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WLE Newsletter August - October 2000
Inside this edition:
 Photo Feature: Pedal Power
Student composition
Staff news
Weekend and Monthly Trips
Social and Sporting Events
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PEDAL POWER
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As the world knows, the flat streets of Beijing are ideal for bicycle riders but what is amazing is the extraordinary variety of two and three wheeled bicycles and the loads their riders carry.
Primarily for personal use, the majority of bike riders are individuals who rely on cycling as their daily means of transport. Others use the front or back carriers to carry their children or friends.
Then there are the three-wheeled varieties that are used for a wide range of purposes. These may be used for small business operations like selling food that is cooked on the back of the bike or for collecting and transporting coal, huge loads of paper and cardboard for recycling or any number of other purposes.
They all add a special charm to the traffic on the streets of Beijing
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STUDENT COMPOSITION
In September, World Link Education welcomed several new groups of students. The first to arrive were the CL1y students and the CMA1y and CMA1s students.
A week later, the semester language students joined them followed by those here to study for three months.
Once again, a truly multi-national group, the students are from North America, England, Scotland,
France, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Canada, South Africa, Australia and Thailand.
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STAFF NEWS
After our Summer staff, Lola Yang and Sabrina Bao left World Link to continue their studies, the Beijing office team welcomed a new full-time staff member, Jack Song. As Administration Co-ordinator, Jack's main responsibilities include processing student applications, overseeing the language exchange partner programme and student assistance. Jack is also the events co-ordinator for social and sporting activities for WLE students and their language partners. To date he has organized volleyball matches and a Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) workshop - stories follow.
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SOCIAL AND SPORTING EVENTS
 
New WLE staff member and volley ball enthusiast, Jack Song, arranged a friendly game on the BLCU courts recently. The teams comprised WLE students and their Language Exchange Partners.
Although not reaching Olympic standard, perhaps, all agreed it was great fun and they would like to play regularly.
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JIAOZI WORKSHOP
Jiaozi, Chinese dumplings, are a special traditional food in China. Made with a variety of meat and vegetable fillings, the jiaozi are wrapped in a flour dough and boiled for a short time before eating. They have long been eaten on special occasions because it is believed that eating jiaozi as a family, will maintain family unity.
In the past, Jiaozi were expensive which meant they were usually eaten only on special occasions. But since there is great significance attached to eating jiaozi during the Spring Festival in particular, even the very poor would not miss making and eating dumplings at this time, in order to ensure the unity of the family during the coming year.
With changes in living standards, however, they are no longer expensive and many people eat them more frequently today. However, the importance attached to eating them during the Spring Festival still remains.
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BIRTHDAYS
During the holiday week for National Day, three World Link students celebrated their birthdays. Worawat Thanomkiattikun (CL1s), Mirabelle West (CL1s) and Raymond Pagnucco (CMA 1s), had birthdays on the 2nd, 6th, and 7th respectively. Cakes were then shared with WLE friends the following week.
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INNER MONGOLIA - MONTHLY TRIP
On Friday night, 22nd September, a group of excited travellers set out from Beijing for a weekend in Inner Mongolia. The group of World Link students and friends, caught the express train to the capital, Hohhot arriving in time for a hotel breakfast then headed out by bus to the outer grasslands.
On arrival there, the local people, dressed in traditional costumes, performed a special ceremony to welcome the visitors. This included a 'welcome drink' of local rice wine.
After lunch, there was a performance of traditional Mongolian wrestling. This was followed by a choice of horse riding, camel riding or a walk in the picturesque grasslands.
Dinner on Saturday night featured a leg of 'home-grown' Mongolian lamb with a variety of vegetable dishes along with more local rice wine.
Overnight accommodation in the yurt was interesting! Each yurt houses six people, sleeping on thin matting on the floor, with pillows of rice husks and a cotton filled cover.
On Sunday morning, the trip back to Hohhot included a stop at a local farmhouse before continuing on to the train station for the return journey to Beijing.
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