That there are only 12 days left of my China Care internship boggles my mind. I have much to share since my last entry ... Meaning I could probably write a 10-page paper and still have lots to say. But instead, I'll try my best to focus on the highlights.
One thing that's weighing pretty heavy on my heart right now are the farewells I gave the toddlers in the children's home this morning. In a two-hour meeting with our boss yesterday, we learned that we can no longer visit the home as of August 1st. I unfortunately can't go into as much detail as I'd like about the reasons why because when under the watchful eye of a certain government you can never be too careful about what you say or don't. In a nutshell, there've been disputes between our boss and officials about letting China Care remain in the new building, and in the light of these exchanges it's best not to have foreigners walking in and out of somewhere they don't want the organization to be in the first place.
Brent had briefly mentioned we could no longer visit after a certain time but I guess we'd forgotten because the seven of us were in shock yesterday. I needed to go back this morning knowing that it was the last time I'd see them. It was a very good last hour, too. The babies were awake and lively, and my four favourites were all around. I haven't yet posted pictures of all of them (one of my favourites just recently made it to my list of Top 5 Toddlers) but I took some nice ones today that I'll share soon. When it was time to leave, I couldn't extend my farewell as long as I would normally do because I would've risked taking them all with me. Unfortunately babies are too squirmy and bulky to fit in a carry-on...
That's certainly the biggest up-to-date news... but moving on before my emotions get the best of me.
You might ask why the title of my entry is what it is. Babies playing ping pong in the park?! If that ever happens I'd like to be there to take a picture. hahaa... The other day 6 of us went exploring in the small market area down our street. I'd been inside one of the grocers' before but hadn't seen much beyond it. OH was I ever missing out! I discovered the biggest fruit and vegetable markets I've seen in China yet that had me floored. Raw veggies and abundance of fresh fruit are two of the things I miss most here. I bought 2 oranges (the first I've eaten in a month and a half), bananas, a mangostene, plums, and a monster apple. HEAVENLY. But! I digress. Back to the ping pong. While I was rolling in fruit, Tim and John Speed went and bought ping pong rackets and six bright orange ping pong balls. We decided to put them to use right away and walked over to the park where they have three tables. They were all taken - ping pong being China's national sport, of course! - so we waited our turn. When we realized no one was going to leave anytime soon, John Speed approached one of the tables and asked the kids if we could play the winner. They agreed! And so our round robin match began. Even I played, and got absolutely destroyed! When the ping pong table in our basement started being used for a Second Cup Christmas basket production line, I quickly lost the chance to prepare myself for this day. These 10 year-old boys (and their grandpa who was quick on his feet and a pretty good ping pong player) reminded me of Forrest Gump. Maybe not quite as good but they had skill, oh yes. John Speed held his own against the kids but also got beaten in a flash by an older boy. We attracted some attention and promised to come back.
We spent the past weekend visiting Olympic sites, quizzing Olympic volunteers on their spoken English just for kicks, exploring hutongs, discovering the infamous Houhai (a hip destination raved about in guide books) and not being too impressed, haha!, getting foolishly ripped off by a toothless man selling kites, and climbing up to the Pagoda of a beautiful park. The gatherings that happen in parks around the city are one of the things that I deem characteristically Chinese. The opera is held dear in the hearts of many elders here, and in honour of this tradition, park gatherings often consist of a large group Chinese people assembled around a man or woman with a microphone, singing along to tinny clasical music blaring from an amp. This park, called Jingshan gongyuan was host to countless of these mini festivals, allowing voices and song to be heard for miles around if it weren't for its surrounding fortifying red walls. Tim, John Speed and I then journeyed to the top of the hill that sits in the middle of the gongyuan til we reached the pagoda at the summit. If not for the smog the view would've been spectacular. We looked out past the balustrade and could see the entire Forbidden City spread out before us, with its golden roofs blanketed in eerie clouds only caused by pollution. Sad, yet hauntingly beautiful. Tim put his new kite together and we tried to catch the wind until a security guard came and told us "kite flying wasn't allowed". He must've been about 16, which I found hysterical, but we'd like to avoid messy run-ins with Chinese authorities as much as possible. As Tim tried to catch the breeze, a woman came up and started chatting with me, explaining that we weren't standing in a good enough location. I told her the story of the man getting far too much from us for what these kites are worth and she laughed - Oh the fate of foreigners comes to play once again!
Our night ended with a second trip to Wangfujing night market where we shared a plate of delicious jiaozi (fried dumplings), then walked over the bookstore to buy maps of the city. We made it back home and hit the hay, absolutely exhausted from all the walking and intense heat of the day.
I'm actually running late for our movie. On Thursdays we screen an film for the kids to give them a break from their summer classes. My little buddy Tian Tian said it's his favourite class. Tonight our roommates and I are hosting a little party for Ysabelle and Joan's goodbye (they both leave on Monday, a week before the rest of us d0), and tomorrow we'll host a goodbye party for the kids we've taught classes to, as most of them are taking off on vacation before they plan to start school in September. There'll be watermelon, mangos, and lots of merriment.
Take good care family & friends, much love to you all!
a bientot,
-lb.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Introducing: The China Care Babies!
Tai hao le! Merci pour tous les commentaires! Oh it's so nice to hear from home and abroad.
For those who sympathize with the intestinal difficulties I've been suffering, thank you! I fell asleep last night in hopes of dreaming of my dad's barbecued chicken or a good hearty salad ... but somehow ended up dreaming that my California native friend Tim, was Francophone and intimidated me with his strong Quebecois accent. He speaks not a word of French.
I will keep this entry short in terms of words, and will fill the rest up with... photos! Oh yes, finally. I tried starting a Photobucket account a couple nights ago but the internet here likes to play tricks on us and that night, decided not to cooperate. I will post the 3 photos I managed to get up (in 45 minutes GROAN) in this entry, so no need to go searching on Photobucket. I don't know why posting them on my blog didn't occur to me earlier...
(I'm sitting here in the office watching Tim play hide-and-seek with one of the toddlers, Jiang Tao. He was brought here from the children's home because he's developed some sort of infection that may or may not be contagious. Poor little guy is missing his playmates...)
So, let the photos begin!
For those who sympathize with the intestinal difficulties I've been suffering, thank you! I fell asleep last night in hopes of dreaming of my dad's barbecued chicken or a good hearty salad ... but somehow ended up dreaming that my California native friend Tim, was Francophone and intimidated me with his strong Quebecois accent. He speaks not a word of French.
I will keep this entry short in terms of words, and will fill the rest up with... photos! Oh yes, finally. I tried starting a Photobucket account a couple nights ago but the internet here likes to play tricks on us and that night, decided not to cooperate. I will post the 3 photos I managed to get up (in 45 minutes GROAN) in this entry, so no need to go searching on Photobucket. I don't know why posting them on my blog didn't occur to me earlier...
(I'm sitting here in the office watching Tim play hide-and-seek with one of the toddlers, Jiang Tao. He was brought here from the children's home because he's developed some sort of infection that may or may not be contagious. Poor little guy is missing his playmates...)
So, let the photos begin!
Playing in the toddler's home (BCH 3 - Beijing Children's home 3) before the move. I'm not sure of the name of little baby in stripes.
Introducing, the one and only... Liu Fang!! Yes, the star of my first entry herself.
Introducing Xiao Lan, the Belle of the Ball. This little one was born with clubbed feet and is currently going through the process of fixing them up, which involves casting for periods of 5-10 days, followed by wearing a brace on each leg, then more casting, etc., until her feet are flattened out. She is a ball of smiles and giggles and is thus a favourite of the Aiyis, China Care staff, and of course us interns. Ysabelle has vowed to take her home.
Aahh, Tian Duo Duo, possibly the cutest toddler known to man. Duo in Chinese means many, because unfortunately he was born with many physical abnormalities. He currently wears a prosthetic from his left knee down, but is quick as a jackrabbit. He often wore the look of a skeptic when we first came and began running the pre-school class, but now that he's gotten used to seeing us nearly every day, his face lights up in the most mischievous little smile... I want to take him home. Mom and Dad, how about welcoming 2 new babies? Liu Fang included ... please.
This is Guishu. He and his foster family have been away on vacation in Dongbei, a city north of here. He gets around in a wheelchair because of his Spinal bifida. He was also part of our pre-school class... Since he and his family have left on vacation, the classroom's been much quieter!
C'est moi with my little buddy Tian Cheng. ADORABLE. A giggly ball of energy who we also miss dearly since he left on vacation with his foster brother Guishu and family.
And finally, foster siblings Guishu, Tian Hui, and Tian Cheng, going for a ride in Xubin's bicycle cart (Xubin works in the China Care office and is roommates with Tim and John Speed). We played with them for what felt like hours that day. Oh, are they ever precious... (ohh careful mom and dad, maybe make that 5 kids...)
Introducing, the one and only... Liu Fang!! Yes, the star of my first entry herself.
Introducing Xiao Lan, the Belle of the Ball. This little one was born with clubbed feet and is currently going through the process of fixing them up, which involves casting for periods of 5-10 days, followed by wearing a brace on each leg, then more casting, etc., until her feet are flattened out. She is a ball of smiles and giggles and is thus a favourite of the Aiyis, China Care staff, and of course us interns. Ysabelle has vowed to take her home.
Aahh, Tian Duo Duo, possibly the cutest toddler known to man. Duo in Chinese means many, because unfortunately he was born with many physical abnormalities. He currently wears a prosthetic from his left knee down, but is quick as a jackrabbit. He often wore the look of a skeptic when we first came and began running the pre-school class, but now that he's gotten used to seeing us nearly every day, his face lights up in the most mischievous little smile... I want to take him home. Mom and Dad, how about welcoming 2 new babies? Liu Fang included ... please.
This is Guishu. He and his foster family have been away on vacation in Dongbei, a city north of here. He gets around in a wheelchair because of his Spinal bifida. He was also part of our pre-school class... Since he and his family have left on vacation, the classroom's been much quieter! 
C'est moi with my little buddy Tian Cheng. ADORABLE. A giggly ball of energy who we also miss dearly since he left on vacation with his foster brother Guishu and family. 
And finally, foster siblings Guishu, Tian Hui, and Tian Cheng, going for a ride in Xubin's bicycle cart (Xubin works in the China Care office and is roommates with Tim and John Speed). We played with them for what felt like hours that day. Oh, are they ever precious... (ohh careful mom and dad, maybe make that 5 kids...)Ok, enough scaring the parents! Time to go eat dinner before the food's all gone.
Much love to all and will write again soon. The pictures'll keep coming, too! hugs and kisses, lb.
Much love to all and will write again soon. The pictures'll keep coming, too! hugs and kisses, lb.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Home-cooked food, I miss you dearly.
I've come to the conclusion that when you're away, you miss home the most when you're feeling sick. Despite their enticing odour and delicious taste, I seem to have formed a love-hate relationship with Chinese dishes, and the other night, we had a fight.
... Chinese food: 10, Lauren: 0.
I'm feeling quite a bit better now, after receiving a mix of Chinese and North American "medical" advice ("Eat a banana and burned toast" ... "No, red sugar water is best, he doesn't know what he's talking about!" etc etc). In the end, spending most of yesterday in bed and sticking to a diet consisting mostly of bread, water, and yes, a banana, my tummy seems to be slowly recovering.
The good news is I've made a friend as a result of these couple days of feeling rather awful. I don't know her Chinese name, but the respectful term I'm to give her is Ai yi, which means aunt. The woman that we're living with, Zhang Ai Ling, expressed her concern to me many times yesterday, offering to cook me food, and letting me borrow her hot water bottle to soothe my tummy in the evening. She called one of the foster parents here on the compound and asked if she would cook for me, since Zhang laoshi (laoshi = teacher) works at the office and teaches class during the day. She arranged for me to go over this morning for breakfast, and so I did, only to find that Aiyi is the friendliest, warmest person I've met so far. She welcomed me with open arms and began jabbering away in Chinese, telling me how the Chinese treat stomach aches, and offering to cook whatever it is I liked. I was fed eggs and this delicious soup, whose contents I'm still not entirely sure of, along with a cup of steaming red sugar water (similar to brown sugar, but tastes a little more like molasses). We chatted about past China Care volunteers that had stayed with her in previous years, about my family, where I'm from, and what kind of projects we're working on for the summer. Our conversation remained rather limited but I could tell that she enjoys a good chat. She was patient with my somewhat broken Chinese and helped me express what I wanted to say when the words wouldn't come.
I went back later this afternoon to tell her thank you, but that I wouldn't be joining them for lunch, just to make sure I don't overdo it as I recover. She, her husband, and her mother care for several foster children. Their dining table was surrounded by 4 growing boys who I recognized from the classes that Tim, Callie and Ysabelle are teaching. I think I wrote about the newswires we're expected to write in my last entry. Incase not, we've each been asked to write 10 short articles that may be used as promotional material for China Care back in North America regarding pretty much anything we experience here. I decided this morning that I would see if Aiyi was willing to be interviewed for one of them. Fostering children, not to mention ones with disabilities, and treating them as your own, must take so much love and courage. I don't know what the chances are for these children to be adopted or if they'll be under China Care's watch until they're 18 and ready to get out on their own ... Which is also something I'm curious to know more about. Eighteen is still so young, yet China Care can only afford to keep children in foster care til they reach that age, if they aren't adopted that is. The oldest one here at the moment is 14; his name is Max. As they grow up, China Care offers a protected environment where the kids' disabilities are not stigmatized within their homes, unlike the real world. What'll happen in 4 years when Max has to go?
We've been spending less time going over the home and volunteering with the kids, mainly because it's much less convenient to get to. John Speed and I will be going there more often though, I to work on my mural and John Speed to work on his landscaping project outside in the courtyard. We've got a lot of work ahead of us but the outcome should be nice. I'd like to spend more time at the home this week, but perhaps we're all spending less time there because of the new lack of comfort. The new home feels far more institutionalized (sorry if I'm being redundant - did I already write about this?) and the last time we were there, the one room we stayed in was full to capacity with Aiyis and babies, making our presence feel unnecessary. I certainly miss the proximity and flow of the old set up.
Will write more later about our weekend spent at the Summer Palace. It is stunning.
Sending you love!
lb.
p.s. If it's of interest to anyone, my friend John Speed's been putting together fun, short video clips and picture reels of our experience here in China so far. It'll give you an idea of the friends I've made here and some of the places we've seen. My pictures aren't included but we're also thinking of starting an online photo album with a culmination of all our pictures... Anyway, check it out: www.youtube.com/user/jospeed1988 ... Enjoy!
... Chinese food: 10, Lauren: 0.
I'm feeling quite a bit better now, after receiving a mix of Chinese and North American "medical" advice ("Eat a banana and burned toast" ... "No, red sugar water is best, he doesn't know what he's talking about!" etc etc). In the end, spending most of yesterday in bed and sticking to a diet consisting mostly of bread, water, and yes, a banana, my tummy seems to be slowly recovering.
The good news is I've made a friend as a result of these couple days of feeling rather awful. I don't know her Chinese name, but the respectful term I'm to give her is Ai yi, which means aunt. The woman that we're living with, Zhang Ai Ling, expressed her concern to me many times yesterday, offering to cook me food, and letting me borrow her hot water bottle to soothe my tummy in the evening. She called one of the foster parents here on the compound and asked if she would cook for me, since Zhang laoshi (laoshi = teacher) works at the office and teaches class during the day. She arranged for me to go over this morning for breakfast, and so I did, only to find that Aiyi is the friendliest, warmest person I've met so far. She welcomed me with open arms and began jabbering away in Chinese, telling me how the Chinese treat stomach aches, and offering to cook whatever it is I liked. I was fed eggs and this delicious soup, whose contents I'm still not entirely sure of, along with a cup of steaming red sugar water (similar to brown sugar, but tastes a little more like molasses). We chatted about past China Care volunteers that had stayed with her in previous years, about my family, where I'm from, and what kind of projects we're working on for the summer. Our conversation remained rather limited but I could tell that she enjoys a good chat. She was patient with my somewhat broken Chinese and helped me express what I wanted to say when the words wouldn't come.
I went back later this afternoon to tell her thank you, but that I wouldn't be joining them for lunch, just to make sure I don't overdo it as I recover. She, her husband, and her mother care for several foster children. Their dining table was surrounded by 4 growing boys who I recognized from the classes that Tim, Callie and Ysabelle are teaching. I think I wrote about the newswires we're expected to write in my last entry. Incase not, we've each been asked to write 10 short articles that may be used as promotional material for China Care back in North America regarding pretty much anything we experience here. I decided this morning that I would see if Aiyi was willing to be interviewed for one of them. Fostering children, not to mention ones with disabilities, and treating them as your own, must take so much love and courage. I don't know what the chances are for these children to be adopted or if they'll be under China Care's watch until they're 18 and ready to get out on their own ... Which is also something I'm curious to know more about. Eighteen is still so young, yet China Care can only afford to keep children in foster care til they reach that age, if they aren't adopted that is. The oldest one here at the moment is 14; his name is Max. As they grow up, China Care offers a protected environment where the kids' disabilities are not stigmatized within their homes, unlike the real world. What'll happen in 4 years when Max has to go?
We've been spending less time going over the home and volunteering with the kids, mainly because it's much less convenient to get to. John Speed and I will be going there more often though, I to work on my mural and John Speed to work on his landscaping project outside in the courtyard. We've got a lot of work ahead of us but the outcome should be nice. I'd like to spend more time at the home this week, but perhaps we're all spending less time there because of the new lack of comfort. The new home feels far more institutionalized (sorry if I'm being redundant - did I already write about this?) and the last time we were there, the one room we stayed in was full to capacity with Aiyis and babies, making our presence feel unnecessary. I certainly miss the proximity and flow of the old set up.
Will write more later about our weekend spent at the Summer Palace. It is stunning.
Sending you love!
lb.
p.s. If it's of interest to anyone, my friend John Speed's been putting together fun, short video clips and picture reels of our experience here in China so far. It'll give you an idea of the friends I've made here and some of the places we've seen. My pictures aren't included but we're also thinking of starting an online photo album with a culmination of all our pictures... Anyway, check it out: www.youtube.com/user/jospeed1988 ... Enjoy!
Monday, July 7, 2008
spicy fish / la douzi
"La douzi" literally means spicy stomach. (ooop-sies did I say too much?) Truth be told, thus is the fate of a foreigner in a country of Sichuan cooking and no mango lassi/lasey to wash away the burn. Even our Northern Chinese used-to-spicy driver for the day was buckets of sweat and teary-eyed, sucking in short breaths of air to cool the heat.
I was treated to a dinner of this glorious fish dish by a friend of our boss's who we're helping conduct a study at 43 branches of the China Mingsheng Bank, testing the English proficiency of their staff in preparation for the Olympics and the many foreigners they will likely be serving. Three of us interns went today and were treated to lunch and dinner as a thank you for our native English skills - sweet deal huh? We were required to go into each bank and ask a few scripted questions to the tellers and assistant manager to see if they were able to understand and come up with a comprehensible answer, only using English. There were some awkward encounters and without meaning, we certainly left many a teller flustered and more nervous than any bank teller should be. Interesting how we got involved in this whole study. Vera, the girl in charge of her foreign participants, is friend of our boss, Brent. She got in touch with him and found out he had few english-speaking volunteers on board at China Care and thought to take advantage. It was a relaxing way for us to see many parts of Beijing. We're finding out more about Vera's connections to numerous social circles in the city. Turns out she wrote about Josh's old band last summer for The Beijinger, partly a music review magazine... small world, non?
A lot is changing here at China Care, and we've only been here 2 weeks. It's odd finally getting settled into a place and then having everything switch around so suddenly. The move to the new house that we'd been fixing up happened this weekend so the babies and toddlers are now a 10-minute drive away rather than a 2-minute walk away. Since we were out doing the banking study today, we've yet to figure out how our new schedule is going to work itself out. John Speed and I are thinking of getting bikes to get to the new place on our own rather than waiting for a ride each time. Biking in Beijing is one of the most wonderful things because you get that much closer to being authentically Chinese... haha. Maybe so.
Callie, Ysabelle, our 4th roommate and I must also move 2 floors down to a new apartment. The reason why escapes me now but it's a valid one and I know it's gotta hppen within about 2 days time.
I'm exhausted but need to write more about the weekend. Now's bed time though so a la prochaine.
much love,
lb.
I was treated to a dinner of this glorious fish dish by a friend of our boss's who we're helping conduct a study at 43 branches of the China Mingsheng Bank, testing the English proficiency of their staff in preparation for the Olympics and the many foreigners they will likely be serving. Three of us interns went today and were treated to lunch and dinner as a thank you for our native English skills - sweet deal huh? We were required to go into each bank and ask a few scripted questions to the tellers and assistant manager to see if they were able to understand and come up with a comprehensible answer, only using English. There were some awkward encounters and without meaning, we certainly left many a teller flustered and more nervous than any bank teller should be. Interesting how we got involved in this whole study. Vera, the girl in charge of her foreign participants, is friend of our boss, Brent. She got in touch with him and found out he had few english-speaking volunteers on board at China Care and thought to take advantage. It was a relaxing way for us to see many parts of Beijing. We're finding out more about Vera's connections to numerous social circles in the city. Turns out she wrote about Josh's old band last summer for The Beijinger, partly a music review magazine... small world, non?
A lot is changing here at China Care, and we've only been here 2 weeks. It's odd finally getting settled into a place and then having everything switch around so suddenly. The move to the new house that we'd been fixing up happened this weekend so the babies and toddlers are now a 10-minute drive away rather than a 2-minute walk away. Since we were out doing the banking study today, we've yet to figure out how our new schedule is going to work itself out. John Speed and I are thinking of getting bikes to get to the new place on our own rather than waiting for a ride each time. Biking in Beijing is one of the most wonderful things because you get that much closer to being authentically Chinese... haha. Maybe so.
Callie, Ysabelle, our 4th roommate and I must also move 2 floors down to a new apartment. The reason why escapes me now but it's a valid one and I know it's gotta hppen within about 2 days time.
I'm exhausted but need to write more about the weekend. Now's bed time though so a la prochaine.
much love,
lb.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Blue sky in Beijing whaaa-t!
I'm sitting in the living room of my apartment, enjoying the company of five other girls, three of whom are leaving for Baoji, in Shaanxi province, a 15-hour train ride south-west of Beijing. Anna, Joan, and Erin (a volunteer here from Harvard, not an intern) are following a few of the babies back to the orphanage they originally came from. Many of the babies going back have their adoption papers ready, meaning they have the opportunity to be adopted. I'm still a bit unclear on how things work exactly in terms of foster care and adoption and what the chances are for each child once they have their papers written up, but as I find out more I'll try my best to make note of it.
In response to some of the comments that were posted! (Hey Caitlin, this one's for you) ... The children that China Care takes in are all disabled in some way. Most of the ones I've worked with have physical disabilities. Because of the one-child policy, parents will often give up a child whose disability is obvious at birth and then try for a second one, either because of financial inability to pay for the child's required surgery, or because of the social stigma attached to having a disability.
As for the gender ratios, there are surprisingly a large amount of boys here in the homes. I think it's a common Western assumption that most Chinese orphans are girls, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the children I've met so far.
So the couple days of manual labour I mentioned in my last entry as turned into an everyday project that we must get done by this Sunday as it turns out. WHAT! We have been returning to the new house almost every day to paint the walls, scrape, sweep, and mop the floors, all in time for the babies to be moved in on July 6th. Have we ever got our work cut out for us. Oh my. In addition, Jane, an English teacher/China Care staff member (not exactly sure of her position) has designated us the task of organizing the warehouse here on the compound that is used to keep all of the donations China Care receives. Two days ago we brought garbage bags and boxes full of children's clothing and bibs to one of the apartments turned classroom and spent four hours separating the clothing into separate piles ready for storage. There is still lots to be done. The warehouse is more of a shack with rather cramped shelving, but we've been given a large deadline so it'll get done.
Given these projects we've ad to take on, we haven't really been left with too much time to hang with our little ones. I'm finding that an hour to two a day in the nursery is really exhausting. Yesterday morning, I went in and went straight to Liu Fa, which seems to be the routine I've established, and she was all smiles once we started playing. I got to speak to Lily, a China Care staffer who speaks English quite well, and was able to find out a little more about Liu Fa's medical issues. I found out that her adoption papers have been written up, meaning she has a chance to get the surgery she needs if adopted and brought to a country where they can perform the necessary operation. I'm knocking on lots of wooden tables. She's a gem.
We spent the weekend exploring the city. They've revamped the metro system here, and it's air conditioned! Wow! We took the very long ride into the city (Yuxiang Gardens is in Shunyi district, quite a ways from downtown), and visited the Forbidden City and Tian'an men. It was a whole-day excursion. It was a lot of fun being back in the crowded Beijing core, though I'm excited to explore areas I haven't yet been to. On Sunday night I took a few of our friends who were leaving the next day (some volunteers from a school in Connecticut) to D-22 and we stumbed upon this AMAZING Mongolian folk band who were just starting to play as we arrived. Amazing. I bought their album to share with a couple of the other interns. D-22 for those to whom I haven't yet raved about it, is a wicked little bar near the university I studied at last year, that is the epicenter of the Beijing underground music scene as I know it. My friends really enjoyed the performance and it was a great way to see some of them off.
Callie, Ysabelle, John Speed and I have been teaching a pre-school class, which I'll write more about next time. Gotta share some deets about the kids I've met. They're so lovely.
Happy summer and thanks for the messages!! Keep sendin' 'em my way. I LOVE YOU ALL and am thinking about home lots and lots. Time for bed, another long day of warehousing/painting/baby time tomorrow. Shui jiao ba!
Much love,
lauren.
In response to some of the comments that were posted! (Hey Caitlin, this one's for you) ... The children that China Care takes in are all disabled in some way. Most of the ones I've worked with have physical disabilities. Because of the one-child policy, parents will often give up a child whose disability is obvious at birth and then try for a second one, either because of financial inability to pay for the child's required surgery, or because of the social stigma attached to having a disability.
As for the gender ratios, there are surprisingly a large amount of boys here in the homes. I think it's a common Western assumption that most Chinese orphans are girls, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the children I've met so far.
So the couple days of manual labour I mentioned in my last entry as turned into an everyday project that we must get done by this Sunday as it turns out. WHAT! We have been returning to the new house almost every day to paint the walls, scrape, sweep, and mop the floors, all in time for the babies to be moved in on July 6th. Have we ever got our work cut out for us. Oh my. In addition, Jane, an English teacher/China Care staff member (not exactly sure of her position) has designated us the task of organizing the warehouse here on the compound that is used to keep all of the donations China Care receives. Two days ago we brought garbage bags and boxes full of children's clothing and bibs to one of the apartments turned classroom and spent four hours separating the clothing into separate piles ready for storage. There is still lots to be done. The warehouse is more of a shack with rather cramped shelving, but we've been given a large deadline so it'll get done.
Given these projects we've ad to take on, we haven't really been left with too much time to hang with our little ones. I'm finding that an hour to two a day in the nursery is really exhausting. Yesterday morning, I went in and went straight to Liu Fa, which seems to be the routine I've established, and she was all smiles once we started playing. I got to speak to Lily, a China Care staffer who speaks English quite well, and was able to find out a little more about Liu Fa's medical issues. I found out that her adoption papers have been written up, meaning she has a chance to get the surgery she needs if adopted and brought to a country where they can perform the necessary operation. I'm knocking on lots of wooden tables. She's a gem.
We spent the weekend exploring the city. They've revamped the metro system here, and it's air conditioned! Wow! We took the very long ride into the city (Yuxiang Gardens is in Shunyi district, quite a ways from downtown), and visited the Forbidden City and Tian'an men. It was a whole-day excursion. It was a lot of fun being back in the crowded Beijing core, though I'm excited to explore areas I haven't yet been to. On Sunday night I took a few of our friends who were leaving the next day (some volunteers from a school in Connecticut) to D-22 and we stumbed upon this AMAZING Mongolian folk band who were just starting to play as we arrived. Amazing. I bought their album to share with a couple of the other interns. D-22 for those to whom I haven't yet raved about it, is a wicked little bar near the university I studied at last year, that is the epicenter of the Beijing underground music scene as I know it. My friends really enjoyed the performance and it was a great way to see some of them off.
Callie, Ysabelle, John Speed and I have been teaching a pre-school class, which I'll write more about next time. Gotta share some deets about the kids I've met. They're so lovely.
Happy summer and thanks for the messages!! Keep sendin' 'em my way. I LOVE YOU ALL and am thinking about home lots and lots. Time for bed, another long day of warehousing/painting/baby time tomorrow. Shui jiao ba!
Much love,
lauren.
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