As mentioned in my previous post, I will be leaving for Xiamen, China later this week as part of the NSLI-Y program, funded by the US State department. I recently discovered, however, that there is a direct connection between my hometown and the city I will be residing in for the next 6 weeks. I live in Hopkinton, a small town in Massachusetts which is the starting line for the famous Boston Marathon. Xiamen, coincidentally, also hosts a renowned marathon, and this connection was established by Tim Kilduff, a former race director for the Boston Marathon. Tim is the Hopkinton representative for this twin city relationship when he traveled to Xiamen, China. It is incredible that I am connected to these two cities – so far way from each other. I will be sure to share this connection with my host family in Xiamen.
(Tim Kilduff, right, Boston Marathon’s representative from Hopkinton, standing next to Chen Aijing, left, who is holding the Flame of the Marathon Run.)
My Travels in China 