May 22, Sunday

               We boarded the bus at 9:00 am from the hotel for our final day in China. We traveled for 15 minutes to the old city center of Hutong. Located in the Hutong center were two towers. The bell tower to the north and the drum tower to the south. In ancient times the bell tower would ring the 63 ton bell each morning. The bell was heard throughout the entire city. Each evening the drums were played in the drum tower to call people back into the city. We were able to climb to the top of the drum tower for a performance. To the top of the tower was 69 steep steps. We dreaded each step as our bodies where very sore from climbing the Great Wall. After the show we took a rickshaw ride through the village. A rickshaw is a small cart for two people pulled behind a bicycle. To conclude our morning we ate lunch at a local family’s house. They family cooked a traditional Beijing meal. This meal consisted of rice, green beans, stewed beef, potatoes, and our favorite - carrot balls. The food was delicious! In this house lived three generations. In our spare time we were able to play hacky sack with the locals. They were much more skilled than we were but they were happy to play with us. We then boarded the bus and headed to the airport for our 13 hour flight!

               Overall we have had a wonderful experience in China. We have learned a lot and gained new friends and experiences that we will take into our future. One thing that we found interesting throughout the entire trip is the fact that each company we toured is new. All production farms we visited were built within recent years. This shows how fast and quickly China is growing and adapting to the growing populations. As young students in Agriculture we are blessed to be a part of this important time in history.  

Kyle and Whitney

P.S. See you soon family and friends!