Tuesday in Beijing

Another day of adventure in China. When we got up this morning and looked outside, it looked foggy. It was hard to see the buildings across the street, there was a heavy brown haze. We got ourselves dressed and scooted downstairs for the breakfast buffet (the best "camp style" scrambled eggs I've ever had). Its actually a nice spread...a few exotic items but a wide selection of western fare.

We were going to the Children's Hope International Hope Center today, and learned that they were in need of diapers and laundry detergent. So, we ran next store to Carrefour's to pick some up. It was clearly sale day today as it was crowded and the lines were long. By the time we got back to the hotel we were late, and Lina (I have been spelling her name wrong, its "Lina" not "Lena" - still pronounced with a long "e" sound). So we grabbed our stuff and loaded into our next private van for the day...we were going to drive through the Olympic Village on the way to the Great Wall at Badlang (about 1 hour ride north of Beijing), stop for lunch at a local restaurant and then go to the Hope Center.

Lina explained that the brown haze was from a "sand storm." The government had told them this and had been trying to deal with it for some time. They planted trees in the north of Beijing but it did not abate the problem. Many people were wearing masks and all manner of headgear to protect their breathing. Now I know from speaking with our friends last evening and with Melody that they keep a very powerful air purifier in every room of their home. Everything in the city is covered with a brown dust -- you can see it very clearly on parked cars. Your mouth actually gets a gritty taste. I didn't have the heart to explain to Lina that this is pure, unadulterated, heavy duty, industrial air pollution; the likes of which I have never experienced. So unfortunately, it really obstructed our view of the scenery.

China has a massive number of crews building their Olympic infrastructure and beautifying the landscape. You would not believe the size and amount of trees being planted. They have rows upon rows of evergreens and poplars ("yang") being planted. The poplar trees literally look like they stuck poles in the ground - no branches, nothing. Very strange looking. The Village and the facilities look like they will be very neat -- but they have a lot to do before the games begin. The will start on 8/8/08 at 8PM. Lina explained the each Olympic ring has a Chinese word associated with that means Welcome to Beijing - I'll have to have her write it down, it was kinda neat. The one facility that everyone is talking about is the "Birds Nest" - it is an arena that looks like a big nest. It is still heavily under construction but we snagged a few pictures as we drove by. We drove down the street where the dormitories are for the Olympians - fairly non descript set of apartment buildings. We drove by the water sports arena which was cool. The outside is a bunch of shiny bubbled out material that gives the affect of sunshine on the surface of the water (obviously, we did not witness this affect). I'm sure this will all be quite beautiful when completed, they are working very hard. It will be fun to see it on TV during the games and know we were there.

The section of the Great Wall we climbed was insanely steep! We were down in a bowl, surrounded by about a 3,000 - 3,500 foot ridge along which ran this massive structure. Lina bought our tickets, pointed us in the direction of the entrance and said "good luck, see you in 2 hours."

Along the wall are these massive towers that have two levels. And when I say steep, I mean steep!! One lady we passed "tossed her cookies" as it were, other folks paused along the sides to catch their breath or sit down. Some of the young kids just scurried on past racing up along the wall. It stretched out as far as the eye could see...I am sure the views would have been spectacular, but today the haze prevented us from seeing the full majesty of the surrounding terrain. Linda wasn't able to make it as far as Maggie, Becky and me. As you can see from the picture on the steps, her knee was giving her trouble and we had to rest. Check out the expression on the dude all the way on the left of this picture. He was in agony. He told Linda "I'm stuck in this spot." They struck up a conversation and headed back down the wall together. Maggie, Becky and I forged on. Lina had told us that Chairman Mao had said that if you make it to the Great Wall you are a "hero." So my girls were bound and determined they were going to get their "Hero" certificates.

We made it as far as the second tower...it took us about an hour and half up and back. And yes, I made it too...but the girls were worried about the old man. They kept checking on me and asking if I was OK saying "we can rest if you need." Well, the girls go their Hero cards. When you see them ask them to show them to you. They have their pictures on them and everything.

Yesterday I found my translation sign for the day at the Forbidden City...remember "perilous hills, please do not climb". Well today, my favorite sign was "Speaking Cell Phone Strictly Prohibited when Thunderstorm". What a great phrase. We need to adopt this in the States..."Stop speaking cell phone!!" Another great translation of the day was at lunch where one of the menu items was stated as "Chicken with After-Taste." But the grand prize winner was found on the little plastic shopping bag we got when we picked up a few items at the shop in the hotel. We were walking back to the room and Maggie noticed it. She went to Linda and said, "Does this say what I think it says?" The bag was a little bag with nice little sayings and designs all over it. Upon closer inspection you noticed the red hears had the phrase "I F***ing Love You! on the inside. As Lina said, "sometimes the translations don't work out."
We met up with Linda and Ashley back at the bottom, explored a little more and headed off for lunch. We had a little mishap on the way, while trying to fill a water bottle with bright red Crystal light flavoring, it got spilled all over this nice clean van (like everywhere and all over Ashley's pants). So, after our best attempt to clean it up, we got to go shopping at a local department store. Let me tell you, this was NOT a tourist place, this was locals and thank heaven we had Lina with us...not a word of English or sign in English. But she got us in there, found some new sweat pants and we were on to the local restaurant to grab some lunch before heading to the Hope Center.

The restaurant was a very nice local place and the food was outstanding...lots of exotic items (jelly fish, pigs feet in some kind of fungus). But we found plenty of dishes that were appropriate for our less exotic western palettes. The driver ate with us (he spoke no English..or at least he didn't let on that he did). I think he got a kick out of watching us try to eat noodles with chopsticks. Maggie was trying to give us all lessons.

The Hope Center was about another hour drive from the restaurant (Beijing is a BIG place). So we relaxed on the way there. The center is located in a residential area. You go through a large gate and you find yourself between to long, narrow buildings. They are very non descript one story structures. You enter through double doors and step down into a very long room about 60 feet wide and I would guess about twice that in length. It is very sunny and pleasant.

Lina introduced us to the director who took us back to where the kids were getting ready to eat...they had just gotten up from their naps. These kids are here from various orphanages (currently I think 5 different orphanages are represented). They are there because they are either recovering from some form of medical treatment and surgery and need special care or are getting prepared to have surgery or a procedure. These little kids were amazing. From the minute we walked in and they saw us, they came right up. It wasn't but a minute and I had a little one grab my finger and pull me along to the dining room where he showed me his seat and where he wanted me to sit. We watched while the aunties prepared there snack. They were extremely well behaved, knew the routine...and enough to really break your heart. I fell in love with John. This little boy (with the black pants and green coat) is actually 5 years old...they believe he has an issue with his heart and that is why he is not growing. He seemed so forlorn, and I was determined to get him to laugh. He latched on to one of the stuffed animals we brought. It turns out he is very bright and goes to bi-lingual school. So we traded a few English words... his favorite being "monkey." Another little boy in the red coat was an absolute doll and a real pip. Clearly, a very bright kid, who as the director said, will really enjoy life. He is always smiling, being mischievous (when the other kid is crying he steals their lunch), making faces and putting on a show. I think Linda was going to steal the little girl. And there was a little boy who has both legs severely deformed. He is unbelievably strong and can swing himself around and drag himself along. The director, who is also a Chinese doctor, said that when he is a little older they will need to amputate both of his legs and fit him with prosthetics. It is very clear that Children's Hope is far more than an adoption agency. They are truly making inroads into how to help these children who are left behind, or who's maladies are so significant there parents had to give them up because they could not afford to care for them properly. I think the girls were quite taken with the whole experience. They got right in there and played with them, held them and teased them until they laughed.

The people who care for these children are amazing. The love and devotion they show are beyond words. The little boy who truly broke my heart was 9 years old (same as our Ashley). He has a problem with his eyes, he really can't see. He seemed so alone in this place - no one else his age, no other children to relate to. While he is certainly loved and cared for, and a kind and loving child himself from what we understand, he is all alone. You can't be in this environment and not realize what blessing you have been given and stop and say a silent prayer. I found myself looking into the faces of these children and seeing Christ staring back at me. Perhaps it is very fitting that we are here during this time of Lent, that we can be reminded of what "Hope" truly means. CHI is doing a wonderful thing...all of those volunteers and workers along with the director, are wonderful people who live their faith and are making a real difference in these little lives. While we don't have pictures, down the hall was a rehab center for brain damaged children. They train the care takers of these children, and put the children through rehabilitation programs. They have modern equipment and training that many orphanages and rural areas do not have access to. We stopped in and saw these children...it was an amazing sight. And these kids, with so many struggles, waved and welcomed us. it was very encouraging to see.

And finally, be on the look out for this kid. When last seen, he was hanging out by the door to the courtyard with his gang. He was making the let's roll signal to his buddies (same motion as when the referees call traveling in a basketball game). You could almost here the words in his head "We gonna break out this joint, see...now you listen to me, see. As soon as these foreigners open the door we're gonna make a break for it...."

Tomorrow is our last day in Beijing, then we board the "hard sleeper" for Xian. May be late with our next journal entry as it is an all night train...but I'm sure we'll have lots to show you and tell you when we finally get to our hotel Thursday.