Monday 7 December 2009

Recyled Paper

This is the process of recycled paper making:

1. Old scrap paper (used paper that is left over) is soaked into pulp.

2. The pulp is blended in a mixer.

3. When removed from the mixer, it is made into clumps.

4. The clumps are molded into a sheet of paper and and pressed to squeeze out the liquid and flatten it.

5. The paper is left out to dry.

6. When the paper is finally dry, it is used to make cards.

7. Any scrap paper from making the cards is soaked into pulp again and the process repeats.

石林






















































































































































































































































Lu Chun Day 7 and 8
















We checked out of the hotel today and boarded a bus to Kun Mingat 8 am. The bus ride was bumpy and boring. Videos were shown on the entertainment system so we watched them until we were bored.

We finally arrived around noon. We checked into a youth hostel called the Hump hostel. it was named after the Hump route which was a dangerous fighter plane route during the world war. More than a million Flying Tiger pilots from China and India lost their lives while navigating that route. This hostel was named after it to commerate those pilots. It had pictures and history all over the walls.

It was shopping all day. Joseph and I were bored out of our wits.

Finally, we ate dinner at a restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Hump hostel.

After dinner, Joseph and I played on the computers until midnight.

The next day, as the adults were packing we played pool.

The flight home was at about 1 pm. We arrived back in Singapore at 6 something.

Lu Chun Day 6
















The bus ride to Jian Shui took forever. By the time we arrived at about 4 pm, everyone was glad of it. We checked into a hotel near the bus depot. They only had two person rooms. I shared a room with my dad, my mum and Aunty Connie bunked together, Joseph and his mum another room and Aunty Karen and 水花 bunked together.

Following check-in, we went to the pre-university where my sponsor student, 普永芬, studies. 永芬 is very smart, which is why she was accepted into that prestigious pre-university.

I had been really looking forward to meeting 永芬. We brought her and the sponsor boy of Aunty Nan's parents out for dinner at a small eatery and chatted. We also went for a drink at a cozy cafe nearby and talked until it was late.

永芬 brought us to see the hostel she lived in. It was small and cramped and all the girls in her room were busily studying. They ate instant noodles for dinner as it was cheap and convenient. If they wanted to use the loo, they had to go all the way to the toilet outside near the main gate and queue up.

It was very late when we departed and returned to the hotel.

Lu Chun Day 5

We visited the Hani culutural museum today. Kai There were rooms showing the agriculture, costumes, religions, traditions and lives of Hani people. It was pretty amazing and eye-opening. I learnt quite a bit about Hani culture.
After the museum we wandered around the shops. The adults bought lots of stuff. My folks bought a Hani costume for me. It was really pretty and I loved it.
We had a quick lunch of fast food and went to Aunty Florence's hotel room to help 水花 and Aunty Karen prepare stuff for a Christmas party they were planning for the students. We helped to wrap countless presents.

In the evening, we went back to 二中 to meet the sponsor students. We gave out things like socks, fruits, pens and whatnot to them. For those that we were sponsoring, we ate dinner with them at a restaurant. The girl my family started sponsoring, Hei Yu, came along. All the students were rather shy and just ate white rice, so the adults continuously heaped dishes into their bowls.

So that we could interact with them more, we called the teacher to excuse them from night classes and brought them to our hotel room to eat snacks and chat.












Lu Chun Day 4

Today, we walked the village in Lu Chun where all the Hani people livewith Aunty Karen, Aunty Nan and 水花. This is the REAL village, not the modernised part. 水花 told us about the traditions and customs of the village. Her grandmother lives in the village. Every year, the village would hang the head of a dog on one post outside th gate and the head of a chicken on the other, believing it will ward off evil and malignant spirits. She brought us to take a look, but the heads had already decayed so much that they had fallen off. The village also had a sacred grove where the villagers worship tree gods. Only males are allowed in.

水花 brought us to visit an old widow who lives alone except for a huge black pig she owns. Her family is all broken up so she does not live with her children.

We saw villagers and their children going about their daily lives. Aunty Florence had a packet of Fruit Plus and gave it out to the villagers. We went to the home of 水花 and her grandmother. The family of 水花 is non-Christian and they have an altar where they pray.

As we walked along, 水花 brought us to the 面线 shop where we watched the villagers processing wheat and flour and making them into 面线.

After our tour of the village ended, we visited the wet market. They had all sorts of interesting stuff for sale, for example roasted pigeon. There was fresh blood all over the ground though. It was freaky.

水花 brought us to visit a Hani lady who was ill. She was a Christian and the mother of one of the sponsored students. She received us warmly and seemed quite glad for visitors. Her cat suddenly appeared, observing the group of visitors and Aunty Florence screamed. She had not been terrified of the huge Rottweiler, but she was hysterical at the sight of the cat as she was frightened of them. Throughout our visit, she kept looking out for it and putting her legs up on the bench. We sang some Christian songs and talked.
After quite a while, we left to visit 二中. We gave out letters from sponsors, pens and apples.

We went to the house of a local Hani family. The young daughter was celebrating her birthday and we went over to celebrate. Aunty Nan and her family, along with 水花 and Aunty Karen, went along as well. They were serving fried worms (a delicacy) but I decided to give it a pass.

We stayed at the house until late before we went back to the hotel.