In 2005 , I led a group of UNM Taos students to China and visited Master Lin at a Daoist Temple in Fujian Province. Master Lin talked with us about the philosophy of Daoist meditative and healing practice. He is a man in his late fifties; but his appearance was very youthful and serene. The following year we went to another Daoist Temple in Beijing and experienced a concert by Daoist musicians with traditional instruments. Situated usually at high levels in mountains, Daoist temples and ceremonies are considered the height of spiritual meditation with much healing and cleansing results. We observed the Daoist priest all keep their hair long and tied up in a knot on their heads. Sometimes they wear a cloth hat. The wear traditional clothing and appeared very peaceful and healthy. Of course, our trek up the Great Wall outside of Beijing was quite a spiritual experience for us also. This year, we will travel to Fujian Province again as well as go to other ancient World Heritage Sites in Sichuan and Hubei Provinces to study Chinese cultural and holistic healing traditions. In 2007 we traveled to the southwest of China to study ethnic culture in Guizhou Province where tribal Chinese continue to live in their traditional life styles and practice their own rituals and cermonies. In 2008 we traveled to the northwest to follow along the Silk Road passages of Tang Dynasty Buddhist Monk, Xuan Zuan when he went on foot to India to study Buddhism and translated Buddhist teachings into Chinese. We visited the famous Mogao Caves in Dunghuang and saw another Great Wall site in Jia Yu Guan. For a native from China who has lived in the United States over forty years, each trip to China is GOING HOME! I have enjoyed sharing my heritage with our program participants. Through their eyes, I saw China again and again in many different aspects and they are all interesting and stimulating.
This being our 5th anniversary of study abroad programs at UNM Taos, as Program Coordinator and facilitator, I feel very privileged and grateful for these opportunities to learn and serve. Our program in the past five years also included trips to Peru, Belize, Spain, and Mexico. In 2008, we began our first year of Exchange with Xi Bei University in Xi'an, China.
I would like to clarify that study abroad programs have been offered long before 2005 and students at the high school level, or at UNM Taos have traveled with their teachers to various parts of the world for summer programs, etc. I do know that Taos is a multicultural community with many talented residents and rich culture resources. It was just very fortunate that in 2005 we were able to formally establish International Programs at UNM Taos Branch to make study abroad courses more possible for our students and community. Our efforts to raise scholarship funds for our students to study abroad started in 2005 at the then Western Sky Cafe on Weimer Road. Virginia and Arthur, owners of Western Sky Cafe were very supportive of our efforts. They let us use their kitchen to prepare a dinner which was a joint efforts of students, faculty, family and friends. We almost ran out of food and had to turn people away. Our art auction, door prize raffle tickets, fashion show, musical performance and demonstrations raised enough scholarship to support five UNM Taos students for their China trip expenses. Since 2005, we had scholarship fund raise event at the Taos Convention Center with support from the Town of Taos and the community. Many people have helped make these programs possible in the last five years and I am grateful to them though they are too numerous for me to list all on this page. I thank you all for myself and our students from the depth of my heart.
On this occasion of our anniversary, I wish also to acknowledge some of our wonderful instructors and group leaders who have made our programs rich and worthwhile: James Rannefeld, Phil Aldritt- Belize Ecology Program; Andrea Heckman- Peruvian Culture Program; Tom Shaw- Our Lady of Guadalupe Mexico Program; Barri Sanders- Spain Program. We have also new programs to Bali, India, Greece, Italy to be offered in the future.
In closing, I feel quite happy about our efforts to take UNM Taos classrooms to other parts of the world. I would like to invite every one to our anniversay celebration on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at the Don Fernando Hall at 124 Civic Plaza Drive from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please come join us to view exhibits, get information on our programs, meet and talk with our faculty and students who has traveled and hope to travel again soon. UNM Taos Holistic Healing Arts Academy which sponsored all my classes to China will be celebrating its 10th anniversary also at this event. There will be great door prizes and a silent auction for a lot of wonderful items donated generously by local artist, faculty and community. Thank you all and I hope to see you at our celebration and at our next study abroad program.
With appreciation,
Pearl Huang
For more information: huang@unm.edu, 575-776-5126, 575-737-6258
