Thanks

Sam Wang
by Kim Rushing

On our return, one of our group members, Dewey Ervin, wrote a perfect letter to Sam Wang, the organizer of our tour:

Sam:

Our trip to China was no ordinary journey. In many ways, it was unlike any trip Donna and I have ever taken. The experiences, the exposure to the way China is evolving, the pure number of people around us, the feelings of some of the people we met ( particularly Benjamin in Hangzhou) about where the country is and where is may be going, and the most significant- our group of "Photo Educators". The bunch you put together, by choice and some by happenstance, sure did work! Each person, to the man or woman, had something very special to contribute to our time together. I certainly feel enriched by the adventure.

Please give this to Yu Xin:

Dear Yu Xin:

We all, the "Photo Educators" group, want to thank you very much for organizing our trip to China. The time and effort that you must have put into this journey for us must have been great. You thought of everything, down to having our guide lead us to the right platform at the train station. We would have been completely lost in lots of situations if not for the meticulous planning. We got to see so many of the important things of China, and I think did get a feel for some of the significant things evolving in your country- the incredible amount of construction, the booming economy, the tree planting everywhere! We were treated with kindness and respect every place we went, and couldn't have been made to feel more welcome.

Thank you for your loan of Sam. He was most attentive to seeing that we saw what we were supposed to see and that we got there as painlessly as possible. Sam had a really tough job herding 11 people around, each of which felt that they knew where to stop and what to photograph for how long. But, we all came out good friends, knowing we all shared in a very important adventure.

The meal you had for us at the beautiful restaurant in Nanjing was spectacular! We're still talking about the special things on the menu. Goose feet probably have been talked about the most as being the most different. I think that that night we felt like we were experiencing real Chinese cuisine with no significant Western influence. Your presence was very much missed.

Again, thank you, thank you both!

Dewey