Hi to all,
Well, we've finished up the volunteer part of our trip & we're in Guang Nan staying in a nice hotel with hot water, clean beds, internet & best of all, heat!!!! First night our internet didn't work & we had to go down to the desk in the a.m. and used the handy dandy talking machine Bekah gave us to tell we didn't have hot water so they turned it on for us by turning a switch located right under their desk & it worked!!! But we switched rooms so night #2 we had it all!! First time since we left home and boy are we loving it....
Guang Nan
This city is a new, neat & large town with a large sports arena in the center as well as a big gov't building...which may explain why it is so nice. The streets are wide lined with fancy tiled sidewalks and there must be t 10 -12 new buildings going up.
Mandarins
Now we've eaten mandarins in the country that speaks Mandarin.
Xanadu
Every heard of Xanadu--the most beautiful city that you can only reach by boat on a river that runs through a looong cave in a huge mountain??? Well, we went there. We went through three caves each was about the size of Mammoth Cave. Gorgeous. Many sections were lit up with colored lights. The boat was long and powered by a man standing on the end using a bamboo pole. No lifejackets --of course. In between the mountains, was the city--let's just say it was hardly the most beautiful and we saw trucks dumping load of gravel to use in the many building projects going on--well at least the boat ride was
most beautiful.
Food
Rice. Noodles--usually made of rice flour. Vegetables & roots--often ones we'd never seen or heard of--in various sauces (usually hot) & combinations. Small bits of meat usually mostly fat & egg omelets with greens. Sometimes all boiled together in a central hot pot full of soup. That's what we eat every day, every meal. Healthy--yes. Roger eagerly tries everything and enjoys most of it. Jane tries a little bit and enjoys less...but usually has been able to find Coke Zero and along with her nuts, peanut butter & m&m's is doing fine..... While in Guang Nan we tried to find a "western" meal. The clerk at the hotel desk just laughed. So why do we have so many Chinese restaurants in USA but they don't have any American here????
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Hi-
Have enjoyed all the emails we've been getting from home. We really do feel like we are on the other side of the world--and after tomorrow--we'll be without Jenny, the Chinese-Canadian who has been interpreting for us and helping us make sense of lots of what we see around here. Better get starting doing some writing as I've gotten so far behind....
Leprosy
Fantastic gains in China! In 1980, the China gov't started giving lepers free medicine--partially thanks to the great work of a Chinese doctor who devoted his life to them and was the founder of HANDA which is the NGO that we have been traveling & working with here. They provide many services for the 157 eprosy colonies. So most of the colonies are now filled with only a few older people who have been grossly affected by the disease and will probably be the last generation to suffer greatly!!! It will take many years for their families to outlive the stigma attached & be allowed to work better ground or move to more prosperous areas but the future is bright!!!
Signs of Leprosy
Yup it is contagious but difficult to catch if your immune system is strong and you have proper hygiene...but if you see our eyebrows falling out & red blotches on our shoulders or back...let us know so we can get the proper meds that will immediately stop it!
Miao Tribe
One of the leprosy villages, Rao Ma Lu we visited had people from the Miao tribe. Their facial features were different as well as their language. It was a very small village with just 5 kids for me to assess. While Sophie and I ran them through the assessments, all the villagers except the men who had gone with Rog to check out latrine & their water supply, stood around us with large grins shouting at and nudging the child that was answering. Most of them knew so very little and were not going to any school. We identified the "most knowledgeable" and gave her the one book she could read as well as many word cards as she knew & put her in charge of teaching the others. After we left the village, I asked Sophie what the people were shouting at the children. She said, "Stupid." I wanted to go back and hug each of those kids and tell them they were not stupid--just unlucky to not have the privilege of an education!
The Weaver
Also in Rao Ma Lu, there was an old man who was so carefully & skillfully weaving a bird cage out of bamboo. He was missing several fingers and probably much of his feet by the looks of how his shoes fit. A bird cage. It struck me so odd that in this desperately poor village, someone with such handicaps would be weaving something of such beauty...so he could listen to the song of a bird. How many songs have I missed??
Face Washing
Living without running water is such a burden here. A clean face is a luxury. At Rao Ma Lu, we gave each woman a bag with soap & towel in it. Ask for a small bowl of water and I demonstrated both face and hand washing. After they got done laughing at me, they all got to work on their own faces. Suds & laughter overflowed! Such simple joys! We also gave them the washable menstrual pads --which embarrassed them--especially because Yuan (male) had to explain it to them because he was the only one who spoke Miao.
Advice from Sophie's Mom
When we were on top of one of the mountains, we got a phone signal so Sophie (22 Univ student who is volunteering) called her Mom. When I asked her what her Mom told her, she said, "Be independent and be brave." Sound advice.
Sign Painted on Wall
Large words are painted red on many of the walls in towns so I asked what they said: Less Children. Less Burden. Nothing like getting right to the point.
Equality between Men & Women
It's refreshing to see that there seems to be lots of equality between men & women. You see both caring for children, cooking, working in fields, building, etc...
No Market
It dawned on me as I was using yet another squat toilet...there is no market in China for Uncle John's Bathroom Readers!!!
Canola Fields
As we drove to a new village, we went by miles of the brightest yellow fields you can imagine: canola. I swear they glowed!
Graves
As you drive along the highway, often you go by grave sites. They are mounds of dirt usually with rock wall around & often with a large grave stone. In some areas, they dot the hillside. We're told choosing a grave site is very important. It usually faces SW and must be Feng Shui.
Still Building..
Even out here in the middle of no where, building is going on everywhere. We saw where they are blasting out a mountain to build a new railroad. Guess the building is in prep for that.
Facebook
Did you know there is no facebook in China...
Our Team
Here's the people we've been spending lots of time with:
Renay--born in China--now living in Canada--founder of Eco Village of Hope. Heart as big as the mountains around her which is supported by a clever mind that thinks anything can be done & she'll find the $$$$
Steve--from Oklahoma--has done humanitarian work for 25 years including spending the last 6 months in Zambia--has an incredible memory of multiple things he has studied--lots of common sense & stories
Jenny --born in China--now living in Canada--talented seamstress & pattern designer--thrilled to have raised lots of $$$ to help in her home land--creative & hardworking--totally enjoying the journey here
Sophie--Chinese 22 yr old Univ student hoping to be an elem teacher--first volunteer outing--immediate reppore with kids & me
Ong & OuYang- Chinese couple married one year--our translators. Both understand Chinese culture. OuYang is also seamstress so works with Jenny lots. Ong helps the guys. Both quiet & pleasant.
Yuan - Chinese HANDA worker who knows & loves the people in all the leprosy villages. Great at navigating through discussions & driving on these terrible mountainous & back roads. Love him.
Little Mothers/Daddies
All the little kids around the age of 8 - 10, walk around with babies on their back much of the time. But every so often, one of those little mommies or daddies crawl on my lap & let me rock them...allowing them to be the little kid they really are. A boy who is about 8, crawled on my lap at the village feast and though other kids laughed at him, he let me rock him for about ten minutes.
Created a Monster
Sophie & I have created a monster. The kids are now begging for us to do word flashcards for them. Sophie has been busy making up gobs of them & we've been handing them out to kids who can read them and telling them they know must teach others. The kids are also asking us to read to them and let them look at my Zoobooks. We a grand problem to have!
Flea Bites
Several of our team spent a night in the attic of one of the buildings as they wanted to get out of the cold--they ended up with lots of flea bites! Lucky for us, Rog & I stayed outside.
Scooter Lady
If you remember from an earlier writing, one of the older ladies has to move around on a scooter by using her hands and the ramp to her home was uphill, rocky & often muddy. I mentioned it to Renay and cementing her hill was put on the work list....and it got done!! Everyday I have visited her and her smile grows. Of course the cookies I take her has lots to do with it. Her village job is to hoe a large manure pile turning it so that it dries out. Several times that's where I find her...and feed her the cookie as her stubs which is all that is left of her hands, are so filthy...but seeing that grin just makes me forget that I'm in the middle of that manure pile too. One day as I was wondering why Anyone above would allow such things...two white butterflies circled her. Perhaps I need to remember, it's not where you are or what defects you must deal with...it's how happy you are that really counts...and her smile tells me she is a happy soul.
Blind Lady
After I was in the village for several days, I saw a very old, blind lady being escorted to an old, adobe broken down building. I followed. Shockingly horrid conditions. Bed looked like it had not been washed in years. Small area where a fire could be built. The rest filled with junk. How anyone could live in there is beyond me. When I checked with others, her story was: her son had died, his wife had remarried & her husband had kicked her out. They take only food to her.
No Water
No water is the biggest problem for Jui Dao Ma Lu. Currently they rely on rain collection but since this province has had a drought for three years, they now have to truck in water which cost lots of $$$$$...so wasting water on washing your body or clothes just isn't happening.
Village Meeting
The morning before we left Jui Dao Ma Lu, most of the men & women & our team had a meeting. Latrine cleaning, possible gov't well drilling program, sewing project expectations and my assessment results were some of the topics. With all the yaking, translating & grunting going on, it reminded me of what I always thought a POW WOW must of been like!
Saying Good Bye
It's never easy to say good bye & turn and walk away...especially when you know so much more needs to be done to make life better...but the time came. LaBoa, the old man who had let us use his house, sat on his door step and cried. We were all pretty quiet on the way to QuiBei--tired & dirty from all the packing & last minute jobs--and wishing we could have done more...
Ma Lu Tang
After a good night sleep in a hotel with running hot water, we jumped back in the truck & headed for Ma Lu Tang which is made up of about 135 people of the Yao tribe. It was the biggest & wealthiest of all the colonies we would visit but without water. They make their money by selling tobacco to the gov't. Several families were planting the seeds when we arrived. The adults filled trays, the kids put one seed in each small section & an adult then carefully placed them in a raised bed filled with water & later covered by a green house. After they sprout, they'll be hand planted in fields. Rog checked out latrines & cisterns making recommendations for future projects. I finally got to go into a school, meet the teacher & give her all the supplies I'd bought in Kunming. Since her classroom was nearly void of any teaching materials--except for the board she had painted black & some small bits of chalk--you can imagine the grin on her face! The kids were not back in school from break yet so missed out there but the teacher said that she had Gr 2 & 5 this year as they only begin a new class every three years. Next year she'll have Gr 3 & 6 and the following 1 & 4. This is the village the ECVS is planning to build them a new school next year and possible with Smart Boards. They also hope to hire teachers so kids can go up to 9th grade and then I guess the trick will be to get the school Gov't approved so the kids can go on to HS. But knowing how head strong Renay can be when she sets her mind to something...I think she'll do it!!!! Finally, we helped Jenny pass out the hygiene bags & reusuable menstrual pads to all the women...and granola bars to the kids.
Chinese Education
Here's what I learned from Sophie about Chinese education: Through Gr 6 is free for all, Gr 7- 9 families must pay for books, uniforms & if from villages, room & board. HS is up to families to pay for. Most villagers don't value education & need the help at home besides they can't afford the expense so Gr 6 is usually the end for them...and often their attendance is poor due to working in fields.
Discipline in the Classroom
Here's what Sophie said about discipline: Most children behave but if they don't--the first time the teacher will hit them on the hands--next time stand them by a wall or outside the door--next time call the parentand the 4th time, they are expelled from the school and most likely that is the end of their education. Most teachers are very strict. Class size is usually about 30 though Sophie remember 60 in her 1st grade.
Receipts
Yuan dilengetly gets receipts for everything he buys. Many times they have to be hand written and we sit and wait & wait...Yuan who usually has so much patience got a bit ansy while waiting for a young girl to write the receipt and mumbled, "Her mother said she should go to school but she said she'd rather herd the pigs but now she can't even count to 10!"
Luo Song Di
Our final village to visit was Yuan home village. It too is in the middle of no where but has wonderful river flowing through it...probably the Gov't didn't check it out before moving the lepers to that area!! Yuan's family welcomed all of us with open arms and prepared a feast of many of the foods they grew. Yuan's old uncle?? delighted us with his humourous & touching remarks. He handed a manderine to Rog & I and told us it was his way of thanking USA for helping them in WWII. He gave another to Jenny & Renay in thanks for Dr. Bethune, a Canadian doctor who aided many of Chinese injured in WWII. He offered Rog some home brew which Rog bravely slugged down as they studied his reaction--a large grin & claimed it went down smoothly. We also visited the school which had just been built last year & the kids were there!!!--Gr 1 & 4 (they also started a new class every 3 yrs). We again showered them with teaching supplies as the kids curiously looked on. The teacher (who himself only had a Gr 2 educ) took us down to his house & we sat around a fire as we asked him questions--the whole time his classes just sat in their rooms & read--which I heard happened often as the teacher also had a small restrurant business so if anyone stopped by to eat--he left the classroom to cook for them. He said it was very difficult for him to teach two grades so he only taught the very basics. He also said many kids who could come choose to go to another school a bit farther away...wonder why??? He proudly showed us his home which was very neat & clean and his swimming pool--diverted river water!! How cool is that!!! When then went to the town meeting place where Yuan had gathered most of the women so we could hand out the hygiene stuff. Then we headed to the upper part of the village to hand out more. In all we've handed out 126 bags of the 130 we packed!! Each filled with toothbrush, paste, towels, soap, nail clippers, Qtips, lotion, 6 underwear & washable pads for those who need them. We made one more stop to say good bye to Yuan's mom...when I hugged her she grabbed me &gave me a huge smack on both my cheeks making her hat fall off which made everyone laugh. Then it seemed the older women--especially those most deformed--lined up for their hug which I gladly gave--knocking a few more hats off. As we drove off, I could almost feel the pride the whole village had knowing the Yuan was one of theirs!!!
And as I sat around the fire with Yuan's family, another with the teacher, and so many times with many villagers...I knew that we had really experienced things in the bowel of China that no "normal tourist" could ...so I am so glad we are not the "normal tourist"......maybe a bit crazy & uncomfortable & unsure of what's going to happen next....but truly blessed.
Have enjoyed all the emails we've been getting from home. We really do feel like we are on the other side of the world--and after tomorrow--we'll be without Jenny, the Chinese-Canadian who has been interpreting for us and helping us make sense of lots of what we see around here. Better get starting doing some writing as I've gotten so far behind....
Leprosy
Fantastic gains in China! In 1980, the China gov't started giving lepers free medicine--partially thanks to the great work of a Chinese doctor who devoted his life to them and was the founder of HANDA which is the NGO that we have been traveling & working with here. They provide many services for the 157 eprosy colonies. So most of the colonies are now filled with only a few older people who have been grossly affected by the disease and will probably be the last generation to suffer greatly!!! It will take many years for their families to outlive the stigma attached & be allowed to work better ground or move to more prosperous areas but the future is bright!!!
Signs of Leprosy
Yup it is contagious but difficult to catch if your immune system is strong and you have proper hygiene...but if you see our eyebrows falling out & red blotches on our shoulders or back...let us know so we can get the proper meds that will immediately stop it!
Miao Tribe
One of the leprosy villages, Rao Ma Lu we visited had people from the Miao tribe. Their facial features were different as well as their language. It was a very small village with just 5 kids for me to assess. While Sophie and I ran them through the assessments, all the villagers except the men who had gone with Rog to check out latrine & their water supply, stood around us with large grins shouting at and nudging the child that was answering. Most of them knew so very little and were not going to any school. We identified the "most knowledgeable" and gave her the one book she could read as well as many word cards as she knew & put her in charge of teaching the others. After we left the village, I asked Sophie what the people were shouting at the children. She said, "Stupid." I wanted to go back and hug each of those kids and tell them they were not stupid--just unlucky to not have the privilege of an education!
The Weaver
Also in Rao Ma Lu, there was an old man who was so carefully & skillfully weaving a bird cage out of bamboo. He was missing several fingers and probably much of his feet by the looks of how his shoes fit. A bird cage. It struck me so odd that in this desperately poor village, someone with such handicaps would be weaving something of such beauty...so he could listen to the song of a bird. How many songs have I missed??
Face Washing
Living without running water is such a burden here. A clean face is a luxury. At Rao Ma Lu, we gave each woman a bag with soap & towel in it. Ask for a small bowl of water and I demonstrated both face and hand washing. After they got done laughing at me, they all got to work on their own faces. Suds & laughter overflowed! Such simple joys! We also gave them the washable menstrual pads --which embarrassed them--especially because Yuan (male) had to explain it to them because he was the only one who spoke Miao.
Advice from Sophie's Mom
When we were on top of one of the mountains, we got a phone signal so Sophie (22 Univ student who is volunteering) called her Mom. When I asked her what her Mom told her, she said, "Be independent and be brave." Sound advice.
Sign Painted on Wall
Large words are painted red on many of the walls in towns so I asked what they said: Less Children. Less Burden. Nothing like getting right to the point.
Equality between Men & Women
It's refreshing to see that there seems to be lots of equality between men & women. You see both caring for children, cooking, working in fields, building, etc...
No Market
It dawned on me as I was using yet another squat toilet...there is no market in China for Uncle John's Bathroom Readers!!!
Canola Fields
As we drove to a new village, we went by miles of the brightest yellow fields you can imagine: canola. I swear they glowed!
Graves
As you drive along the highway, often you go by grave sites. They are mounds of dirt usually with rock wall around & often with a large grave stone. In some areas, they dot the hillside. We're told choosing a grave site is very important. It usually faces SW and must be Feng Shui.
Still Building..
Even out here in the middle of no where, building is going on everywhere. We saw where they are blasting out a mountain to build a new railroad. Guess the building is in prep for that.
Did you know there is no facebook in China...
Our Team
Here's the people we've been spending lots of time with:
Renay--born in China--now living in Canada--founder of Eco Village of Hope. Heart as big as the mountains around her which is supported by a clever mind that thinks anything can be done & she'll find the $$$$
Steve--from Oklahoma--has done humanitarian work for 25 years including spending the last 6 months in Zambia--has an incredible memory of multiple things he has studied--lots of common sense & stories
Jenny --born in China--now living in Canada--talented seamstress & pattern designer--thrilled to have raised lots of $$$ to help in her home land--creative & hardworking--totally enjoying the journey here
Sophie--Chinese 22 yr old Univ student hoping to be an elem teacher--first volunteer outing--immediate reppore with kids & me
Ong & OuYang- Chinese couple married one year--our translators. Both understand Chinese culture. OuYang is also seamstress so works with Jenny lots. Ong helps the guys. Both quiet & pleasant.
Yuan - Chinese HANDA worker who knows & loves the people in all the leprosy villages. Great at navigating through discussions & driving on these terrible mountainous & back roads. Love him.
Little Mothers/Daddies
All the little kids around the age of 8 - 10, walk around with babies on their back much of the time. But every so often, one of those little mommies or daddies crawl on my lap & let me rock them...allowing them to be the little kid they really are. A boy who is about 8, crawled on my lap at the village feast and though other kids laughed at him, he let me rock him for about ten minutes.
Created a Monster
Sophie & I have created a monster. The kids are now begging for us to do word flashcards for them. Sophie has been busy making up gobs of them & we've been handing them out to kids who can read them and telling them they know must teach others. The kids are also asking us to read to them and let them look at my Zoobooks. We a grand problem to have!
Flea Bites
Several of our team spent a night in the attic of one of the buildings as they wanted to get out of the cold--they ended up with lots of flea bites! Lucky for us, Rog & I stayed outside.
Scooter Lady
If you remember from an earlier writing, one of the older ladies has to move around on a scooter by using her hands and the ramp to her home was uphill, rocky & often muddy. I mentioned it to Renay and cementing her hill was put on the work list....and it got done!! Everyday I have visited her and her smile grows. Of course the cookies I take her has lots to do with it. Her village job is to hoe a large manure pile turning it so that it dries out. Several times that's where I find her...and feed her the cookie as her stubs which is all that is left of her hands, are so filthy...but seeing that grin just makes me forget that I'm in the middle of that manure pile too. One day as I was wondering why Anyone above would allow such things...two white butterflies circled her. Perhaps I need to remember, it's not where you are or what defects you must deal with...it's how happy you are that really counts...and her smile tells me she is a happy soul.
Blind Lady
After I was in the village for several days, I saw a very old, blind lady being escorted to an old, adobe broken down building. I followed. Shockingly horrid conditions. Bed looked like it had not been washed in years. Small area where a fire could be built. The rest filled with junk. How anyone could live in there is beyond me. When I checked with others, her story was: her son had died, his wife had remarried & her husband had kicked her out. They take only food to her.
No Water
No water is the biggest problem for Jui Dao Ma Lu. Currently they rely on rain collection but since this province has had a drought for three years, they now have to truck in water which cost lots of $$$$$...so wasting water on washing your body or clothes just isn't happening.
Village Meeting
The morning before we left Jui Dao Ma Lu, most of the men & women & our team had a meeting. Latrine cleaning, possible gov't well drilling program, sewing project expectations and my assessment results were some of the topics. With all the yaking, translating & grunting going on, it reminded me of what I always thought a POW WOW must of been like!
Saying Good Bye
It's never easy to say good bye & turn and walk away...especially when you know so much more needs to be done to make life better...but the time came. LaBoa, the old man who had let us use his house, sat on his door step and cried. We were all pretty quiet on the way to QuiBei--tired & dirty from all the packing & last minute jobs--and wishing we could have done more...
Ma Lu Tang
After a good night sleep in a hotel with running hot water, we jumped back in the truck & headed for Ma Lu Tang which is made up of about 135 people of the Yao tribe. It was the biggest & wealthiest of all the colonies we would visit but without water. They make their money by selling tobacco to the gov't. Several families were planting the seeds when we arrived. The adults filled trays, the kids put one seed in each small section & an adult then carefully placed them in a raised bed filled with water & later covered by a green house. After they sprout, they'll be hand planted in fields. Rog checked out latrines & cisterns making recommendations for future projects. I finally got to go into a school, meet the teacher & give her all the supplies I'd bought in Kunming. Since her classroom was nearly void of any teaching materials--except for the board she had painted black & some small bits of chalk--you can imagine the grin on her face! The kids were not back in school from break yet so missed out there but the teacher said that she had Gr 2 & 5 this year as they only begin a new class every three years. Next year she'll have Gr 3 & 6 and the following 1 & 4. This is the village the ECVS is planning to build them a new school next year and possible with Smart Boards. They also hope to hire teachers so kids can go up to 9th grade and then I guess the trick will be to get the school Gov't approved so the kids can go on to HS. But knowing how head strong Renay can be when she sets her mind to something...I think she'll do it!!!! Finally, we helped Jenny pass out the hygiene bags & reusuable menstrual pads to all the women...and granola bars to the kids.
Chinese Education
Here's what I learned from Sophie about Chinese education: Through Gr 6 is free for all, Gr 7- 9 families must pay for books, uniforms & if from villages, room & board. HS is up to families to pay for. Most villagers don't value education & need the help at home besides they can't afford the expense so Gr 6 is usually the end for them...and often their attendance is poor due to working in fields.
Discipline in the Classroom
Here's what Sophie said about discipline: Most children behave but if they don't--the first time the teacher will hit them on the hands--next time stand them by a wall or outside the door--next time call the parentand the 4th time, they are expelled from the school and most likely that is the end of their education. Most teachers are very strict. Class size is usually about 30 though Sophie remember 60 in her 1st grade.
Receipts
Yuan dilengetly gets receipts for everything he buys. Many times they have to be hand written and we sit and wait & wait...Yuan who usually has so much patience got a bit ansy while waiting for a young girl to write the receipt and mumbled, "Her mother said she should go to school but she said she'd rather herd the pigs but now she can't even count to 10!"
Luo Song Di
Our final village to visit was Yuan home village. It too is in the middle of no where but has wonderful river flowing through it...probably the Gov't didn't check it out before moving the lepers to that area!! Yuan's family welcomed all of us with open arms and prepared a feast of many of the foods they grew. Yuan's old uncle?? delighted us with his humourous & touching remarks. He handed a manderine to Rog & I and told us it was his way of thanking USA for helping them in WWII. He gave another to Jenny & Renay in thanks for Dr. Bethune, a Canadian doctor who aided many of Chinese injured in WWII. He offered Rog some home brew which Rog bravely slugged down as they studied his reaction--a large grin & claimed it went down smoothly. We also visited the school which had just been built last year & the kids were there!!!--Gr 1 & 4 (they also started a new class every 3 yrs). We again showered them with teaching supplies as the kids curiously looked on. The teacher (who himself only had a Gr 2 educ) took us down to his house & we sat around a fire as we asked him questions--the whole time his classes just sat in their rooms & read--which I heard happened often as the teacher also had a small restrurant business so if anyone stopped by to eat--he left the classroom to cook for them. He said it was very difficult for him to teach two grades so he only taught the very basics. He also said many kids who could come choose to go to another school a bit farther away...wonder why??? He proudly showed us his home which was very neat & clean and his swimming pool--diverted river water!! How cool is that!!! When then went to the town meeting place where Yuan had gathered most of the women so we could hand out the hygiene stuff. Then we headed to the upper part of the village to hand out more. In all we've handed out 126 bags of the 130 we packed!! Each filled with toothbrush, paste, towels, soap, nail clippers, Qtips, lotion, 6 underwear & washable pads for those who need them. We made one more stop to say good bye to Yuan's mom...when I hugged her she grabbed me &gave me a huge smack on both my cheeks making her hat fall off which made everyone laugh. Then it seemed the older women--especially those most deformed--lined up for their hug which I gladly gave--knocking a few more hats off. As we drove off, I could almost feel the pride the whole village had knowing the Yuan was one of theirs!!!
And as I sat around the fire with Yuan's family, another with the teacher, and so many times with many villagers...I knew that we had really experienced things in the bowel of China that no "normal tourist" could ...so I am so glad we are not the "normal tourist"......maybe a bit crazy & uncomfortable & unsure of what's going to happen next....but truly blessed.
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