Department of Justice investigations and prosecutions. She recently helped to develop a pilot program in Connecticut Superior Court to provide free legal services to domestic violence victims. 

Droney, a resident of West Hartford, Connecticut, received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Yale University. Before entering private practice, she clerked for the Honorable Alfred V. Covello, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Temple Sinai honors Rabbi for 25 years of service

Rabbi Jeffrey Bennett, of West Hartford, one of the longest serving rabbis in the Hartford area, will be honored by the Temple Sinai Congregation in recognition of his 25 years of dedicated service at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, at the temple, 41 West Hartford Road, Newington.

The public is invited to attend the event, which will include a Havdalah service, a tribute to Rabbi Bennett, refreshments, and music by Peri Smilow, a nationally recognized singer/songwriter. Ms. Smilow is a co-creator of the Freedom Music Project, which brings together Jewish and African-American singers who perform music of the Passover tradition and the Civil Rights Movement. For more information: www.perismilow.com

Master of ceremonies will be Brad Drazen, weekday morning co-anchor of NBC Connecticut News Today and the station's education correspondent who produces the weekly "Making the Grade" series.

Tickets are $36 and may be ordered by calling the temple at 860-561-1055 by October 26.

"We're delighted to honor Rabbi Bennett for his spirited, dynamic and energetic leadership over the past 25 years," said Carol Benjamin, president of the congregation.

"Under Rabbi Bennett's guidance, Temple Sinai has grown and flourished as a vibrant, welcoming, inclusive congregation," Benjamin said. "He is known for bringing a historical and educational perspective to our services and temple events while nurturing our spiritual growth – all with warmth, wit and good cheer."

Tour to China organized by West Hartford resident

In July, 2012 twenty-three women, mostly from the greater Hartford area, journeyed together to China. The women were part of the first China trip for tour organizer and West Hartford resident, Lauren Drazen, and her new company "Chow Fun Tours".
After majoring in Chinese language at Dartmouth College, Drazen traveled to China for the past twenty years, both in the business world and as a Chinese teacher. For the past six years, Drazen has been teaching Mandarin Chinese in the West Hartford Public Schools and taking students every April on a spring break trip to China. Over the years, many people in greater Hartford had asked her to take adults to China as well.
This past summer, Drazen led her first adult trip, all women, to Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guilin and Hong Kong. Upon arriving at the Beijing airport, the women were whisked into rickshaws for a tour of the small alleys surrounding the Forbidden City, where courtyard homes abound. They ate a traditional Chinese meal at the Wang family courtyard home, made by Mr. Wang in his tiny kitchen. After the meal, Mrs. Wang gave the women a hands-on lesson in making dumplings. Over the following days, the group climbed the storied steps of the Great Wall and visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The next stop, Xian, offered the breath-taking view of thousands of Terra Cotta warriors.The clay soldiers, each unique in design, were the project of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and were buried with him to protect him in the afterlife. Local farmers discovered the warriors while digging their land in the early 1970's. From Xian, the group ventured west and south to Chengdu and Guilin. In Chengdu, the primary draw was the Giant Panda Research Base where the group had the opportunity to view hundreds of red and giant pandas and even hold a baby panda. In Guilin, the group trekked up Longsheng Mountain to behold the remarkable beauty of the terraced rice fields. These fields have been farmed in the same manner for thousands of years.
Chow Fun's trips are special because no two tours are alike. Drazen designs each unique journey to not only introduce participants to important historical landmarks, but also to get a sense of what Chinese life is really like, in both the cities and the rural villages. This is the only way to truly understand the Chinese people. Their lives are simple and happy. When Americans are able to speak with (through Lauren's translation) and interact with the locals, they have a great appreciation for what is important in their own lives.
The summer of 2013 will offer participants the opportunity to travel to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. In addition, the group will go on the Yangtze River cruise and visit Inner Mongolia, staying in a 4-star yurt for one night.

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