Celebrating New Year's in China!!

We are heading to China after Christmas, and the excitement is building.  Our list of expat interviewees are growing by the day, including teachers, writers, and business professionals. We will spend the first few days in Beijing and begin the New Year in Shanghai before moving on to the smaller villages of Chengdu and X'ian.  Some of the ventures we will explore include visiting the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Center, and the site of the Terracotta Army.

The weather during our visit will be in the low to mid-30s as a high, and in the teens for lows in Beijing.  Shanghai fares a little better with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 40s as a high, and low-to-mid 30s as a low.

Has anyone visited China in the winter months?  What was your experience like?

5 Ways to Immerse Yourself in Local Culture

We had differing opinions as to what this month's Traveling Brown Girls Blog Carnival topic was about.  So we are approaching this two ways.  Rhonda will identify 5 ways to immerse yourself in your own community.  Sharee will identify 5 ways to immerse yourself in another country as a local.

Rhonda

1)  Attend an international festival in your community.  The 18th Annual Columbia International Festival will be held April 13 & 14, 2013. 

2)  Take a foreign language at the local community college.  Spanish and French are commonly offered.

3)  Enjoy the night life at a local dance club that plays variety of music. The Salsa Cabana in Columbia, SC is open on Fridays and Saturdays with a DJ that mixes salsa, merengue, bachata, and reggaeton.

4)  Identify restaurants that have authentic international food. In Columbia, SC, the most authentic Italian restaurant is Villa Tronco.

5)  Take an international foods cooking class. The McCutchin House on the campus of the University of SC offers various international cuisine cooking classes for the general public.

Sharee

1)  Learn the essential language used by the locals.  "Hello", "Good-bye", "Excuse me", "Thank You", "Please", "Where is bathroom?", "How much does this costs?", and "Do you speak English?" are common phrases to learn. You can purchase a beginner's guide at your local AAA.

2)  Take the public transportation.

3)  Eat where the locals frequent.  Often these restaurants will not have an English menu if in non-English speaking country.

4)  Make friends with a local.  

5)  Stay in an apartment and not a hotel. VRBO is an excellent resource.

Just because we're twins, doesn't mean we always think alike!! So how would you interpret the title of this topic? 

Take A Leap With Us!!

Thank you to everyone for your positive feedback; as well as the constructive feedback that has been offered.  Everything to the good, and future episodes will be great for it.  The biggest feel from everyone was that they felt like they were "with us".  So the question we ask, why not join us?

It is our desire to incorporate the Take A Leap concept into the many facets of your life- personal, professional, and spiritual.  So how can you join us?

Religious: bible study groups; Sunday school groups; singles ministries; couples ministries; family ministries; young adult ministries; adult ministries; older adult ministries; youth ministries; college students; solo travelers; etc- travel with us  internationally on a religious tour. We need a group of a minimum of 10 committed individuals, and we can make it happen.  We're looking at using Globus, and the first tour will be to Greece & Turkey, following the Footsteps of Apostle Paul in Summer 2014.  More info to come.  Email us weconnectedprod@gmail.com if you have an interest.  Please put Footsteps in Subject line.

Budget travelers; solo travelers; family travelers: Traveling can be affordable even for those on a budget; traveling solo; or with a family.  Join us in a few ventures traveling via Friendly Planet. More info to come.  Email us at weconnectedprod@gmail.com if you have an interest. Please put Budget travel in Subject line.

Filmmakers- youth film camp; writers retreats; acting workshop; filmmaking workshop (topic varies- editing, videography, producing, etc)- come  join us as we offer both a youth film camp and adult workshop in exotic locals.  We're looking at offering a youth film camp (age 10-17 w/ accompanied adult) and an Adult filmmaking workshop to Costa Rica in 2015.  We plan to use Friendly Planet. More info to come.  Email us at weconnectedprod@gmail.com if you have an interest in facilitating or attending. Please put Youth Camp or Adult Workshops and area of interest (Acting/Film/Writing Retreat)

Take A Leap Webshow

The time has come to premiere the Pilot Episode of Take A Leap.  No further introduction is necessary-- here it is!!

Also, check out the full line of videos on our YouTube Channel, including all four of our short films; several Take A Leap teaser videos; and the two short films by the youths who participated in our Summer Film Camp in July 2012.  Yes, the Holidays have arrived!!

All the best!!
We Connected Productions, LLC
Rhonda & Sharee Washington