China 08
Day 19 – Football fever
Thursday 21 August 2008 - 20:06:36
Training was a refreshingly different today for the boys as they played matches. The girls resigned themselves to yet more multi-ball. Last night’s extra session with Jason did not seem to have increased their enthusiasm for it!
Lunchtime saw Jason regain his crown as tennis champion, much to Andries’s disappointment. The crowing could be heard throughout Hebei Province.
At 4pm the boys were all taken off to play football on one of the local pitches. Two and a half hours later, having missed supper, they returned sweaty but much enthused. The coaches’ competitiveness had obviously rubbed off on them and the arguments as to who were the better team continued until late into the night.
The prospect of an hour’s table tennis to follow football did not amuse the boys however. Nevertheless, the majority of them made it. The rest will have extra laps tomorrow, the last day.
As evening fell, the vast majority of us packed, and the realisation that we were actually leaving finally hit home, leaving the mood sombre. To top it all off, the rain began to fall…
Day 18 - Still Focussing…
Thursday 21 August 2008 - 20:06:02
Most of the students went into full-on leaving mode today. Many of them realised how much the friendships that have been built with the Chinese children now meant to them, and the exchange of gifts was happening left, right, and centre. It was very touching to watch.
Training continued. The pace of progress had slowed, but that is understandable. Jason focussed everyone on having their progress manuals up-to-date, and I was impressed by some of the thoughtful comments that the girls have made in theirs.
On a more practical note, I reminded everyone to start to think about packing, and to put in their last load of laundry tomorrow morning. The packing comment led Jason and Andy to run out and buy second suitcases, which have now been filled with table tennis balls. The laundry comment resulted in a very serious-faced Monserat and Sally knocking on my door at lunchtime. They informed me, “The maids haven’t been doing our washing properly”. Ten minutes later, I had shown them how to use the washing machine in their room, amazed at what two weeks of 5* treatment had done to them. I pity their mothers when they get home!
On the tennis front, both Jitao and Andries exacted their revenge. Serious tactics came into play, and Jason and Andries had to battle it out in a tiebreak. The chat later that evening was hard for Rose and I to bear; testosterone levels were no longer just an issue we were having with the boys.
Once again, the day ended on a quiet note. At last, everyone seemed to calm down by 10.30pm. Shame we only had three days left to enjoy it…
Day 17 - The final week
Thursday 21 August 2008 - 20:04:51
Day 17 – Monday 18th August 2008 – The Final Week
Monday’s morning run was met with the usual amount of enthusiasm. With the exception of the two who had got back late last night, everyone was hauled from his or her beds, and any latecomers were subjected to extra laps. That being said, a day off had been worth it, and a notable keenness had return to most games.
The start for the final week generated a change in atmosphere too. Many of the students began to talk eagerly of going home. Conversations have turned to what people are looking forward to most on their return; it is almost unanimously their mums’ cooking.
On the coach front, the tennis racquets that were bought in Beijing have led to some unhealthy levels of competitiveness. Andy and Jitao, and Jason and Andries played some vicious matches today. Andy and Jason were the victors, but I have a feeling that tomorrow could be a different story.
The day for everyone else passed quietly. Understandably, the fact that the end was now so close led to some signs of apathy, but in general the focus was visible in both practice halls. With most people having spent the majority of their money in Beijing, we turned down any requests to go into town, promising one final trip on Wednesday or Thursday before we leave. Only George managed to find 500 RMB to buy the same top as the Chinese Olympic gold medallist who won this evening…
Day 16 - An adventure
Sunday 17 August 2008 - 20:03:19
Rose and I had volunteered for the job of escorting Sally and TJ back to Beijing for the last table tennis matches that Greenhouse had managed to secure tickets for. We had also managed to procure some tickets for the three main translators on the campus with whom we had become great friends with over the past two weeks.
We assembled, bleary eyed, in the lobby at 5am and climbed into two taxis bound for Shijiazhuang, the nearest large city, and capital of Hebei Province. Here we went through the numerous, airport style, security checks and settled down to 30 minutes rest in the waiting room before we were able to board the first class carriage of our super-speedy train. Two-and-a-half hours passed amazingly quickly with fully reclining seats and enough legroom that even TJ was satisfied.
We arrived into Beijing at 8.30 am and immediately headed for the underground. A twenty-minute walk, thirty minutes on the Metro, and a fifteen-minute taxi ride, and we were fairly near the hotel where we had to collect the tickets from. The marathon that had started an hour earlier wasn’t helping our cause much. Nevertheless, we were at the stadium by 10.30am, some incredibly close and well-played matches were played.
We set off towards the nearest Metro stop, pausing at a Chinese street vendor’s that Rose and I had spotted earlier. Despite reservations, Sally and TJ nibbled at the egg and chilli pancakes, as well as the meat and onion filled flat bread. Both students conceded that the food was ‘really nice’, though my photographs unfortunately suggest otherwise, their faces contorted having burnt their lips on the piping hot snacks!
Feeling revived, we took the Metro as close to the centre as we could before getting into a taxi for the last leg back to Sanlitun, and the enormous clothing market we had visited earlier in the week. Armed with all their cash and enormous shopping lists, Sally and TJ shopped solidly for an hour. Whilst Sally and Rose enjoyed exploring the jewellery and small souvenirs on the top floor, TJ confined himself to shirt shops.
Day 13 - A VERY soggy day
Thursday 14 August 2008 - 20:00:12
The following morning dawned, overcast and smoggy. After an early breakfast WITH BUTTER, we set off for the Great Wall. Unfortunately, in true Chinese style, when we arrived at the stretch we wanted to explore it had been closed without warning for a VIP banquet later that day. We ascended a bit further up the hill and arrived at the next area, swarming with people. We had twenty minutes to climb a bit of the wall and appreciate just what an accomplishment its construction had been, and still is.
Unfortunately the bus was not where it should have been when we re-emerged into the car park. As we waited, the heavens opened, and the largest raindrops that most of us had ever seen fell heavily on our unprepared selves, drenching us in seconds. Thunder and lightening followed seconds later. Around twenty of our group attempted to squeeze into a Police booth, designed for no more than three Chinese policemen.
By the time the driver managed to get his coach through the gates, we were all dripping. The bus had a river flowing through it, and we had to wait another thirty minutes before we could get out of the exit gate that was blocked by droves of people coming off the wall to avoid being struck by the lightening. The driver was not too happy about having to put his heating on rather than the air-conditioning, but many of us had failed to bring jackets or trousers, let alone umbrellas. There were a lot of shivering individuals, thanks to wet hair and squelching feet, not to mention drenched electrical equipment.
We had an exceptionally slow journey back into Beijing, often driving through four or five inches of surface water. Many of the lorries in front of us were aquaplaning between the lanes in front of us, so overtaking was simply not an option. We eventually got there, dropped off a few more to see the table tennis, and then picked up our pre-ordered McDonalds take-outs. Even the chips were soggy.
For those who had not been chosen to go to the table tennis, the afternoon was spent at the water polo. We arrived in the venue, once again drenched thanks to the latest downpour, and, at best, felt we were in line with the aquatic theme. Our spirits had been dampened too, and we were both soggy and stroppy at being dressed in yellow dustbin bags as we found our seats. The water polo however was exciting to watch, and the Natorium was a brilliant building. It was amazing to see how low the diving boards were too, having watched the complicated moves that had been performed there over the previous few days.
We watched a nail-biting game between Australia and Canada, and saw the Italians destroy the home team, much to the disappointment of the ‘Chinese’ supporters in our group who had been yelling ‘Jai you’ (‘give oil’) throughout. Meanwhile, I struggled to eat my instant noodles without any hot water with which to rehydrate them. I can only assume that the Olympic authorities had ordered thousands of these as official spectator snacks, with the logo highly prominent, before Health and Safety appeared and banned any water that could be classed as above room temperature. A refund was not offered, though no one else behind the counter was willing to try ‘spicy crabs’ flavour straight from the packet either.
The group reassembled at the hotel, where we discovered that the others’ planned outing to the Forbidden City had been cancelled due to poor weather conditions. They had been allowed a brief stint in another shopping centre, but had otherwise been stuck on the coach for some time, raising the mood of us tired and damp ones, who had at least seen some action that afternoon.
Dinner was a fantastic feast, organised by Trisha, at another Western restaurant. Here, there was a self-service salad bar that included all the ingredients to make a Caesar salad, fresh fruit, chicken soup, and many other yummy things that we had all been missing. The main course was a plate containing a spicy breaded chicken breast, a minute steak, and some hot and crispy chips. The vegetarians were each given an enormous fish platter. We were all genuinely full and warm once again.
Feeling replete, we returned to the hotel. Most of the students settled down to a good night’s sleep. Meanwhile, Jason, Andries, and Daniel Basterfield set off for the roof of a fish restaurant. There, they encountered a number of shocks thanks to the electrical storm that had hit the city earlier on and left their chairs fully charged! They then met up with Dom Joly. He wanted to interview Daniel about his impressions of China so far. Daniel rose to the challenge, and the entire thing was broadcast live on BBC Radio 5 Live. His nerves showed only once, when asked to elaborate further on where he was from. Having originally stated ‘England’, his follow-up comment was ‘in Europe’! The boys arrived back at 2am, though it was closer to 3am by the time that Daniel had managed to wake his brother Jack to let him back into his room. At least we had another 4-hour journey tomorrow morning to catch up on some sleep…
Day 12 - Beijing, here we come
Wednesday 13 August 2008 - 19:59:09
The bus managed to leave at 6.15am, only 15 minutes later than planned. Breakfast of bread buns, Chinese sausages, and milk, was not the most popular, but everyone managed to get something down themselves despite the anti-social hour.
We arrived in Beijing in time to drop off Jide and Maynard, the first two to be picked to go to the table tennis. The rest of us then went for a 10.30am ‘lunch’ at KFC, organised in advance by ‘Owen’, our Chinese guide during our stay. Fortunately, it was considerably nicer than the one in Zhending.
Next, we got onto the coach once more and got dropped next to the ‘Bird’s Nest’, the extraordinary building where they held the opening ceremony. We had some time to walk around the perimeter of the Olympic sites, and take photographs. There was another particularly impressive skyscraper nearby, built to resemble a flame, with an enormous plasma screen displaying Olympic scenes taking up one third of a side of it.
Both the girls and boys discovered that many people wanted to photograph them as much as they wanted to photograph Beijing, and rose to the role of minor celebrity for the morning. They also bought flags, temporary tattoos, and small souvenirs galore. The incentive to support China over any other country was derived from the fact that a Chinese flag cost two RMB, whereas a British one was 20 RMB.
Having picked up the boys, both much inspired by their Olympic experience, we headed to another area of the Olympic Village. We saw the team GB Lodge, flanked by two enormous totem poles (the reason behind this remains unknown). Outside, we witnessed a skirmish between an audacious Guardian photographer and the Chinese police force. The latter did not take kindly to the photographer’s actions or tone, as he barged through their cordon shouting, “I’m a bloody English journalist for crying out loud!” He was restrained and detained.
A little further down the street we found our bus, parked up against the pavement, seemingly ready to transport us to our next destination. However, we were informed that the air conditioning had alas ceased to function, so we enjoyed another thirty minutes checking out the ice-creams that the local shop had to offer (including Cornettos), and having water-fights. Meanwhile, the driver busied himself with a hammer and spanner, though quite what was meant to be achieved with his random tapping and turning was unclear. After a while, concern grew as it was nearing the time for the next group to get to the table tennis. With great reluctance, the driver admitted that the bus engine was also currently out of action. Fortunately, the coach company were extremely well prepared for this occurrence, and a replacement bus arrived shortly afterwards. Erring on the side of caution however, the couple going to the Olympics enjoyed an exciting taxi ride to their destination instead, and hence arrived on time.
Safely on our new bus, we next headed to Sanlitun district, to a five-storey shopping store. Here, you could buy almost anything, much of it fake, although most of the famous label products had been hidden. This was due to the current widespread campaign promoting Intellectual Property Rights, designed to coincide with the influx of Americans present for the Olympics.
The students were offered some basic bargaining advice – no more than 30 RMB for a shirt, 80 for jeans, or 60 for shoes. If asked where you came from, they were advised to choose an obscure country the vendor wouldn’t have heard of (Zimbabwe was cited as the example), so they didn’t assume that you were yet another rich Westerner. Everyone emerged 90 minutes later, jubilant at their successes, some of them getting prices lowered from as high as 600 RMB, down to 70 RMB. Although most people had only managed to explore one floor, shopping fatigue was setting in, and we adjourned to the bus and headed out to Papa John’s for pizza, a prospect that thrilled kids and coaches alike.
At the pizza restaurant we met up with Trisha from Flexi who had helped organise various parts of the trip. She gave everyone a hologram postcard of the table tennis centre to send home to his or her family, and also presented Jared and I with birthday presents – some very special chocolates presented in a beautiful Chinese box.
After dinner, we had half-an-hour to explore the enormous shopping mall we were in. The bargain box full of Nike trainers caused particular excitement for the boys. Then it was back on the bus once again for a trip ‘around the corner’ to our hotel. Having grown accustomed to the 5* accommodation at the training centre, there were a few complaints that our new rooms were too small and that the television screens weren’t plasma. However, everyone settled down, exhausted after such a long day. Being in a city, with a bit more life in it, the coaches were also finally able to relax and have a game of pool together…
Day 11 - Nearly break time
Tuesday 12 August 2008 - 19:56:36
The students knew that this was the last day of training before their break. Pushed to their limits, both in terms of physical strength and motivation, they played hard all day, boosted by the prospect of two days in Beijing. Aches and pains were felt by most, but almost all were mature enough by now to spur each other on, rather than to moan and lower the group’s morale.
The girls were also subjected to the four-bottle-a-session rule, though the boys have had this implemented for a while. Despite complaints of not liking the ‘taste of water’, they all successfully rose to the challenge of consuming two litres in three hours.
Although there were tough moments today, the training went well and we all packed excitedly for our trip tomorrow. There was additional disappointment as it was revealed that the Chinese agency responsible for the purchase of tickets had promised too many. Whilst a trip to an Olympic event was guaranteed, only 16 out of 28 students would be able to see the table tennis. As Jason pointed out, this was the hardest decision he would have to make on the entire trip, and not one he wanted to have to make whatsoever. After all, everyone was in China because we thought they all deserved to see the table tennis; but sometimes matters are not in our own hands, and the best has to be made of an unfortunate situation. Most of the students were able to accept this point of view, and understood that those chosen would be the ones who had put in the most dedicated and consistent amount of time and energy into their training. In addition, the 5.30am start was not such an attractive prospect…
The Greenhouse Gallery
Tuesday 12 August 2008 - 16:32:38
Day 10 - Week 2 begins in earnest
Monday 11 August 2008 - 19:55:48
With the exception of Harriet, none of the girls had taken heed of my warning that, after the first week, they would be joining the boys in being responsible for waking themselves up. Harriet’s morning call from Reception came five minutes early at 5.50am, much to the chagrin of Shazmina who had to answer the phone (Harriet slept through it)! With the exception of Sushmita and Dipa and a couple of others, the rest of the girls were late. Ten laps did not improve the general mood, and breakfast was a sombre affair. A few very sweetly attempted a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ for me, but they sensibly conserved most of their energy for training.
After breakfast, we all went back to our rooms for short lie-down before training, as usual. I opened the little things my family had smuggled into my bag, and Rose’s fantastic gift of paper, ink, and a brush so that I can teach myself Chinese calligraphy (or at least try). Mid-unwrapping, we were suddenly deafened by the sound of firecrackers close by. That, and the fact that the gardener had put the fountains on this morning, suggested that something important was going to happen so we went and craned our necks out of the window. Sure enough, a coach pulled in and about twenty staff appeared on the front steps to greet it. The bus contained the Chinese Paralympic table tennis team. Amid much shaking of hands the team descended onto the forecourt to check in. Stefan was the first to excitedly approach some of the Olympians for their autograph, and the realisation that they were training alongside international champions impressed many of the students.
At lunchtime, three of the Chinese staff gave me presents, an extremely touching gesture. One gave me a string of red fishes, another a dried gourd (a kind of marrow). These signified longevity. The other member of staff gave me a model of one of the Olympic mascots which, when wound up, rotated on its base playing ‘Für Elise’. This was in addition to another couple of girls who took me into town last week where we posed for photographs in old traditional Chinese dress outside a nearby temple.
After the students’ evening session, it was time for a ‘Health and Safety’ chat. We went upstairs where I was met in the 5th floor lobby by an enormous birthday cake that Rose had secretly fetched this morning. After a bit of a sing song and blowing out of the candles, we all indulged in the delicious lemon cake, and a few more of the girls were kind enough to give me presents: a pair of earrings from Shazmina, Danielle, and Majada, and a matching necklace from Monserat.
The day ended peacefully, and everyone went to bed quietly for once. It was a fantastic birthday, the first ever spent abroad, and I can honestly say that it was like spending it with an extended family – a very special group of people…
Day 9 - A bit of rest at last!
Monday 11 August 2008 - 09:38:31
The morning meeting time of 7am had not prepared anyone for the impromptu series of laps that Andy decided to instigate. Week 2 had well and truly started – no more Mr Nice Guy, no more one day on, one day off.
The staff were lower in numbers than normal: Andries had had a sleepless night until 6am, and Jason awoke to a face so swollen that he couldn’t open his eyes, due to an allergic reaction to one of Ji Tao’s biscuits. Rose had also had a restless slumber following the manipulation of her limbs. So Simon, Andy, and I were doing the monitoring. The girls’ session went relatively well, although Chantal finally gave in to her discomfort and visited the medical centre for some treatment on her knees. The group finished practice early at 10.55, much to their delight, until they were told that they had 15 laps to do before they would be released for lunch and freedom for the remainder of the day.
The afternoon was spent relaxing around the complex. A downpour at noon had put us off any great outing, and an attempt to play basketball with the locals was kyboshed by the ever-vigilant Chinese staff, who feared the boys from Zhending might be a bit too rough and ready for us. Once we get our own ball however, we’ll hopefully be able to go out for a game or two more regularly.
The boys loved their massages - from the masseuses as promised. A few communication issues meant Cameron had to be stopped from pulling his shorts off, but other than that everything went well; aches and pains were kneaded out of tired backs and shoulders, and the general mood improved dramatically. Gregory even appeared at my door voluntarily, requesting to type up his blog entry!
Following a photo-shoot with some of the staff and a few ‘one-week-in’ calls home, several boys were given a ‘beginner’s tour’ around the gym. Gregory, revived after his massage, had a great time on the “tooshie shaper”, a vibrating strap that is normally placed around one’s waist.
At 5pm we all set off for town once again. The vast majority went to KFC to eat, whilst some of us explored a few more shops in search of DVDs, computer games, clothes, and handbags. We left, satisfied on some counts, and returned to the Training Centre for a quiet evening. The afternoon off had allowed everyone to finally relax, and it resulted in a peaceful evening and a surprisingly early night for everyone. It was a shame that most of the girls didn’t check what time they had to be up…
Day 8 - Training at the weekend
Monday 11 August 2008 - 09:35:03
There were yawns all round this morning as the students met at 6.50am for their warm-up run. Coaches and translators alike were also weary, having stayed up later than usual to watch the previous night’s events.
The first training session passed relatively smoothly, the temperature having dropped slightly, improving tempers. The girls have also now built up good relationships with many of their Chinese opponents, which has helped enormously. Harriet was unfortunate to get a moody one however, Danielle sympathising having had one the day before who continually rolled her eyeballs. Danielle also started with a new blade today, as she accidentally smashed her old one against the side of the table and cracked it. She therefore has to get used to the new one.
Dipa’s wrist was apparently playing up again (obviously nothing to do with the fact she was the latest to bed last night), and Chantal had continuing concern for her swollen knees but soldiered on in her usual Stoical manner. Monserat’s knee was much better, and she received praise from the coaches for her marked improvement over the past week. The boys were the ones with a break today, playing matches in all their sessions.
Lunch passed quietly, though even the staff are beginning to become bored of the menu. The sight of a Chinese woman lifting 212kg to gain gold on the screen in front of us did not improve our appetites. Most of the male coaches retreated after the meal to watch the women’s volleyball. Rose and I opted for men’s gymnastics. The boys are yet to tire of computer games, and the girls drifted between watching television, distracting the boys, and general gossiping, all frequently interspersed with frequent visits to the Centre’s one and only shop.
The girls’ afternoon session was a tough couple of hours of serve practice. By the end however, they were enjoying learning trick shots off the Chinese. The boys on the other hand were caught taking an ‘extended break’ and were therefore subjected to twenty laps, increasing rapidly for those who complained or were tempted to simply walk it.
Despite their bad attitude, the boys were treated to a KFC for dinner for their overall performance this week. The chicken once again tasted ‘different’ to the UK restaurant variety, but the veggie- burgers were apparently “the best ever tasted”. The girls ate here under protest, but we took them into town straight afterwards for another trip to the supermarket. They also had the opportunity to explore the street of shops nearby, a refreshing change for us all.
Forty minutes later it was back to base to inspect the brief television footage of the four girls interviewed yesterday, and for a relaxing evening of massage. The girls were a little concerned when two of the three turned out to be male, but they soon realised that the men were stronger and more effective. All remained fully dressed, and towels were used on top of clothing to ensure the conditions were as hygienic as possible. Two of the rooms were used, with the doors kept open at all times. This necessitated military-style pacing up and down the corridor from Rose and myself as the boys deigned to descend a floor for once, intrigued to see what lay in store for them tomorrow. The discovery of two masseurs provided the grounds for cries of protest, and it was made clear to Ji Tao that no-one would have a massage tomorrow unless they were all treated by women.
Having arrived 45 minutes late, the masseurs didn’t finish all 12 patients until after 11pm. For once the girls were chilled enough to go straight to bed, and even the boys’ stomping above us seemed to end earlier than usual. The sudden announcement of morning training tomorrow (the students had expected a full day off) perhaps lowered the levels of excitement…
Day 7 - The Olympics begin
Monday 11 August 2008 - 09:33:36
Olivia Packe, Adult Supervisor
This auspicious day for the Chinese (eight in their luckiest number) dawned amid great excitement, with the Olympics finally here. After days of cheesy Olympic pop songs being played one after the other on the television and radio, the presenters finally had something genuinely exciting to talk about and show footage of.
Meanwhile, training definitely seemed to take on a more relaxed feel. It later emerged that, for the vast majority of Chinese, today was a holiday (the shops were shut and you couldn’t even rent a bicycle in Zhending). The girls spent the day playing matches. This was a relief from the intensity of training but, as many of them pointed out, their new techniques were not yet fully established within their game-play. Thus, many of them were frustrated to find themselves slipping back in their old bad habits. However, some good games were won against some tough Chinese opponents, and several of them beat the Swedish junior number one, which was great for morale.
At the end of the day, one of Sushmita’s previous Chinese opponents gave her a teddy bear. It was then agreed that, along with the pens and keyrings from Greenhouse, all the girls wanted to get the Chinese girls an extra little something personal from Beijing.
Whilst the girls had their mini tournament, the boys had an energetic day in their training halls too, and were extremely grateful to finish 1 ¼ hours early, at 4pm. Evening practice (7-8pm) was cancelled due to preparations for the opening ceremony so, after supper where the Chinese were seen relaxing with a beer for the first time, the students settled down for an evening glued to the television.
The hype began to build at 7pm with yet another rundown of the Olympic chart hits; other channels showed traditional dance and musical performances from a variety of China’s 50+ ethnic groups.
At 7.50pm, every one of the 13 national television channels (named CCTV 1-13) began to simultaneously show the scenes from Beijing. An impressive countdown by thousands of drummers, with impact-activated lights on their instruments, led to an enormous firework display, reaching way beyond the stadium alone and stretching all the way across the eerily deserted streets of the capital.
Most of us watched the first hour or so of the ceremony in the lobby where an enormous plasma screen had been erected. As the foremost training centre for the country’s national sport, and one currently filled with international athletes, we proved to be of great interest for the local television film crew. Monserat, Danielle, Shazmina, and Majada were recorded saying “Tong yi ge shi jie” (One World) and “Wo ai Zhong guo” (I love China) in unison. It is due to be aired tomorrow evening at 7.35pm.
The hour of breathtaking precision, athleticism, and sheer manpower over, most of us retreated to various bedrooms to watch the different countries process. The Swedish and Irish girls at the Centre provided a rapt audience for the boys’ banter, and the girls were kept amused by some rather over-confident Israeli and Swedish boys. Rose and I spotted young Jared (aged 11) chatting amicably with a very pretty and petite companion with long blonde hair. Asked who his friend was when we joined them in the lift, Jared introduced us to the Israeli junior number one. Our notions of innocent young love were dashed however, when we discovered that Jared’s new mate was an extremely effeminate-looking boy.
By 11pm, most were fading fast and retreating to bed. Only one room of boys and one of girls were still up at midnight to see Chinese gymnast Li Ling (now 45) complete a circuit around the roof of the stadium attached to a wire, before lighting the Olympic flame. It remained to be seen who would be the most tired in the morning – the coaches or the kids…
Day 6 - Settling into the routine
Monday 11 August 2008 - 09:31:22
Olivia Packe, Adult Supervisor
Wake-up calls were at 6am this morning so that everyone could be downstairs for their 6.50 morning run. Breakfast was the usual struggle of getting something down the girls, although the discovery of Chinese ketchup had led to a run on fried egg toasted sandwiches (the bread is very sweet and has taken some getting used to).
Monserat and Danielle were struggling with injuries today, the former noticeably hobbling more whenever the words ‘run’ or ‘laps’ were mentioned. She has now got a bandage on her knee for support, which has helped considerably, as did the ice-cream that her devoted Chinese friend, Ding Dang, bought her. Danielle’s shoulder muscles are under some strain. However, a couple of magic Chinese plasters soaked in something that “smells like Vicks” have also improved her condition a great deal.
Meanwhile, the boys were relatively switched on, playing well today and getting to know their opponents even better. The translators are steadily building a good rapport too, so training advice is getting through quicker. Overall, there are fewer obstinate moments from those who had previously resisted being told what to do by anyone but their own coaches. The general positive attitude was brilliant to witness, and the coaches rewarded it by paying a few deserved compliments. Training manuals are being kept up-to-date under less protest.
After dinner most of the boys went into town for their first trip to the supermarket. I accompanied them to purchase a pair of decent speakers, in the hope that a boost in volume would increase the energy exerted at our evening dance session with the Chinese girls. After thirty minutes of haggling with various electronics vendors, Andries finally handed over 240 RMB for an impressive set of 250W speakers.
Two of the girls who worked at the Centre escorted me back, for fear that I would be accosted by uncouth locals (highly unlikely). I was deemed just about strong enough to carry the extension lead, nothing else. As we chatted it emerged that we were all the same age. This resulted in a flurry of hand shaking and excited giggles. The discovery that it was my birthday on Monday gave rise to even more animated discussion, they in broken English, myself in extremely patchy Mandarin.
We arrived back to set up for the dance practice in the front courtyard. A few Chinese men were out there enjoying the balmy evening air however, so we were invited to train in the lobby on the marble floor. The water fight that had evidently taken place while we were out made the conditions rather hazardous but we did our best to mop up. An hour later, most of the Chinese players had perfected Roses’s moves, whereas most of Greenhouse had given up, exhausted. The survivors however put on a great performance, and the opportunity to freestyle saw a few of ours revisit the dance floor. One of the Irish girls, encouraged by ‘proud dad’, performed a solo three-minute dance routine. Rose’s break moves were definitely the more impressive however, much to the delight of the girls.
Hopeful that the dancing would have tired them out, our expectations were dashed and a lively night followed with most of the team congregating along the boys’ corridor, until finally shooed.
Day 5 - The C&G - Boys in Action
Monday 11 August 2008 - 09:29:52
All were grateful for Jason’s lenient approach as we were let off running this morning. However it did mean that some of the boys simply didn’t make it to breakfast. But yawners were chastised and another hard day’s slog kicked off. Day three of the training, I was reassured by a Russian here called Luda, is where the pain really kicks in. Chantal was back in action but a couple of the boys tried to dodge the pain. Jason was having none of it, and all were present and correct in time for the dreaded multi-ball. Jason even subjected himself to the suffering, spending the morning training in the ‘A’ hall with the other five. I was commissioned to record them all playing their Chinese opponents in order that their attitudes could be monitored. Most of them transformed their moody expressions as soon as they saw me zooming in.
In the afternoon the boys settled into multi-ball mode, and the girls into matches, whilst I nipped into town to post birthday cards for Harriet’s Great Uncle Stan and Monserat’s mum. This entire endeavour proved a time-consuming process. It began last night when, after scouring my fourteenth shop, a heavily pregnant owner asked her husband to pull out a moulding cardboard box, buried under four others, in the far corner of her store. It contained an ‘imaginative’ collection of cards, none of which were aimed at birthdays. I picked the five with the few western gobbledegook phrases on and wandered back satisfied, but uncertain what the girls would think. They decided to sleep on it before choosing any of them!
The post office today took an hour long which from past experience, I had fortunately allowed for. After 30 minutes with the ‘quickly’ post lady, who I assumed would be airmailing rather than sending by boat, I discovered she planned to put my little cards into enormous packages that wouldn’t fit through any letter-box. Furthermore, I overheard her say that they were going to cost in excess of 250 RMB (£20) EACH to send.
Having been charged for the twelve sheets of bureaucratic nonsense that had already been filled out, I then had to rejoin the other queue, apparently for standard airmail. Once finished there, I had to revisit the now extremely irate ‘kuaile’ lady who glowered at me as she stamped big red star imprints on my proofs of postage. Job done, I found myself hoping that Great Uncle Stan sees the funny side of the Happy New Year card he will be receiving in the next eight days.
Tong Fei Ming, a former gold medal winner and now head of the Centre, left today for a two-day trip to Beijing. She has left Ji Tao, a young Shanghainese man in charge. It therefore seemed a good opportunity to do some more dancing, this time on a larger scale.
Thus, at 4.15pm Rose entered the main hall where the boys trained. Tables pushed aside, the Chinese and Greenhouse boys spent an hour learning various ‘break dance’ and ‘street dance’ techniques, closing with a fantastic one-minute routine. The Chinese coach was clearly a big fan of dancing and something of a natural. The Greenhouse coaches were similarly enthused, though perhaps not quite so twinkle-toed. The video of the session makes fantastic viewing; Andries’s tall stature resulted in his brilliant dancer’s smile being on display throughout, despite being at the back, whilst Andy and Jason demonstrated their finest moves up front.
Following dinner, all of the students had an hour of evening training. This was a relaxed affair, and Rose and I decided to join in too. Chantal and Andries, though somewhat contradictory to each other, both provided tuition. It was close, but Rose beat me three games to two.
The day ended with a few card games: Blackjack for the boys, and the less challenging Cheat for the girls. Aside from a couple of late night visitors, most resigned themselves to the fact that the morning routine dictated a relatively early night…
Day 4 - Getting serious
Monday 11 August 2008 - 09:28:42
Olivia Packe, Adult Supervisor
The second day of training dawned, and with it came the unpleasant prospect of an early morning run. Rose and I, having woken the girls at 6am, peeked out the window to see the girls doing laps whilst the boys appeared to be hopping around like frogs on the forecourt in front of the main building. The temples in the distance provided a peaceful and contrasting backdrop.
The morning’s training was tough, the heat being high once more; on a positive note, five of the boys were rewarded for their previous day’s hard work by being promoted to the ‘A’ hall. This is the only training room with air conditioning and it’s where the serious senior internationals play, including a languid and lanky Belgian men’s number one. Also practising was a member of the former Olympic gold medal winning Chinese women’s team. She has recently signed a 1 million RMB, three-month contract to play for the local area, and arrived for training in her BMW unlike the rest of them!
There were fewer moans about the food today, although we had our first trip to the Medical Unit. Chantal came down with a bug that we all initially thought was due to dehydration and early morning exertion. But when she was sick several hours later outside the lifts in the lobby it was clear there was something nasty lurking; perhaps her ice creams the night before had been dodgy after all. A dose of Chinese medicine however, and she was feeling almost back to normal by bedtime.
Whilst Chantal was making the most of her chance to put her feet up, the older boys were taken into town to play football, which was a huge, albeit sweaty, success. The girls, meanwhile, did their bit of additional outdoor activity by having a one-hour dance session with Rose on the forecourt. The little laptop speakers were just enough to get the girls moving and, from my birds-eye view on my balcony (I had to take photos), it looked impressively synchronised. The freestyling at the end was another highlight, as Shazmina and Monserat gave us a brilliant performance, showing off some of their favourite moves.
And so we flopped into bed once more, though this time it was one of the girls who staged a disappearing act until 1.30am. Another group of entertainers decided that prank calling would be an enjoyable evening activity…
The training is getting intense
Monday 11 August 2008 - 09:25:48
Gregory, Deptford Green
This week training was intense; worst of all, the multi-ball. Meeting the Chinese boys was quite a good experience – learning a bit of their language, and some of them learning English. I think my consistency has grown over the last six days, and that when I get back I’m going to keep on training hard.
Outside training, the older boys went to play a few games of football on the nearby pitch. They enjoyed that because it was a break from table tennis, and they also went to KFC down the road. A few days later the younger ones played football, and the next day they went to KFC as well. The food was very good, slightly different to English KFC, but I could adjust.
On Sunday we a great massage, just to relax us after a week’s training. I had a hurting shoulder from training, but the masseuse clicked it back and now it’s working perfectly. I definitely would advise other trips like this for Greenhouse players.
More training
Friday 08 August 2008 - 11:12:33
Stefan, TTK Wales
It was raining for the first time today (Wednesday) and we’ve got multi-ball later on. Some of the training is hard, some of it’s normal. My practice partner is different every training session. All of them are good.
My first week
Friday 08 August 2008 - 11:10:56
Harriet, Morpeth School
When I first arrived I was worried about the smell and the atmosphere, not to mention the toilets! Everything seemed different, especially the climate.
My training so far has been hard but I have been getting better along the way. The people who we train with play differently and are very accurate. The coaches can’t speak English, so they have to show us the playing techniques with actions. Every two days we go for a jog ten times around the training building at 6.50am. This makes me feel tired and like I can’t do anything else but I still manage to survive the day!
On Tuesday, we went to the market and looked around. There were so many people wandering about and they had massive shops. There were also lots of fruit stalls that had huge grapes. In the end I managed to buy a dolphin keyring.
I think the week has been hard work but it’s worth it because you end up getting good skills. I’m excited about going to Beijing next week.
More multi-ball training
Wednesday 06 August 2008 - 15:49:41
Stefan, TTK Wales
It was raining for the first time today (Wednesday) and we’ve got multi-ball later on. Some of the training is hard, some of it’s normal. My practice partner is different every training session. All of them are good.
Multi-ball training
Wednesday 06 August 2008 - 15:48:56
Cameron and Ethan, TTK Wales
Multi-ball killed, it’s very hard. You have a bucket of balls and you have loads of them fed at you very fast, especially in hall ‘A’ where all the top players in the world train. We’ve been playing with them for two days now.
Sally says
Wednesday 06 August 2008 - 15:00:57
Sally Hoang, Morpeth
On day 1 we woke up at 6am to have breakfast, and we started training at 8.30am. The conditions were very hot and I was training with a Chinese girl who was very experienced. It taught me that if I want to be dedicated I would have to train more to their standards. We have 2 training partners a day: one trains with you, and the other does multi-ball with you where you have loads of balls in a bucket which they feed to you quite quickly. The exercises are similar to game-play. Training is very tiring by the end of the day, but in the morning I still wake up excited about what I’ll learn next.
A word from Dipa and Sushmita
Wednesday 06 August 2008 - 14:58:46
Dipa and Sushmita, Wembly High Technology College
We arrived in China at 1.30pm. As we were outside the airport everyone stared at us. It felt really strange but as the day went on we got more used to the people and the place. We had to travel for 4 hours from the airport to the training centre. It was really tiring.
Day 3 - Training begins
Wednesday 06 August 2008 - 14:57:52
Olivia Packe, Adult Supervisor
A mixture of excitement, nerves, jetlag, and incorrect clocks in the bedrooms meant that movement began at 5am, on the girls’ floor at least. We all gathered on the forecourt at 6.50am where the other teams at the centre were busy warming up for the day with a vigorous exercise routine. Everyone looked very smart in their matching outfits, and staff and kids alike shared stories of their jet-lagged early hours lying awake, unable to sleep. An unfortunate few also succumbed to mosquito bites. In general however, most of us had a good night’s sleep, and all of us were bright-eyed and excited about what the day had in store.
The students’ positive attitudes were undeterred by yet another unfamiliar meal. Toast took a long time to come and couldn’t help but taste foreign with the absence of butter and presence only of apple jam! There were however fried eggs, ham, and large buns for those willing to try. The smell of pickled beans and semolina was admittedly a bit off-putting, but our team was strong and managed to get at least something in their stomachs.
Training commenced at 8.30am with a three-hour warm-up. Boys and girls trained in separate halls, and the students were all paired with people from other countries, mainly China, South Korea, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, and Ireland. The group worked extremely hard against their international partners, and the Chinese coaches were constantly circulating to offer advice and to show everyone ways in which they could improve their technique. Training stopped for lunch at 11.30. This was more of a success as chicken ‘lollypops’ (coated in breadcrumbs and on sticks) appeared along with more chips. A sweet and sour tomato sauce was also discovered to be good with rice, and the pot of chillies and the salt was located for those who like a stronger flavour.
After a 3.5-hour break, during which most of us slept, training began once again at 3pm. This time the players developed their game by playing multi-ball, where a large number of balls are fired at the player in quick succession. By 5.30pm the team were ready to rest. Supper proved to be a huge success with popcorn chicken on the menu as well as some tasty Chinese sweet and sour dishes.
At 7pm the boys had another hour’s training (the girls will have it tomorrow). Whilst they played some tough matches against their international opponents, Rose and I took the girls for a walk to stretch the muscles after such a rigorous day. This turned into something of a shopping spree for a few as we discovered a four-storey supermarket / department store nearby. Fortunately the top two levels were closed otherwise we would have been there all night!
On departing the store, laden with electrical goods, clothes, and snacks, we discovered that the night market had been set up along the roadside. Relieved to be out of the harsh lights of the shop where people tended to gather and stare in interest at our unusual ‘foreign’ group, the girls relaxed and got to know the friendlier locals better by bartering with them over various items of jewellery, clothing, keyrings, fresh fruit etc.
Eventually we managed to tear the die-hard shoppers away from their stalls and wandered back to the Training Centre where Andries was beginning to wonder what had happened to us! We adjourned to our rooms and happily flopped into bed exhausted and confident that we would sleep well. The boys did the same on the floor above. Well, apart from the ones still gaming at 1am…
Day 2 - Arrivals
Wednesday 06 August 2008 - 14:56:14
Olivia Pack, Adult Supervisor
After a night with some sleep for a few, and very little for others (PSPs and Nintendo DS’s get the blame there), the flight attendants served up breakfast and it was clear that we were soon to land. The ‘full English’ meal will not be remembered fondly, but the Chinese option of chicken and noodles was delicious. As the plane began to descend, window seats were suddenly reclaimed and the excitement began to mount. Despite warnings of the heat, the impressive Greenhouse sports kit stayed firmly on and there were cries of amazement as we hit the hot and humid air of Beijing.
Our various visa arrangements were approved and we boarded a packed train to take us to the other side of the impressive Terminal 3 (newly built for the Olympics) where our baggage was efficiently waiting for us. The three minute journey across the airport was long enough for various students to encounter the friendly curiosity of the Far East; several of them found themselves being stared at, asked for their names, where they came from, and various other probing questions. This was handled well by all the students, most of whom were simply frustrated with the London Tube-like squashed and hot conditions of the carriage.
We said goodbye to the lovely Lindsey who had accompanied us on the journey to ensure all went smoothly, and boarded a coach with our new Chinese guide, Owen (“as in Michael”). He apologised for his “Chinglish” accent and proceeded to give us a brief tour of Beijing as we drove through, and warned us of the squat toilets that we would be encountering on our 3.5-hour journey.
After Owen’s talk the team finally decided it was time to sleep, and peace descended on the coach for a couple of hours as we passed through the intensively farmed countryside south of Beijing. We then stopped at a service area for an opportunity to buy more drinks and snacks (chicken claw anyone?), and to use the toilet facilities. The conditions of the bathrooms were met by howls of horror from the girls as it became apparent that they were not only expected to squat, but the absence of a water supply on this particular Sunday meant that none of them had been cleaned. The boys may have relieved themselves, but the girls returned on board the bus as weighed down as they were before.
As the early evening sun began to drop behind its smoggy curtain we pulled into Zhending, where the National Table Tennis Centre is based. A wrong turn from the driver meant a rather scary U-turn in the main street as bicycles, scooters, and cars alike simply swerved around us. Five minutes later we were safely within the security-guarded gates of the training campus, and we piled out of the air-conditioned bus to be met once again with the smell of drains.
Tong Fei Ming, a previous international table tennis champion, greeted us with a girl called Laura, who is a friend and fellow student of some of the students on our trip. After a few hot, tired, and sticky moments in the lobby, we were given our secure pass-cards to our twin rooms and began to get in the lifts to the 5th (girls) and 6th (boys) floors. There was some confusion as the 5th floor button in the lift lit up as a ‘4’ when pressed. Because the number 4 is considered unlucky in China, they had just missed it out as a floor level!
The two youngest members of the team from Wales were the first to come back down having dropped their bags upstairs. They excitedly informed us of the ‘almost double-sized’ single beds, the wide-screen plasma television, DVD player, fridge, proper toilet, and air-conditioning that each room contained. Things were looking up and the smiles began to reappear on the team’s tired faces. Then we went to have dinner.
Unfortunately dinner at the camp is normally served at 5.30pm so, at 7.30pm, we had missed the better options. The students were cautious in their approach to the unfamiliar sight of pickled cabbage, tofu, and battered dough sticks, all served on stainless steel trays. However, they tentatively tried a number of things, though large quantities were left untouched. The few remaining chips were devoured in seconds, and the Coke and Sprite on offer was appreciated more than usual! After the meal we all retired to our rooms where our Western snacks were more eagerly devoured. Most of us then crawled into bed hoping to get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow’s 6.30am alarm…
Day 1 - Lift-off!
Wednesday 06 August 2008 - 14:55:02
Olivia Pack, Adult Supervisor
The Greenhouse trip to China finally became a reality as 28 students and 6 adults descended on Terminal 3 of Heathrow airport late on Saturday afternoon. Being only a 15 minute drive away, West London Academy were the last to arrive! After fond farewells to the parents who came to wave us off, we checked in and began the arduous task of getting through security. Eventually, with only minor delays from over-zealous passport control officials, we were through to the Departures lounge.
Failure to find any fast food restaurants or ice-cream led to a brief moment of despondency for some of the girls. However, the Starbucks frappuccinos were an acceptable compromise and were drunk so quickly that several of us ended up with “brain freeze”. Meanwhile, an Italian restaurant that served pizza was enough to satisfy the boys. Everyone around us admired our kit, our sporty look prompting many people to ask whether we were an Olympic team. Some of us were tempted to stretch the truth a little…
We were called to Gate 16 and boarded the plane on time. There was some confusion over who was sitting where, but musical chairs were averted, at least until after dinner was served. The food was the subject of much discussion, not to mention swapping. The chicken was quickly written off as rather boring and not too tasty, whereas the fish went down well. Some of the boys even managed to charm the airhostesses into giving them both! The halal meals were definitely deemed to be the nicest.
And so, with stomachs (sort of) full, it was off to sleep. For some of us anyway…
A note from Cameron and Stefan
Monday 04 August 2008 - 14:59:51
Cameron and Stefan, TTK Wales
I left from Heathrow airport, Terminal 3. It was the most boring 10 hours of my life – no entertainment and everything was in Chinese. When we arrived in Beijing the temperature was very hot. We were sweating without even doing anything. I fell asleep on the bus straight away, but Stefan told me the views were amazing.
When we arrived at the training centre, Fudge‘s (Andy the coach) bag was picked up by two Chinese women who had to help him up the steps! After seeing the fantastic rooms and watching the massive television with Dave, we went and had a very strange meal.
Day 15 - Return to routine
Tuesday 30 November 1999 - 00:00:00
The prospect of a morning run followed by a full day’s practice was a struggle for everyone. This had been anticipated, the bump of being back into an exercise routine an understandably big one. The boys struggled more than the girls, emotions running extremely high. At lunchtime, Jason gave both the groups separate talks. He explained that we understood that it was hard to get back into the swing of the intense programme, but that it foolish to give up with less than a week to go. He also pointed out that, as far as the centre was concerned, we were here to learn from the expertise of international table tennis coaches. It would be a huge waste of Greenhouse’s money if everyone was to lose motivation now. He reminded everyone to update their training manuals and to refer to them for help and a guiding reminder of where they had got to pre-Beijing, as well as using them as an outlet to vent frustration if practice had not gone as well as hoped.
Jason’s advice was taken heed of, and the afternoon sessions went a lot better. Some of the boys even did extra training voluntarily after dinner. The evening also saw some of us go into town for an hour, a welcome feeling of freedom after having returned to life in our guarded, gated compound. Still exhausted from the city lights however, we all got another early night. And four of us had a 4.30am start in the morning…
