Standing in the heart of Nanking it

I’ve got a great translator-guide here in Shanghai. His name is Morgan Jones (Mojo for short). He was born in Brooklyn about 15 blocks from where I grew up, he graduated from Middlebury College where he majored in Chinese studies, he speaks Mandarin fluently, and he is about to start a job with Edelman Public Relations in Nanking. He has been incredibly helpful and insightful and he is part of the new China.

I’ve got a great translator-guide here in Shanghai.  His name is Morgan Jones (Mojo for short).  He was born in Brooklyn about 15 blocks from where I grew up, he graduated from Middlebury College where he majored in Chinese studies, he speaks Mandarin fluently, and he is about to start a job with Edelman Public Relations in Nanking.  He has been incredibly helpful and insightful and he is part of the new China.   Mojo and I went on a walking tour and visited one of the local palaces.  The palace had over 300 rooms and had once served as the home for a general.  It is now open to the public, and while we were there, a traditional Chinese wedding was taking place in one of the larger rooms.  Mojo and I, along with a few others, were invited to attend part of the ceremony, and as we watched the bride rode into the room on a red sedan-like carriage, carried by members of her family.   The bride was received by the groom and accompanied by a parade of women who were wearing pink and playing various musical instruments.  The ceremony itself was beautiful and touching, with various guests and family members offering comments and toasts to the new couple.    Mojo told me that it was a true traditional Chinese wedding, still practiced by many of the wealthier families in China, and that it had been arranged.  The first time the groom saw the bride’s face was when she removed her veil and mask at the end of the ceremony.  Given that the groom clapped and cheered when he saw her for the first time, I’m guessing he was pretty happy with the results. 

Even though I’m in China, I have kept an eye on the NCAA Tournament, and I’m pleased to see that Georgetown won its first round game 54-49 over Northern Iowa.  Next up for the Hoyas is  #2 seeded Ohio State.

The flight from Chicago to Shanghai was completely sold out – business people, families going on spring break vacations, students returning home, and lots of people on their way to visit friends and family.

The flight from Chicago to Shanghai was completely sold out

I am flying from Washington, DC to Chicago (2 hour flight), have a 2 1/2 hour layover in Chicago, and then board a 14 hour nonstop flight to Shanghai. Once I land in Shanghai, I will be picked up by a driver and travel four more hours by car to Nanking

I am on my way to China, a land that has enchanted me for many years, and once I land in Shanghai, I can cross another one off of my "101 things to do" list.

I am going for roughly 10 days to enjoy the sites and to work on a very interesting personal project (not AOL-related) about which I’ll share more in the future.   During my trip, I will be traveling to Shanghai, Nanking and Bejiing.   I will do my best to post from China, but it may be a little less frequent given the 13 hour time change, the battle with jet lag, and my active travel schedule.  I promise to opine fully on what I found when I return.

One of the charities I am most involved with is Hoop Dreams.  Founded by Susie Kay, the program matches inner city school students with mentors.  The program, the student and the mentor all work together to ensure that the student gains acceptance to the college of their choice, and after the student is admitted, Hoop Dreams and the mentor continue to offer support through scholarships, advice and encouragement.  Of course the ultimate goal is to make sure that the student graduates from college.   Through Hoop Dreams, I met, and have been mentoring, a young man named Michael Hendrickson.  Over the last few years, Michael and I have communicated on a daily basis – via email, IM, phone, and face to face discussions.  And even though Michael has graduated from college, we still see each other at Wizards and Caps games and we still swap emails at least once or twice a day..   It’s a great program – I encourage you to check it out.

March is one of my favorite times of year. The cherry blossoms start to bloom here in DC, and March Madness hits the scene. We are blessed to host the regional bracket of the NCAA tournament here at the Verizon Center starting on March 24th with Connecticut as the top seed.

March is one of my favorite times of year.  The cherry blossoms start to bloom here in DC, and March Madness hits the scene.  We are blessed to host the regional bracket of the NCAA tournament here at the Verizon Center starting on March 24th with Connecticut as the top seed.   Locally, George Washington drew a very tough seeding (8th) and will have to play #1 seed Duke in their second game should they defeat UNC Wilmington.  To be seeded 8th after posting such a great season (26 -2) is a terrible disappointment, but GW has played great all year, and I bet they can play Duke tough and post a great upset.  It is important, however, for GW to NOT LOOK past UNC Wilmington in their first game.  Atlanta is the host city for that regional, and I am optimistic that GW can be a Cinderella team in this tournament.   The Georgetown Hoyas (21 -9) are the 7th seed in the Minneapolis region and face Northern Iowa.  Georgetown has been in the NCAAs twenty three times, but this is their first tourney appearance since 2001 and the first under brilliant young coach John Thompson III.   Georgetown plays in the toughest conference in the land — with the Big East sending 8 teams to the NCAA tournament and a ninth team, Cincy, that deserved to qualify.   Georgetown is loaded with seniors, plays tough defense, and is battle-tested after a very rugged Big East Tournament.  Villanova — another Big East team — is seeded first in Minneapolis.   I believe a Big East team will win the national championship this year and that six of them –Georgetown, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Villanova, or Syracuse – are truly all capable of going all the way.

On Friday night, the Caps played a tough game against the New Jersey Devils. The crowd of almost 16,000 was energized and loud

Well – if you are going to lose in the  Big East tournament – it might as well be to Syracuse and Gerry McNamara.  With a little over a second remaining in the game, McNamara forced a turnover and clinched a 58-57 victory for Syracuse over Georgetown.  This kid is on fire.  He’s managed to come up with key plays in each of Syracuse’s last three games.  

Georgetown finishes the year at 21-9 and with a definite top 25 ranking.  Now, there’s nothing left to do but wait for the NCAA seedings to come out.  Personally, I’m looking forward to watching the Hoyas make a deep run into March Madness.