Women's Basketball Arrives in China
December 28, 2007
The Emmanuel College women's basketball team departed for Beijing during the early morning hours of Thursday, December 27th. For the Boston-based members of the 38-person party, which included players, coaches, athletic trainers, as well as staff, friends and family members, a coach bus was awaiting at 8:00 a.m. on the College's campus to transport them to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, where they met up with fellow members of the group either en route or at the airport terminal. All were excited to get the once-in-a-lifetime adventure underway, one which would soon carry them halfway around the globe to witness firsthand some of the world's most amazing sights.
While waiting for its flight, the group happened to stumble across a recent Emmanuel graduate, Wesley Przybylksi '07, who was on his way to Egypt to meet up with his girlfriend for a few weeks of traveling and sight seeing as well. He said he was eventually making his way over to Prague, where he had previously spent a semester studying abroad, and would begin teaching English as second language for the next few months. Przybylski was excited to hear about the Saints' impending journey to Beijing and noted that this was not the first time he has randomly bumped into the team during its travels, as he previously ran into them a few years back when they were out in Venice Beach for a tournament.
Despite a few delays, the Emmanuel crew was in good spirits when they finally took off aboard Air China flight CA 189 bound for Beijing on Thursday evening. The nearly 14-hour flight carried the group upwards over the North Pole and 13 hours into the future, touching down around 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 28th (6:00 a.m. EST).
Upon reaching their destination, members of the group were elated at the sight of a number of familiar venues, such as KFC, McDonalds and Starbucks, the latter of which elicited the biggest sigh of relief after a long day of traveling. Exiting the airport's walls, the Saints quickly discovered another similarity to Boston via the weather conditions, as they were welcomed by the city's cool 32-degree temperature. As they boarded a bus and began driving towards the Holiday Inn Temple of Heaven, the group got its first real look at the Chinese metropolis, which with its busy streets, towering buildings and colorful signs represented a surprising comparison to that of New York City.
Once the group reached the hotel around 10:00 p.m., a quick meeting was held with members of the BIG staff to review tour details before the Emmanuel crew dispersed for the night. Weary from a long day of traveling, the group members retired to their rooms in preparation for the next days events…