Jet lag is rough on those of us who haven't done shift work! I feel it for sure, but know a little about how it feels & can cope with it. The kids have virtually passed out the last two nights.
We arrived safely in Beijing – no events with planes! We were automatically upgraded to Economy Plus (a little more legroom), which was wonderful. The climate is quite similar to NC – nice and hot, with humidity. Tram ride to pick up luggage was like playing sardines with approximately 100 people. When you think that the tram is full, you double the number of people on board, and that is about where we were at – unable to stand on both feet due to other feet being underneath our own! The van ride was very warm and stagnant. We arrived really exhausted and checked into the hotel. After showers, we walked in search of the missing restaurant and never found it. While walking, we noticed a very congested, less commercial-looking food vending area. We decided to wade into the foray and look for food options. After seeing the scorpions-on-a-skewer (still waving their legs in panic about the cooking that was about to ensue), octopus legs on the same skewers, squid, strange meats on sticks (a.k.a. “WAP” - weird animal parts), and the pungent scents, we turned around and exited with less appetite. We finally decided to eat dinner at the hotel – a much safer (albeit more expensive) option. Quite an experience! The kids were so tired by the time we returned to our rooms, that they fell asleep wherever they landed!
Day 2 – Breakfast at the hotel (included with the rooms) was very nice! One incident involving a hot pepper that was eaten, though. I thought that one of the boys was going to have to ride to the hospital as he was gripping his neck, with purple face, tears and sweat pouring down his face as he ran to tell me and ask for more water! After two bananas, a large helping of sweet potatoes, steamed rice, and a cup of tea, it finally stopped burning so profusely! On the positive side, he finished his breakfast with amazing speed! On a serious note, we were very blessed today by the food options for our entire crew! Kristi worked with our dietary needs and fed us two wonderful meals! Another interesting site at breakfast – a number of adoptive families! These were families who have previously adopted Chinese kids, and had them with them. The most conspicuous of the families was an Amish/Mennonite family with two biological teenage sons, and three adopted Chinese children! All of them were dressed in their traditional clothing, plus flip flops! Very neat to see!
We traveled to the orphanage that we planned on visiting, located in a small village about 45 minutes south of Beijing. On the way, we were able to see more of what rural China looks like. The workers have wonderful hearts for serving the Lord! Many of them have vision impairments, as do all of the children. We were able to tour the facility, meet a 6-year old that we plan to sponsor, and sing with the English immersion class as they sang. We look forward to sharing more in person about this part of our trip!
We visited with our friends from the states for the remainder of the day - about 8.5 delightful hours! They were an encouragement to us, helped us with many phrases that we can use with Joanna, and showed us around the area and explained some of the cultural differences. Very eye-opening. The kids loved playing together!! We went swimming during the hot part of the day – a real treat as we escaped from the heat! We received a number of stares and had our photographs taken a few times. We were labeled as foreigners by the Chinese – quite loudly at times! We were able to talk to them about the challenges they face, and the blessings that they have been able to be a part of. We also delivered a care package from friends in the USA, consisting of difficult-to-obtain items! They expressed their heartfelt thanks for the things that we take for granted as being able to be obtained from our neighborhood superstores. We experienced a couple of taxi rides through the day, one of which Lynette rode with two very capable, strong young men, ages 6 & 8, who were quite experienced with such things. ☺ With both of our families together, we had to split into 3 taxis in order to get back to their house! The evening hours saw many people come out! People of all ages come out and socialize for a number of hours each evening. There are street vendors that set up shop right outside the apartments where our friends live, selling used and new items, food, and various other things. The produce is very beautiful – we were impressed with the size as well! Our friends helped us get water for the next few days. After two sleepy-eyed taxi rides to the hotel, we called it a day. We almost left Micah asleep in the front seat of one of the taxis, until Nathan asked where he was! Well, it was a long day!
We were truly blessed and really encouraged by the people we met, and by our friends as they live out their faith here in Beijing!
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